Play across multiple speakers

Groups let several Brane X speakers play the same music at the same time. You connect to one speaker or group name, and the rest follow. This article covers how groups work, how to set one up and what to check when a speaker drops out.

How groups work

• A group can hold up to eight speakers on the same Wi-Fi network.
• Groups need Wi-Fi. Speakers connected only over Bluetooth cannot join one.
• Every speaker in a group shares one volume. Change the volume on any speaker and the whole group changes.
• Only the music is shared. Voice prompts and sounds still play on the speaker that triggered them.
• The group screen has a Party / Stereo selector at the top, above the list of speakers in the group. In Party, every speaker in the group plays both the left and right channels. In Stereo, each speaker has a slider that sets which channel it plays.

Create a group

1. Make sure every speaker is powered on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network. A speaker shows as “Online” on its card in the app when it is.
2. Open Groups in the Brane Audio app.
3. Tap Create New Group.
4. Select the speakers you want to include from the speakers on your network.

Each speaker plays a short tone when it is added to a group, and another when it is removed.

Choose Party or Stereo

Use the Party / Stereo selector on the group screen. Choose Party when you want every speaker to play both the left and right channels. Choose Stereo when you want each speaker to play its own channel. In Stereo, each speaker has a slider that sets which channel it plays. For a stereo pair, choose Stereo, then set one speaker’s slider to the left and the other’s to the right.

Soundbar Mode and groups

A wired AUX source cannot play to a group while Soundbar Mode (previously called AUX Passthrough) is on. Soundbar Mode limits the speaker’s digital processing to cut delay, which removes the buffering that grouping needs. Turn it off to play a wired source to a group. Wireless sources and wireless groups are not affected by the mode.

Edit a group

Open the group from the Groups screen. It shows the group name, the Party / Stereo selector, the speakers in the group, a “Speaker not playing?” link and an End Group link.

Rename a group or change its members

1. Tap the pencil icon.
2. Tap the group name to rename the group, type the new name and tap Done on the keyboard. Or tick and untick speakers to change who is in it. You can do either or both.
3. Tap the green checkmark to finish.

End a group

Open the group and tap End Group. The speakers are removed from the group and work on their own again, as they did before.

Play to a group

Choose the group by its name, not by a speaker name.

• AirPlay and Spotify: the group appears under its group name. One speaker in the group advertises it, and which speaker does that can change depending on which are available and the order they powered on. You never need to know which.
• Bluetooth, AUX and Alexa: these can start from any speaker in the group. Pair, plug in or speak to the speaker you want, and the group plays it. A wired AUX source feeds the group only while Soundbar Mode is off.

A new source takes over from the one that is playing. See How audio sources take turns.

If a speaker drops out

Each speaker keeps its playback in step with the speaker that is receiving the music. If one drifts out of step, it stops playing until it catches up again. Wireless interference and slow networks cause this.

Sources that reach the speaker live, such as Bluetooth, a wired AUX connection and older AirPlay, hold less audio in reserve and are more likely to cause a brief drop-out. To help:

• Use a strong Wi-Fi signal and keep speakers within good range of your router.
• Reduce obstacles and interference between the speakers and the router.
• Check that the speaker shows as “Online” in the app.

If a speaker is missing or not playing

A speaker that is connected to the app over Bluetooth but not to Wi-Fi does not appear when you create or edit a group, and it does not play to the group. You can still change its settings over Bluetooth, but grouping needs Wi-Fi. Connect it to Wi-Fi: open the speaker, then go to Network > Connect to Network. If a speaker in a group is not playing, the group screen also has a “Speaker not playing?” link. See Connect to Wi-Fi.

More than eight speakers

If more than eight speakers on a network share one group name, some of them will not play the group’s music. Which ones depends on the order they powered on. The extra speakers still play Alexa, Bluetooth and AUX on their own, but they do not follow the group volume. Keep each group to eight speakers or fewer.

Still stuck? Contact Brane Audio support.