Knicks and Rangers both drop at 7:30 tonight. In the past I've ended up at spots where the Knicks get the main sound and the Rangers are crammed onto a corner TV with captions, or the other way around. It's wearing me out.

Does anyone know of a place in Manhattan that actually runs two audio zones, or at least has a side room where the Rangers feed is audible? I'm not asking for golf on every screen. Just one bar where I can hear the game I came for without sitting under a speaker.

If it matters, I'll be coming from Woodhaven but meeting people in the city. Totally fine with a low-key Irish pub or a basement, as long as the picture isn't a blurry projector from 2009.

Wait this is exactly what happened to me last week! I went to a place in Hell's Kitchen with a friend to watch the Rangers and they had the Knicks on every screen with sound. I asked the bartender if they could switch one TV and he said 'maybe later.' We left at second intermission and missed the goal on the phone replay.

Do people actually bring earbuds and listen to the radio broadcast in the bar? Is that weird? Or does the MSG app lag too much? I'm new here and still trying to figure out the watch party thing.

Short answer: most Manhattan sports bars default to the Knicks when both MSG feeds are live, especially if there's a large group at the bar. The Rangers audio only survives in places that have a dedicated hockey crowd, a separate room, or a bartender who's a fan.

From my experience, you want to look for places with zone-controlled speakers. A lot of older Irish pubs on the Upper East Side and around Grand Central have a front bar and a back dining area that can be set to different channels. Midtown chain sports bars usually have the technical ability but won't split sound unless someone from management approves it and the Knicks game isn't close. The key is asking before you order, not after tip-off.

Also, check whether they're a 'Rangers bar' via a fan group. If you're on the West Side, some of the neighborhood spots near MSG lean hockey because the crowds are already Rangers transplants. Call and ask: 'Is there a side room with Rangers sound tonight, or would it be captions only?' If they hesitate, that means no.

For tonight specifically, I'd avoid trying to get audio for both. Pick the Rangers, go early, sit in the back if they give you a speaker, and make friends with the bartender.

Okay so I tried this in Hell's Kitchen last week and did it all wrong. I asked the hostess instead of the bartender, and she said 'all our TVs have sound' which obviously wasn't true. The captions were on but the music was louder than anything.

Is it rude to ask again during the first period? And if they switch one TV, do they normally turn that little speaker box up for your table? I don't want to become the person who keeps complaining.

I'm new to Rangers watch parties too and I keep running into the same issue. I tried using the radio broadcast on my phone at a bar in Alphabet City and it was like a full minute behind the TV. Ruined every goal.

Do any bars actually use dual-zone speakers, or is that just a home theater thing? I thought since they have so many TVs, the sound could be split left and right, but maybe that's not how commercial systems work. Can someone explain why they can't just put one game on the right side speakers and one on the left?

Nah, don't bring earbuds. You'll look like you're casing the place, and the delay is worse than the music.

The dual-speaker left/right thing doesn't work the way you think in a bar. Most places have a single audio feed tied to whichever screen is on the main input. The zone stuff exists, but it's usually front/back, not left/right. And even when the equipment can do it, the bartender may not have the remote or the password.

My move is always: pick the less popular game, go to a team-specific bar, or get there 45 minutes early and ask the actual bartender, not the host. If you're polite and order real food, they'll usually put the Rangers on one TV with the little speaker on the back shelf, but don't expect it loud over a full room.

From what I've seen downtown, the Rangers back-room play works better in places that still have two small rooms, like the old saloon-style spots on the LES or some Nolita places with a dining area. If enough people ask, they'll put hockey on the back television and turn the speaker up just enough.

But if the Knicks are in a close game, forget it. The larger crowd wins. I'd take the opposite approach from OceanHill_O — don't fight it, just go to a hockey-leaning spot for the Rangers and meet your Knicks friends after.

Also, the MSG app is useless for a live bar unless you're okay watching the play before you hear it.

Thanks for all this. I think the dual zone idea was my dream, but I get it now. I'm fine committing to the Rangers, but I don't want to end up at a place that just says they have sound and then hands me a beeper for the kitchen.

Can anyone drop a specific area or type of place that leans Rangers? I keep hearing UES but I don't know if that means the old man pubs around 2nd Ave or the sports bars closer to Midtown. Also, do I have to be there before 6:30 to get a seat in the back room?

Woodhaven_W, for UES I've had the best luck in the older Irish pubs on 1st and 2nd Avenues in the 70s and 80s. They tend to have a regular hockey crowd and aren't interested in the Knicks party crowd anyway. The main bar may still have Knicks sound, but the back room is often set to the Rangers feed if you ask early. I'd call around 4 p.m. and say, 'Are you showing hockey with sound tonight?' Press them a little.

The Grand Central/Murray Hill area is hit or miss. Some places have separate upstairs rooms that can play a second game, but they won't automatically put audio on unless they know it'll keep people ordering. One downtown spot I visited in the fall had a sign that said 'Rangers sound in the side room after 7 if requested,' which was the most honest answer I've ever seen.

And yes, get there before 6:30. Not because the room fills at 6:30, but because the bartender will remember your request before they're slammed. Offer to sit in the section where the speaker is. It's less about the seat and more about being an easy yes.

Update: I called a place in the West Village that has a back room, and the person on the phone said 'if you get five people asking, we usually put Rangers sound on back there.' That sounds promising but also maybe just a line they say to everyone. Has anyone actually had that work? I'm bringing one friend, so we'd need three strangers to show up and ask. Should I still try?

Five people is the easiest ask in the world if the bar already has a back room with a speaker. Show up early, tell the bartender you're the one who called about Rangers sound, and put a cash tip down. Don't rely on the host phone call, because the host might not even be there later.

If there are five hockey jerseys in the back, that room is yours. If not, try the crowd at the bar. You'd be surprised how many people are there for the Rangers but were too tired to ask.

Worst case, you get captions and a phone for radio — but at least you'll have a seat.