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Need some clarity. 

Setting up a new TV and Sonos system. 

ARC soundbar + AMP driving 4 in-ceiling speakers (setup as pairs of L/R rears)

How do I connect these without a router? The ARC is going to the eHDMI input on the TV. How do I connect the AMP? Can that go to the Optical input on the TV using the Sonos HDMI to Optical converter?

  1. The Amp will bond with the Arc on a ‘hidden’ 5Ghz channel created by the Arc, no Ethernet cable required.
  2. Two pairs of surround speakers will like hamper the surround experience, with muddling of the audio source for your ears. Will likely work well for music streaming, though. 
     
  3. in order to initially set up each device, you will need a router and Ethernet connection, but once they’ve been set up, you can move them to an area without internet, but 
  4. The Arc and Amp would normally use the IP addresses provided by a router. I’m not sure that the Sonos Arc has the electronics necessary to extend appropriate IP addresses to the surround Amp without a router providing the DHCP functions. You could test, and let us know, nut I wouldn’t be surprised if, without a router serving that purpose, the Amp would be able to connect to the Arc. It’s kind of why Sonos lists a router in their system requirements here. 

Hi Bruce,

Would both the ARC and AMP need to be directly wired to the router? 
 

After initial setup, the AMP will receive its signal over wifi and the ARC directly from the tv via eHDMI?

 

There isn’t a way to connect the AMP to the TV as well?

  1. No. Reread point 1 in my previous post. Unless I’m misunderstanding the question? In general, a single device (not surrounds, or Subs) connected to the router then creates a thing commonly known as SonosNet, which all other devices connect to automatically, for setup purposes. When you the “bond” the Amp as a surround driver to the Arc, it moves over to a 5Ghz “hidden” channel for connection to the Arc, and is no longer connected to SonosNet. It still gets IP data from the router, just through the Arc. 
  2. Yes….although I’d say eARC, rather than eHDMI. eARC is created by your TV set, and not the sources connected to your TV set. The eARC signal is processed by the Arc, and then the Arc sends that surround information to the Amp via that hidden 5Ghz wifi channel. 
  3. Not for use in a home theater situation, Sonos only has one hardwired connection to the TV set, no need for a second connection, as I hopefully properly explained in the previous point. 
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