connecting Sonos Ray to a TV without an optical output

11 replies
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Hi,

I’ve seen a similar question with a suggestion of using an hdmi-to-optical adapter

the relevant pages from my tv manual: pg1, pg2, pg3
Are there any downsides to using an hdmi-to-optical adapter? latency issues? sound quality issues?
Is there a recommended converter, or anything I should be aware about in the specs or just buy the cheapest converter?

Lastly, the need for complex connections got me rethinking the suitability of Ray. The TV in question is in the kitchen and is not used for viewing movies, but only broadcast tv (mostly news). The TV internal speakers seem adequate, and I have a couple of Sonos One SL in the kitchen for music.

My plan was to connect the Ray to the TV and move the One SL that is next to the TV to a room that does not have a Sonos speaker. This way listening to music in the kitchen would be with the Ray and the One SL, and the TV’s sound would be enhanced.

Since the connection to the TV is going to be complicated, I think it would be easier (and slightly cheaper) to get the additional One SL to the other room and leave the kitchen setup as-is.

What do you think?

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Corry PAnswer

Sonos Staff

Hi @melvimbe

I admit I did assume that “broadcast TV” would be built into the TV itself, but you are correct - it could indeed be an external box, which would change the available options.

In a kitchen, the advantage of having voice-assistant functionality is considerable - being able to turn on the TV with a voice command while hands are covered in dough, for example. Beam would add this as an option, with HDMI in use. And, we don’t know the size of the kitchen, so perhaps Beam would do better there anyway. My statement was mostly based on “if your TV has HDMI-ARC but not optical, get the sound-bar with an HDMI socket” thinking, though - not a bad option if a refund is available and cable/device clutter is unwanted.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

Show previous replies

Airgetlam

Yes, you’re correct in your assumption.

Paired speakers have a defined left and right channel, with one going to one speaker, the other channel to the other speaker.

Grouped “rooms” play the same thing. You can have stereo paired speakers in a room, or single speakers, or even a full home theater setup. Each “room” will play the same thing.

Bonded speakers are a slightly special case. The Sub is always bonded to another device/speaker, and plays only the frequencies sent to it. Bonded surrounds play the surround channel sent to them from the front soundbar/device, or, when streaming music to that “room”, they can play either “ambient” support to the front device, or a full stereo signal, depending on the choice made in the Sonos controller for that room (under surround audio)

Bruce

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