Use Amp + Port to play media from receiver in two rooms

  • 30 April 2023
  • 8 replies
  • 120 views

Basically as the title says, I’m trying to play shared audio in two rooms (these are in ceiling wired speakers) from a home theater receiver. This setup works well when I play streaming music through the Sonos app. But if I want to use a service like YouTube TV, I’ve only found success by directly connecting to the TV and using its own apps (thereby bypassing my media player and my receiver). 
 

Is this really the only way to do this? It feels like I’m  90% of the way there and a little silly that the app is limiting this so hard. 


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8 replies

Userlevel 7
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Please explain to us how the homecinema receiver is connected to the Sonos devices? Is this receiver also connected to the TV?

I have a home theater setup in one room with in curling speakers. Then in another room, in-ceiling speakers are powered by a Sonos Amp.


The Sonos Amp is not directly connected to the home theater receiver, but I have a Port that runs two RCA out (red and white) to an RCA in on the rear of my HTR.

The media I would like to use is ideally via Chromecast connected to the HTR.

the HTR is connected via Arc HDMI to my TV.

If your receiver offers an analog audio output, you can connect this to PORT’s Line-In.

There are considerations: First, there will be a 75ms time skew between PORT’s Line-In and output from AMP or PORT’s Line-Out. Further, some A/V receivers will not pass digital audio input (HDMI or optical/coax) through to the receiver’s analog output.

Userlevel 7
Badge +17

If only the out on the Port is connected to the in on the receiver, connecting the in on the Port to an out on the receiver seems to be the missing link, yes. Just a reminder - not all receivers convert digital information (like sound from an HDMI connection) to an analogue out. So even when you connect the Port in the way described above, you might still not get TV sound into your Sonos devices.

If your receiver offers an analog audio output, you can connect this to PORT’s Line-In.

I don’t have an analog out on the receiver’s rear. Would the front Headphone jack work the same way? 

If your receiver offers an analog audio output, you can connect this to PORT’s Line-In.

I don’t have an analog out on the receiver’s rear. Would the front Headphone jack work the same way? 

 

A headphone jack is probably going to override any external speakers when the headphone is connected.

Would I be able to leverage the Sonos Amp HDMI Arc input somehow then? So the path would be:

 

Video: Media source > Receiver > TV

Audio (Room 1):

Media source > Receiver > Speakers

Audio (Room 2):

Media source > Receiver > [HDMI] > Sonos Amp > Speakers

 

Or does the Sonos Amp have to also control the video signal as well?

ARC will not work with HDMI. The connection must be HDMI-ARC, HDMI-eARC or optical. Optical will not support all of the advanced audio formats. HDMI-ARC and HDMI-eARC splitters are not yet common. If you dig around enough a few schemes will appear. They are out of most people’s price comfort zone and cumbersome to connect.