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Amp Multi and hdmi/atmos

  • January 29, 2026
  • 7 replies
  • 95 views
melvimbe

With the introduction of the Amp Multi and the lack of any hdmi input or atmos support, I thought it might be an interesting conversation to consider why that decision was made.  I personally would have liked to seen hdmi input, whether that brings atmos or not, but I can see some reasons why.

The primary reason is essentially that home theatre is just not then intended reason the device was made.  It’s for whole home audio.

  • Adding hdmi and atmos would be features that many users don’t want and don’t want to pay for.
  • Additional features and use cases like this lead to increased possibility for bugs/issues to occur.
  • The amp multi is designed to be primarily be in a rack far away from a TV, requiring a long hdmi cable.
  • This is 8 channels, or 4 stereo pairs.  Home audio setups are usually odd numbered, with a center channel.  So either a center channel is missing, or one of the audio channels would be unused.
  • Amp multi is 125W per channel, which is probably overkill for many of the channels you want in an atmos home theatre setup.
  • Many users would want a hybrid setup with some wired speakers and some wireless. for example, you may want to use a soundbar, or Sonos fives in the front, or era 300s in the rear, but wired atmos/ceiling speakers.  The amp -multi doesn’t look like it’s setup to send audio to bond with other Sonos devices wireless in a room configuration.  It can bond 1 Sonos sub per zone, but no more.

All that said, I think there is an outside chance, maybe just wishful speculation on my part, that the Amp Multi could be used for atmos audio in the future.  If a follow up, next gen, amp is released, it will likely have hdmi inputs because the current gen does. It could still be limited to basic surround sound, but they could make it atmos capable, with the ability to connect to a amp  multi via ethernet cable for an additional 8 channels of wired audio + 2 subs, giving you a 7.2.2 setup, or 5.2.4 setup.  the rear channels could be Sonos speakers, as the Sonos amp already has this capability.  It would eliminate many of the concerns I listed above for a better over all solution.

I do like that idea, but the more of think of it, the less likely I think that’s going to happen.  And it’s still not exactly what I want from a home theatre setup.

Danny

    7 replies

    jgatie
    • jgatie
    • January 29, 2026

    I don’t see where a rack mounted multi-channel amplifier would do well in a Sonos Home Theater application.  Even if you were able to use it for multiple surrounds/Atmos speakers, as we’ve seen many times when a customer shuts off the WiFi on their soundbar, even Ethernet connected surrounds have trouble keeping sync.  They tend to drop out due to the number of network hops needed to negotiate the Ethernet path between soundbar and surrounds.  The only reliable connection is the direct private 5 GHz WiFi connection, which requires line-of-sight (or at least be in the same room).  This means a rack mount would basically be useless.

      Airgetlam
      • Airgetlam
      • January 29, 2026

      I think this is the reasoning as to why not to include it, and Bluetooth. Seems like a fairly intelligent choice.

      Bruce
      buzz
      • buzz
      • January 29, 2026

      I can imagine an existing, aging A/V receiver with all of the wires in place, but it doesn’t integrate easily with adjacent SONOS equipment. A drop-in multi-channel AMP would simplify installation and operation. 

        Stanley_4
        • Stanley_4
        • Lead Maestro
        • January 29, 2026

        A Sonos AVR would be interesting, all the usual AVR bits but with ties into the Sonos system. Maybe setup like an internal Port and that connected as a tape loop?

        Unplug everything from your aging AVR, drop in the Sonos and reconnect the wires.

          AjTrek1
          • AjTrek1
          • January 30, 2026

          I think the key reason there is no HDMI and/or Atmos capability is because Sonos didn’t set out to design it as such.

          Their objective (IMO) was to design a pro-level component for large areas (or an extremely spacious home) where Zones would be the intent and not rooms such as with my dwelling. As with any design the manufacturer has to determine where a device is best marketed (and to whom) and/or to fill a competitive gap. The latter IMO could have possibly been an important factor to gain market share with professional installers. In fact, pro-installers may have been asking for such a product; just as we clamor for speakers and the like. JMHO.

          Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
            melvimbe
            • melvimbe
            • Author
            • January 30, 2026

            I think the key reason there is no HDMI and/or Atmos capability is because Sonos didn’t set out to design it as such.

            Their objective (IMO) was to design a pro-level component for large areas (or an extremely spacious home) where Zones would be the intent and not rooms such as with my dwelling. As with any design the manufacturer has to determine where a device is best marketed (and to whom) and/or to fill a competitive gap. The latter IMO could have possibly been an important factor to gain market share with professional installers. In fact, pro-installers may have been asking for such a product; just as we clamor for speakers and the like. JMHO.

             

             

            I get your point, but I would also say that it’s common for installers to have customers who want professionally installed home theatre rooms. I would even hazard a guess that it’s more common a request than a whole home audio system.  Installers might not be asking Sonos specifically for a wired home theatre solution as there a lot of other options out there, and a port can just be tacked on to integrate with Sonos.  I would think Sonos would be interested in being more involved in that market though, and they can offer hybrid wired/wireless setups and tighter integrations and ease of use than much of the competition.

            Danny
            AjTrek1
            • AjTrek1
            • January 30, 2026

            I think the key reason there is no HDMI and/or Atmos capability is because Sonos didn’t set out to design it as such.

            Their objective (IMO) was to design a pro-level component for large areas (or an extremely spacious home) where Zones would be the intent and not rooms such as with my dwelling. As with any design the manufacturer has to determine where a device is best marketed (and to whom) and/or to fill a competitive gap. The latter IMO could have possibly been an important factor to gain market share with professional installers. In fact, pro-installers may have been asking for such a product; just as we clamor for speakers and the like. JMHO.

             

             

            I get your point, but I would also say that it’s common for installers to have customers who want professionally installed home theatre rooms. I would even hazard a guess that it’s more common a request than a whole home audio system.  Installers might not be asking Sonos specifically for a wired home theatre solution as there a lot of other options out there, and a port can just be tacked on to integrate with Sonos.  I would think Sonos would be interested in being more involved in that market though, and they can offer hybrid wired/wireless setups and tighter integrations and ease of use than much of the competition.

            I see your point as well. However the more I look at the Amp-Multi and read about its intended use  the further I move away from the idea that HDMI and Atmos should have also been included.

            To draw a parallel of sorts I liken the Amp-Multi to a Dell Blade Server. Could one use it in a home…sure… but the impracticality of doing so outweighs any logical use as such.

            The Amp-Multi although Sonos shows pictures of it in a cabinet I still have to think…wow…it’s designed for in-ceiling/in-wall speakers so how would one hide the wires to power those after connecting it to a TV (or projector) with an HDMI cable. Furthermore even if Atmos were included one would need ceiling and free-standing speakers to design a separates home theater. At this point Sonos is not in the traditional high-end home theater market.

            Have to cut this short as I could add more thoughts but have an appointment. Possibly more to come later. 😊

            Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
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