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Air v Beam v Wall ceiling advice please?!

  • 18 December 2021
  • 3 replies
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E

Hi
Setting up two rooms and grateful for your thoughts on best set up, not sure I have the right set up (too much / too little speakers) feel free to give your thoughts, however sofa/tv placement can’t be changed.

 

Room 1 - A mini cinema room left side of pic (see below) with approx 55 inch TV which will be used daily

  1. beam 2 +  amp + 2 SL speakers 
  2. Arc + amp + 2 SL speakers
  3. In wall with amp
  4. In ceiling with amp

Room 2 - A larger formal lounge but with a smaller TV area  (right side of pic) which will be used less. As TV is not centered am I right in thinking corner SL not required and 2 ceiling speakers are sufficient?

Or would it just be simpler to scrap ceiling and to just have an Arc/beam with amp?
 

Also is wall/ceiling is superior than a soundbar + speakers or does wall/ceiling still require SL speaker to compliment it?
Is it necessary to always have an amp with beam/arc/wall/ceiling (sorry if that’s silly question)?

Is it possible for a SL speaker to be paired into more than 1 group e.g. I temporarily add / move it to from cinema room to the kitchen or is it one group only, after which you pair/unpair to set up in a new room? 

Lastly how is your experience of using wireless vs ethernet cables for such a set up?

Thank you in advance! :)

Thanks ! :)

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Best answer by AjTrek1 18 December 2021, 14:53

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3 replies

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

HI 

The optimum Sonos home theater setup is to use either a Arc or Beam connected to your TV via HDMI eARC. The Arc/Beam will provide Left/Center/Right channels. Use Sonos One SL’s for rear surround bonded to the Arc/Beam. Use a Sonos Sub to complete the setup to handle low end for music and LFE for movies. Of course the use of the Sonos One SL’s and Sub are optional and can be added at anytime.

The in-ceiling speakers shown in the left pic service no purpose in the setup described above. The only reason to install them would be for ambient music vs using the Arc/Beam home theater setup or just to pump-up the volume for music during a party.

The same logic as above applies to the right pic. 

Option:

Using in-wall speakers to the left and right of TV only provides Left/Right channels and creates a “Phantom” Center channel. You must use a Sonos Amp with this setup to power the in-wall speakers. If you are hoping to enjoy Dolby Atmos in it’s full glory it will not be possible. You can still employ surrounds and sub. Also, you must use Sonos  in-wall speakers by Sonance in order to use TruePlay to tune the room.

In-ceiling speakers for front left/right channels are not recommended. They can be used for surround placed directly over the seating area. They would be powered by a Sonos Amp. They can also be used as surrounds with the Arc or Beam (with optional sub bonded to Arc/Beam).

Surrounds

Once the Sonos One SL’s are bonded to the Arc or Beam it is not possible to group them to another room. To do so you would have to un-bond them from the Arc or Beam and set them up as a separate room either as a stereo pair or individually. Then you would have to re-bond them to the Arc or Beam to use as surrounds. That;’s a lot of work.:relaxed:

Wireless (Wifi) vs Ethernet

Using your home Wifi is OK as long as it produces a strong signal. However, WiFi can be susceptible to interference (internal and external). Using Ethernet (wired to Sonos speaker connected to your router) creates the SonosNet which isolates Sonos from home WiFi. The speaker used cannot be a surround. The SonosNet can also be created by using a SONOS Boost ($99 USD) connected direct to your router via ethernet; if using a speaker is not convenient.

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

HI 

The optimum Sonos home theater setup is to use either a Arc or Beam connected to your TV via HDMI eARC. The Arc/Beam will provide Left/Center/Right channels. Use Sonos One SL’s for rear surround bonded to the Arc/Beam. Use a Sonos Sub to complete the setup to handle low end for music and LFE for movies. Of course the use of the Sonos One SL’s and Sub are optional and can be added at anytime.

The in-ceiling speakers shown in the left pic service no purpose in the setup described above. The only reason to install them would be for ambient music vs using the Arc/Beam home theater setup or just to pump-up the volume for music during a party.

The same logic as above applies to the right pic. 

Option:

Using in-wall speakers to the left and right of TV only provides Left/Right channels and creates a “Phantom” Center channel. You must use a Sonos Amp with this setup to power the in-wall speakers. If you are hoping to enjoy Dolby Atmos in it’s full glory it will not be possible. You can still employ surrounds and sub. Also, you must use Sonos  in-wall speakers by Sonance in order to use TruePlay to tune the room.

In-ceiling speakers for front left/right channels are not recommended. They can be used for surround placed directly over the seating area. They would be powered by a Sonos Amp. They can also be used as surrounds with the Arc or Beam (with optional sub bonded to Arc/Beam).

Surrounds

Once the Sonos One SL’s are bonded to the Arc or Beam it is not possible to group them to another room. To do so you would have to un-bond them from the Arc or Beam and set them up as a separate room either as a stereo pair or individually. Then you would have to re-bond them to the Arc or Beam to use as surrounds. That;’s a lot of work.:relaxed:

Wireless (Wifi) vs Ethernet

Using your home Wifi is OK as long as it produces a strong signal. However, WiFi can be susceptible to interference (internal and external). Using Ethernet (wired to Sonos speaker connected to your router) creates the SonosNet which isolates Sonos from home WiFi. The speaker used cannot be a surround. The SonosNet can also be created by using a SONOS Boost ($99 USD) connected direct to your router via ethernet; if using a speaker is not convenient.

Hi Aj

Thanks so much for the detailed speedy response really appreciate it!

Just to check I've understood correctly, I can achieve the dolby atmos experience with the soundbar and 2 SL as rear speakers, and with the sub being optional add on in the future? 

 

For the ceiling speakers ambient music I need an Amp.... do I need to buy a separate amp for every room or can I use one amp in e.g main room(right pic) and then put one ceiling speaker in room 2 and room 3 (kitchen)

 

Ethernet - what do you mean by the speaker cant be a surround? Does that mean ethernet cable only to SL mini speakers and no Ethernet cable to arc/beam is required?

 

Thanks! ☺ 

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

Just to check I've understood correctly, I can achieve the dolby atmos experience with the soundbar and 2 SL as rear speakers, and with the sub being optional add on in the future? 

YES

For the ceiling speakers ambient music I need an Amp....

YES...FYI, ceiling speakers are also full sound speakers, not limited to ambient sound reproduction.

do I need to buy a separate amp for every room or can I use one amp in e.g main room(right pic) and then put one ceiling speaker in room 2 and room 3 (kitchen)

You can use one Sonos Amp to power 4 in-ceilng speakers and place each in a different room. However, each room will hear the same music source. 

Ethernet - what do you mean by the speaker cant be a surround? Does that mean ethernet cable only to SL mini speakers and no Ethernet cable to arc/beam is required?

Sonos speakers used as surrounds cannot create the SonosNet. Surround speakers are an extension of the Arc/Beam and receive their information from them.

The Arc/Beam can be wired via Ethernet to create the SonosNet in a home theater setup.

Sonos speakers not used as surrounds can be used to create the SonosNet.

Also, there are no Sonos SL mini speakers. The difference between the Sonos One and the Sonos One SL is that the latter has no voice assistant capability. In a home theater the Arc/Beam handle voice assistant therefore the less expensive Sonos One SL’s are used as surrounds.

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