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ceborgen
Contributor I
June 14, 2018
Answered

Beam as a computer speaker

  • June 14, 2018
  • 34 replies
  • 62513 views
Is it possible to use Beam as a computer speaker with the use of hdmi port?
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    Best answer by MikeV
    No reason that couldn't be done, I suppose... if your PC has an optical output.

    34 replies

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    Ryan S
    Ryan S
    Retired Sonos Staff
    July 17, 2018
    I'm impressed and jealous. That looks amazing!
    Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
    PaulRBoon
    Contributor I
    July 18, 2018
    I'm impressed and jealous. That looks amazing!

    Ryan it sounds just as amazing as it looks.
    HomeBass: Beam (x1), Sonos One (x1), PlayBar (x1), Sub (x1), Play:1 (x11), Play:3 (x1), Connect:Amp (x1).
      Mirskid
      Lyricist I
      July 19, 2018
      Just thought i would share what the Beam looks like as part of a Computer 5.1 setup



      Thank you for the updates, the info and the pic. This is just what I needed to make sure the Beam is the suitable speaker for my PC.
      I will be using it for Music, videos and some movies and as you mentioned it sounds great for all of them.
        benzwu
        Lyricist I
        July 23, 2018
        Isnt beam need 2.5 cm space from the wall to perform optimal?
        Naekyr
        Enthusiast II
        July 24, 2018
        Just thought i would share what the Beam looks like as part of a Computer 5.1 setup



        Thank you for the updates, the info and the pic. This is just what I needed to make sure the Beam is the suitable speaker for my PC.
        I will be using it for Music, videos and some movies and as you mentioned it sounds great for all of them.

        It kinda looks cool, but with the bar so short - i guess everything would sound like its just in front of you and instead of a clear difference between left and right, which wouldn't be great for games, but its fine for music. Im a little surprised, the beam is smaller than I expected it to look

        While I'm not sure how well they compare, if the soundbar is only used at your pc and only for direct cable connection then there are alternatives as well - for instance razer sells a soundbar + sub combo for PC user that is about 1/3rd of the price of a stand-alone beam and does 5.1 too
        SONOS ARC | SONOS Sub | SONOS Play 1 x 2 | LG C9 OLED | PS5 | RTX3090 Gaming PC | Sennheiser GSP600 Headset | Audio Pro T8L Desktop Monitors
        sepulworld
        sepulworld
        Contributor I
        August 11, 2018
        Just thought i would share what the Beam looks like as part of a Computer 5.1 setup

         Are you using HDMI-ARC or optical converter to connect with your sound card? I am having issues getting my ASUS DGX sound card (Windows 10) working with Sonos Beam.
        Deichmusik
        Lyricist II
        January 5, 2019
        Just thought i would share what the Beam looks like as part of a Computer 5.1 setup

         Are you using HDMI-ARC or optical converter to connect with your sound card? I am having issues getting my ASUS DGX sound card (Windows 10) working with Sonos Beam.

        Dunno if you have already solved your problem, but i had the same with the Asus Xonar DGX soundcard. My solution was, that you have to open the Xonar DGX Adio Center and activate SPDIF, due to the fact that you are using a digital signal (optical converter). You do it by checking the box in front of the drop down menu with 'PCM'. I had to restart my PC but after that it worked perfectly fine
        (with the settings:
        Audio channel: 2 Channels
        Sampling frequency: PCM 48 Hz).

        Hopefully it's unnessecary and you already solved your problem. But maybe there will be someone elese with the same.
        GoldenSyrup92
        GoldenSyrup92
        Contributor I
        July 14, 2019
        Just thought i would share what the Beam looks like as part of a Computer 5.1 setup


        Looks sweet! Can i ask, is the beam playing all audio from your PC?

        If so, how did you set this up?

        I have a similar setup but cant get it working. The PC playback device is set to "Digital Audio (S/PDIF)" Is that the same as yours?
        Deichmusik
        Lyricist II
        July 14, 2019

        Just thought i would share what the Beam looks like as part of a Computer 5.1 setup

        Looks sweet! Can i ask, is the beam playing all audio from your PC?

        If so, how did you set this up?

        I have a similar setup but cant get it working. The PC playback device is set to "Digital Audio (S/PDIF)" Is that the same as yours?

        Well i'm not PaulRBoon (obviously), but i also have the dgx soundcard with the sonos beam, so it shouldn't matter. I'll post a screenshot of my setting in the Audio Center below (It's in german, but shouldn't matter because the menus actually should be the same). Porbably you already checked that, but don't forget to change the setting on your 'sound settings' (if you are using windows). Because my graphic card for example has an adio exit too, so I had to manually change it to the soundcard exit.

        Hopefully this will help you

        GoldenSyrup92
        GoldenSyrup92
        Contributor I
        July 14, 2019


        Just thought i would share what the Beam looks like as part of a Computer 5.1 setup

        Looks sweet! Can i ask, is the beam playing all audio from your PC?

        If so, how did you set this up?

        I have a similar setup but cant get it working. The PC playback device is set to "Digital Audio (S/PDIF)" Is that the same as yours?        Well i'm not PaulRBoon (obviously), but i also have the dgx soundcard with the sonos beam, so it shouldn't matter. I'll post a screenshot of my setting in the Audio Center below (It's in german, but shouldn't matter because the menus actually should be the same). Porbably you already checked that, but don't forget to change the setting on your 'sound settings' (if you are using windows). Because my graphic card for example has an adio exit too, so I had to manually change it to the soundcard exit.

        Hopefully this will help you


        Thanks for the help.
        I dont have a sound card, I am hoping to use the motherboard optical out.
        Its a MSI z170a M7
        - Realtek® ALC1150 Codec
        - 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
        - Supports S/PDIF output

        Does it have to be dolby for the Beam to recognise the signal?
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