Best preparation for PS5 + projector?

Hi all,

Having read a lot of threads on Sonos surround sound, I’m still experiencing issues, and hope for some assistance in preparing my setup for a PS5 at some point:

My current setup consists of a PS4, which outputs video through HDMI to a BenQ projector.

Simultaniously, the PS4 outputs sound via Optical directly to my Sonos Playbar + 2 x Play:1s for surround.

Setting the PS4 to output only DD5.1 via the Optical ensures that I have perfect surround sound - all good!

Now, sometime in the near future I’m looking to replace my PS4 with a PS5, which lacks the Optical out port. So I was looking into HDMI audio extractors with optical out, which should be able to do the trick.

I purchased this one: https://www.conrad.com/p/speaka-professional-3-ports-hdmi-switch-3d-playback-mode-remote-control-arc-audio-return-channel-3840-x-2160-p-1360279

- and implemented it into my current setup between the PS4 and the Playbar, outputting sound from the PS4 via HDMI now, and extracting it from the Switch to the Playbar via optical. Initially everything looked promising, but I soon realised I wasn’t receiving proper surround sound anymore!

The thing is - whenever routing everything through the Switch, even though my Sonos apps confirms that the input is DD5.1, I have a significant different surround experience than when the PS4 outputs via optical directly to the Playbar.

It’s not that I don’t have surround, but the surround experience when routing through the switch sounds much more like stereo sound just being sent through all surround speakers, instead of actual surround.

I even tried replacing the PS4 with an Apple TV 4K, but this gives the same result: the Sonos app confirms that the system is receiving DD5.1 sound, but the actual sound experience is nowhere near the same as when my PS4 outputs via optical directly.

I’ve tried all different settings both in the source settings (both PS4 and Apple TV) and on the switch itself, and I can seem to get a result anywhere near the surround experience I have with the PS4s optical out. My best guess is that the HDMI Switch doesn’t really output the proper 5.1 sound anyway, besides that I don’t have any clever answers.

So I’m starting to worry that replacing my PS4 with a PS5 will eventually lead me to not having a proper surround setup anymore.

Are there any wise recommendations in here? What is the best way to ensure that a PS5 will output 5.1 to a Sonos system using digital, and ensuring that the 5.1 sound is actually 5.1, and not just a fake stereo surround?

Thanks a lot in advance!!