Not sure where to post but I need to chime in. I love this forum, but a question for all the complainers of DTS not being supported. Did you actually research before you purchased this very expensive equipment? I have read so many people whining “I’m going to return my Sonos” or I’m selling my gear” or “wahhhhhh I’m not buying Sonos unless they give me DTS”. I spent hours researching before I even went to the store to give it a listen. It very clear and in no way hidden that this equipment is geared towards streaming media and music. It clearly states that DTS is not supported. To be honest, I didn’t even know people still watch DVDs! Wait....are VCRs still around too?? People think that Sonos is not listening. I believe they are listening and their answer is NO. They have a very specific brand with one goal in mind. Add music easily throughout your whole home. I think the 5.1 is a bonus but it’s not their claim to fame. I have the 5.1 set up and a couple Play 5s and could not be happier with them. Movies AND Music sound great.
Please stop complaining. If the equipment is not exactly what you want, don’t buy it and please don’t whine that you would buy it “if”. Should I call Apple and tell them I’ll buy thousands of dollars of their brand if they “would simply integrate windows 10” to their interface? Ok, enough venting for 1 day. Phew, that felt good! Bring on the hateful comments, I can handle it.
Page 5 / 7
true, they don't decode anything for surround or audio other than mono. stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1. They do fit he majority of streamers but what they stream is already changing.
It’s all my fault......??♂️
Should have passed DD 5.1 from TV but your bluray or source may have been the DTS only part. Of course always a concern when it comes to the many soundbars that have been made with the toslink Dolby Digital standard.
If you want a system that works with every standard and keeps doing so into the future then you want to buy an independent speaker setup, choose what setup you want first
A) 5.1
😎 5.1.2 or 5.1.4
C 7.1
D) 7.1.2 or 7.1.4
E) 9.1
F) 9.1.2 or 9.1.4
Once you know which of the above you want, then the next step is to go buy all those speakers (so if you want 7.1.2 you need 9 speakers and 1 sub woofer)
Now that you have the speakers, congratulations, these speakers will work with every standard right now and for the next 50 years
The last step is to buy your AVR reciever and this is what does the magic, you just need to get a reciever that is enough to power your speakers and supports all the standards that you want, now in the future when new standards are release all you have to do is buy a new reciever 🙂 You will never again have to sell or buy new speakers, you just have to get a new receiver if you want to get new standards (and this is cheaper than buying a new playbar)
I should have 5.1 now (playbar + sub + 2x play3), I want to keep it that way, maybe in the future I will take 3 separate speakers, not a playbar...
But, without the playbar, I have no idea where I can buy a good reciever that works with the sonos sub and play 3's.
If Sonos sell those, I didn't know...
Maybe there is a part of this or another forum where I can find info about this, so I can already learn about it before I really need it?
It's not that I don't like Sonos, the play 3's are very good, and the sub is just great. The only problem is I can't play all and/or Sonos app says "sound not supported"...
Hi all!
Enjoying my two Play 3's (deezer music), and wanting to add a playbar/playbase. Reading numerous posts about DD+, DTS, Atmos not supported by Sonos, I checked my viewing lists and habits...
80 percent of my time I watch digital TV channels (I live in Croatia), with stereo sound in MP2 format, audio bit rate from 192 to 256 Kbps!
Weekends I watch a movie, mostly in 5.1, AC3, audio bit rates from 400 to 1500 Kbps.
For that I think a Playbar/Playbase should do.
I am curious, what do you expect from your Sonos gear?
Best to all
Neven
Enjoying my two Play 3's (deezer music), and wanting to add a playbar/playbase. Reading numerous posts about DD+, DTS, Atmos not supported by Sonos, I checked my viewing lists and habits...
80 percent of my time I watch digital TV channels (I live in Croatia), with stereo sound in MP2 format, audio bit rate from 192 to 256 Kbps!
Weekends I watch a movie, mostly in 5.1, AC3, audio bit rates from 400 to 1500 Kbps.
For that I think a Playbar/Playbase should do.
I am curious, what do you expect from your Sonos gear?
Best to all
Neven
Let’s see what’s next.....?
Hey Sonos, when we getting that outdoor speaker??? Hahahaha jkjk
You forgot the group of disappointed people wanting to pair a play-1 and a sonos one. And I remember also the poor guy asking for a digital clock in his play-1 because he uses it as a clockradio in his bedroom. 😃
Not to cause problems, but I play DTS audio all the time with the my Sonos connect. Run coax digital out of the connect @ fixed volume into the preamp which recognizes and decodes it properly. Feeding the Connect with a subsonic server. Not using a playbar or anything like that, though.
Where did you get your information and is there information available for other audio standards? Do you know if it's common for rates to vary from company to company due to negotiations and such? Do we have any idea what Sonos currently pays in licensing fees in general, not just for audio standards, but for access to music services and use of voice assistant technology?
Just to keep the flames really going ...let’s now talk about Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 😃
I guess that’s a little bit 'over the head' of some users ... ha ha
These sort of threads and conversations will probably continue on forever in the community. I think the OP (jannabana69) has made his point.
I guess that’s a little bit 'over the head' of some users ... ha ha
These sort of threads and conversations will probably continue on forever in the community. I think the OP (jannabana69) has made his point.
Rumour has it that the PlayBar will support HDMI 2.1 and Alexa/AirPlay-2, but there is perhaps still the licensing issues for some things, like DTS. So my guess is it will still just support the same codecs as the current PlayBar. We shall have to see in 4 weeks time.
Rumour has it that the PlayBar will support HDMI 2.1 and Alexa/AirPlay-2, but there is perhaps still the licensing issues for some things, like DTS. So my guess is it will still just support the same codecs as the current PlayBar. We shall have to see in 4 weeks time.
If it's a new product I'm guessing DTS could be added and the license cost priced into the retail price. As it's a a new product only new sales would likely be affected by the license fee as there would be no previous sales.
I use to rage on sonos for lack of dts and hdmi. I did not do any prior research. I already had a sonos speaker in every room, so it seemed natural for me to buy the playbar for living room. Apple-fanbois queue for the newest phone on release day, without any research, and the whine over no mini jack. Guess i was a bit of a sonos-fanboi, as i got the playbar as soon as i noticed it, without any research.
I spent more than 300€ on work-arounds for dts/hdmi for the playbar, but i never got the result i was looking for.
So after three years with the playbar i finaly sold my playbar+sub. No regrets!
So after i got my new soundbar, sub and wireless rears, it dawned on me - Sonos Connect (not amp)! Add a sonos connect to your new tv surround speaker system, and bam, you have the whole package: DTS, HDMI, Atmos, what ever, but it still acts like a speaker in the sonos eco system.
Looking back i realise i was never the right target audience for the playbar. The sonos 5.1 setup was my first attempt at getting some surround sound. Before that i had always used 2 stereo speakers to push sound from TV, so i never even thought about sound formats like DD or DTS were different, since everything works on stereo in stereo.
I got 90% of my money back after selling the 3 year old playbar + 2 year old sub, so i gave heos 5.1 a shot. Movies sound more emersive, and heos handles DD 5.1 better than the sonos. The heos app is a beta version, and the speakers are not as sexy as sonos (except the sub). For audiophiles i think heos might be a better way to go, but i am no audiophile.
The sonos connect is attached to my heos system, so the heos system is part of the sonos ecosystem. So when we want music/radio from the heos speakers, we go through the sonos app and select the sonos connect (called "living room").
If you want a comparison of heos 5.1 and sonos 5.1 go here:
https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/sonos-5-1-vs-heos-5-1-6808083
I think we started sonos almost 10 years with the connect (ZP90), and my wife never had a problem with playbar only outputting DD 5.1. I just hated that after ripping a 70 Gb movie file, which looked amazing on my 4k HDR screen, would only output stereo on my 5.1 sonos package.
Propper surround from amp or simulated 5.1 with a soundbar + sonos connect = win!
Cheers,
I spent more than 300€ on work-arounds for dts/hdmi for the playbar, but i never got the result i was looking for.
So after three years with the playbar i finaly sold my playbar+sub. No regrets!
So after i got my new soundbar, sub and wireless rears, it dawned on me - Sonos Connect (not amp)! Add a sonos connect to your new tv surround speaker system, and bam, you have the whole package: DTS, HDMI, Atmos, what ever, but it still acts like a speaker in the sonos eco system.
Looking back i realise i was never the right target audience for the playbar. The sonos 5.1 setup was my first attempt at getting some surround sound. Before that i had always used 2 stereo speakers to push sound from TV, so i never even thought about sound formats like DD or DTS were different, since everything works on stereo in stereo.
I got 90% of my money back after selling the 3 year old playbar + 2 year old sub, so i gave heos 5.1 a shot. Movies sound more emersive, and heos handles DD 5.1 better than the sonos. The heos app is a beta version, and the speakers are not as sexy as sonos (except the sub). For audiophiles i think heos might be a better way to go, but i am no audiophile.
The sonos connect is attached to my heos system, so the heos system is part of the sonos ecosystem. So when we want music/radio from the heos speakers, we go through the sonos app and select the sonos connect (called "living room").
If you want a comparison of heos 5.1 and sonos 5.1 go here:
https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/sonos-5-1-vs-heos-5-1-6808083
I think we started sonos almost 10 years with the connect (ZP90), and my wife never had a problem with playbar only outputting DD 5.1. I just hated that after ripping a 70 Gb movie file, which looked amazing on my 4k HDR screen, would only output stereo on my 5.1 sonos package.
Propper surround from amp or simulated 5.1 with a soundbar + sonos connect = win!
Cheers,
After having a general rant at Sonos Technical about DTS i received this reply "Sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction at our choice of Dolby Digital for the surround sound on our Sonos Home Theatre system. Maybe an upcoming product might provide the experience you are trying to achieve. Check out the Sonos Beam with HDMI-ARC connectivity here..."
Is this a hint?
Is this a hint?
Is this a hint?
What makes you think "Sonos Technical" made this decision, and thus deserving of a "rant"?
Do not take it personally, that poster makes a living out of detracting from the point in order to "back Sonos" to the hilt!
Oh dear. That is very sad
That's interesting. I am not sure if there is a home market for Atmos. Presumably people like Sonos because it cuts down on speakers, wires etc. To listen to Atmos properly i.e. not a sounder that kids on, that's another two speakers in the living room. Too many for me.
For me personally, the Apple TV 4K is the perfect device in combination with Sonos as it can convert any audio codec into a Sonos compatible multichannel format (assuming the source has multichannel of course). I'm using the "Infuse" app which is capable of playing any movies/content (up to 4K HDR) with DTS HD/Dolby+ sound, the AppleTV will convert it on the fly in AC3 5.1 (if you change the audio settings once). Of course it also works with Dolby Digital Plus from the Netflix app.
Another advantage of the Apple TV is the built-in AirPlay 2 support so the "old" Playbar even profits more. There are HDMI switches that support 4K (@60Hz), HDR, ARC, CEC and have a built-in optical audio output (SPDIF) so when using one of these you can even use the Apple TV on the Playbar without turning on the TV (e.g. for music/AirPlay 2), I'm using a Vorke HD41PRO.
Concerning BluRay: are there really BluRays that have exclusive DTS audio? I've never seen one, all my BluRays have a backward compatible Dolby 5.1 audio track. But even if there are such BluRays one has to buy a player that can convert it on the fly (Stereo is not an option for me). My PlayStation 4 does it for example as well as some Samsung players.
Long story short: I was fully aware that Sonos can only handle AC3 5.1 before I bought all my equipment (many years ago) and I'm quite happy that there are possibilities to have at least 5.1 sound in any condition (if the source supports it of course). I bought the Apple TV 4 for 140€ and (for me) it's worth every penny - also quite cheap in relationship to Sonos speakers. It even supports Dolby Vision and therefore is the perfect companion for my LG OLED TV (but this has nothing to do with Sonos). Not to mention all the available apps (even the german SkyQ) nor the HomeKit Hub functionality.
Another advantage of the Apple TV is the built-in AirPlay 2 support so the "old" Playbar even profits more. There are HDMI switches that support 4K (@60Hz), HDR, ARC, CEC and have a built-in optical audio output (SPDIF) so when using one of these you can even use the Apple TV on the Playbar without turning on the TV (e.g. for music/AirPlay 2), I'm using a Vorke HD41PRO.
Concerning BluRay: are there really BluRays that have exclusive DTS audio? I've never seen one, all my BluRays have a backward compatible Dolby 5.1 audio track. But even if there are such BluRays one has to buy a player that can convert it on the fly (Stereo is not an option for me). My PlayStation 4 does it for example as well as some Samsung players.
Long story short: I was fully aware that Sonos can only handle AC3 5.1 before I bought all my equipment (many years ago) and I'm quite happy that there are possibilities to have at least 5.1 sound in any condition (if the source supports it of course). I bought the Apple TV 4 for 140€ and (for me) it's worth every penny - also quite cheap in relationship to Sonos speakers. It even supports Dolby Vision and therefore is the perfect companion for my LG OLED TV (but this has nothing to do with Sonos). Not to mention all the available apps (even the german SkyQ) nor the HomeKit Hub functionality.
In order to get a DD 5.1 stream from all my films, I've resorted to using KODI installed on an Amazon Fire TV box, with KODI set to transcode all non DD films to DD. For my 4K films I have to use the built in video / photo player in my LG OLED55B7 in order to correctly process the HDR signal. For 4K films with DTS MA, I've had to use EAC3To to extract the DTS-HD soundtrack, create a DD 5.1 track from it, then remux the film to include the DD5.1 track so I can select this from the LG player. Complete ball ache, but gets my round the ridiculous Sonos processing limitations as they stand.
Just to add, most DD 5.1 soundtracks are mixed at 448 or 640kb/s, where as a DTS core soundtrack will be closer to 1.5Mb/s. DTS Core will automatically be extracted from a DTS MA soundtrack by most TV players if DTS MA is not acceptable and will be passed through an Optical connection perfectly fine at this bitrate. So by Sonos restricting their equipment to DD 5.1 signals only, we are effectively being forced to listen to inferior sound quality from our movie collections for the sake of the cost of a DTS decoder license.
And there I was thinking that it was Sonos that "skimped" and left DTS (and HDMI) off!
You learn something new everyday. :$
Lol it's 2 a.m. and I'm laughing alone in my living room!
The TV industry has failed poor Sonos...
And the other guy answer... about Sonos being the one skimping on important features...
Oh I wish I had been the one giving that so truthful answer lol
Hahahaha! That's a good one sir, you made my day!
Geeze it's always good for the moral to read this Sonos forum. It sounds like half people who are posting are real customers who know what they're talking about (that Sonos is a very flawed product) and the other half that sounds like Sonos employees who don't have a clue how their Sonos product is flawed.
I agree, DTS and HDMI are features that have been standards for so many years, but I guess the Sonos guys are living on another planet. Because if the Sonos guys were living on Earth, where the hell were they when was released the Signature Edition of Ridley's Scott movie : Gladiator. Yes that old 2000 old movie with Russel Crowe that had DTS-ES soundtrack. One of THE movie that every, EVERY, real home-theater aficionados have watch to enjoy their DTS compatible system (and to test it).
Anyone who watched that movie, from that day, knew how DTS was lightyears ahead of Dolby. And Gladiator is only one exemple.
It's still the same today. DTS-HS Master Audio is giving the finger to Dolby TrueHD. There's no comparaison when you have a system that actually can benefit from lossless audio codec (by that I mean a system that performs with excellence in audio reproduction, not a system that adds Dynamic this, Audyssey that, DSP all the way baby, not a system that tries very hard to make me believe I'm sitting in the Kodak theater, or the Viena Opera).
If you want to know what DTS is, do yourself a real treat, buy "Joe Bonamassa - Live from the Royal Albert Hall" Blu-ray and listen to the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Listen to it in 2 channel. Without any DSP or any other stupid marketing scam that actually destroys the sound. You will see Joe Bonamassa play at the Royal Albert Hall in London, you will feel you are sitting in the audience with all those people who lived that magic moment that night at the Royal Albert Hall.
That Blu-ray was out on the market in 2010. That's pretty close to when the Sonos Playbar was put on the market. I guess the guys at Sonos don't like Joe Bonomassa otherwise they would have walk on their hands head upside down in front of their CEO to be allowed to put DTS decoding into Sonos. Because even without lossless codec (yeah since Sonos was "smart" (cough!) not putting HDMI) standard DTS-ES is still lightyears ahead of Dolby Digital.
Or well maybe the other guy was right after all, Sonos is solely a multi-room streaming product. Period.
It's us, home-theater aficionados that wish Sonos was a stellar 5.1 home theater system. We wish Sonos was what is it not intended to be. Our bad. We should stop whining and start seing Sonos has an expensive multi-room streaming device. Period.
Euh... wait! Maybe it's the DTS guys who failed Sonos by not being able to convince them to make the Playbar DTS codec compatible???
Everyone on the DTS forum!!!
Sonos has a lot of Home Cinema booths set up in retail stores worldwide, in which they advertise their expensive playbar-sub-two rears as a complete home cinema system. What they don't tell you is that if you buy one, you are severly restricting yourself in terms of content you can play on your system.
The core of the problem is not that dolby digital 5.1 does not sound good or immersive. It's that your Sonos system it is unable to play a lot of common audio sources that feed into a typical home cinema system.
For crying out loud more than 80% of Blu-rays have DTS audio tracks. If you have a 4k / HDR television, and you want to experience ultra HD bluray 4k content, which is vastly superior in terms of visual quality to what Netflix streams, unless you have a very expensive blu-ray player that transcodes, you will have either stereo or no sound.
This is also foregoing the possibility that streaming services will move to higher fidelity sound codecs such as DTS and DD TrueHD in the coming years (which they will). That would mean that unless you get a transcoding device, you and your Sonos home cinema system will be stuck in stereo.
If you are okay with getting stereo sound in 2018 from your $1600 Sonos Home Cinema system, be my guest. I'm not, which is why, like others, I'm trying to get my voice heard. We are locked in the ecosystem, switching costs are high, which is why Sonos is getting away with this kind of stuff.
I seriously do not get why you are complaining about people raising this issue. If it does not affect you, good for you. This issue is a big issue for alot of people though.
If you think Sonos is making the decision to not support modern audio codecs and connections out of practical, design and 'love for audio' considerations, you are kidding yourself. Sonos is gearing up for an IPO and has in the past year laid of plenty of employees. They are pursuing a fat bottom line on the short run. That is exactly why they are targeting the technically unsavvy affluent consumer, looking for a premium home cinema system.
Bravo, succinctly put.
What they said x100 ;)
What TellerNavynuts wrote... so true. Brilliantly resuming this argument in few words.
I like how all of my favorite Blu Rays won’t play on my new $2K surround sound system. Or the fact if I wasn’t geeky enough to change the audio settings to PCM, I’d get no sound at all. I’m just curious what SONOS was thinking for the average consumer? I bet they’re filling a lot of jobs in their “technical support” department. Just buy the damn license ageeemwnt & give us the software update!! I should’ve bought the Bose. *sigh*
Be happy you're still able to change your settings. I made the mistake of doing the 9.0 update and now I can't get at my settings.
Criticism, or as you like to say "complaining", brings change.. or at least should, and people want, expect and deserve change. The system sounds great for a good portion of content, costs a premium but can't handle a basic media format that many still use to different extents. It'd probably cost Sonos cents or dollars on each unit to implement but I imagine they are losing out on many high dollar sales from those who deem DTS necessary. It'd not just be great for current customers who watch Blurays now and then but it'd be a good business decision. I hope Sonos stock going public will help push this.
Oh by the way, I own an Oppo 203 which plays about every format made. SONOS recomended I buy another Blu-ray (Samsung) which will convert DTS to 5.1. Just what I want to do. Spend $500 on a blu-ray player $2000 for SONOS speakers and then go buy a second blu-ray player to hear half of my movies.
I agree with the above statement I should have bought the Bose.
I'm really pissed off about this! But SONOS doesnt seem to care one bit.
I agree with the above statement I should have bought the Bose.
I'm really pissed off about this! But SONOS doesnt seem to care one bit.
Enter your E-mail address. We'll send you an e-mail with instructions to reset your password.