Feature Request: One-Tap Music / Home Theater Mode for Era 300 Surrounds

Hi ​@Sonny360 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

Thank you - I've marked this thread as a feature request, and it will be seen by the relevant teams for consideration. Keep the ideas coming!

This has been requested many times, however, and is rather a large engineering task - as has been discussed many times here on the Community already. Would you be happy with just the soundbar being muted when playing music instead? This would be far easier to implement and make it much faster to switch between each mode too. Perhaps it would also be possible to then save two TruePlay configurations for each soundbar-equipped room setup, as you suggest.

Edit: this would even eliminate the “one tap” - no taps would be needed at all as the system already knows if the source is music or TV.

At the risk of repeating the content from the myriad of other posts requesting this feature, here’s a brief explanation why a quick tap/toggle isn’t possible (and why the “mute soundbar” solution may be the best compromise):

Switching between the one-way, ad hoc, 5 GHz low latency network for surrounds and the configuration used for full stereo takes time to reconfigure the radios and perform the handshakes necessary to optimize the connections.  There’s no speeding it up.  They could put a one button toggle between the two, but it’s not going to make it any more seamless or faster than it is now. 

The issue with this is that you’ve then cut off the ability to play atmos music.  Perhaps there are consumers that want atmos TV, but no interest in atmos music, don’t know.  

This request steps from the fact that the Arc just doesn’t match up with true stereo separate from the front speakers.  I don’t really think people want to use their rear surrounds  for stereo only, it’s just feels like the best available option.    And honestly, if Sonos were to provide this option, I think it would not limit requests for separate stereo fronts as an option...understanding that there are technical concerns about that setup as well.

Since surrounds are behind you, for most people the stereo speakers would also be behind them. I would not want to have my stereo set up behind me, so this would not be something I would be interested in.

Hi ​@melvimbe 

That’s a good point, but it would not be particularly difficult to have a conditional statement in the code that checks for Atmos/stereo playback before muting.

Perhaps, but as this has been requested many times without it being implemented (and in my own opinion, it never will be) muting the soundbar seems like an easy compromise. If only until more options become available (if they do).

That is true.

That is also true.

For Atmos and Stereo detection triggered reconfiguration, not going to be pretty when playing a mixed source where every track could be in the other format.

Hi ​@Stanley_4 

Good point! Maybe it would only ever play a stereo source in that configuration.

I have the same setup. The solution wouldn’t work in my room layout but fantastic idea!

personally, I’d actually buy another 2 era 300 to gain this functionality on the front wall… and hopefully allow discrete left and right channels in the movie mode… then drop the arc for stereo mode. 
come on Sonos… I have money I want to give you!

I would love to see Sonos introduce two selectable audio profiles for home theatre systems: Cinema Mode and Music Mode.

Cinema Mode would keep the current home theatre configuration, with the soundbar, surround speakers and subwoofer working together as a Dolby Atmos and surround system.

Music Mode would switch to a dedicated music configuration, allowing the surround speakers to operate with greater independence and make fuller use of their capabilities, rather than simply reproducing music within their assigned surround roles. The goal would be a wider, more powerful and more natural music experience, with all speakers contributing in a way optimised for music.

For example, with an Arc Ultra, two Era 300s and two Sub Gen 4s:

• Cinema Mode: Arc Ultra + Era 300 surrounds + dual Sub.
• Music Mode: a dedicated music setup where the Era 300s can operate as a stereo pair, with the subwoofers integrated into the music system.

Ideally, users could save both configurations, including their own audio settings and Trueplay calibration, and switch between them with a single tap in the Sonos app. Automatic switching between TV and music playback would be even better.

This is not simply a request for higher surround volume or the existing Full setting. It is about giving users two genuinely different ways to use the same hardware, each designed for its intended purpose.

Sonos speakers are capable of delivering an impressive music experience individually. It would be fantastic to unlock more of that potential when they are part of a home theatre system, without compromising the cinema experience.