First Sonos Setup: Beam/Arc + Amp + Four Third Party In-ceiling Speakers

  • 17 December 2020
  • 3 replies
  • 1200 views
A

First-time Sonos purchaser here. I am buying my first home that is coming with four previously installed third party in-ceiling speakers (FL, BL, FR, BR - the setup is essentially the same as what was discussed here). I am interested in purchasing a Beam/Arc and an Amp to power the four in-ceiling speakers.

  • Goal: I want to be able to use all four speakers and the Beam/Arc to play sound from my TV (HDMI Arc compatible) and to play Spotify from my iPhone through the wifi.
  • TV(s) is mostly used for streaming sports/movie through web browser on either Samsung TV itself or through Xbox One, have access to Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming services (I don’t know if streaming through web browser as opposed to a streaming app, or from an Xbox One as opposed to the TV itself effects surround sound capabilities).
  • I have never had true surround sound before, so as of now I prefer volume over surround.
  • The previous owner has also left behind a Polk Audio sub (not sure what size, how old it is, or if this even a good brand) and whatever amp/receiver currently controlling the setup (make/model unknown) if these are useful. I have not purchased any of the Sonos equipment yet, so am completely open to other ideas for this setup.

Projected setup: TV (HDMI Arc) → Beam/Arc (Ethernet?) → Amp (Wired) → Four In-ceiling Speakers

I am not very savvy with this sort of thing, but I have done my best to research first before posting. I have a few questions:

  1. Connecting Amp to Beam/Arc: I have seen conflicting answers as to whether the Beam/Arc → Amp requires an ethernet connection. Does the Amp require an ethernet connection, or is it only the Connect: Amp that requires an ethernet connection, to connect to the Beam/Arc? If not, is there any advantage to doing so?
  2. Setup without Surround: If I do not decide to configure the four in-ceiling speakers as surround (simply two left, two right), will I be able to get audio from the Beam/Arc and all four in-ceilings when I alternate between TV audio and playing Spotify over wifi?
  3. Setup with Surround: If I do decide to configure the Back Left and Back Right speakers as rears for surround (leaving FL and FR disconnected), will I be able to use the Beam/Arc plus the BL and BR speakers when playing music through Spotify? I realize if I decide to keep the Polk Audio sub that it would not work when rears are designated as surround. I found comments in a Reddit thread that discuss playing “Full,” but having never owned any Sonos products I don’t quite understand how the “zones” and pairing works.
  4. Sonos In-ceiling speakers: Would there be any benefits connectivity-wise to purchasing a pair of Sonos In-ceiling speakers to replace any of either the two third party Fronts or Backs? I believe that they are also wired, so I do not believe that there is any benefit - but figured I should ask.
  5. Beam vs Arc vs Other: Is the Arc worth the $400 difference in price versus the Beam? Or would another Sonos speaker(s) be a better fit for front and center? The living room is ~18 feet from TV to back, and ~24 feet from side to side.
  6. BONUS - HDMI Switch/Splitter: I will have two Samsung TVs (both HDMI arc compatible) at the front of the room, if possible I would like to purchase an HDMI switch that will switch which TV is the input to the Beam/Arc. Is there an HDMI switch specifically for HDMI Arc available on Amazon that could accomplish this - that does not have any negative effects? Second, I will have an Xbox One located at the front of the room, and I would like to purchase an HDMI switch/splitter that can switch the Xbox’s output between TV1 and TV2, also having the capability to simultaneously display the Xbox on both TV1 and TV2. I know this device exists because a prior roommate had one in the past, is there one someone can recommend?

Thank you all so much for the help.

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3 replies

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @AJL_, 

Welcome to the Sonos community. Thank you for reaching out to us and for letting us know about your concern. Appreciate your interest in Sonos products.

Let me share the following information to answer your inquiries.

  • Connecting Amp to Beam/Arc:
    • The Sonos Beam/Arc and Amp can be set up wired or wireless. Use a wireless setup if you have a strong WiFi connection that reaches all the rooms where you want Sonos. Use a wired setup if your home WiFi network is slow, unreliable, does not meet our system requirements, or does not reach all the rooms where you want Sonos.
  • Setup without Surround:
    • If you decided not to set up your four in-ceiling speakers, you will be able to group your Beam/Arc and Amp to play the same music. You can connect four speakers to your Sonos Amp. The Amp will be to play one source of music at a time. If you're using four speakers and they are in different rooms, then all rooms will play the same music.
  • Setup with Surround:
    • In the home theater set up, your rear speakers will function as surround while playing the TV as the source. You can select the type of audio you want to hear from the surround speakers when listening to music - Ambient or Full. This setting does not apply to TV audio. Rear speakers should be in the same room within 10-15ft distance to avoid audio interruptions. The Sub port will be temporarily disabled when Amp is being used to power surround speakers for a Sonos home theater product.
  • Sonos In-ceiling speakers:
    • There may be a difference between the hardware on the speakers. The Sonos Amp only support Trueplay when using Sonos In-Wall or In-Ceiling Architectural speakers by Sonance, or when being used to power any third-party surround speakers in a home theater setup.
  • Beam vs Arc vs Other:
    • All Sonos home theater products support Stereo / PCM and Dolby Digital 5.1 / AC3 audio format while the Sonos Arc supports Dolby Digital Plus (Dolby Atmos), Dolby TrueHD (Dolby Atmos), and Multichannel LPCM. 
    • Sonos home theater speakers support Dolby Digital 5.0 and 5.1 surround sound. Make sure your TV is set to output Dolby Digital or Bitstream audio via the optical or HDMI ARC connection. If you see both Dolby Digital and Bitstream options, choose Dolby Digital. If you have any external source devices like a gaming console or set-top box, make sure they are set to the same output format as the TV.
    • Sonos Arc supports the playback of Dolby Atmos audio via Dolby Digital Plus or Dolby TrueHD. Sonos Arc must be connected to HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC to play any Dolby Atmos content. You can find more information on playing Atmos audio through Arc in our Dolby Atmos article. For the Arc placement, you may need to check out this thread as a reference.
  • BONUS - HDMI Switch/Splitter:

 

Hope this helps. We can also wait for suggestions and feedback from our Sonos community members, they might provide additional information about this. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have further questions or concerns. We are always happy to help out.

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A

@Rowena B. Thank you for your quick response. I have a couple additional questions.

First, would I have any issue connecting a Sonos One to the Sonos Amp in either of the setups above?

  • The setup discussed above would be located in the living room, and the potential Sonos One would be located on the same floor in the dining room
  • Sonos One would only be used for music purposes, not for TV audio

I have done a little bit more research since creating this post. I am trying to figure out a way to utilize all four in-ceiling speakers while preserving surround sound capabilities.

Would purchasing a Sonos Port (as link to Receiver) and Sonos Five (as Front Center) and adding them to the existing setup (Receiver; FL, FR, BL, BR In-ceiling Speakers; and Third Party Sub) preserve a 5.1 setup, allowing me to use all speakers for both TV audio and listening to music over wifi?

  • From what I understand, music can be sent to the Port (and connected Sonos products) → Receiver
  • But I do not understand if it works the other way: TV audio → Receiver → Port → Sonos Five (and other connected Sonos products)

If this Port/Five setup would be effective for both music and TV audio, would there be any issues linking an additional Sonos One for the living room for music purposes?

Thank you so much for your time.

 

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @AJL_, 

Thanks for your response. There'll always be a 70ms delay on the Sonos Amp. You can group your Sonos Amp with your 2 Sonos Ones to play music at the same time. If you will place your 2 Sonos Ones in another room, you can create a stereo pair. About sync and delay, you may check out this community thread for your reference. In this setup, TV audio → Receiver → Port → Sonos Five, may work but we don't recommend it. To connect your TV with Sonos, you can have a soundbar or Sonos Amp. 

To further assist you with your inquiries, you may reach out to our sales team. They would be able to provide you additional information and what would be the recommended setup for you.

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