How to use two play 1s for front speakers for movies, group beam and stereo pair the play 1s, then place the beam on silent, wider and more immersive sound stage!

Interesting!

How and when do you use the Beam?

Also, what combo do you use for music?

So, you've set up the stereo pair of PLAY:1s as a different room, and grouped them with the Beam? Or did you set them up as surrounds with the Beam?

I'm waiting to hear how folks like the new Sonos Amp that has powered outputs for left and right speakers as well as internal logic to create a fake center channel. I'd love a true center channel option too.

I set the ones up as stereo group it to the beam, place beam on silent!

Ah, great. And you're not perceiving any lipsync delay? That's wonderful!

Hi klmnoah4

Please forgive me but this is going to sound a bit sarcastic....

OK...so if I understand you correctly you have a Beam; and you are in full HDMI-ARC communication mode, the Beam is only providing Alexa voice control. With the Beam's volume turned down you have to use your iOS or Android device to control volume of the Play 1's and go back to your TV remote to turn it on/off. You also have to remember to adjust the volume level down when switching from TV audio to music.

Adding a sub to the Play 1's will only enhance music low end as they cannot process LFE derived from a movie. Even if you add it to the Beam...with its volume turned down so are the LFE's.

Just seems like a lot of money at $697-USD (Beam and Play 1 x 2) versus a Playbase or Playbar at $699 which would have probably provided a better cinematic experience. Playing music would still be controlled via the Sonos app. :?

OK. I’m getting there!
So that’s for movies.
So when do you just use the Plays, and when do you use the Beam, and/or Plays plus Beam?

Plays ones paired for stereo grouped with beam! So simultaneously you get duplicate stereo with both beam and play 1s, on the Sonos app I turn down the volume or just silence the beam, the play 1s then are in stereo by itself and it’s a wider soundstage than just the Beam, or play bar, or even the play base due you can move the plays as you know further apart, of course it phantom centers by doing this, but you get way more of a wider soundstage like as you get with a traditional home theater system that is listened to in stereo, it has very good imaging for the play 1s doing this compare to the beam by it self. Of course I don’t get surrounds by doing this either, but the play 1s due have a very immersive signature that seems to satisfy me in not having it set up with the Beam and the play 1s as surrounds as normally one would do! I wanted a wider more immersive front imaging and this works!