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Discuss Ray, Beam, Arc, Arc Ultra, Playbar, Playbase, and the entire Sonos home theater experience. Should you get a Sub Mini or a Sub? Maybe two Subs? Which Sonos work with your TV? Talk about your Sonos Home Theater experience here.

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Understanding Surround Sound and Sonos

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Ryan S
Ryan S
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Home Theater and Television Recommendation Megathread

Moderator note:  This article was updated in December 2024. Looking for information on Sonos home theater setups? Find answers about surroun...
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6883 Topics
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Eddie415Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Sonos Beam In a extremely large room!

Does anyone know if I can use 3 Beams together? One as a center channel and the other 2 as surrounds? I need sound dispersed over a very large area. If yes can they all play full range when connected to a TV?

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Ryan S
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conrad-wdtvTrending Lyricist I
posted in Home theater
Sonos 5.1 vs Heos 5.1

So, had the sonos 5.1 (2 x play1 + playbar + sub). Now i have the heos 5.1 (2 x heos 3 + heos bar(the big one) + heos sub). Thought id share my experience. Round 1: app interface Sonos clear winner (there was a update some time back, that put the two apps on par for a periode, but now that sonos ended their absurd app-experiment, and are back to a user friendly app, sonos steamrolls heos). Sonos is so far ahead that i connected a sonos connect to the heos speakers, so that the heos speakers act as part of the sonos eco system. Heos is NOT wife-friendly! I would almost go as far as to say Heos is wife-hostile! Round 2: Esthetic/Looks Sonos clear winner, heos looks like sh*t in comparisson. This goes for all heos products, except the sub, where heos is more discrete. The heos soundbar, and the heos 3´s look horrible. Any time we have guests over we put the heos 3 speakers in a drawer. Round 3: music sound: Close, but heos seems to have an advantage when exclusi

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Marck12Contributor I
asked in Home theater
HDMI ARC and sound management with Beam

Hi, I'm interest on Sonos Beam but I have some question about this new product. Can I use Beam's HDMI ARC audio input to send audio ONLY on Play3 situated in another room? Does the Beam work well if I don't have HDMI ARC but HDMI version 2.0? Thank you

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brombergAvid Contributor I
posted in Home theater
Sonos S14 thoughts and wishes

Hi. I actually enlisted all my Sonos for sale, as I think Sonos isn't up to date and actually doesn't have the visions to be (for us surround users) updated, only for multiroom purpose. BUT, now s14 is in the horizon which is rumored to have hdmi. For at start I think its nice, since I will be able to control Sonos sound on my Apple TV remote app. In this scenario, it would be nice and some kind of a must if this S14 has at least one hdmi input.I use all my hdmi inputs on my old b6 and would have to skip one unit in order to make place for at Sonos soundbar with hdmi. I think many Sonos users use all of their hdmi inputs on tv as its kind of the thoughts - the tv is the hub. BUT isn't this against Sonos´s "bulletproof" philosophy?. im thinking on handshake issues, personally I could think Sonos only supports sound on hdmi, in order to avoid handshake issues. Well it may have a hdmi 2.1 socket which have the capacity to potentially fix many of these hdmi issues. Which brings me t

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pppeterContributor I
asked in Home theater
Beam: Length of included power cord and HDMI cable?

(1) The Beam contents are listed as including a "power cord" and "HDMI cable". How long are these cables? (2) Is a power cord extension available? (3) The Sonos store sells an HDMI cable ( https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/hdmi-cable.html ) but its length is not specified. Is it longer than the one included with the Beam? Thanks!

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Ryan S
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darjoContributor I
asked in Home theater
Sonos Beam Input Select

Can the input be selected on the Beam? For example, can I watch my TV and listen to music from my library or streaming service through the beam?

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MikeV
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BheelanContributor I
posted in Home theater
Second generation playbar?

Any word on a possible second generation Playbar in 2018 or 2019? Seems like it is past due for a facelift if it wants to compete in today's home theater market. Thoughts?

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Airgetlam
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tmeadowContributor III
asked in Home theater
Connect (AMP) and Playbar

Do I need a Connect or Connect AMP if I am just using Playbar? What would I need a connect AMP for?

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conka_88Contributor I
posted in Home theater
Playbase TV Optical Input Quiet - Please Fix it Sonos

Hi Sonos and Sonos Community members, I’ve had a playbase for a few months and there is one thing is really annoying and destroying the user experience. I’ve seen a lot of threads about this problem: - When music is streamed, the Playbase volume is okay at around 10-15% for a good audio experience - When audio is from the Optical input (i.e. TV / games console / blu-ray player) the volume needs to be at least 50% - It doesn’t matter what brand TV is used, the user experience is less than satisfactory, especially far a £700 product So far there has been no solid resolution, even with re-routing audio connections or using separate DACs. Simple fix: Add a ‘level’ option for the optical input, the same as there is for the ‘aux’ input for the Play:5 Okay...it’s probably not as simple as the statement and may need some software development time, but come on Sonos, listen to your customers...

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Rlspurs31Avid Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Thinking of buying 5.1 surround sonos

I’m thinking of purchasing a pair of play 1s to complement my sound bar and sub ! I’m wanting 5.1 surround but worried I won’t get that as my tv isn’t listed on the recommended list of tvs on the sonos forum

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libranguyContributor I
asked in Home theater
Volume controls work on and off with Direct TV Remote

I just set up my Sonos yesterday. I have synced the Direct TV remote with Sonos. But every now and then the remote control volume does not work .. Have to use the app.. Again it works at some times but it is not in sync with the app volume.. Its very confusing and looks very buggy. Never had such an experience with my previous home theatre.. Also some time when we start the TV there is no volume at all.. How can i resolve this ?

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jamescmtaylorContributor I
posted in Home theater
Nintendo Switch and Sonos 5.1 Systems

Sonos' Support Team on Twitter suggested I post here to see if anyone has found a workaround for converting Nintendo Switch's linear PCM 5.1 format to Dolby Digital 5.1 in order to enjoy Switch games with true surround sound. I did some searching here and couldn't find any options in previous threads. Those threads were posted a while ago though, so I'm hoping that this new thread might lead to sharing new discoveries. Any thoughts?

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timralexContributor I
asked in Home theater
Playbar - Keeps having to be reset

I have a Playbar connected to a TV via optical cable that recently started having to be reset anytime I want to use it. If I stop watching TV or playing music on it for a little bit of time, it won't play any sound (music or TV audio) until I unplug it and plug it back in. Then it kicks back on. It isn't paired with any surrounds or sub but there are other standalone Play 1s, 3s and 5s on the network. I have had the system in its current configuration for years with no problems like this. I haven't recently made any changes to my system that would trigger this that I can think of. It just started happening one day. I have tried a factory reset on the Playbar but that didn't fix the issue. Any ideas?

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ChappsTrending Lyricist I
posted in Home theater
Playbar no longer appearing in app - flashing red when trying to set up again

All of my Sonos speakers got wonky after I replaced my wifi in the house. I was finally able to set up the Play:1 speakers again, but the problem remains with my Playbar. It still plays audio from my TV, but it got disconnected from the iOS app and from the two Play:1 speakers that were its surrounds. I’m trying to re-set up the Playbar, but every time I press the play/pause and + buttons, the light flashes red for a few seconds. Yes, I’ve unplugged the power cord, even leaving it unplugged overnight at one point. But it always returns to this state. I don’t see any way to get the Playbar to reconnect with the app or the surround speakers. What can I do here?

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mprattContributor I
asked in Home theater
Add two PLAY:1’s as supporting speakers to PLAYBAR?

Hi, I have a PLAYBAR, SUB, and four PLAY:1’s in my TV room. I have the PLAYBAR right under the TV, the SUB and a PLAY:1 on the left of the TV, a PLAY:1 to the right of the TV, and am using two PLAY:1’s for the surrounds. My question is how do I add the PLAY:1’s to the same room as everything else because I can’t figure out how to. Right now I have it setup so the left and right front speakers are a separate room but it gets annoying because the Tv remote doesn’t control their sound with the other room so it gets all messed up without using the app to adjust them as well.

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edmTrending Lyricist I
posted in Home theater
Xfinity sound settings

I recently purchased a Playbar and 2 One speakers. I also listen to tv through headphones, and use a J-Tech digital to analog decoder with optical pass through, to split the Optical signal for both headphones and Playbar. Here is my question- setting my Xfinity X1 remote sound settings to Auto-detect for Dolby Digital seems tp produce the best surround sound for tv programming. However, when playing Homeland(On Demand) from Showtime, the center channel sound(including most dialogue) disappeared. I had to switch the Xfinity settings to stereo to retrieve the dialogue, which then limits the surround sound. Other tv shows don't seem to have this issue. Any ideas?

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davegatesContributor I
posted in Home theater
Sync volume control between Playbar and other speakers using tv remote

Please please please give us the option to control, sync, all sound levels between Playbar and other grouped speakers when using tv remote.

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mrpetrovContributor I
posted in Home theater
Sonos Connect + Marantz (NR 1603) Receiver?

Hi folks We recently bought a house and the prior owners left this gear behind. The house is setup with built-in speakers in loads of rooms (I'm guessing over 6), including outside. I'm not an audiophile and nor do I have much knowledge at all about how to setup a house-wide audio system. All we think we really want to be able to do is play Spotify in different rooms/zones..! The Marantz receiver is an NR1603 (https://www.crutchfield.com/S-wgrkdYaKG4I/p_642NR1603/Marantz-NR1603.html) and the Sonos is, I guess, a Connect. Below are the pictures of the audio cabinet and the wiring at the audio cabinet (there is a separate networking cabinet for the house): https://imgur.com/a/Opy6SfE I think some of the hardware is from 2002 (when the house was renovated and rewired), although the Marantz is from 2012 I think. Any advice about how to get the Sonos Connect hooked up to the Marantz properly (what wires go where?) and how to get that music then flowing to the other rooms wou

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SquarishAbeContributor I
posted in Home theater
Return playbar?

Just bought a playbar, do I return it!??? I have just purchased an LG oled tv which supports atoms but the playbar I have also just purchased does not support this. I’ve just heard about the upcoming new playbar which may support atmos. Do I return the playbar and wait for the new one? I’ve just paid £700 for it and will be extremely pissed if the new one is released soon and I just miss out on the new one with atmos support.

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Chris
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kishletteTrending Lyricist I
posted in Home theater
Spare Apple TV 4K remote only increases Playbar volume

I have a spare Apple TV 4K remote control (not paired to any device at the moment) and I thought I'd use it to control my Sonos Playbar. I want to use the volume up and down buttons as you'd expect and the menu button as the mute. I go into the controller, into preferences and enter remote control setup as you normally would. I go through the set up; it asks me to hit the volume up button and it successfully recognises the remote, then it asks me to hit the volume up button three times, the volume down button three times and the mute button three times. Everything goes as you'd expect (I've set up other remotes before and nothing seems unusual) but, after I exit the set up and try to use the remote, every button on the remote only increases the volume. No decreasing, no muting - just increasing. I've tried going through the setup five times now - both with the TV on and the TV off. Every time it seems to go through the setup process just fine but I end up only being able to incre

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JackWright
JackWrightChromatic Producer II
posted in Home theater
Sonos codename S14 - new soundbar

I unfortunately consider myself a Sonos fanboy. Not the bad kind - not the kind that'll bash on people for buying other brands. Sonos has many flaws in their current system and I accept it. I am the type of guy who bought a Sonos Play:1 and have been hooked on expanding my Sonos system ever since. And I get very excited about buying a new Sonos product even if it saps my wallet dry haha (hence the second word of the post). Right now, I own 1 play 5, 2 Play 1's, a SUB and Connect. Next up, Playbar. Or will it be...? Currently, the Playbar is very lackluster in terms of a proper home theatre experience. There is an announcement that will be made in San Francisco on April 6th which will hopefully uncover all the details of this soundbar. I have seen recently (heard early rumors a month ago) that Sonos have a new soundbar on the horizon? Codename 'S14' and it's been said it MAY have HDMI support, with mics for Amazon Alexa as shown by FCC filings. This opens so many doors. We're tal

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baernergiuContributor I
posted in Home theater
Access to AirPlay 2 when using ONE as surround speaker

I want to extend my Sonos System (Playbar in one room and a PLAY:1 in another room) with AirPlay 2 functionality. If I extend my Playbar with two ONEs as surround speakers, will I have full access to AirPlay 2 functions?

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Paulw123
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orslaContributor I
posted in Home theater
Feature request: HDMI/Dolby TrueHD

Hello! I want to see a playbar with hdmi support. Or if you manage to decode Dolby TrueHD to Dolby 5.1 with your current playbar so we can keep enjoying good sound with sonos. It's actually a shame that such a good sound system like Sonos, and if we consider what it costs, doesn't support Dolby TrueHD or at least have the ability to decode it to 5.1. Instead we end up with stereo sound when watching today's movies. If you use chromecast Ultra, the sound is stereo. Google movies, stereo, if you don't choose to play the movie through Youtube... and so on. That's just...old...out of date. Please make this happens. I promise you it will be an win-win situation for both you and us. I know this has been discussed many times before but it seems that you just keep looking the other way. Best regards!

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ewlangContributor I
asked in Home theater
Hisense / Playbase Audio Sync Problem

Hello all, I am having a problem syncing the audio and video on my Hisense (Sharp brand) 55H6D tv. I have tried using the sync assist within the app, however this only seems to make things worse. Also, there are no audio sync options within my TV. Are there any additional options I could try? This seems ridiculous... Much appreciated!

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jsbecktonContributor I
asked in Home theater
Use play ones independently

Have a sub, playbarabd 2 play ones. Seems that you cant just grab a play one and use it elsewhere without removing the speaker from the room setup and reinstalling after. Thought my other option would be to just move a play one to another location and let it play music along with the music playing with the main system. Problem is that the play ones have no sound when playing music. Is there a way to make sure the surround speakers play with music instead of just the playbar and sub?

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Airgetlam
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