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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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Tips & Tricks

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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6744 Topics
I
IjbContributor I
asked in Home theater
HD channels quieter

Good morning. New to this forum.I have purchased a Beam 2 and hooked it up to my Sony Xr55a90j Works fine but with HD terrestrial channels e.g. itv, c4 and bbc HD because the sound format is different to standard def the volume is quieter. For normal about 30 works for me but change to an HD channel and have to increase to 40 at least.Is there any way round this?Also is there any way to power save the beam off. Ideally would be nice to switch it off and on with the Sony remoteThanks

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UKMedia
2 years ago
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philr62Contributor II
asked in Home theater
Arc upgrade

Hi I have a beam gen1 and sub in my lounge,I’m thinking about upgrading to an arc but wondering if an arc and sub would be too much in a 16x12 room it will be connected to a Sony a84j tv with e arc Tia

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UKMedia
2 years ago
A
Ago0905Contributor I
asked in Home theater
What to do with sonos when you buy a new TV

Hello everybody,Im writing this topic because i cant find a clear solution to my problem.I got a Samsung TV (2016) where i got my sonos system (sonos one SL x2, Sub, Sonos beam).I’m using the optical cable because this old tv dosent have the eARC HDMI.I’m going to upgrade my tv to a new one and i’m goint to use the HDMI eARC for my sonos system.I would like to know what do i have to do to move my sonos system from the old TV to a the new one.I don’t know if i need only to install the new remot controller or else.Thank you very much for your help. 

14156
A
2 years ago
H
HarshmanContributor I
asked in Home theater
TV with surround sound

RE: TV with surround sound and sound bar independant from surround sound.I want to be able to toggle between using the sound bar and sourround sound, in other words I don't want to have surround sound on all the time.Tech said todays TV's don't allow for the toggle back and forth (HDMI)? optical?A solution might be a Sonos amp and a sonos sound bar that would work but I have a few concerns.Do I have to use the Sonos phone app to change volume?Can I toggle between sonos sound beam and surround sound (sonos amp)Can I use the DirecTV box/remote to adjust volume

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jgatie
2 years ago
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Jorge BTrending Lyricist I
asked in Home theater
Fire TV Stick to Sonos Amp HDMI ARC - Can't Control Volume

I have a Fire TV Stick 4K plugged into my Optoma UHZ50 HDMI Port (2). I’m running an HDMI cable from the Projector’s HDMI ARC to the Sonos Amp. Everything sounds great, except the volume +/- buttons on the Fire TV Stick Remote control do not work. The mute button does, curiously, but the +/- do not. I’ve tried messing with the Fire TV Stick “Equipment Management” options to no avail. Is anyone else running a Fire TV Stick with an HDMI-ARC to a Sonos Amp and able to control volume with the remote?  FWIW, I also have an AppleTV plugged into HDMI 3 and it works just fine, I just needed to select the appropriate speakers in the AppleTV Audio menu. I don’t have a similar option in the Fire TV settings. What’s bugging me is the mute button works, but the volume +/- do not. Any thoughts? 

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Corry P
2 years ago
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AdagostoAvid Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Arc Soundbar with Play5 as left and right channels?

Hi all,I’ve looked through the manual and help files and cannot find this answer. Can you do this?I want to get a Arc soundbar and then used my two Play 5’s as a left and right channel to the Arc as the center channel. Can this be done?I can see how to make the Play 5 a stereo pair and I can see how to make the Play 5’s surround speakers, but I don’t want that...I’m looking to have the Play 5’s work with the Arc in front of me as my left/right mains and the bar dead center.Can this be done?Maybe its just that simple….make the Play 5’s a stereo pair, put them in front of me in the left/righ position, add the Arc and done…..not sure if that will actually work as they all need to talk to each other.Thoughts?Thx!!

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melvimbe
2 years ago
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jimmcwilliamContributor III
asked in Home theater
is there anything that tells me when Gen 2 plays dolby atmos?

Hello,A new sonos user here and I’ve just bought a Gen 2 soundbar.  It’s plugged into my 43 inch LG tv via HDMI Arc and it sounds good/loud.  I watched Thor on Disney + which is supposed to be in Dolby Atmos but I didn’t hear anything to suggest I was hearing atmos.  Is there a way to tell from the app or the soundbar itself?if I look on the app it says Stereo PCM. If I change the settings on the TV to pass through the app changes to Dolby 5.1. I presume I don’t want this as I only have the Gen, no surrounds or sub. Also it sounds terrible.  any ideas to know I am hearing atmos? A particular film I could try?many thanks for your help!J. 

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J
2 years ago
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ramshazarContributor I
asked in Home theater
No sound from rear speakers with ATV and simultaneous AirPlay

Hi,I have Sonos Beam gen. 2 with to Sonos One SL as rear speakers. As my wife is hard of hearing we use an apple airport express to connect her headphones to the Apple TV via AirPlay. The beam is connected to a LG Oled via eARC. LG ist set to “passthrough”.When we’re watching Dolby Atmos movies and activate AirPlay additionally the Sonos app shows “stereo PCM” and I hear at least up mixed stereo from the rear speaker.But when I watch non-Atmos movies (for e.g. 5.1) the Sonos app shows Multi-Channel PCM 7.1 and the rear speakers don’t receive any sound information and are  muted when we activate AirPlay additionally. Can anyone help me to understand this behaviour? What can I do to at least have stereo up mix output on the rear speakers when watching 5.1 movies.    

1683
Corry P
2 years ago
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bahamut100Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Beam (Gen 1) and LG OLED C1 : HDMI input audio format greyed out

Hello, i didn’t find answer to my question : On the TV, I would like to put HDMI input audio format on bitstream, but the option is greyed out.Do you have an idea why ? EDIT : answer found here : 

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Jamie A
2 years ago
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Jorge BTrending Lyricist I
asked in Home theater
Projector to Sonos Amp via HDMI Arc - No Sound

I have an Optoma UHZ50 Projector and I just realized it has an HDMI ARC port (HDMI 1). I plugged the Apple TV into HDMI 2, and ran a new HDMI cable (this one from Amazon) from HDMI 1 (HDMI ARC) to the Sonos Amp, and there is no audio coming through. I made sure the Optoma “Audio Mode” is set to the “SPDIF/eARC” option, and I did the “TV Setup” on the Sonos app for the Amp and it says it was successful / “done” - but there’s no audio. Is there some other setting I could be missing on the Sonos?  In the Apple TV there’s an option to select a “temporary audio source” and when I do, I can select “Living Room” which is the name of my Sonos room, but I have a feeling that’s sending the audio via Bluetooth or something, because when I switch to the Fire TV it doesn’t work at all, and I don’t think the device should be selecting the audio output source - the projector should just be outputting the audio directly via the HDMI ARC, right? Am I missing something obvious here? 

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Airgetlam
2 years ago
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robbsphotosContributor I
asked in Home theater
Why No Remote Control With Sonos Beam Gen 2?

Why does the Sonos Beam 2 not come with a remote control?

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jgatie
2 years ago
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Tine-annContributor I
asked in Home theater
sonos beam

Hi, I've had a beam for a couple of years set up with 2 ones. I've recently upgraded to gen 2 and have paired that with the ones but I'd like to put my original beam into another room...can I add it to my system? The app can't find it at present, although it is working as a speaker.

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T
2 years ago
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Tonlg36Contributor I
asked in Home theater
setting up beam and one play 1

Hi i know nothing about audio equipment! I bought a Beam gen 2 from Costco and a used Sonos play 1. I didn’t realize it was not a Sonos One until after I bought it.  I’m trying to set up the beam and the play one with my TV but it doesn’t sound that good together. The bear sounds great alone but I was hoping adding a speaker behind where I’m sitting would help sound even better.  Help! What am doing wrong? 

32313
G
2 years ago
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R19MartinContributor I
asked in Home theater
activar o desactivar sonido envolvente

Hola. Tengo un beam y acabo de adquirir dos one sl, la tv tiene hdmi arc por lo que de forma habitual el sonido siempre sale por la barra. Mi duda es, he adquirido estos altavoces para cuando vea peliculas series o juegue, pero no quiero tener un sonido envolvente las 24h, solo cuando lo quiera utilizar, de que modo se puede activar o desactivar estos altavoces envolventes? 

2883
R
2 years ago
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darshakparmarTrending Lyricist I
asked in Home theater
Arc+Sub combination: Using out-of-the-box without network, internet, and S2 app (pure hardware mode)

I am wondering if there is a possibility to use Arc+Sub combination as a home theatre unit out-of-the-box (or call it sonos pure hardware mode) without connecting to a network, going through the setup process, and without the S2 app? Such an option will be very useful when you are setting it up in a location where you don’t have a phone, don’t have a local network (wired or otherwise), and of course thus – don’t have internet.I tried this with Arc alone and works pretty well. Just unbox it, power it on, connect to the TV with eArc and it’s good to go. TV will control the volume via eArc. However, there is no way to make Arc and Sub communicate with each other. If Sonos can come up with an option where you just tether both devices via the ethernet port and they establish communication automatically.I understand such a setup will not benefit from streaming, EQ setting, or any other control for that matter. But it will be great to have such an option where you can simply unbox the system,

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H
2 years ago
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MattTNContributor I
asked in Home theater
Feature Request: Pair two AMPs to drive Height and Surround with ARC plus Sub

I’ve got a long narrow room that has five ceiling speakers installed currently, driven by an AVR, that make up a simple 5.1 setup. Do to mounting constraints the height speakers of the ARC will be useless. I’d like to use the front L/R speakers for Dolby Atmos Height channels, driven by an AMP - Similar to how the AMP currently can currently drive the rear surrounds.In my preferred setup I’d have the ARC, Sub, and Two AMPs to complete the surround setup. 

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M
2 years ago
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Denis MurphyTrending Lyricist I
asked in Home theater
Another Playbase user with WiFi problems

Hello,My playbase has been unable to connect to wifi for well over a year now, so effectively I’ve had to connect it directly to my router which means it is not controllable via the app or useful for anything other than the permanent connection to the TV. I can no longer connect it to the network to use it for Spotify or other services. I’ve gone through all the troubleshooting procedures but have never been able to reconnect the system wirelessly.I notice from this forum that this is not an unusual problem. What options are available to me at this point? 

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Corry P
2 years ago
Dogdad
DogdadHeadliner III
posted in Home theater
Does it matter auto1 or auto 2 ?

What’s the difference between digital audio out on auto 1 and auto 2? Is one better than the other for Sonos using Arc ?  

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106rallye
2 years ago
K
Karl OContributor I
posted in Home theater
Surround speakers OR Stereo pair

Surround speakers OR Stereo Pair option in S2 App?My current set up is an Sonos Arc plus 2 x Sonos SL one’s in my lounge.Will Sonos ever create an option in their S2 App that would allow you to switch the same pair of Sonos speakers between a surround set up OR a stereo pair with one button press ?Music sounds much better when I set the SL ones a stereo pair when compared to set as surrounds ( with the surround option set to “Full” and an increase in the music volume in the surround set up menu ).I don’t really want to buy another pair of Sonos speakers! I have seen quite a few other threads looking for this same option. Is this perhaps a marketing ploy by Sonos to generate more sales over end user functionality?Many thanks.

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melvimbe
2 years ago
M
mike2874Contributor II
posted in Home theater
Sonos Beam (Gen 2) Questions

I’m trying to decide whether to pull the trigger on a Beam 2 today but have a few questions. I would be using it with a Samsung UN43TU8000FXZA (2020 Model) and my only source is DirecTV. I’m using a DirecTV RC73 remote that I have paired to the Samsung allowing Volume & Mute control. My questions:Is this going to be a plug & play setup for me and relatively trouble free? I’m pretty technically inclined and have lots of smart devices but don’t think I’m willing to troubleshoot a finicky product all the time. I’m not a young guy anymore so I’m unable to run Ethernet to the Beam 2, would you discourage purchasing because of having to use WiFi? There appears to be an option to pair the Beam 2 with my DirecTV HR44 Genie receiver. I’m assuming it will allow my DirecTV remote to control the Beam 2 Volume, but will I lose the command to turn off my TV? Will the Beam 2 display an Volume bar on the TV when adjusting the Volume? Bottom line I’m needing this because the Samsung’s TV speake

1342
M
2 years ago
A
amit88Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Pansonic TV (TX-65FZ952B) + Arc + Sub + 2x One SL

Hi , Looking to set up Arc + Sub + 2x One SL on my Panasonic TV. Will it support your his using the HDMI (ARC) port? thanks, amit

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G
2 years ago
M
Martin11Contributor I
asked in Home theater
No sound from many sky channels

Help. Going bonkers have had sonos many years and all been perfect. Recently set up new surround system in another room. Beam and 2 one’s. Plays music and Netflix perfect through tv. Sky, however is a different story. Many occasions have sound and many not. Have reset everything tv. Sky. Sonos   Reconnected sonos to tv many times etc. changed HDMI leads and the best I can get is tv sound on some channels but very few. Have gone through sky set up God knows how many times and all is as it should be. PS5 plays through tv in surround also. Connected by HDMI ARC (have tried optic lead and same result). Has anyone come across the same or have any ideas?   I have spent a week testing trying and changing everything 😬Any advice would be appreciated  CheersMartin

7259
M
2 years ago
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BluetopazContributor I
asked in Home theater
Play to surrounds with no power to Beam?

I bought a beam yesterday to go with my living room TV and set it up with my 2 sonos ones to make a surround sound system, however, I don't want to have the beam on all the time wasting electricity so have it attached to a smart plug so it turns off when the tv turns off but when I do that I can't then use my sonos ones to just play normal music. Is there a way around this or do I have to have the beam on constantly to be able to use anything in my living room? 

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J
2 years ago
J
JGC-PTCContributor I
posted in Home theater
Samsung wifi connection to my Sonos amps.

I have a Samsung Frame tv. In the same area, I have 2 Sonos amps connected to ceiling speakers. I can't connect a cable from my tv to my amps. What is the cheapest way to have my tv sendind the sound signal to my amps?

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J
2 years ago
M
Micky ViContributor I
asked in Home theater
Adding Sonos 5 in Home Theater

Hello everybodyI have a question about a home teather system.I already own a Sonos Arc + 2 Sonos One Sl (as surround back channels) + Gen 3 Subwoofer.I'd like to add two Sonos 5s as front channels alongside the TV as front L + R channels.In your opinion is it possible / useful?Thanks and bye

316220
W
2 years ago
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