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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
started this topic

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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6754 Topics
R
RevslContributor I
asked in Home theater
How will sonos setup play TrueHD 7.1 atmos?

I’ve tried to play such file as described in the title, and it says in the app it’s playing Multichannel PCM 7.1 I know sonos isn’t a 7.1 system, so in this case am I losing ATMOS or other audio content?  I’ve played 5.1 atmos files just fine

23596
Corry P
2 years ago
K
kennokasContributor I
asked in Home theater
I cant controll my tv sound

Hi! I have arc and SL speakers for surround. now i bought sonos amp for use subwoofer via cabel. i connected they and it works if you gonna listen music form spotify with phone or laptop. but when im watching tv then remote will  controll only sonos arc and sl voices but dont controll subwoofer level via amp. have anybody same issue and ho to fix it? thank youKenno

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melvimbe
2 years ago
T
Thatoneguy743Contributor I
posted in Home theater
Hey Sonos, any chance you can work on improving Arc dialogue?

I’ve had the Arc, one sl’s and sub gen 3 for a while now and have always been disappointed by the dialogue in content. Doesn’t matter what’s being watched or if speech enhancement is turned on. My buddy just brought over his Beam gen 2 and it’s not even a close comparison. The beam sounds so much better with dialogue at half the price. Any updates on software changes that might alleviate this? I know this is one of the major complaints of the Arc based off these forums and your subreddit. 

2293
Ken_Griffiths
2 years ago
B
BucknastyContributor I
asked in Home theater
Speech enhancment not working on Arc

Why is there no difference with speech enhancement on or off on Arc. Very dissapoing. I had a Bose 900 and it worked perfectly.

1602
B
2 years ago
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dzanders24Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Using a port hooked into my av receiver, can I group with a beam in another room to get the audio from beam over my av receiver speakers?

I have a theatre room with a 7.1 set up. I usually have played the pausing game between the 2 directv receivers to get them close when hosting football games. I have a beam and ones in the other room that I use to broadcast the sound everywhere else in the house. Even by getting them synced close there can be an echo effect. I am wondering if I hook a port up to the av reciever will I be able to group it with the others and be able to have that audio play in the theatre room with everything else? Probably also boils down to if my av reciever will be able to play the audio of the port in, while keeping the picture playing from directv source. 

4453
D
2 years ago
K
Kieranbrown93Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Sony X900H / PS5 / Beam (Gen 2) - Best settings?

I use my TV mostly for Dolby Vision & Atmos content and Music streaming which the Beam tends to look after itself. However the PS5 gives me too many options for my small brain, any advice would be greatly appreciated.Currently set to AV Amplifier / Linear PCM / 7.1 and is appearing as such on Sonos app.

5241
Corry P
2 years ago
M
Magister LudditeContributor I
posted in Home theater
can Arc sounbar operate effectively if mounted above tv screen?

Hey All, I plan to install Arc to complement a 65” LG G2 and would like to mount the Soundbar above the TV screen. Will trueplay compensate for the placement? Has anyone been successful with this arrangement?  

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Airgetlam
2 years ago
J
JFischerTrending Lyricist I
posted in Home theater
Question about HDMI eARC and Sonos Beam / Arc

I have been using a Playbar for years.  The optical port is now broken so I’m looking for a replacement.My LG C1 has an HDMI eARC port so I have been looking at the Beam or Arc.Conceptually I don’t understand how eARC works. So if the eARC port is HDMI 2 then I run an HDMI cable from 2 to the soundbar and that HDMI port is now solely used for audio?Luckily on this setup I have a free HDMI port so it’s not a big deal but paring down 4 ports to 3 to use one for audio might be problematic in other setups without a receiver.Do I have that right?  Sorry for the newb questions!  Thanks

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J
2 years ago
K
KamshazaamContributor I
posted in Home theater
sonos surround and digital pcm 2.0

Hello All, My set up is an LG C1, beam, Sonos One and a mini-sub.  When playing Dolby atmos quality streams it plays correctly in Dolby atmos. When playing in Hulu or other tv shows it plays digital pcm2.0 stereo as expected in some scenarios. When this occurs I notice my rear speakers during that time play some of the audio well but I hear a faint “whispering” or buzzing while voices are talking or during some of the scenes during older shows, due to the attempt of what I understand as upscaling and just being quieter which is very annoying at times.Is there a setting or option that is better to handle this or am I missing something here?  Or during these shows just lower the tv surround via the app?  If it is lowering the tv surround is there a way to automate this up and down?

3792
K
2 years ago
K
Kurosaki_7Contributor I
asked in Home theater
PS5 + LG C1 + Sonos Arc - Still no pcm ?

Hi guys, I own a Sonos arc from 1 year. Biggest disappointment for me was not to be able to listen the audio from my ps5 in pcm because for some reason it doesn’t work, and the audio sounds so bad and low volume, and I had to switch to Dolby to have a nice sounds. Is this still a issue today 22 October 2022? It’s the problem my LG C1 OLED ? Or is the arc? Do you have the same experience with other tv brand?Thanks.

9921
Corry P
2 years ago
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spoon1234Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Sky Q, interference with playable/surround speakers

Hi, I see interference with sonos speakers after getting sky q is not unique. Have had sonos phone chats but problem repeats periodically.  Would a sonos boost be guaranteed fix to problem /Thanks.

1114
T
2 years ago
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EmenContributor I
asked in Home theater
Playbar no longer works with DTS encoded discs

All of a sudden my old Playbar has stopped working with DTS encoded Blu-rays. It works fine with Dolby encoded discs and standard TV/streaming outputs but for DTS discs all I get is silence. It has worked perfectly well for years and I haven't changed any settings because I'm on the S1 app. As a test I disconnected the Playbar and everything works fine through the internal TV speakers. I'd be grateful for any suggestions that might help resolve this.

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G
2 years ago
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Nick2319Avid Contributor III
asked in Home theater
Position of a Sub Mini

Had my Mini Sub for 10 days. Trying to get the best position. The room where it is located is tiled. I had the sub on the floor.Read this article …..https://hometheateracademy.com/subwoofers-floor-shelf/Move the Mini Sub off the floor and it seems much better overall sound.  Thoughts? 

42484
N
2 years ago
D
Dcgman#1Headliner I
posted in Home theater
Is PlayBase getting close to its limits?

I just ordered a pair of Fives. They should be arriving sometime next week. I’m excited about my newest Sonos purchase. I told myself I was done with my Sonos setup before 2020. I guess I lied. They will be replacing my Sonos Ones in the TV room which is in 5.1 with Sub/PlayBase. Do I need to be worried about my PlayBase being outdated anytime soon. Will the Fives make a perfect fit with the PlayBase and Sub? 

4616
D
2 years ago
Dogdad
DogdadHeadliner III
asked in Home theater
Sonos app displays DD Plus 5.1 on certain netflix Atmos movie(s)

My Sony tv has eARC and I have the Netflix premium ultravHD . Watching a series that showed in Netflix description as Atmos was showing only Dolby Digital plus 5.1 on the Sonos app. So I put on different movies that has the description of atmos as it’s content. Some displayed Atmos on the Sonos app, some didn’t. Example..6 Underground showed Atmos where Barbarians ll showed the 5.1.. any idea why it would be different? 

11657
Dogdad
2 years ago
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Smittybilt2Contributor I
asked in Home theater
How to control Sonos Arc volume when using optical cable

I have a Samsung 80 something inch led TV with a Samsung smart voice remote. Do not have eArc connection on TV. Have used optical adapter and can only control Sonos arc foul e by voice and Sonos app. Cannot get my Samsung one remote to control the Sonos volume. Have gone through Sonos tutorial and still will not control Arc volume e control.  Help!!!! This is driving me nuts. 

10201
Ken_Griffiths
2 years ago
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EzajkulContributor I
asked in Home theater
Sub Mini anemic after 14.18

Hi, i have a sub mini and two one-sl’s that i use with trueplay only for music. I was happy as a cucumber with the sub mini’s rumble until last night’s 14.18 update...after the update finished i could barely hear it, as if it was anemic...i made a new trueplay, i did 3 power cycles, still nothing, i did another trueplay...same. Before if i turned up the music to 50-60% the sub would rumble beautifully and my grin was up to my ears...now it only somewhat rumbles if i turn off trueplay, but when i turn trueplay back on it sound as if i dont have a woofer in my system 😭, even if i turn the sub on and off in the app i only hear a very small difference with the sub on 😪 I could easily say that it sound’s better without the woffer and only with the two one sl’s with the bass turned up. I have to mention that i had every EQ in the middle and the sub at 0 and it sounded PERFECT...now it sounds SAD.I will try a factory reset tonight when i get home, and i reaaly hope that it comes to its sens

3534
Ken_Griffiths
2 years ago
toyboy
toyboyChromatic Producer II
asked in Home theater
Trueplay is pretty much a joke

I guess I’ll treat my system as if I have an Android phone. I used to able to tune it but not anymore. Nothing has changed but it stops and tells to reduce noise. It’s as quit as I can get it so screw it!

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toyboy
2 years ago
J
jfdnaContributor I
posted in Home theater
Surround sound with a small tv

Thought I would share my experience using a 5.1 system with a 32” tv.Living in a smaller home, I’ve learned to use visual cues to help the space feel generous, but I really wanted to have an immersive experience. Limited to a 32” tv because of all the art & stuff on the walls, I bought a 4k Samsung tv (not a lot of choices), then added a beam/2. Then added 2 one st’s  for surround and a sub mini.The result is remarkable. Adding sound adds so much space with a small tv! With dwellings becoming smaller for many good reasons, sound really does help the space feel fuller. A yet relatively unexplored benefit for Sonos.

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Corry P
2 years ago
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slongChezTrending Lyricist I
posted in Home theater
LG CX - LPCM 7.1 Issues (Possibly Resolved)

Hey everyone,Not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but after the latest LG CX firmware update, I am now receiving the proper Multichannel PCM 5.1 output on my Sonos system. Previously on either of my consoles via Xbox Series X or PS5, LPCM 5.1 content would always come out as Multichannel PCM 7.1 even if the console is set to A/V Receiver and 5.1.Not sure if this was either fixed by the latest Sonos updates or the LG firmware update. This is related to this issue.Please read if you have encountered issues with 7.1 LPCM playback on Sonos via an LG TV

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Ken_Griffiths
2 years ago
M
micfuchsTrending Lyricist I
asked in Home theater
Can I get Airplay with this home theater setup?

I have the following 3 “rooms” in my house:Deck - Sonos Amp connected to two outdoor speakers (I can use Airplay to connect to the Deck) Living Room - Sonos Five (I can use Airplay to connect to the Sonos Five) Family Room - ~5 year old Sonos Playbar, two Sonos One SLs surrounds, and Sonos Sub.  This is the “home theater”. While the SLs are Airplay compatible, since the Playbar is NOT, and is the “main” speaker, unfortunately I cannot get Airplay in this room. Bonus “Room” - I have a Sonos Roam as well Besides replacing the Playbar with a Playbase or buying an additional Sonos Port, any “hack” I can use to get Airplay in the Family Room, but not lose the surround sound setup.  Thank you 

1164
Ken_Griffiths
2 years ago
R
rogers2010Avid Contributor I
posted in Home theater
Feature Request: Separating Surround channels among SONOS units

Have you ever thought of segregating your surround audio channels so you can assign a particular surround channel to specific SONOS unit? for example: Lets say I want to use a RAY and SONOS AMPS for my surround setup. I would like to assign the center channel to the RAY; then assign one SONOS AMP for my Left & Right FRONT channels; and finallyanother SONOS AMP for my rear surrounds.( which you already do today)I cannot use an ARC in my environment as I am space constrained and the ARC wont fit. but my room is larger and I’d like better audio coverage that I think the RAY can provide.being able to assign surround channels to different sonos units would allow for space issues and provide more sound separation.

822
Corry P
2 years ago
T
TryingtosetupgContributor I
asked in Home theater
Just got an LG OLED 55B2 and cant find arc via bluetooth

I’m so frustrated! I just got a brand new LG OLED B2 and a brand new Sonos arc and my tv cannot pair of via the sonos arc via Bluetooth or hdmi.  ive done all the unplug and replug and am so frustrated that I spend this much and it is even this much of a headache.  Can someone help me before I return

4151
Airgetlam
2 years ago
T
Toyota9646Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Help! Sonos Arc / Sony A1E / Dolby Atmos

I’m looking to buy the Sonos Arc for my Sony A1E 65 Inch Oled and I’m curious as to whether or not I will be experiencing true Dolby atmos given the hardware limitations of my tv. Apparently, Dolby Atmos requires an eARC input, however, I’ve heard from a few sources that you can still get Dolby Atmos with the ARC input via DD+ conversion. Is this setup possible? If not, is there any way I can remedy this situation with any external devices such as a dedicated receiver? Thanks!

5084
Airgetlam
2 years ago
S
ShectaContributor I
asked in Home theater
connect epson LS11000 to Arc via eARC output

I've read everything I can find re my question but am still unsure of what is possible.  I want to buy an Epson LS11000 cinema projector that has an eARC port and connect it to my Sonos Arc and use Apple TV4k as my streaming device.  Is that possible or do I need to buy a splitter such as the HDFury Arcana in order to use the soundbar?  Or do I need to return my Arc/One’s and get a different sound system?

12233
Airgetlam
2 years ago
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