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New to Sonos, home theater experience?
I just purchased a 5.1 setup and a play 5 (still waiting for delivery). While waiting, I've been reading more forums and started ro see a lot of complaints about the lack of support for newer codecs like DD+ and Dolby Atmos etc. How much am I limiting myself by going with Sonos? I've always loved the quality of it when I've heard Sonos speakers but I'm wondering if 2k+ investment is worth the limited capability. I read that the Bose soundtouch line has similar quality but with an HDMI input, does anyone have any experience with both and recommend that instead? I would like to know before the return period. For music I mainly rely on Spotify so both would work for me. Any input would be great! Thanks.
Best answer by Mugenabe
I received my 5.1 setup yesterday and it sounds great! no issues w/ integration w/ the LG, 5.1 coming out fine, and love the quality. One of those times I do too much reading in the forums and worry about something that I didn't experience yet 🙂 All in all, happy with it.
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Sonos is great for whole home audio, but not so great for home theater. Not supporting DD+ is a huge minus. I've got Sonos throughout my whole house, and when I built my addition, my plan was to set up a Sonos home theater --- but I ended up getting a Denon AVR with wired speakers, largely because of the codec issue. Denon, Klipsch, Bose and a number of other companies now have wireless home theater options, and you can link them to the rest of your Sonos network with a Sonos Connect. It's less than ideal, as you can't fully control the home theater from within the Sonos app, but at least you get all the latest codecs, and the ability to expand from 5.1 to more advanced 7 / 9 / 11 channel surround setups (7.1, 5.1.4, 7.1.4, etc).
+3My general thoughts are if you're the kind of person who cares deeply about codecs such as DD+, Atmos, etc then you are almost certainly going to go for an AV Receiver / Wired Speaker setup. I realise there are some who desperately want DTS, etc with a Sonos setting, but the vast majority of people I know who have invested in Sonos simply hook up a Soundbar to their TV, have a few Play 1s dotted around the house and run it all off the Wifi.
I have a dedicated lounge setup with a Sony 1050 Amp, CA Minx speakers and a PS4 for any blu-rays with fancy codecs (and it's fun to test and play with), and Sonos in the rest of the house. But the majority of my TV watching is done off Sky and Netflix, so getting "just" DD5.1 is more than enough - and at this, if connected properly, the Sonos system excels. Should add though the cost of a fully kitted out Sonos 5.1 system (Playbar, Sub, 2x 1's) versus a wired one (including installation) was significantly more.
As an aside, I really struggle to find any TV or player that outputs DD+ for Netflix. My PS4, TV, Apple TV all give straight DD.
I have a dedicated lounge setup with a Sony 1050 Amp, CA Minx speakers and a PS4 for any blu-rays with fancy codecs (and it's fun to test and play with), and Sonos in the rest of the house. But the majority of my TV watching is done off Sky and Netflix, so getting "just" DD5.1 is more than enough - and at this, if connected properly, the Sonos system excels. Should add though the cost of a fully kitted out Sonos 5.1 system (Playbar, Sub, 2x 1's) versus a wired one (including installation) was significantly more.
As an aside, I really struggle to find any TV or player that outputs DD+ for Netflix. My PS4, TV, Apple TV all give straight DD.
I have a dedicated lounge setup with a Sony 1050 Amp, CA Minx speakers and a PS4 for any blu-rays with fancy codecs (and it's fun to test and play with), and Sonos in the rest of the house. But the majority of my TV watching is done off Sky and Netflix, so getting "just" DD5.1 is more than enough - and at this, if connected properly, the Sonos system excels. Should add though the cost of a fully kitted out Sonos 5.1 system (Playbar, Sub, 2x 1's) versus a wired one (including installation) was significantly more.
As an aside, I really struggle to find any TV or player that outputs DD+ for Netflix. My PS4, TV, Apple TV all give straight DD.
I'm actually in the opposite boat. I didn't really care about codecs --- just wanted plain old 5.1. My old Plasma TV didn't pass through 5.1, and the new TV I purchased a few weeks ago will only output DD+ for Netflix, as do both of my Roku players and Xfinity DVR. The only device I have that will output regular DD for Netflix is my old PS3, but it won't do 4k.
But you do make a great point. If you already have equipment that outputs 5.1 (especially a TV), then Sonos is a much more viable home theater option.
I still have to test it when I get it tomorrow but I've been reading that the TV I just got may have some sound issues using Sonos (lg c7). I'm thinking if I have too many issues with the Sonos 5.1 setup, I'll probably just return it and go for play 5's and get a separate system for the home theater. For the cost, I'm starting to think it's not worth it given the limitations and just stick to what Sonos is good for, playing music.
I received my 5.1 setup yesterday and it sounds great! no issues w/ integration w/ the LG, 5.1 coming out fine, and love the quality. One of those times I do too much reading in the forums and worry about something that I didn't experience yet 🙂 All in all, happy with it.
Great, good to hear your happy on your new 5.1 setup.
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