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Opinions sought for home theatre revamp - do I even need a receiver for Sonos Atmos nowadays?

  • 7 April 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 149 views
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Completely revamping my home theater, formerly wired 7.1 Klipsch to Denon AVR- S730H supporting a 55” non-Atmos Samsung. Looking to go smaller and (as much as possible) wireless (minimal wired connections going back to a central location) --- and definitely want to go Atmos (at least 5.1.2, but optimally 7.2.4 or 9.2.4, with Atmos channels firing up rather than emanating from ceiling speakers or true height channels).

So, do I even actually need a receiver at this point? If I were to upgrade to a 2019 or 2020 65” OLED/Atmos LG with a single Blu-Ray player, do I even need a receiver? Or can I just go full Sonos with the TV as the Atmos processor for itself and the Blu-Ray player? Is there any real reason to go with an Onkyo “works with Sonos” receiver if audio sources are only LG TV/Blu-Ray/iPhone?

Yes, we listen to music through our system too, and the Denon allowed multiple different sources to play through without being “forced” into a Denon format (so - my iPhone playlists were useable wirelessly without compromise, my Pandora and Spotify stations were playable through the system directly, etc.). I don’t get the impression that the Sonos app works this way - does it? Or would I be forced into a Sonos-controlled ecosystem?

System is initially going to be single room with maybe a 2nd room added via a Play 1 or Play 5 in the next year, maybe other rooms/outdoor speakers over time, but neither of those would be pressing. Room has 9’ ceilings and main watching area is about 11 feet from where the Arc would be (sitting at a height of 4 feet on the mantle over my fireplace).

Sorry if I’m a little all over the place. Thanks for any help.

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Best answer by melvimbe 7 April 2021, 22:36

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4 replies

melvimbe

You actually can’t use a receiver in combination with the Sonos Arc for a home theatre setup.  You would just bond the Arc with one or two subs, plus two rear speakers (all Sonos products) to create a 5.2.2 setup.  You can’t do 7.2.4 or 9.2.4 with Sonos. 

You would not necessarily need to upgrade your TV, as there is a product called HD Fury Arcana that allows you to bypass any audio processing through the TV.  Honestly, I would recommend this even if you are getting an eARC TV as it eliminates a lot of potential issues.

As far as music playback, the Sonos app is a controller (think remote control), with the speakers directly streaming the audio.  However, many streaming services allow you to cast audio to Sonos from their streaming apps. The Arc is also airplay capable, and can do Alexa and Google voice.  If you also get a Roam you would be able to bring in bluetooth sources to your Sonos home network.

 

Danny
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You can't use an Arc with a “Works with Sonos” Onkyo receiver? Really?

S
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You can't use an Arc with a “Works with Sonos” Onkyo receiver? Really?

 

I’m guessing that would be for music playback? Can’t imagine manufacturers would ever imagine someone wanting to tie in a receiver with something like a Sonos Arc for home theatres. It would be either or for home theatre. 

2 x Play 1, Playbase, Panasonic EX 600, Panasonic UB420. One, One Sl + submini
buzz

You can't use an Arc with a “Works with Sonos” Onkyo receiver? Really?

The “Works with Sonos” feature is designed to use PORT or CONNECT as a stereo input to ONKYO. Since ARC has no output that can attach to ONKYO, “works with” has no utility in this context. The feature is designed to integrate SONOS and ONKYO Volume control and allow some integration with the ONKYO remote. System behavior is similar to adding a cassette deck.

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