we are building a new home and I want to setup a home theatre there. local hifi store is suggesting a traditional projector/screen w sound system w receiver.
I am looking more into a system consisting Arc+ sub gen3 + 2 in ceiling speakers (w Sonos amp)+ 2 one SLs to have a truly immersive atmos experience. Now my question to the community is….
has anyone else done it? If yes is it worth it? Or it’s too much having in ceiling speakers?
if it’s worth it, can I please request a design documentation that I can provide my local hifi guy to work on and create this system.
Any help will be highly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Ravioli
Page 1 / 1
The Sonos Arc provides the two upward firing (ceiling reflected) speakers for Atmos audio, there are no ceiling downward firing speakers. The Amp bonded to the Arc provides the two surrounds (rear left/right) channels only, this can be ceiling speakers or floor-standers/bookshelf speaker and so in that case the 2 x One SL’s would have no role to play in the cinema setup. You could use the 2 x One SL’s for the rear channels in place of the Amp, but not aswell as.
Note the Sonos Arc connection for an uncompressed Atmos audio source needs to use a HDMI eARC connection to your projector, although their are 3rd party HDMI eARC/Arc compatible audio splitters like HDFury Arcana that can be used in the mix to bypass the Projector if need be.
Hope that quick summary assists with your ongoing research.
Just for good measure here, is one example setup diagram showing use of the Arcana with the Sonos Arc and a Projector (just ignore the TV shown). The Sub and surrounds (Amp/One SL’s) connect to the Sonos Arc over a direct ad-hoc 5ghz connection:
The Sonos Arc soundbar has the atmos upfiring speakers built in, you cannot add separate ceiling speakers for atmos with Sonos. You can the sub and rear surround speakers as you wish, but not the ceiling speakers.
It’s worth noting that soundbars are designed for locations where it is not feasible to have separate left right and center speakers. You are sacrificing sound quality (although not that much anymore) for convenience, essentially. Sonos adds further convivence with wireless connecting speakers in spaces where that can’t be done. Since you are building a new home, you have the opportunity to hide speaker wires behind the walls and ceilings. With all that in mind, it might be better to go with the traditional receiver as suggested. If you want to control streaming audio with Sonos, you can add a Port to that setup.
On another note….since you are building a new home I suggest you give serious consideration to wiring it with Ethernet Cat 6e or Cat 6a or Cat 8 to future proof it and for resale value in today’s digital world. Don’t skimp...place a connector in every room and at least two in the kitchen area strategically placed above or below cabinets or a on a wall where a TV might hang. Running a connection to the patio or deck might not be a bad idea either. Of course budget will dictate where and how many ports you can afford but in the end (if budget allows) it’s worth the expense for convenience and a strong signal for products that can accept a wired connection.
