Answered

Sonos Beam and hard of hearing question

  • 28 August 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 906 views
M
Userlevel 1
Badge +2
Good evening all
I am going to be getting a Sonos Beam shortly and having had a trial run with a Panasonic soundbar I am certain that the Beam will assist my partner who does not have great hearing. However she does struggle with the loud crash and bang stuff that goes on in the background and the TV volume is constantly going up and down, so am looking forward to giving the Speech/nighttime options a whirl - but a couple of questions:-
1 - Is there a noticeable improvement in the clarify of speech and reduction in background audio when this function is enabled? The Panasonic soundbar we have tested has a speech function but marginal difference.
2 - I understand the Beam can be grouped with other sonos speakers to play the TV audio (not surround sound) - does the speech/nighttime mode settings get replicated in the other speaker (play 1 in my case)?
3 - Would it be weird to my partner if the grouped speaker was adjacent to her listening position playing the TV audio - so she would have BEAM audio from in front of her and then also replicated to the side of her? Would this help or make the experience weird for her?
Just after some opinions/view - TIA
icon

Best answer by melvimbe 28 August 2019, 19:46

View original
This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

4 replies

melvimbe
Good evening all
I am going to be getting a Sonos Beam shortly and having had a trial run with a Panasonic soundbar I am certain that the Beam will assist my partner who does not have great hearing. However she does struggle with the loud crash and bang stuff that goes on in the background and the TV volume is constantly going up and down, so am looking forward to giving the Speech/nighttime options a whirl - but a couple of questions:-
1 - Is there a noticeable improvement in the clarify of speech and reduction in background audio when this function is enabled? The Panasonic soundbar we have tested has a speech function but marginal difference.

I think so, but it's really a subjective question. It's best to test it out yourself and see if it meets your needs. if you haven't already purchased it, you might want to do so directly from Sonos as they have a pretty good return policy.

2 - I understand the Beam can be grouped with other sonos speakers to play the TV audio (not surround sound) - does the speech/nighttime mode settings get replicated in the other speaker (play 1 in my case)?


Pretty sure the answer is no to this one.

3 - Would it be weird to my partner if the grouped speaker was adjacent to her listening position playing the TV audio - so she would have BEAM audio from in front of her and then also replicated to the side of her? Would this help or make the experience weird for her?
Just after some opinions/view - TIA


This actually will not not work. In order to handle multiroom audio, speaker groups, Sonos buffers the audio to make sure all speakers get the signal and play in sync when playing music. For TV audio, the speaker that's connected to the TV will play immediately in order to stay in sync with video, while other grouped speakers are buffered in delayed.

So, basically you don't want to have a grouped speaker in the same room as your Beam, as you'll hear an echo effect. It will not sound good. The feature is designed for placing speakers in different rooms where you can't see or hear the TV+beam, and thus being slightly out of sync doesn't matter.

In case you're wondering, using speakers as surround sound bonds the speakers to the beam. Communication is over 5 GHz wireless and avoids the delay.(the rest of the of the system is at 2.4GHz for better communication over distances). It would be idea for your situation if the surround speakers could be set to just play the front speakers for those who just want a near by speaker for hearing concerns...but that's not an option. It has been requested before.
Danny
M
Userlevel 1
Badge +2
That’s an awesome response and I am glad I asked as you have definitely helped me understand the set up a little clearer, and I now understand my options. I would defo consider the bonding option with surround speakers if there was then the option to distribute the audio in a non traditional way.
Many thanks indeed, it’s appreciated.
AjTrek1
Userlevel 7
Hi Marto69

I'm a die hard Sonos fan. I own 2 Playbars and a Beam just to mention a few without seeming to brag. 😉

Here's my take on the Beam...It was designed for smaller spaces such as a master bedroom. If you are planing on using it in a larger area (say an open family room/kitchen) you will definitely need to use Trueplay found in the Sonos app. The catch to use Trueplay is that it requires an iOS device. Trueplay will not work on Android.

Now here's the rest of the story....In larger areas as I mentioned above the Beam performs much better with a Sonos sub in the mix. The sub relieves the Beam from having to process low-end frequencies and allows it to focus more on the mids (voice) and highs. Unfortunately, that adds another $699_USD to out-of-pocket expense.

I'm not saying that the sub will be required in your environment which is why most appreciate the 45 day return (no questions asked) policy when buying from Sonos direct. I believe the more information you have up front allows one to make an informed buying decision. Even if it doesn't work out at least you know going in what the pros and cons may be.

To cover all bases I'd recommend a Playbar given the hearing deficits your partner may encounter. You will lose Airplay2 and Voice Assistant capabilities as well as HDMI_ARC to control your TV via voice command. However, I think the benefits of the Playbar acoustics for TV audio outweigh the feature loses versus the Beam. Also,the cost of a Playbar is just slightly higher than a Beam and Play 1 (which @melvimbe has advised against).

EDIT: You can still add a sub and surrounds to the Playbar later when the budget allows. Also, the surrounds can be Sonos One's to provide voice assistance; as the feature is not muted when used with a Playbar.

I hope this helps. Cheers!
Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
M
Userlevel 1
Badge +2
thanks very much for the reply and the recommendation. I need to consider my options carefully but the Sonos returns policy does make this a little easier to plunge in. The play bar and play base are considerations but the size of the Beam appeals for my set up. Not really fussed on airplay2 and Alexa functionality.
Many thanks
Terms & ConditionsCookie settings