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ootoph
Contributor I
November 7, 2018
Answered

Sonos Beam as PC Theatre System

I've a Dell XPS8920 PC with Sound Blaster Z-series audio card (optical output and Dolby Live) linked to a Sonos Beam via TOSlink, then the HDMI converter supplied with the Beam. It took a while to sort out settings but now works well when streaming music, TV or Netflix to my system. The Beam sits neatly under a Dell S2716G monitor. So far, a great set of kit.

However, the rear speakers (x2 Play:1's) don't carry sound from the PC (Sound Blaster optical out/converter then HDMI into the Beam) so I can't use the full Dolby facility and so miss out on the 5.1 potential. In "normal" Sonos mode - using iPhone controller or via Alexa - the rears produce terrific sound since here the PC isn't involved.

Is there any way of getting 5.1 from the PC into the Beam via this setup? Or is any planned in the future?
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    melvimbe
    melvimbeAnswer
    November 7, 2018

    However, the rear speakers (x2 Play:1's) don't carry sound from the PC (Sound Blaster optical out/converter then HDMI into the Beam) so I can't use the full Dolby facility and so miss out on the 5.1 potential.


    The reare speakers will 'carry sound' when the Beam is receiving a dolby digital 5.1 signal. I don't have much knowledge on 'dolby live', but from what I briefly read, it should be sending the dolby digital signal. You might want to check your settings and make sure you aren't sending dolby digital plus, atmos, or somehting like that. You can also confirm what signal the Beam is receiving by opening the Sonos app, then more... -> About , and viewing the information for your Beam.

    Someone else may have better info to provide, if they've gone through this setting themselves.
    Danny
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    4 replies

    melvimbe
    melvimbeAnswer
    November 7, 2018

    However, the rear speakers (x2 Play:1's) don't carry sound from the PC (Sound Blaster optical out/converter then HDMI into the Beam) so I can't use the full Dolby facility and so miss out on the 5.1 potential.


    The reare speakers will 'carry sound' when the Beam is receiving a dolby digital 5.1 signal. I don't have much knowledge on 'dolby live', but from what I briefly read, it should be sending the dolby digital signal. You might want to check your settings and make sure you aren't sending dolby digital plus, atmos, or somehting like that. You can also confirm what signal the Beam is receiving by opening the Sonos app, then more... -> About , and viewing the information for your Beam.

    Someone else may have better info to provide, if they've gone through this setting themselves.
    Danny
    AjTrek1
    AjTrek1
    November 7, 2018
    Hi ootoph

    Are you sure the sound from the PC is DD5.1 and not 2.0. Below is what I found under Toms' Guide. Please excuse the small print...click the image to enlarge it:



    Cheers!
    Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
    ootophAuthor
    Contributor I
    November 13, 2018
    Thanks for those suggestions - plenty to work on here and I’ll feed back findings. Cheers
      ArtLive
      Lyricist I
      October 25, 2020

      Problem. Bought Sonos Beam. Works fine via Wi-Fi. To connect to PC, I wanted to use HDMI and adapter to SPDIF, which was in the kit. I connected everything, but nothing happens. The computer does not see the new device. No sound. What to do? Thanks!

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