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Soundbar Placement

S
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Hi,

Long-time SONOS user here but now considering expanding and upgrading my system to include a soundbar (Arc or Beam), sub, and upgrading my old Play:1s with One SLs.

The problem I have is that I’m not sure I have space for a soundbar. Got a Panasonic TX58DX902B here, which we like and unlikely to upgrade any time soon. On the supplied stand, the bottom of this TV screen is only 40 mm above the surface of the unit on which is sits.

The height of the Beam is 68.5 mm.

The height of the Arc is 87 mm.

Both of these soundbars would be higher than the bottom of the TV screen.

I don't want to wall mount the TV, but I suppose I could consider getting a plinth on which it could sit.

The other alternative is that the soundbar could sit on the metal base, below the cabinets or I could wall mount the soundbar behind the TV.

Any good suggestions on what to do here, please?

Thanks,

Steve

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Best answer by Simmz 23 March 2021, 19:52

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10 replies

G
Userlevel 7

I know you don’t want to do it, but you should seriously consider mounting your TV on the wall and running your cables in the wall for a clean setup. I was hesitant to mount my TV too, but I am very glad I did.

Also, the One SLs pretty much sound exactly the same as the Play:1s so you don’t need to upgrade unless you prefer how the One SLs look.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
S
Userlevel 4
Badge +3

I had same issue with my 55" LGOLED. 

I ended up buying one of these and have the arc in front of it. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BONTEC-Universal-TVs-Height-Adjustable-Management-Holds/dp/B07YDLBP6D/ref=mp_s_a_1_7_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=Bontec+tv+stand+mount&qid=1616525456&smid=A1PFW4PC5IFLDF&sr=8-7-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExMVFBM0tPUUcwRFBQJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDI2ODE1MVFOS0pNUUdKQVg4QyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDA1MTQ5M1ZZVk5PWFBSR0lNRyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9tdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

G
Userlevel 7

@Simmz Looks really good. Great solution!

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
S
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Yes, that looks better than I imagined it would, @Simmz. Thank you, both, for your replies.

I’m sure mounting the TV on the wall will look great, but this is a solid plaster and dense concrete block wall that would need a decent-sized channel (35-50mm) chasing out of it. I’m not sure I’m prepared for the upheaval and mess that’s going to create at the moment.

I also found this:

https://www.wayfair.co.uk/furniture/pdp/vladon-game-tv-shelving-vlam1149.html?piid=26075892

Looks like this would also do the job, but at a greater cost. Good to know the Arc is still viable option. Just need to decide if it’s worth it. Buying an Entertainment Set with a 30% upgrade credit is a pretty good deal…

 

S
Userlevel 4
Badge +3

Yeah that would work too, although least the mount option you have various positions depending how high your sofas are. It also has cable management on the back which I like and if you do upgrade TV you may need a different height again. 

I've got the arc, two play 1's and the sub. If you've got 30% off and can afford it, go for it. :) 

Wouldn't bother upgrading your play ones if they gonna be used as rears. No need to, the ones you have will be exactly the same. Just get the arc and the sub @stevewoolley 

melvimbe

A hockey puck is 1 inch thick or about 25 mm, so stacking 2 together would give you about 50 mm, just enough for the Arc.  So if you got 8 pucks, you could raise up the TV just enough to get above the Arc.  You likely wouldn’t see the pucks since they are hidden behind the soundbar.  I don’t use this method myself, as I prefer to wall mount, but seen it done before and turned out nicely.

Danny
S
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Just to close the loop on this thread, I finally took delivery of my Sonos Arc and Sub last week.

As predicted, the Arc was too tall for the existing TV stand and it blocked the IR receiver at the bottom of the TV bezel (by the LED) and the very bottom of the screen. So I bought the BONTEC TV stand from Amazon, as recommended by @Simmz . It’s a decent quality stand and was fairly straightforward to assemble. The only minor issue with it is that the TV screen is now tilted a few degrees forwards, rather than a few degrees back, as it was previously. I may need to experiment with a solution for that, maybe by inserting some of the supplied spacers between the back of the TV and the bottom holes of the VESA mounts or by cutting a block of wood or a length of plastic waste pipe to fit between the back of the TV and the metal upright of the stand. I don’t know if you encountered a similar issue, @Simmz ? It’s a fairly heavy TV (but within the specs of the stand) which is why I think it’s having issues staying vertical.

On the whole, it looks much tidier, sits perfectly level (horizontally), and raises the height of the TV to make the IR receiver accessible again. The three cables I have going into the Arc (HDMI, power, and ethernet) easily fit under the tempered glass base to keep things tidy up top. I still have a few cables to replace and hide away using the built-in cable management clips on the stand but, in general, I'm pleased with the end result:

I can confirm that Dolby 5.1 sounds amazing with the Arc, Sub, and my existing Play:1s. The nice thing about my existing Play:1s - over the One SLs - is that they fit on my nice Flexson walnut stands. The One SLs do not appear to have the hardware to stand-mount them like the Play:1s do.

Now to fix the lip sync issues from my BT youview box with an HDfury Arcana (which should also enable me to send Dolby Atmos to the Arc). Why didn’t SONOS fit a proper HDMI port to the Arc!?!

Thank you all for your contributions to this thread.

 

S
Userlevel 4
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No, no tilt issues. 

Did you use the circular spacers that come with it, as you are meant to use those. I believe it's the middle size ones to use out of the 3 types. 

S
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My BONTEC stand came with two different thickness spacers. I assumed they were only required for TVs that do not have a completely flat back panel. My TV does have a completely flat back panel and I felt they were unnecessary (and the assembly instructions seemed to imply they were optional).

I think I will try a short length of plastic waste pipe between the back of the TV and the metal upright to begin with. It’s only a few degrees out and won’t be visible unless you’re poking around the back of the TV.

 

S
Userlevel 4
Badge +3

I'm sure the instructions said to use them hahah. My previous wall mounts used the same types and said to also use them. But yeah try stick 4 of those on and see if it's any better. 

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