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Surround Sound

  • February 22, 2021
  • 16 replies
  • 273 views

I have a Smart TV that I added a Playbar to,connected via optical, and later added a sonos Sub.  I now purchased and added a sonos Amp and added my wired rear speakers as surrounds.  I feel like my rear speakers are not working as solely rears.  Am I not connecting or setting up something properly?

Best answer by GuitarSuperstar

Here is a website with Dolby trailers (many of the same ones you watched on that YouTube video) except these are actually encoded with 5.1 audio. You should be able to download some of these video files onto a USB drive, plug into your TV’s USB port, and play these video files on your TV:

https://thedigitaltheater.com/dolby-trailers/

 

And here is a link to a Dolby 5.1.2 Test Tones video that will play test tones to each individual channel separately: https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/hc21uu/dolby_atmos_512_test_video_file_download_link/

 

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16 replies

What audio do you hear from your surround speakers? What is your audio source? Is it multichannel audio like Dolby Digital 5.1 or just stereo? 


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • February 22, 2021

My TV is connected using the optical cable connection to the playbar.  When I do a YouTube surround test… I hear the rears slightly but not specifically when it is pointing to the rears only.  In other words.  When the surround test plays the rears LT & RT they almost sound the same, not individual.  Hard to explain but to simplify.  While having the following items, what should be connected to what and via what type

 

Sonos Playbar

Sonos Sub

Sonos Amp connected to the wired in-wall rears   
 

I’m aiming for a 5.1 surround 

 

 


YouTube can only play stereo 2.0 audio. Try testing the audio using Netflix or a DVD or Blu-ray disc.


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • February 22, 2021

Well I used a video from YouTube that tests out 5.1 surround 

 

Test


YouTube videos can only play stereo 2.0 audio. Just because the video says it’s 5.1 doesn’t mean it actually is. You need to find an actual 5.1 audio source.


FYI… If you want to know what audio your Playbar is ACTUALLY receiving, while the audio is playing out of your Playbar, go to Settings > System > About My System in the Sonos app and scroll down to the Playbar info and see what it says after “Audio In:”.


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • February 22, 2021

It does read Dolby Digital 5.1

 

 


And this is while playing a YouTube video?


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • February 22, 2021

No actually I did what you suggested and played a regular Netflix film


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • February 22, 2021

Maybe I was just testing it the wrong way.  How else to truly isolate each speaker to run a test?


How do the surround speakers sound?


What specific TV model do you have? Do you have any external media devices?


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • February 22, 2021

Samsung Smart TV.  


Which specific model?


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • February 22, 2021

Samsung NU8000


  • Lead Maestro
  • Answer
  • February 22, 2021

Here is a website with Dolby trailers (many of the same ones you watched on that YouTube video) except these are actually encoded with 5.1 audio. You should be able to download some of these video files onto a USB drive, plug into your TV’s USB port, and play these video files on your TV:

https://thedigitaltheater.com/dolby-trailers/

 

And here is a link to a Dolby 5.1.2 Test Tones video that will play test tones to each individual channel separately: https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/hc21uu/dolby_atmos_512_test_video_file_download_link/