Answered

Surround sound not working (Beam plus 2 x Play:1)

  • 21 November 2020
  • 10 replies
  • 3409 views
D
Userlevel 1

I've just repurposed two Play:1 speakers to act as rear speakers in a surround sound TV setup. I have a Beam connected to my LG TV via HDMI ARC which seems to work fine, receiving Dolby Digital 5.1 from the TV.

The first problem I faced was getting both Play:1 speakers connected. For a long time they refused to connect as surround speakers, with the setup routine failing with a non-descript error message ("failed to connect" or similar). After resetting both speakers to factory settings, they eventually connected and the app shows them as "Play:1 (Left)" and "Play:1 (Right)". So far so good!

​​​​Unfortunately I'm still not getting full surround sound since the left speaker stays completely silent, whether watching TV or playing music from Spotify. It successfully controls TV audio (e.g. for volume adjustment) but it's not playing any sound. The Beam and the right speaker are both working fine.

​​Suspecting a latency issue, I re-installed an old Sonos Bridge and restarted all my speakers to get them working in "Boost" mode and eliminate any home Wi-Fi problems (I have a mesh with multiple access points). Still no sound from the left speaker!

I'm not getting any error messages and everything appears normal in the "S1" controller app. TV Level and Music Level are both turned up to full (+15) in Surround Audio, with Music Playback set to "Full".

My next step will be to throw the bloody thing through the window, but before I try that does anyone have any other ideas?

 

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Best answer by dodgy_jammer 21 November 2020, 22:21

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10 replies

J

Ok thanks for that. After a few missteps I got things working. I had to reboot the router and completely forget/reset my system and re-add each component and software update the new Beam with the S1 controller software. But everyone seems to be playing nicely together now. Backwards compatibility maybe not a Sonos strong suit. Thanks!

N
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

I have the same problem as above. Using HDMI ARC cable from TV output to brand new Beam. I went through the process of adding 2 Play3s as surround/left right. Hit the buttons to designate left and right and they all appear grouped in the S1 App. I can push music to all 3 speakers from my phone (YouTube Music App in Sonos controller) but TV audio only pushes to the Beam. Any suggestions?

Are they “grouped”? If so they’re not “bonded” as surrounds. Next, check the tv is receiving a DD signal, and is sending it to the Beam. Not all programs - even on the HD channels - are broadcast in 5.1. The app will tell you what signal the Beam is receiving. If you need help with any of this, let us know. 

J

I have the same problem as above. Using HDMI ARC cable from TV output to brand new Beam. I went through the process of adding 2 Play3s as surround/left right. Hit the buttons to designate left and right and they all appear grouped in the S1 App. I can push music to all 3 speakers from my phone (YouTube Music App in Sonos controller) but TV audio only pushes to the Beam. Any suggestions?

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @tonto1916,

Thank you for reaching out to the Sonos community and for letting us know about your concern. To help you out why you’re not getting audio from your surround speakers, I'll be requesting from you in submitting a diagnostic report and include the confirmation number in your response to find out the cause. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns, we'll be glad to assist you.   

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T

Hi Rowena

I get a similar error message after trying to set up 2 Play 3’s with Beam. Both are set up as surround speakers on system but no sound from either. The Beam is working fine. I also have Connect and Play 5’s which are also working OK. I have checked app and system shows all configured as WM1.

Thanks

T 

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

HI @Gavmeister,

Thanks for reaching out to the Sonos community and for letting us know about your concern.

To help you check why you’re having issues with your surround, allow me to ask a few questions.

  • Was it working before?
  • When did the issue start happening?
  • Any changes that happened on the network/outage/power surge?
  • Have you tried rebooting your router?

I'll be requesting a diagnostic report submitted from your Sonos system. Please don't forget to include the confirmation number in your response to look into your system and find out the cause. 

Please feel free to reach out if you have further questions or concerns, we’ll be glad to assist you.

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
G

Hi Rowena B, im brand new to this forum so hope this is the best way to seek help as my problem is near identical to @dodgy_jammer. I have re- purposed 2 Play 1s to  set up a surround config with my beam and an LG TV through an ARC connection. I get a generic network error message when trying to set up the surrounds, although all three speakers subsequently appear as a surround system in the app - but nil sound out from Play1s. All 3 speakers, plus my other 2 sonos Ones play, group and can be controlled no problems when not in surround config, and are connected by wifi through a range extender. When I go into the ‘About my System’ part of the app there is a warning under the Beam description that says: “your wireless network will not support the use of a Sub or Surrounds with your Beam "

Would buying a Boost or mesh wifi system fix the problem or could this configuration work if I persist? Many thanks in anticipation G

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @dodgy_jammer, thanks for the update and immediate response. I’m glad that your Sonos system is working again. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have further questions or concerns. We are always happy to help out.

 

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D
Userlevel 1

Hi Rowena, thanks for for your prompt response.

I’ve spent more time tonight trying to fix it and managed to get it working by removing the surround speakers (again), testing them independently to confirm that they both work, then renaming them and adding them as surround speakers once more. I really wasn’t expecting it to work but thankfully both speakers are now fully cooperating with my Sonos Beam.

So problem solved! I’m not really sure what was wrong (maybe buggy software?) but I’m not going to worry about that as long as they continue working…!

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @dodgy_jammer, thank you for reaching out to the Sonos community. I appreciate your detailed post describing the issue as well as the steps that you have performed. I understand that you’re having an issue with your home theater setup. I’d be happy to help you out here if you can submit a diagnostic report of your system for better understanding and see what would be best for the setup. Reply to us with the confirmation number. We and the community are always here to help.

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
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