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chrisrooke
Contributor I
June 2, 2024
Answered

Beam Gen 1 Surround Sound 5.1 / 7.1

I’m struggling to find any documentation on this that doesn’t relate to the Beam Gen 2. Is it possible for the Beam Gen 1 to support two Era 100s as surrounds, and if so would that be 7.1 surround or only 5.1? (I have a Sub Mini and Beam Gen 1 currently as the only parts of my home theatre set up). 

(Also, is it worth investing in surround rears when they’ll have to sit beside the couch rather than behind? It’s a small enough room! Thanks so much)

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    jgatie
    jgatieAnswer
    June 7, 2024

    A Beam Gen 1 would be 5.0 - Left/Center/Right Fronts, Left/Right Surround ( +.1 if you have a Sub).  But nowadays, don’t get all hung up on number of channels (and never think more channels are automatically “better”.  We are quickly moving toward a spatial audio concept, where the place in the room the sound is supposed to be determines which channel/speaker it is played on.  So depending on the room and speakers placement, the “channel” used in my setup to play a sound will be completely different from the “channel” in another room/setup.

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    2 replies

    ezattilabatyi
    Lyricist I
    June 7, 2024

    I've found the answer to the first question here, it is possible to connect the Era 100 speakers as surrounds.

     

    Though some reported problems with the latest S2 app update and you might find it difficult to connect the speakers or remove them from the surround setup.

     

    I'm also interested if the setup is equivalent to a 7.1 or 5.1 (my guess it is the former) as I am about to make the same purchase as you.

    jgatie
    jgatieAnswer
    June 7, 2024

    A Beam Gen 1 would be 5.0 - Left/Center/Right Fronts, Left/Right Surround ( +.1 if you have a Sub).  But nowadays, don’t get all hung up on number of channels (and never think more channels are automatically “better”.  We are quickly moving toward a spatial audio concept, where the place in the room the sound is supposed to be determines which channel/speaker it is played on.  So depending on the room and speakers placement, the “channel” used in my setup to play a sound will be completely different from the “channel” in another room/setup.

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