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McCallister
McCallister
Trending Lyricist I
December 14, 2022
Answered

Implement AMP integration with ARC.

  • December 14, 2022
  • 15 replies
  • 309 views

Hi all,

I started renewing my 5.1 system as follows: The AVR Yamaha MusicCast drives as front channels a pair of PROAC Response 3.5 through pre-outs and two Audio Research finals, the central channel always PROAC, the sub and surround Jamo.

Now, to simplify use, I thought of replacing the AVR and the central channel with ARC, and the current sub and surround wired with SUB 3th gen and a pair of ONE SLs.

Up to here everything works quite well. At this point I bought an AMP with the idea of ​​using it to drive the pair of PROAC 3.5 as front channels but with great surprise and equally disappointment I discover that AMP cannot be integrated with ARC in a 5.1 home theater configuration !!!

It seems incredible that this possibility was not foreseen.

It would be interesting to understand if the problem is of a hardware nature or simply could be solved with a firmware upgrade.

 

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Best answer by jgatie

Hi Bruce,

yes you got it right.

In this specific case the intention would be to use ARC only as a central front channel. This need arises for two reasons:

1) The two front right and left PROAC 3.5 speakers are absolute references and I use them mainly for listening to jazz and rock. It would therefore be a great pity not to be able to use them also in the home theater configuration.

2) The TV and ARC bar are recessed slightly so the sound from the left and right channels of the ARC is focused correctly.

Thank you.

 

No soundbar in existence lets you use it as a center channel.  The very definition of a soundbar is the Left-Center-Right channels located in the same enclosure.  

15 replies

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McCallister
McCallisterAuthor
Trending Lyricist I
December 16, 2022

What I think you’re driving at here is “can I share the same Sub in two different “room” contexts at the same time. The answer to that, sadly, is no. Any Sonos device is dedicated to a single “room”, and can’t be shared by different “rooms”. You can easily “group” rooms together, so they’ll play the same streaming music in sync, but that becomes more complex because the concept of a Sonos Home Theater “room” is a subset of the normal Sonos system. 

If you were to “share” the Sub between two rooms, you’d need to “un-bond” it from the Amp/Arc each time, and then bond it to the other. Which would, if you choose to use TruePlay, would erase that for each room when you “moved” the subwoofer. 

If I’m misunderstanding your statement, please let me know. I want to give you a direct answer that we both understand :)

Hi Bruce,

I probably didn't express myself correctly but you understood exactly what I meant. I figured "sharing" wasn't feasible but it might be desirable.
Just as it would be desirable for Sonos engineers to give the possibility of making ARC a pure central channel in an "advanced home theater" setup.
Thank you all

    McCallister
    McCallisterAuthor
    Trending Lyricist I
    December 16, 2022

    If the L/R 3rd party speakers image well and are relatively close to the TV screen, the center channel speaker is redundant. If the L/R speakers are widely placed or image poorly, you’ll start to notice a “hole in the center” without an actual center speaker.

    Part of the attraction of soundbars is quick and easy setup with low room clutter. The results can be very satisfying. A full surround system with multiple speakers (properly placed) can be a more immersive experience. That said, there are some interesting demos circulating at trade shows and in academic settings that give very good surround with only two speakers. This technology is not and may not ever be ready for full deployment.

    The current LR front loudspeakers are the absolute reference in the reconstruction of the soundstage.

    I hope they can do an equally great job in rebuilding of the ghost channel.

    This weekend I just have to put ARC aside and try with AMP this new 2.0.2.1 configuration ...

      John B
      December 16, 2022

      This weekend I just have to put ARC aside and try with AMP this new 2.0.2.1 configuration ...

      Please post back with how it goes.

        McCallister
        McCallisterAuthor
        Trending Lyricist I
        December 16, 2022

         

        Absolutely😉

        McCallister
        McCallisterAuthor
        Trending Lyricist I
        December 18, 2022

        Here I am, today I did a lot of tests.
        What I can say is that if you have a pair of reference speakers, the choice to drive them with AMP is a winner.

        I have not encountered any low volume issues in speech. I've read several conflicting opinions about the "phantom center channel" but in my case everything works for the best.

        It being understood that ARC is an excellent all-in-one product, however in my case it is absolutely not comparable to the acoustic performance of AMP + ProAc 3.5.
        Thanks for your suggestions.

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