My elderly parents-in-law have recently moved to an apartment and because the TV is across the room , they consistently have it at a very high level in order to hear dialogue. Is there a system where they could have external speakers placed beside their chairs, that would give them clear dialogue that could play at a lower level?. The setup would have to be easy to use, something permanently connected and preferably controlled by the TV remote itself would be the best solution. Our home system of a Beam and two One speakers as surrounds, would be great for them , except that as surrounds, the speakers focus less on dialogue, which would mean they'd still be cranking up the front volume. Is there a way to adjust the rear speakers so that they are dialogue focused ?
If it is the Beam you want to use, it can be used without surrounds and have all the audio come from the front. There is also the Speech Enhancement feature that you can activate inside the app that will boost dialogue.
They need the rear speakers to operate as the main dialogue speakers, the beam at the front would mainly be the key to connecting the TV to the sound system since it makes it really easy , using the TV remote as the main sound adjustment. They aren't very tech savvy ! I'm assuming just using the One's ( or newer version ) wouldn't work alone without having to use Bluetooth and fussing with that everytime they go to watch TV ? They need to ideally just use the remote as usual, with everything hooked up and ready to go !
You could do it with an Amp, connected to a set of third-party speakers. But, configuring the Amp would mean setting it up as the “main” speakers and then locating them beside the viewers’ seated positions.
Even so I wouldn’t recommend it First the Amp needs setting up on their wifi (do they have that?). Then there’s the risk of anything going wrong. They don’t need a multi-room system. Surely a “conventional” system may be the lower-tech but better solution here?
And the Amp would be ‘behind’ the sound bar (Beam) by 75 ms.
Unfortunately, there is no great solution made by Sonos for the hard of hearing. No way of synchronously hearing the voice channel out of ‘other’ speakers.
And the Amp would be ‘behind’ the sound bar (Beam) by 75 ms.
Unfortunately, there is no great solution made by Sonos for the hard of hearing. No way of synchronously hearing the voice channel out of ‘other’ speakers.
I was thinking of Amp as front channel, but with speakers by the seats; no Beam in the configuration. But I still think it’s not a great solution in this use case.
If the Amp is connected via HDMI ARC, it is still considered a ‘Home Theater room’, so any grouped room would still be delayed by 75ms.
But yea, you could instead connect the Amp via the analog line in and skip that issue…but the voice sync with the video would be an issue, as you’re paying the 75ms on the analog input, instead of between the two ‘rooms’
But, I agree, in your configuration, moving the ‘fronts’ to by the seated person, and no ‘grouped’ rooms, that would work.
Ace headphones would be excellent for this situation...except you can only use one at a time, and you can’t have audio go through the headphones and soundbar at the same time.
My Mom needed a solution to that problem when she moved into an independent living apartment and I settled on a wireless portable TV speaker. We bought a Simolio model, but there are quite a few options on Amazon. It lacks the “gee whiz” factor of finessing a solution with Sonos speakers, but it’s simple and inexpensive. And also not prone to going batty when executives decide to rush out ill-planned software updates.
I agree with the others, if you want Sonos, the best setup would be the Amp connected to the TV with HDMI-ARC and to have CEC enabled (to use the TV remote) and a pair of passive speakers from any other brand connected to the Amp with speaker wires. The speakers could be in-wall, in-ceiling, bookshelf, floor standing, etc.
Headphones were my first thought ( that's what my father uses) but I think my inlaws want to watch together , and be to talk to each other as well !
If they want the full Sonos experience with streaming music and multi-room sound then I’d also say go with the Amp and speakers placed right in front of the seating position. Speaker wires might be an issue, us geezers have to be wary of tripping hazards.
I’ve tried setting mom up with Bluetooth and it is unreliable enough that it drives her nuts, is hard to troubleshoot by phone and she is miles from where I am. IF you can find a reliable Bluetooth transmitter and speakers they might be ideal. Only problem would be a possible small voice sync issue and remembering to keep them charged.
The Sonos Ace have nice options for external noise, nothing, reduce it and allow it. I normally have mine on reduce but if the spouse wants to talk a quick button press to allow lets me hear her just fine. Someday if Sonos allows more than one set to connect they would be a good option.
The Arc Ultra has promised better voice than the Arc, I don’t have an Ultra to test but it might be an option in the future.
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