Hi, I’m having issues with Dolby audio being muffled. I’m using my Macbook’s HDMI port to connect to Valerion projector HDMI input 1, and then using HDMI eARC on Valerion to connect to Sonos Arc Ultra. I’m using VLC as a media player. I have a TrueHD Atmos 7.1 movie which plays audio as it should. But when I play any DDP 5.1 movie - the audio is muffled. No matter what I do, I can’t get audio to sound right even on Mono or Stereo setting, it’s always muffled. When I switch the audio output to AirPlay to Sonos, I loose the Dolby part but at least it sounds right. I tested it on more than one DDP 5.1 movies, all suffer from this.
If I skip the Macbook and just use Valerion with a streaming service such as Netflix or HBO Max and connect it to Sonos with eARC, it plays Dolby Atmos as expected.
Macbook Pro 16" M2 Max + Valerion Vision Master Pro 2 + Sonos Arc Ultra
Best answer by TheWhiteWater
Hello @Nisde,
I have encountered a remarkably similar predicament myself. In my experience, the culprit is almost certainly the source device, in your case, the MacBook Pro—failing to output the bitstream correctly for DDP 5.1, even if it handles TrueHD Atmos without issue.
I previously struggled with similar "muffled" or inconsistent audio when attempting to use certain browser extensions and PC outputs. The handshake between a computer and a sophisticated home theatre system like the Arc Ultra can be notoriously temperamental with compressed Dolby Digital Plus signals.
The most effective resolution I found was to bypass the computer entirely for media playback. When I switched to a dedicated media streamer … specifically the Nvidia Shield TV Pro. The transformation was night and day. By using a dedicated device, I was able to enjoy full Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos from high-bitrate Remux files with absolute clarity.
If your Valerion projector handles native apps like Netflix perfectly, it further suggests the Sonos is working as intended, and the MacBook's handling of the DDP 5.1 codec is the weak link. You might find that a dedicated streaming box (Nvidia Shield Pro) or even an Apple TV 4K provides the stability and signal integrity that the Arc Ultra demands for those specific file types.
Best of luck getting it sorted.
The Sonos can’t recognize that the signal is coming from the MacBook, the computer in the Valerion (CEC) is all that it recognizes, and the type of signal it is being presented.
I suspect the MacBook is having trouble presenting an appropriate signal to the Valerion, but you’ll likely get better information from a Mac board, or one specific to the player software on the Mac. Sonos will essentially play what it is handed by the Valerion.
+2Hello @Nisde,
I have encountered a remarkably similar predicament myself. In my experience, the culprit is almost certainly the source device, in your case, the MacBook Pro—failing to output the bitstream correctly for DDP 5.1, even if it handles TrueHD Atmos without issue.
I previously struggled with similar "muffled" or inconsistent audio when attempting to use certain browser extensions and PC outputs. The handshake between a computer and a sophisticated home theatre system like the Arc Ultra can be notoriously temperamental with compressed Dolby Digital Plus signals.
The most effective resolution I found was to bypass the computer entirely for media playback. When I switched to a dedicated media streamer … specifically the Nvidia Shield TV Pro. The transformation was night and day. By using a dedicated device, I was able to enjoy full Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos from high-bitrate Remux files with absolute clarity.
If your Valerion projector handles native apps like Netflix perfectly, it further suggests the Sonos is working as intended, and the MacBook's handling of the DDP 5.1 codec is the weak link. You might find that a dedicated streaming box (Nvidia Shield Pro) or even an Apple TV 4K provides the stability and signal integrity that the Arc Ultra demands for those specific file types.
Best of luck getting it sorted.
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