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Hi everyone,

I am kind of lost when trying to choose my next sound bar… Any help appreciated!

  1. Here is my current video setup.
    Epson projector EH-TW5650] <----HDMI---- -Xiaomi Mi Box streamer] ----optic--→ -JBL sound bar]
  2. For the music system, i have
    1. two play:1
    2. one play: 3
    3. one Sonos Port to play vinyl discs

I am into finding a new sound bar to replace my JBL old and badly sounded bar. Sonos is obviously on the list.

Knowing that:

  • the Xiaomi mi box streamer supports only Dolby DTS
  • that my Epson projector has only 2 HDMI ports (one standard, one MHL) and therefore cannot use HDMI to broadcast the sound stream

WDYT:

  • about the Sonos RAY in place of my current JBL sound bar ? Are we ok this will enjoy the DTS sound from the Xiaomi Mi box streamer? Seems to me that BEAM could be a nice upgrade for power and clarity but ARC is definitely overkilled in this setup?
  • can i add my two play:1 in the setup to create a more spacial sound? If so, does that mean that sound will go : lxiaomi mi box streamer] ---- optic--→ psonos RAY] ----WIFI--→ Play:1 ? Is it that easy?
  • Is there any way to use the Sonos Port in this setup ?
  •  Any other idea?

Thanks all for your feedback & ideas.

Cheers

 

Hi @dami1 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

  • about the Sonos RAY in place of my current JBL sound bar ? Are we ok this will enjoy the DTS sound from the Xiaomi Mi box streamer? Seems to me that BEAM could be a nice upgrade for power and clarity but ARC is definitely overkilled in this setup?

Sure - a Ray would play DTS without issue, but please note that both the Beam and Arc come with an adaptor that allows them to connect to optical outputs. Beam has the advantage over Ray of more drivers (speaker cones/tweeters) and also supports Atmos through virtualisation of height channels. It also supports the new Era 300 speakers that provide rear height channels.

  • can i add my two play:1 in the setup to create a more spacial sound? If so, does that mean that sound will go : xiaomi mi box streamer] ---- optic--→ sonos RAY] ----WIFI--→ Play:1 ? Is it that easy?

Basically, yes. Technically, we wouldn’t quite use the term “spacial” when “surround” is a better fit and there are now speakers that provide vertical channels and better left/right separation that suit the “spacial” term better. These are the Era 300s I referred to earlier. Also, the surround speakers connect directly (and wirelessly) to the soundbar, rather than to the router’s WiFi.

  • Is there any way to use the Sonos Port in this setup?

Port can provide Line-In to any Sonos devices on the same network, so yes, you could play your vinyl on your sound-bar through the Port.

  •  Any other idea?

I think I’ve covered it 😁

I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate.

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