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Setup Question

  • 11 November 2021
  • 4 replies
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R

Hello everyone,
 

I am interested in purchasing a Beam (Gen 2). My TV has ARC support through HDMI. I utilize my laptop as my entertainment center. I am currently using a low quality Bluetooth soundbar that provides sound for my laptop. I own a PlayStation 4 and of course, I cannot connect, so I am utilizing TV speakers for that sound. I would like to have my PlayStation 4, TV and Laptop utilize the Sonos Beam (Gen 2).

 

My laptop does have HDMI, but does not have a SPDIF port, I have no problem investing in a USB type device that will provide me one. My issue is that I do not know how to make sure I will receive audio through my laptop onto the Sonos. I am ready to purchase the speaker, but I am at a loss for establishing the laptop connection, which is used by me daily. 

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Best answer by Ken_Griffiths 11 November 2021, 02:12

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4 replies

Airgetlam

You shouldn’t need the SP/DIF port, all of the “sound” would be carried by the HDMI signal to the TV set. It’s the TV set’s responsibility to ‘mirror’ that signal back to the Beam on the ARC connection. So basically, any device you connect to your TV via HDMI should (assuming this codec type is correct) should play via ARC.

Note I called out the codec. Currently, your laptop would need to send either a stereo signal or a Dolby Digital signal to the TV set, which the TV would convert to the ARC signal and send back out to the Sonos. Similarly, your Playstation 4 may have to have the audio options set on it to ensure that it’s sending a Dolby Digital signal to your TV set. 

Bruce
Ken_Griffiths

The Sonos Arc is a TV Home Theatre audio receiver/speaker and so the TV is usually the central hub in this situation. So everything ideally needs to connect and run through your TV.. The ‘test’ here, before you purchase the Sonos Arc, would be to try and connect all  your available devices mentioned to the existing TV input ports (if practicable) leaving your TV’s HDMI Arc port for the sound-out to the Sonos Arc. 

So try to connect all to the TV, so that their audio  plays through your TV speakers and then add the Sonos Arc to that setup. BUT…

With all that said however, there are other ways to get audio to the Sonos Arc direct and without going through the TV .. the first is via the Apple Airplay2 protocol. If your laptop can output Airplay audio, then you can play that direct to the Sonos Arc, as it has built in Airplay compatibility.

As an aside, note too that the Arc can also play the many dozens of available audio sources that you will find in the Sonos App, as briefly mentioned here in this link …

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3459

Anyhow, it’s also worth noting here, that ‘other’ Sonos products, like the Sonos Port, Amp and Five, each have line-in audio connections - these ‘separate’ Sonos devices, as an example, can accept analogue line-in stereo audio from your Laptop and other devices, like CD/MP3 players/Turntables etc. and are able to pass that audio to the Arc and any other Sonos Speaker/device… so that’s perhaps another route to look at, to get your laptop connected to the Sonos Arc.

And so last, but not least, the new Sonos Roam can accept a Bluetooth connection from mobiles/tablets/Laptops etc. that are capable of playing Bluetooth audio. The Roam can pass that audio to the Arc aswell via grouping options in the Sonos App.

So, as you can perhaps see, there are a variety of options there for you to peruse and consider, but I suspect the Sonos ‘family’ of products, correctly set in place alongside your existing hardware, can likely achieve the outcome you are looking for, even if your TV is not able to act as the central hub for connection of every devices you are looking to use with the Arc.

M

I can’t seem to get my Sonos Arc to setup,  first time user and I look at the app and my account doesn’t show as being able to click into.  I have tried a number of times from scratch to hook up but have had no success.  Any suggestions?

Ken_Griffiths

I can’t seem to get my Sonos Arc to setup,  first time user and I look at the app and my account doesn’t show as being able to click into.  I have tried a number of times from scratch to hook up but have had no success.  Any suggestions?

What is the mobile device you are using and its operating system? Does it meet the requirements shown in the link below:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4875

Also ensure the Sonos system requirements are met too. See this link:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/126

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