Sonos and Dolby Atmos

As far as I know, if the TV is configured as “pass through” the signal goes directly to the Sonos which is the one who decodes the Atmos.

I'd be really tempted to upgrade to the Arc Ultra over replacing a gen 1 Beam with a gen 2 one. Do you have anywhere you can go to listen to the two?

I do.

2 things making me hesitant about that…..

1. The room is not large
2. The price. :(

What are you looking for? Atmos for films or for music?

I have an Arc and I’ve never feel Atmos in a real way till I add the rear Era 300… Even now, I don’t notice the difference in films between a 5.1 or Atmos. The big, big difference is listening music. It’s a new way.

If the Arc is too much the Beam gen 2 (I haven't heard one) is getting good reviews when compared to the gen 1. If you can use the gen 1 elsewhere or sell it the upgrade makes even more sense.

I use a Beam gen 1 as a music speaker, no TV in the room, and the low profile and excellent sound work out really well. It is replacing a pair of Play 1s that really didn't fit in well in that space. 

Found the Sonos page on TV ports and Atmos.

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/listen-to-dolby-atmos-audio-from-your-tv-on-sonos

Your Sonos home theater speaker must be connected to HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC to play any Dolby Atmos content.

So if you have ARC or eARC ports you should be good, optical will only do 5.1.

First…the model number you provided brings up Samsung and not Sony???

In order to get Dolby Atmos to an Arc Ultra or Beam2 the TV must have HDMI eARC or minimum HDMI Arc; unless you purchase an extractor like the HDFURY Arcana.

Having a small space is really not a  limitation as the Arc Ultra either on its own or via TruePlay (using an iOS device) will tune itself to room dimensions. The Beam2 will do the same. However, cost will dictate which you choose.

Another caveat is that the Arc Ultra can stand on its own to produce a very immersive Dolby Atmos experience without surrounds. The Beam2 IMO needs the Era 100’s or Era 300’s to equal with the former and/or surpass with the latter  a stand alone Arc Ultra.

That said if budget is a concern I’d opt for the Beam2, Era 300’s and Sub Mini for the best experience in that price range. Of course only you can make that budgetary decision.

IMO Dolby Atmos is designed for the immersive movie experience first and music second. Dolby Atmos in movies for the most part has few variations in quality. Dolby Atmos in music recordings IMO still has far too many variationsz to make it a reliable listening experience.

The current Beam has 2 Sonos 1’s Gen 2 connected as surrounds, so it is a very basic setup. This was all connected to a 10 y/o Samsung TV, which has been replaced by the new TV. 

The setup will be used for both films and music.

That is a great setup as you now have. However, IMO if you purchase the Beam2 you should also consider upgrading the surrounds to Era 100’s and possibly adding a Sub Mini; if budget allows.