Sonos Surround Sound Configuration Questions

Question

Hello - I am planning to replace a 15 year old TV and “conventional” HDMI receiver-based 5.1 surround sound system that uses individual wired speakers and a subwoofer. To reduce the footprint, I am considering a Sonos-based solution, specifically the Arc to provide the front channels, the Amp to power a pair of existing in-ceiling surround speakers and the Sub for bass.

I have the following questions regarding this configuration:

As I understand the connections, only the Arc would connect to TV via the eARC HDMI port and the Arc, Amp and Sub would all be connected to our home network - is this correct?
We have an ethernet connection at the location of our media cabinet - would it be advantageous to connect the Sonos components with wired connections to reduce the load on our Wifi network and minimize the chances for audio “glitches”?
Though now discontinued, we would plan to continue to use our Logitech Harmony Hub as a universal remote solution (not a huge fan of relying solely on voice control). From what I’ve read on the Logitech site and other forums, the Harmony Hub is compatible with the Sonos components that we’d be using - is that correct? Also, given this set-up and for purposes of configuring the Harmony Hub, which component would be controlling the volume?
I understand that the Arc supports Dolby Atmos but not DTS:X - has anyone found this to be a real limitation? It is hard to tell but it seems that most services that stream surround sound audio use the Dolby Atmos format.
With this configuration and the other devices we have, we’d be using all of the HDMI ports on the TV I’m considering purchasing. Are there any solutions that enable the number of HDMI ports to be expanded?
Any other considerations/potential pitfalls I should be thinking about?

Thanks, in advance, for your response(s).

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Best answer by melvimbe 9 May 2023, 15:17

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melvimbe · Accepted Answer

Hello - I am planning to replace a 15 year old TV and “conventional” HDMI receiver-based 5.1 surround sound system that uses individual wired speakers and a subwoofer. To reduce the footprint, I am considering a Sonos-based solution, specifically the Arc to provide the front channels, the Amp to power a pair of existing in-ceiling surround speakers and the Sub for bass.

I have the following questions regarding this configuration:

As I understand the connections, only the Arc would connect to TV via the eARC HDMI port and the Arc, Amp and Sub would all be connected to our home network - is this correct?

That’s generally correct, though technically, the Arc will create a private network that the Amp and sub will connect to.

We have an ethernet connection at the location of our media cabinet - would it be advantageous to connect the Sonos components with wired connections to reduce the load on our Wifi network and minimize the chances for audio “glitches”?

It would be helpful to wire your Arc to the network, but not the Amp and sub for the reasons stated above.

Though now discontinued, we would plan to continue to use our Logitech Harmony Hub as a universal remote solution (not a huge fan of relying solely on voice control). From what I’ve read on the Logitech site and other forums, the Harmony Hub is compatible with the Sonos components that we’d be using - is that correct? Also, given this set-up and for purposes of configuring the Harmony Hub, which component would be controlling the volume?

Not exactly sure what your asking. Your Sonos speakers will appear as a single Sonos room with one volume control. You’ll be able to control volume through the Sonos app, your harmony hub, or the TV remote. The HDMI-ARC connection means the TV can send volume and other commands to your Arc.

I understand that the Arc supports Dolby Atmos but not DTS:X - has anyone found this to be a real limitation? It is hard to tell but it seems that most services that stream surround sound audio use the Dolby Atmos format.

I think there may be a handful of movies in DTS:X that are available in streaming, but the vast majority are dolby atmos, dolby digital + to be more specific. The issues generally come if you have blue ray discs, or your private digital collection recorded in DTS:X. I’ve never had any issues really, but others have.

With this configuration and the other devices we have, we’d be using all of the HDMI ports on the TV I’m considering purchasing. Are there any solutions that enable the number of HDMI ports to be expanded?

Yes, you can get a separate HDMI switch. Lots of options available.

Any other considerations/potential pitfalls I should be thinking about?

Some TVs don’t handle HDMI-ARC very well. As a result, some of us use a separate HDMI device like the HD Fury Arcana that creates an HDMI-eARC signal for the Sonos Arc rather than relying on the TV. There is also some made by Orei and Feintech, some including HDMI switch functionality.

The other thing I would mention that using ceiling speakers for surround sound is not ideal, particularly for atmos audio. The rear sound channels should come from the side/back rather than above you. The Arc has upfiring speakers that will bounce audio off the ceiling towards the seating area for audio coming from above you. I’d considering getting a pair of Era 100s (cheaper than an amp) or Era 300s over reusing the ceiling. However, understood that you want to use what you already have, aesthetics, and spouse approval factor come into play.

Thanks, in advance, for your response(s).

Airgetlam · Answer

correct.Yes. You can connect one, or more Sonos devices. One caveat, though, don’t connect the surrounds or the Sub, they’ll connect to the Arc with a ‘hidden’ 5Ghz channel.I use one with both of my Arcs. Essentially, the Hub is controlling the TV, and the Arc is controlled via ARC or eARC by the TV.Not really, although if you’re heavily invested in that format….There are external HDMI switches, but you’d need to be careful if you use one, they’d need to support HDMI 2.1None that i can think of.

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