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Avid Contributor I
July 22, 2025

Surround system with 2x Era 100 + Beam (G2) + Sub Mini - which formats ?

I have built a surround system attached to my TV with the following Sonos devices:

  1. Beam Gen 2
  2. Sub Mini
  3. 2x Era 100

Beam is connected to the TV through HDMI eARC port.

Beam and Sub Mini are connected to the same network switch. Era 100s are connected to the same Ip subnet through wifi. ERAs are physically placed to the back of the couch and they are all included in the surround system formed on Sonos app.

 

As I don’t have an iphone (hate apple, love Android) , I am not able to use trueplay.

Btw, that’s weird because when I was using the Era’s as a stereo pair , the Sonos app would give me the option to use trueplay. Why it does not support trueplay in surround mode (when it is really needed)

 

Now, my questions:

  1. is there a 3rd party app to configure trueplay in my situation ?
  2. is trueplay required ?
  3. my TV is not altering the digital audio from the source (direct audio to HDMI) but I am not sure if I get different sounds from the surround speakers (ERAs). How can I confirm that ?
  4. which 5.1 formats does the Sonos system (that I have) support ? Atmos ? DTS ? other 5.1 formats ?
  5. I am trying to test using the test files from here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JxmeedtAtgmoafXv9rroiDOS2vEX7N4b , and I can clearly say that right, left, center and surround channels are working fine. But when it comes to movie effects, I don’t get sounds from back most of the time. (even if the movie info is displayed as Atmos on the TV player) There must be some informative flags on the Sonos app to confirm that. (my Denon AV receiver app can show which channels are active)  But I can’t see on Sonos app.

 

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18 replies

bockersjv
Local Superstar
July 22, 2025

Some options...

 

  1. No..Find a friend or relative with a recent iPhone or iPad to run Trueplay
  2. Depends.  I one of my rooms it made a massive difference, especially for Music, but other rooms it did little.  So it’s hard to say until you try it.
  3. Not sure I get what you mean

If Trueplay option is not there for the Beam 2 then make sure ALL your sonos products are switched on (including Roam or Moves) and check for updates.  I had this issue and it was because one of my Moves that was on standby, wa on an older version.

4.For supported formats Sonos give that info here:-

https://support.sonos.com/en-gb/article/supported-home-theater-audio-formats

If there is a correct Surround signal the Sonos app will show it for that room

 

5.For test sounds use a Netflix or Amazon Prime test a downloaded file will not produce proper results.

 

Hope some of the above helps

 

Avid Contributor I
July 22, 2025

 

4.For supported formats Sonos give that info here:-

https://support.sonos.com/en-gb/article/supported-home-theater-audio-formats

If there is a correct Surround signal the Sonos app will show it for that room

 

Where do I see this information on the app ? I don’t see it and I don’t see any place that would show it. Could it be missing in the Android app ?

 

5.For test sounds use a Netflix or Amazon Prime test a downloaded file will not produce proper results.

 

I don’t think that’s correct. Normally in the same setup but the HDMI connected to my Denon AV receiver , I get proper Atmos and DTS audio.

bockersjv
Local Superstar
July 22, 2025

This is where the codec shows

It will show the same for the Android app. If it’s not there then you may need to check the eARC setting on the TV. 
 

Avid Contributor I
July 22, 2025

OK. Now I found it. I had thought that I could see it in the settings of the room.

It just shows on the screen where room is selected for listening.

Anyway, I see “Dolby Atmos” but I don’t feel like getting the surround sounds from surround speakers.

They are not standby, they produce sound , but I don’t get different sounds as I should.

For example, when a simulation is being played and there is a bee sound which should be at the back of the room, I hear the bee both from back (era 100) and from the front (beam)

Senior Virtuoso
July 22, 2025

I vaguely recall a thread some while ago where a Sonos rep said that playing test tones won’t play to individual speakers/channels the way they do in most systems. This may have been specific to Atmos tones? But as I recall, the Sonos soundbar plays the sound to the same kind of “balance” to represent how it will sound in the normal listening position.
 

Perhaps someone with a better memory than mine can comment, or maybe add a link to that thread. Or maybe a Sonos rep could comment? 

jgatie
July 22, 2025

Atmos test tones are positionally based, not channel based.  Though you may hear them coming out of the “correct” channels (“correct” being a big misnomer), the position of the tone in your particular room determines which speaker(s) are playing what.

106rallye
July 22, 2025

You state “Btw, that’s weird because when I was using the Era’s as a stereo pair , the Sonos app would give me the option to use trueplay. Why it does not support trueplay in surround mode (when it is really needed)”. You were seeing the quick tuning function of Trueplay, that disappears when bonding the Era's with the Beam that does not support the quick tuning function of Trueplay. See https://support.sonos.com/en/article/trueplay-compatible-devices-and-sonos-products

Avid Contributor I
July 22, 2025

thanks for all the answers/comments.

I see that Trueplay is needed and it is a pity that Sonos choose not developing this feature on Android.

“If you don't have a supported device, you can borrow one from someone else”

that’s ridiculous and really not an acceptable answer from producer of quality electronics devices.

I don’t have a friend with an iphone. Even if I had, I wouldn’t want to install sonos app on their phone and let them access my non-guest wifi network, using my sonos account credentials.

my best shot would be to hire , or buy/sell an iphone.

I am an android developer btw. If I had an SDK provided by Sonos, maybe I could write a 3rd party app for Android.

 

Stanley_4
Grand Maestro
July 22, 2025

Writing the App for Android would be easy,

Crafting the frequency/volume curves for every even slightly different Android mike, not easy.

Sonos should sell a calibrated USB mike that would work on any Android device.

Senior Virtuoso
July 22, 2025

thanks for all the answers/comments.

I see that Trueplay is needed and it is a pity that Sonos choose not developing this feature on Android.

“If you don't have a supported device, you can borrow one from someone else”

that’s ridiculous and really not an acceptable answer from producer of quality electronics devices.

I don’t have a friend with an iphone. Even if I had, I wouldn’t want to install sonos app on their phone and let them access my non-guest wifi network, using my sonos account credentials.

my best shot would be to hire , or buy/sell an iphone.

I am an android developer btw. If I had an SDK provided by Sonos, maybe I could write a 3rd party app for Android.

 

 

There are numerous threads explaining why the huge variations in microphone performance used on android phones makes it so difficult to create the sound profiles created/needed in the full Trueplay process.
 

Personally, I find the explanation perfectly acceptable, and the workarounds are an acceptable option. I have tried Trueplay but I do not use it in all my rooms as it doesn’t always result in improvement.