Hi, I’m a film maker in south east london who has been a starved of home cinema for too long and desperately needs your help! I wonder if you can help answer my questions or point me to the right threads. For a long time I had the original apple tv with optical audio out going through a little powered connecting box before going into the original (now defunct) Sonos white and grey Amp. There was always intermittent issues that we overcame much to the frustration of my wife! However I’ve just purchased a new Apple TV box which doesn’t have an optical out and feels like i need to get a new Amp to replace the old one which doesn’t work on the new Sonos app. Could you recommend in baby language what system components you think i need to get to play movies from a projector. I have pair of sonos speakers and the Sub. Do i just have to rely on hdmi for sound now? is that a major downgrade? do I need an amp? Thankyou in advance!
Updating my projector and Sonos system with Apple tv
+19Hi
Welcome to the Sonos Community!
You have a few options. The first is to keep the setup you have already, but to find a way to connect optical. You could do this with a HDMI audio extractor which you can get from Amazon (other retailers are available) by searching “HDMI audio extractor optical”. Get one that supports 4K even if you don’t need it - there won’t be much difference in price, and it saves upgrading at a later date.
You may be able to connect your Connect:Amp directly to the projector - it just depends what connections it has available. If it has a RCA stereo or 3.5mm jack output, all you need is the right cable to connect to the RCA inputs of the Connect:Amp.
Again depending on the projector, you could replace the Connect:Amp with a newer Amp - not only does it have more power and features (namely AirPlay), it has an HDMI connection for latency-free TV audio. It must be connected to a HDMI-ARC socket on your projector, however - many projectors do not have HDMI-ARC at all. You would then have the option of having the Connect:Amp power rear speakers if you connect both units to the network with ethernet. Amp supports both S1 and S2 - you’ll need S1 to use the Connect:Amp in conjunction with it, or S2 if you use the Amp on it’s own.
If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate.
I hope this helps.
thanks so much for your reply.
I think I like the idea of going with a new amp as the one I have doesn’t work with the new app. Am I right here?
with this in mind it sounds as if I would need the following:
- a projector that hdmi-arc ( we’ve had issues with sync so this makes sense)
- a hdmi connector 4K ready that goes out to optical
- a new Sonos amp. Is there a model you would recommend - or is there just one?
in terms of the connection to the Sonos extender or internet router would you recommend anything here? Like distances between things or hardwiring rather than AirPlay etc?
thanks again - this has been on my to do list for yonks!
best
simon
+19Hi
I think I like the idea of going with a new amp as the one I have doesn’t work with the new app. Am I right here?
I just now noticed that you have both S1 and S2 components. Yes, getting an Amp would allow you to include your Home Theatre room with your other rooms in the S2 app.
- a projector that hdmi-arc ( we’ve had issues with sync so this makes sense)
- a hdmi connector 4K ready that goes out to optical
Not quite - you need one or the other. If you get a projector with HDMI-ARC or eARC, there is no need to get a HDMI extractor too. The HDMI connection would replace the optical connection you were using before.
If you get a projector with eARC, be sure to disable the eARC setting so it just using HDMI-ARC with the Amp.
Depending on where you want to place your devices, you might want to look into getting a short-throw projector if you want the devices at the front of you - remember that all your devices (including the speakers) need to be connected to each other via cable, so you want them all at the front or the back - any mix will involve long cables.
I don’t want to confuse matters, but as you are a film maker, you may appreciate the deeper immersion that Atmos sound would give you - in this case, you’d want an Arc soundbar rather than the Amp. It may be tricky to get it on the wall along with a projector screen, however. There’s the Beam too, but with a projector, I think the Arc would be a better suit. If you go for a soundbar, you definitely want to get a short-throw projector.
- a new Sonos amp. Is there a model you would recommend - or is there just one?
There is only one model of Amp, available here.
in terms of the connection to the Sonos extender or internet router would you recommend anything here? Like distances between things or hardwiring rather than AirPlay etc?
Your Sonos Boost? Your Sonos system is creating a mesh - the Amp will either connect to the Boost directly, or to a device that is itself connecting to the Boost and rebroadcasting the signal. It happens automatically and you don’t need to worry about it unless there are issues - if there weren’t any issues with your Connect:Amp, I don’t see why there would be any with an Amp.
AirPlay is restricted to stereo on third-party devices such as Sonos, and also relies on the network to operate. For surround sound and general reliability, I’d use cables for Home Theatre. And yes - you can wirelessly add two matching Sonos speakers (in addition to the wired speakers) to an Amp for surround sound - your two Play:1s, for example.
thanks again - this has been on my to do list for yonks!
You are very welcome! I hope this helps.
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