Wide Sonos soundstage

I use the apple tv device, connected by HDMI to my tv.  The apple tv device can then use the sonos speakers via airplay.  Works really well.  So no, I am not ‘streaming’ video to the tv from my iphone or ipad.   It’s only the audio (not video) that is being pulled in via airplay.

Yes, I know that I’m not getting atmos sound.  What I am saying is that even without atmos, for watching movies the sound is absolutely fantastic anyway.  It’s fantastic for music listening as well of course.

There’s a reason you don’t hear this method of listening mentioned a lot.

For TV viewing, it is not as amazing as you make it out be too. In my opinion, in a blind listening test, majority of people would prefer the Dolby Atmos sound from Arc and Sub alone, rather than the stereo sound produced using Airplay to the Arc, even if two Era 100s are set to “Full” and placed either side of the Arc. You are severely limiting the Arc’s capability listening this way.

Music streaming on the other hand, yes the Era 100s in that location will give a wider soundstage. There are definitely users who have a separate stereo pair of speakers and group them with their soundbar when playing music. There are also users who just prefer the stereo separation using only a stereo pair of speakers at the front, rather than any audio coming from the soundbar. But for TV viewing, these users will use the HDMI input on their soundbar for the best sound quality, rather than using AirPlay.

I think OP is correct in the sense that the constraints of the room don’t allow for ‘proper’ surround sound, then you are better off going with the best stereo front stage you can get then trying to forcea more complex system into the room. As OP stated, if there is no place to physically place rear speakers, or you don’t have good side walls to bounce audio off of from the front soundbar, then maybe don’t try.

I think were the problem comes in is that OP has chosen a rather expensive way of achieving that front wide stereo image.  As ​@leo07 mentioned, you could have achieve the wide front stage with an amp and good passive speaker, or a pair of Fives, rather than an Arc and two Era 100s. With the amp, you can actually use HDMI-ARC to the TV, so you’re not limited to airplay for TV audio, and the amp generates a simulated center channel.  That would have been my recommendation.

Others are correct thought that if you’re room does allow for a surround sound/atmos setup, you are likely going to be happier with that setup over a  wide stereo setup.  Of course, what a lot of people really want is the best of both worlds, An atmos setup with wide stereo setup...which Sonos does not currently offer.

Disagree, you are better allowing the soundbar to play the best audio it supports rather than forcing everything to stereo over AirPlay.

My point isn’t really about airplay, but what’s the best option for the specific room, which is not always going to be ‘the best audio it supports’.  Indeed, I don’t even think OP really needed a soundbar for his use case.

You all still don’t get it. The apple tv device is connected to the TV via HDMI.  The Apple tv ‘device’ is then ‘broadcasting’ the audio  via airplay 2 to the sonos speakers. 

So I AM getting a very high end audio signal being sent to my speakers.

You keep thinking I’m talking about sending the entire movie via airplay to my tv from my phone or something.  

The movie itself is playing through the apple tv device and is connected directily to the tv via HDMI.

Make sense yet?

I never said the movie wasn’t playing over HDMI from the AppleTV to the TV.

However, as stated before, Airplay 2 on Sonos will only support stereo. You’re the one that doesn’t seem to get it.

Ok, but  for a ‘front soundstage’ setup, it’s still a great audio signal (stereo) and it creates a great front soundstage sound.  I did consider 2 sonos 5’s but I feel like having the soundbar ‘center’ then sound - then with the added 100’s wider off to the sides, I truly creates this sense that there’s a huge stage in front of you.  Could the 5’s do the same thing?  Probably close, but with the holiday discounts I got on the arc, the sub mini, and the 100’s the price was about the same as two 5’s, and by having the soundbar in the middle it creates this full engulfing sound that I don’t think you’d quite get with just the 5’s.  As they say, you can’t beat physics.