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Get help with your Ray, Beam, Arc, Arc Ultra, Playbar, Playbase. How do you set up a Sonos 5.1 system and TruePlay it? Which Sonos product work with your TV? Get help with your home theater questions here.

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GuitarSuperstar
answered this question

Home Theater Speaker Layouts

You can only add two surround speakers to a Sonos home theater setup. I would use the Era 300s as surrounds with the Arc and use the One SLs...
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GuitarSuperstar
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Maximum amount of speakers supported in a surround sound setup for Home...

You can add up to two Subs (one must be a Gen 3) and two surround speakers to a Sonos home theater setup. So if you want to use the Era 300s...
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6867 Topics
Corry P
Corry PSonos Staff
posted in Home theater
Arc Ultra Surround Sound change!

Hi AllWe are happy to announce to all Arc Ultra owners that the latest Sonos system update (issued today) includes a change to the behaviour of the “TV Level” surround setting slider option, in response to your feedback.Previously, the slider had an effect on the apparent volume of the Arc Ultra itself, as the Arc Ultra is involved with the rendering of the rear channels, even when rear speakers are present.Now, the new behaviour of the “TV Level” setting will be that it will only affect the rear drivers/speakers, rather than the rear channels. The result of this is that when adjusting “TV Level”, you will no longer hear the audio coming directly from the Arc Ultra increase or decrease with the slider. Instead, you will only hear the surround speakers raise or lower their volume with the slider.I hope you all enjoy the change we’ve made - happy listening!Please note that I am keeping this thread separate from the threads already extant in relation to Arc Ultra and it’s audio profile. I

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cataleptContributor I
asked in Home theater
Error 1000

For more information and steps to try, please see this support article:  Error 1000 when updating Sonos Hi, I wanted to add the last element to my Sonos set (SUB + 2x Era 300), - Arc. I get to the point of updating the software and I get "Error: 1000". And so on. I've already tried factory reset and moving closer to the router. It's always the same. Maybe you have some ideas or similar experiences?

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samro1094Contributor I
posted in Home theater
Sonos Arc loud pop then audio loss

I was playing on my Xbox when the arc suddenly made an extremely loud pop sound and then lost audio completely. The app wouldn’t let me adjust the volume and Alexa wake up didn’t emit its usual tone. I had to remove the power from the arc and reapply which resumed the audio. I’m concerned that one of the speakers in the arc may have been damaged when this happened. Has anyone had this issue?We have had no issues with the arc since purchasing it earlier this year.

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dominiklei
dominikleiEnthusiast II
posted in Home theater
Era 300 rear driver is silent (with Arc Ultra)

First things first. This is not a rant. This is an expalation of a problem, which reduces the experience in 3D audio a lot. For background: I'm a sound engineer and music producer and I don't wanna sound arrogant, but I know what I'm talking about. (I'm a really nice and funny guy :D)So lets get to the problem then :DNO I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE FRONT FACING DRIVERfor better understanding watch this VIDEOThis bug appeared the moment I switched the Arc with the Arc Ultra. Before I made the switch I was on the 16.1 app and firmware. So I don't know if the Ultra causes the problem or the app/firmware. Before the switch everything was running as it should.So, since there is not much of a topic around this, I'm curious if I am still one of a few who have this bug or one of a few who noticed it.I made this post in Reddit, but not everyone is on Reddit and the more people know, the faster Sonos can work on it. Reddit discussionI didn't saw any review which mentioned it.As you can see in the v

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LM404Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Arc Ultra + Era 100 Surrounds

Arc Ultra and Era 100’s  Anyone else have this setup and noticing that the Era 100’s as rears are doing less work with the Arc Ultra when compared to the standard Arc? I’m barely noticing any audio coming from the rears even with the surround volume turned up to maximum.  I swapped my original Arc back with the Era 100 surrounds and tested the same Atmos movies on the Arc and the Arc Ultra, and there is a significant difference/reduction in the signals being sent to the Era 100’s in the rear channels with the Arc Ultra.  Increasing the “TV Level” setting for Surround Audio in the Sonos app increases the front surround volume coming from the Arc Ultra but the signals coming out of the ERA 100 rears are almost non existent.  Is this behavior the result of how the Arc Ultra processes surround channels, and should be considered normal operation?

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andrewchiu1st
andrewchiu1stEnthusiast II
posted in Home theater
Sonos Sub Gen 3 crackling/static sound

Hi guys,   I just bought the Sonos Arc and the new Sub Gen 3 and I paired them with 2 Sonos One (Gen 1) speakers for the surround setup. Yesterday I noticed that while idling and playing, there are some tiny constant crackling/static/electric current sounds coming from the brand new Sub and I found it quite irritating. So what I did first was to make sure that the connection with the power cord is secure, which it was. Then I tried to remove the Sub from the group, factory reset it and added it back to the system. But the same issue persists. I don’t suppose this is normal, right? Does anyone has a similar issue with the new Sub? I’ve checked my Sonos Arc, One and Beam and none of them has this issue. Since I just bought it from Best Buy last week, should I return it and get a new one to see if it’s something wrong with the one I’ve got?  It’s not a cheap device and I don’t want to compromise on its quality.   Thank you all!

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Majo133
Majo133Renowned Enthusiast I
posted in Home theater
FEATURE REQUEST: Add option to enable "Center speakers" for the ERA's 300, if they are added as surrounds

After suggestion by @Corry P in the  Sonos Era 300 wall mount positioning post, where we discussed the issue of ERA’s 300 “center speaker” not playing at all, while added as surrounds.I asked this:@Corry P I don’t want to “reach”, but couldn’t there be a toggle to enable the “center driver” for example only for music?Something like the Surround Audio — Music Playback feature.So at least in music scenarios, ERAs are not “crippled” in surround setup. Because in “stereo” standalone mode without ARC, they sound much better in my opinion. Corry P replied:Hi @Majo133 Perhaps - I recommend you start a new topic making this point and it will be marked as a feature request. Thanks! I am therefore creating this post marked as “Feature request” and i am requesting feature described below. Feature to be added:“Allow user to manually enable center speakers of the ERA’s 300, if they are added as surrounds to the ARC/BEAM + SUB setup.”This could be added for example only for music playback, to the se

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pghallidayContributor I
posted in Home theater
I occasionally get a loud buzzing over the audio from Beam connected with HDMI

Is anybody else experiencing this. It only started happening yesterday and I have had my Beam for about a year. I have the Beam connected to my Samsung Smart TV using HDMI (ARC) and it happened when I started a YouTube video through the TV YouTube app. There was a loud buzzing noise over the audio. At first I thought it was a TV problem, but I switched to the TV speaker and it was fine. When I switched back to HDMI the problem persisted. I also unplugged the HDMI from the Beam and plugged it back in but the problem persisted. After rebooting the Beam (by removing and reinserting the power cord) the problem went away. However it has happened at least 3 times over the last 24 hours. It should be noted that if I stream to the beam over airplay while in this state the buzzing doesn’t happen. Also the Beam is in a surround setup with a Sub and 2 Sonos Ones. As it just started happening I wondered if it was due to a software update or something.

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RaultTN
RaultTNProminent Collaborator I
asked in Home theater
ARC intermittent connection loss possibly with Atmos only

Hi all. So far I think this is isolated to Atmos content however randomly while watching Prime Video or Disney content outputting Atmos (through fire stick 4K) I will lose signal (Beam gen 2 and two one sl’s as surround). When it happens I lose sound, the screen flashes and my tv’s LG logo appears for a second before going back to Disney or prime (whatever I’m watching).   I can push play and everything works again, but almost seems like something with the HDMI arc input is being “lost” for a split second.  Or maybe it’s the signal loss for a split second?  I’ve changed HDMI cords and powered down both the tv and Beam to try and reset but no luck. Randomly happens, sometimes 5 minutes in and other times maybe 15 in. Any ideas?fyi I recently changed to using SonosNet (beam hardwired Ethernet) as opposed to all wireless is this possibly an issue that anyone knows about?Setup as follows:Moderator edit: Removed picture with serial numbers

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Luc45Trending Lyricist I
posted in Home theater
Beam Gen 2 - sudden full volume hammering sound

Hi everyone,Last week I got a Beam Gen 2 + Sub Gen 3 to replace my Beam Gen 1. So far everything's been running smoothly. Then today when I was listening to music with said setup while working a sudden hammering sound interrupted the music. The noise must have been at full volume despite the volume limit which I set to 40%. I jumped up from the couch and instantly pulled the plug. Music kept playing in the adjacent dining room on a pair of One/One SL for a bit before it stopped.I tried to find the problem online and only found this video. This is exactly what I experienced with my Beam as well. However, this video does not give a good idea of how loud this really was.Since I couldn't find a solution online, I called the support hotline. The lady on the phone told me, that such a problem has not come up yet. She asked me to replug the Beam and let some music play. After just a few minutes the noise interrupted the music again. So at least the support lady had some impression of it and I

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rmartin7
asked in Home theater
Sonos Arc, Apple TV 4K and eARC setting on LG OLED C3

I just bought a new Sonos Arc and LG 65OLED65AUA tv.  Everything seems OK but I am having problems with sound from my Apple TV 4K (latest version).  I only get sound when Dolby Atmos content is played, no sound with Dolby 5.1, HD, etc.  I spent and hour with Sonos phone  support yesterday.  We were unable to find a solution.  I tried different settings on the Apple TV and LG tv.  Today I turned off the eARC setting on the LG tv and now all is working.  I think with eARC there is more information transferred with ARC and there might be a slight difference in sound  with Dolby Atmos.  The eARC was turned on automatically when I installed the Sonos Arc on the LG tv.  Just curious why the eARC setting seems to fix the problem.  Thanks.

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ropfeilContributor I
posted in Home theater
S2 Update 14.12 Sub Issues

Hello,With the recent 14.12 S2 Update there is a bug in the sub settings when using Trueplay, and I've pinpointed the problem.  I wanted to pass along this information to the company to ensure that the specifics of the issue are known.It’s likely that most people may not notice this, or bother asking Sonos about it, but this is a real difference between 14.12 and the previous versions.My current setup has an Arc, Sub(Gen1), and 2 Play1's.   Using a white noise generator to review these differences.   I'm controlling the sub settings on my iPad Pro while recording on my iPhone 12 Pro Max.   I've run Trueplay twice since the update, and get the same results both times.   Both Trueplay runs were with my iPhone as my iPad Pro does not have support yet. Once updated to 14.12, you are prompted to re-run Trueplay.  But Trueplay has a bug in this new update. I tested the frequencies with Trueplay On and then Off without changing the volume on the App.   The only setting modified is the "

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PaulyAusContributor I
asked in Home theater
Sonos Arc extremely poor dialogue levels VS Music and Action

Hi - other SONOS ARC owners have posted this issue previously but it did not reach a resolution so I am reposting.  I’ve just purchased a Sonos ARC and I’m having to constantly adjust the volume level up and down to compensate for the extremely low levels for dialogue vs action / music.  The dialogue levels are extremely low in any movie compared to action and music.  I am using the ARC with a Samsung 55 inch 2019 model.I have set night mode and speech enhancement on.  Still getting the same issue.  There appears to be no further adjustment / modes in the SONOS app to adjust dialogue to music / action balance other than reducing SubWoofer level.  DEAR SONOS team - surely this is a software setup issue which is resolvable?  Please let me know - really don’t want to send it back!! Quite bummed!  Love my Sub, Play 5 Gen 2 and Gen 1 and Play 3.  Thanks in advance for your timely solution to this issue.  

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Arborg
ArborgContributor I
posted in Home theater
Random 1 sec audio drop when playing Dolby Atmos from Apple TV 4K

Hi. I've seen some people describing loud sound pop and Audio loss when playing Dolby Atmos from Apple TV 4K and Sonos Arc. I don't experience loud pop, but I do experience Audio loss for approx. 1 second at random places when watching content with Dolby Atmos.My setup in short is: Apple TV 4K -> [Belkin High-Speed 4K/8K cable] -> Samsung QE75 [eArc] <- [Sonos cable] Sonos Arc (WiFi: One + One SL + Sub )I've been in contact with Sonos support Norway, and we've done some troubleshooting, but we haven't found a solution yet.My observations so far:Sound drops out for 1 second when playing content with Dolby Atmos from tv, HBO Max or Netflix from Apple TV 4K. Sound does NOT drop out when playing content with Dolby Atmos from tv, HBO Max or Netflix directly from Samsung TV. Once Dolby Atmos sound completely disappeared when I was watching a movie with Dolby Atmos. Every content I played from Apple TV with Dolby Atmos consistently had no sound. Tried tv, HBO Max, Netflix and demo

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ForstalCollaborator II
asked in Home theater
Why does Sonos force us to update the software?

Over the past two months the sound has stopped working on our ARC SL home theater. After checking out my LG display and Apple TV 4k each time the solution happened to be Sonos updates. Sometimes its firmware, sometimes its a controller issue. In each case we found that doing the update brought the sound back. We have three iPhones and an iMac with controller software, though we never use them. Every time the sound quits, I now have to walk around the house checking devices to see which one needs the update. With out previous Playbar HT as well as the ARC SL HT, I recall being able to go several full versions of controller software before anything would go wrong with our systems and now we can’t skip even a minor point release release. Once the system was set up and working perfectly, there’s no need to update the software at all.  So why the forced update gimmick? 

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lmleung7Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Sonos Beam 2 lost connection with Samsung TV, which is connecting thru eARC

Background InfoSonos App Version 15.9 Sonos OS S2 Build 75146030 Sonos System Beam Gen 2 ver159 build 75146030 Sub mini ver 15.9 build 7516030 Samsung TV QE75QN85BATXXU Sonos Beam 2 connects with Samsung TV with eARC Problem- After TV is off & on, the TV will lost the connection of Sonos Beam and output the audio with internal speaker WorkaroundPower off the Sonos and Power on the Sonos. The TV will re-connect to the Beam.Tried to reset the Sonos Beam or Power off sonos beam&TV + Disconnect sonos beam + Power on sonos beam&TV + connect sonos beam. But the problem still exists. Please kindly advise how to resolve the issue

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ProUSAConstitutionTrending Lyricist I
posted in Home theater
Sonos Arc value or lack of

I just hooked up and finally got the Arc working. in my opinion, unless I am missing something the Arc is in NO way worth $900!My Arc only displays 5.1 in the S2 app NOT ATMOS!One of the multiple seemingly all foreign( I mention foreign due to our language differences and therefore difficulties of communication) Sonos employees I tried to get the Arc working with , said ATMOS is just marketing and no different or better than Dolby Digital 5.1. I am seriously thinking of returning the Arc and buying some self powered Yamaha HS8 studio speakers for $800. In my opinion the the dynamics, sound quality, and overall enjoyment will be far superior with 2 quality self driven studio monitors. For less $.Prove me wrong?What do you think is a better way to go for the $900 usd. I’m just trying to be honest and factual. All productive comments are welcome!No BS or propanda please. Thank you and best wishes to all. 

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SmallhillCZTrending Lyricist I
asked in Home theater
Sonos Ray optical connection stopped working, any ideas?

Hi, I was using Sonos Ray as computer speakers via soundcard with digital optical output. Everything worked fine until few days ago when Ray no more sees the digital input. The app TV Setup says No signal detected. The digital input works otherwise OK with another device instead Ray.I have spent almost entire day on the Sonos help line, but in the end they told me they never intended Ray to be used with PC and that it is my problem I bought it and that maybe they changed something so now it doesnt work. This is actually not true, they mention usage with PC on their website: “For a next-level gaming setup, connect your PC.” on https://www.sonos.com/en/shop/ray. Do you have any ideas how to possibly fix this without the Sonos helpline help?What I tried already: - factory reset the Ray - connect the optical cable to another device - it works - reinstall sound card - play music on ray through wifi - it works - play test sound from the sound output properties in windows - only Dolby Digital

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MatclaneContributor I
asked in Home theater
Arc Ultra + Sub Gen 3 : Sub less powerful than before !?

Hi,I just replaced my Beam (Gen 2) by a Sonos Arc Ultra, in my home theatre system.But now, the Sub Gen 3 seems to be a lot less powerful.Before, with the Beam, when I pushed the Sub level adjustment to +2 or +3, i was able to balst the entire room… Now, even if I choose +8 on the Sub level adjustment, I feel it but very light. I can’t have the same “bass blast effect”.Obviously, I completely reinstalled the system in the App and reseted each element of my home theatre system when I installed the Arc Ultra (included x2 Era 100 at the back).Does anyone knows why this is happening (maybe someone at Sonos)...?Thanks a lot.

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JLR2020Contributor I
posted in Home theater
can't add sub to arc

Hi all, unlike some I genuinely need help, I am a complete technophobe. I have a massive problem connecting my Sub gen 3, the Arc connects perfectly, the sub sets up without a problem but nothing happens, the app says it’s not connected and my WiFi says it’s offline, I suspect IP issues but neither Sonos or Vodafone will help 🙏🏼🙏🏼

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BoredTrevorContributor I
asked in Home theater
Sonos Beam Optical input no longer working

I’ve had a Sonos Beam for several years, hooked up to a system to allow me to play output from my computer. This required a bit of tinkering to get right! I had to:Buy a device that converts USB → SPDIF Get a SPDIF → HDMI converter Connect all that up so that I had USB → SPDIF → HDMI → HDMI into the BeamSince getting that sorted it has worked great! Until yesterday, when suddenly I could no longer get any audio through this setup :(. In all other respects the Beam works fine - I can connect to it through the app and play audio that way, and it correctly makes noises when I press the buttons.Things I’ve tried to fix the problem:Unplug and replug all of the various connections Reboot computer Reboot Beam Fiddle around with the audio output settings from my computer (as far as I can tell they are all fine) Rotate the HDMI-HDMI cableI’m pretty sure that everything is fine as far as the USB->SPDIF converter, because you don’t have an optical cable plugged in you can see the red light tha

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not_convincedContributor I
asked in Home theater
Sonos Arc Ultra center channel too loud

I like that the dialog is very easy to hear without having to turn on any dialog adjustments. The problem is I barely hear the left and right channel audio. Background music is barely audible. I’ve tried it with both Trueplay turned on and off and there isn’t much improvement. I know the left/right channels are working because I hear music. Anyone else have this problem?

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gjc1000Contributor I
asked in Home theater
Arc stops working with TV , was working fine

My Sonos Arc has been working fine the last weeks but a few days ago the audio from TV stopped working? Seems like the Audio Return Channel function just stopped?I still see the wallpaper from Sonos when I choose the HDMI - ARC source on the TV, but no audio. I have tried all the regular stuff like unplugging the HDMI, cutting power and fiddled around in the TV settings.TV: LG 65UH7700Sonos Arc+subnothing else attached to the TVThis seems to be a similar issue that many people have, but I have found no definitive fix. Any ideas?

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Bibs0nContributor I
asked in Home theater
Era 300 inverted surrounds

Hi, I read around a month ago that inverting the era 300 was not fully supported in the software yet, was looking for some info on this topic, is it fully supported yet? If not when is it likely? and also can anyone explain what not fully supported actually means.

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JackThr1ll3rContributor I
asked in Home theater
Sonos Era 300 wall mount positioning

Hello everyone, pre ordered a pair of Era 300 with wall mounts, I want to use them as rear speakers with Arc and Sub. Could you please help me? I’m not a native English speaker so please, understand me if I write something incorrect :)Most of the people have te sofa against the wall, in my case I can leave 50cm to 1m space from wall to the sofa, but I’m so scared to do something wrong. My room is quite big, my sofa height is 1.10m with headrest included. I was thinking to put the speakers above the armrests of the couch (wall mounts), a little over the ear level (this because of the headrest, I think it will “block” the sound somehow) so from 1.10m up, would that be a good thing to do? Over the speakers I’ve got a lot of space, it’s not a problem leaving 60cm above the speakers, same thing with the sides, I can leave 20cm at the sides of the speakers without problem. Then it comes the distance from wall to the couch, I can leave up to 1 meter of space. What would you do if you were me?

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