Dilemma in choosing Sonos components

Hi

I’ll just throw in my two cents on this subject for what it’s worth 😊 My comments are focused on Dolby Atmos sound with Sonos.

I’m not keen on Buetooth audio for a turntable. Therefore, I will always recommend a direct connection to a Sonos speaker via line-in or a Sonos Port (the latter is not a direct connection but is still better than Bluetooth).

However, for the price of a Sonos Port ($449) you can use two Era 100’s in stereo pair ($500) connected via line-in to one of the speakers. The turntable must have a built-in pre-amp or be connected to a 3rd party pre-amp that sits between it and the Sonos Era 100’s. 

Here are my suggestions for Home Theater with option for turntable audio:

• Arc, Era 300’s as surrounds and Sonos Sub (Full Size)_Era 100 x 2 for Turntable ($2,971) *
• Arc, Era 300’s as surrounds and Sonos Sub Mini_Era 100 x 2 for Turntable
• Beam 2, Era 300’s as surrounds and Sonos Sub (Full Size)_Era 100 x 2 for Turntable
• Beam 2, Era 300’s as surrounds and Sonos Sub Mini_Era 100 x 2 for Turntable ($2,326) **

All the above will provide excellent sound and allow audio for any source connected to your TV. Prices shown include $500 cost of Era 100’s x 2.

Turntable audio can be dedicated to the Era 100’s in stereo pair and/or heard through any of the above options for Home Theater when Grouped.

Note:

• The line-in for Sonos speakers when used as surrounds is disabled; therefore using the Era 300’s is not an option.
• Sonos subs are dedicated to Home Theater options with Arc or Beam 2 and cannot easily be joined to the Era 100’s (possible but very time consuming) 

 * Expensive (includes Sonos limited time $125 discount)...but is the Best option for a complete immersive experience with Dolby Atmos and any other digital codec supported by Sonos

 ** Most cost effective option for Dolby Atmos experience and any other digital codec supported by Sonos

Update to all my helpers.

Yesterday I went in to Best Buy. They have a complete Sonos demo area set up.

 I know that room acoustics are everything and this contradicts everything but when I A/B the Arc vs Beam, I liked the Beam a little better. In this demo I could turn subwoofers on or off.  I could hear the difference but I liked the sub mini just fine.

Then I compared the Three vs Five (just one, not paired).  I have to say I preferred the Three.

Maybe this is because that’s what I wanted to happen.  I don’t know.

Now as far as setting up a turntable to integrate in to the entire system, turns out my local Best Buy has a Sonos “expert” on staff and he does free in-home consulting.  The guy I talked to said he (the consultant) is all about Sonos.   He also said he would probably come along because he is learning this stuff himself.

I know Best Buy does not pay commissions or subs/spiffs so I am not too concerned about them pushing one thing or another.

I will update after the consult.  Thanks!

@WillWillWill 

The Beam can sound better in certain situations as it does not have upward firing drivers therefore forcing all sound toward the front. In my environment where I can relax in my favorite seating position and play the same content the Arc sounds better especially for Dolby Atmos movie content. BTW…have Arc and Beam2 and did perform a A/B test. It was time consuming but worth the effort.

Preference for Era 300 vs Five is again a personal decision. However, to my ear the Five offers a true-to-life hi-fi experience for stereo. I have both Era 300 x 2 and Five x 2 and prefer the Fives for serious stereo listening. 
The Era 300’s are the best speaker for music encoded for Spatial Audio hands-down.

As for turntable integration a direct input (line-in) will outperform a Port interface…pro-consult recommendation or not. 

Thanks again to Bruce, Stanley, Nik and AJ and Airgetlám.

I went ahead an bought the initial system I proposed:  Beam Gen 2, pair of Era 300s,Sub mini.

Based on all the reviews for each component I thought this HAS to sound great.

Quick background:

• bit of a hifi nut, but not extreme.
• wanted better sounding tv and better music system without a gigantic receiver and so many wires.
• been researching for a new hifi stereo for about 5 years, soundbars for over a year.
• wanted to keep it under $2000.
• have been listening to music and tv through a
•   -  20 year old Sony receiver
•   -  Pair of 6” Cambridge Soundworks speakers + subwoofer I bought from eBay for $50 about 12 years ago.

Now that I’ve set this system up, I have to say the Sony/Cambridge Soundworks sounded better than I’ve been able to get this Sonos system to sound.

I’ve tried repositioning speakers 3x, each time redoing TruePlay.  They just don’t sound hi fidelity.  No depth. Maybe I’ll try the Fives….

I will say however that I have heard notes and nuances from music that I had never heard before.

Also, I don’t care for the trouble to take the 300’s out of the surround move to make them a stereo pair and remove the subwoofer and add it to the 300’s.

I also don’t like the fact that I can’t play youtube videos through the system. Youtube Music doesn’t have anywhere near the breadth of music as regular youtube, and there’s no video to watch a concert without mirroring my iphone.

Sonos says “Easily manage your system from any room... Easily connect speakers over WiFi to create the sound system you want”.  Nothin easy about it.

That’s my update/venting session.

Will

Very interesting thread here. Each of you had something educational (for me) to say. Thanks! Currently, I have an Arc and a Gen3 sub running from my TV HDMI-Arc output. I’m thinking of adding two Era 100’s to as a surround set up. I’ve never had a home theater type of system and I’m thinking this would be pretty good for our 13x13 living room. However, from what I’ve read, it doesn’t sound like the Era 100’s (or others) can be both a surround pair for TV, and a stereo pair for music. I’m concerned that once they’re set up as part of the surround system, it won’t sound nearly as good for music as my Hi-Fi stereo system. Are my thoughts correct? Perhaps I should keep my TV and Hi-Fi system components completely separate instead of trying to satisfy both TV and music from the Sonos set up. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Your thoughts are correct. There are no Sonos speakers that can be in two ‘rooms’ concurrently. They are either set up as surrounds, or as a stereo pair.

Yes, you could go through the process of dissociating them from one use to another repeatedly, most of us find that to be a bit too much, and you also lose any TruePlay tuning, if you’ve done so in either room.

Sonos has anticipated this, by offering a ‘full’ or ‘ambient’ setting for the surround speakers when streaming music. When used, ‘full’ makes them stereo speakers, ‘ambient’ gives them a support role from the connected soundbar. I am unfamiliar with anyone who uses the ‘ambient’ setting, although it does appear to be the default setting when you add the speakers. 

You could do as many have done, and have two separate Sonos ‘rooms’ set up. For instance, I have an Arc, a Sub, and a pair of surrounds (PLAY:1s that I use for my TV. In a different Sonos ‘room’, I have a pair of PLAY:5s that I use for music only. They physically flank the Arc, as I like stereo separation for my music listening pleasure.

Thanks Bruce, and also Stanley who answered a similar question I had asked previously. It’s just taken me a while to digest it all and keep it straight, as I’m fairly new to the system’s nuances. I think I will buy two pairs of Era 100’s. One pair for surrounds and another for a separate physical room to accommodate music listening. Thanks for the replies!

Mike