ARC/ERA300 Is Sonos planning to add the option to easily switch from atmos to stereo, vice versa?

Seems unlikely. Sonos has fielded this type of request since the release of the PLAYBAR, and hasn’t done it yet. 

Thanks Bruce

Thanks jgatie

I have brought this issue to the attention of Sono. Hopefully, over time they will see it a real issue to adress

It is a bit sad to use the era 300 as surround and not to their full capacity (with the front driver) unless we go through this process presented

Thanks Raxaq for your input

Hopefully, enough users will bring this issue to their attention

As stated. there’s nothing which can be addressed.  Reconfiguration takes time, and doesn’t lend itself to a quick toggle between the two.  

Reconfirming taking a while should not be an issue if it is a simile button in the app to toggle between modes?

That is not the way the process works. It isn’t a simple on/off process, as I understand it, there’s a ‘find’, then ‘negotiation’, after which there is a connection. Not to mention the change between ‘peer’ and ‘child’ status, and the time it takes to change that. And the addition of the new ‘rooms’ to the Sonos controller, removal (which may be automatic and not a timing issue) of the associated TruePlay tuning. It’s a significant change in the firmware running the speaker, the connection to your router changing to the soundbar, possible change in frequencies, a whole slew of things that are challenging to occur all in one button push. 
 

The configuration might be different and the process to get to each configuration might take time but I see no reason why Sonos couldn’t have multiple configurations. 

Logically speaking, Sonos speakers could use multiple profiles. Each profile containing a different configuration so e.g. you could have a stereo profile with just two speakers and a full home theatre profile where all speakers are included. When configuring each profile the same process is used to make sure the configuration is possible and then saved to a profile. 

Yes, significant changes but once saved into separate profiles it wouldn’t have to go through the initial process and could just be switched to that profile. My KEF speakers allow for multiple EQ profiles, not quite the same thing but similar concept.

You don’t get it.  And I’m not going to waste my time explaining again.  Suffice to say that this type of toggle feature has been asked for since the first Playbar over a decade ago, and Sonos has stated it is not possible.  

I don’t need you to explain it to me, especially not with that tone. Thanks.

As a software developer I have a pretty good idea what is possible in the realm of configurations and switching between those configurations, which is where my logic comes from. Of course I don’t know exactly how Sonos works internally but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out there could be a lot of improvements made.

As a software developer of 35+ years who has conversed with Sonos about this issue for over a decade, I too know what’s possible. 

Too bad this is a hardware thing.