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wholmen
Contributor I
June 19, 2018

Beam 5.1 for music

Hello,

I have been thinking about getting a Beam + Sub for my new appartment. Its a 40m^2 living room + kitchen, so I think the sound should be good enough for that size.

However, I have heard that soundbars in general are a bit bad at playing music.

If I buy two Sonos Ones, will they be able to enrich the music quality, or will the Beam define the sound picture?

Note: Of course no one can answer for the Sonos Beam, but if people have experience with Playbar or Playbase, that will solve my problem

Wilhelm
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    7 replies

    Airgetlam
    Airgetlam
    June 19, 2018
    The absolute only place I would knock the PLAYBAR on playing music is the channel separation. It's there, for sure, but given the width of the PLAYBAR, it's not the same as a pair of speakers in the corners of the space.

    That being said, I frequently play music on my living room PLAYBAR while I'm working in the kitchen. Sounds great!
    Bruce
    wholmenAuthor
    Contributor I
    June 20, 2018
    Thank you for the input.

    If I set up a 5.1 system with both a Beam and two Sonos One's. Will that improve the music quality you think?
    Airgetlam
    Airgetlam
    June 20, 2018
    I think it would sound really good... but the only caveat is that you'll need to drive that music from the TV. As far as I know, there's no way to send a 5.1 signal to the Sonos system without engaging the optical/HDMI input. So, if I have a 5.1 mp3 (is that possible?) I can't have the Sonos play it natively, it has to be sent through the optical/HDMI input. That's where it would be decoded and interpreted properly, and sent to the correct speakers. Otherwise, the Sonos system would read it as a stereo signal, and feed the rear speakers with either an interpreted ambient sound, or a full set of stereo speakers, depending on the setting in the controller app for the surrounds.
    Bruce
    Petebtn
    Lyricist III
    August 3, 2018
    I've just bought and set up my first Sonos kit, a Beam and two Play 1s. I'm blown away by it. The music is awesome, I don't feel I'm missing a sub at all as the base is defined and clear. I've been playing some 5.1 music tracks from Spotify, there isn't that much available but it does sound brilliant.
    Ken_Griffiths
    Ken_Griffiths
    August 3, 2018
    I've just bought and set up my first Sonos kit, a Beam and two Play 1s. I'm blown away by it. The music is awesome, I don't feel I'm missing a sub at all as the base is defined and clear. I've been playing some 5.1 music tracks from Spotify, there isn't that much available but it does sound brilliant.Petebtn,

    Yes, I 'echo' (pardon the pun) your comments. I have the same setup (Beam + 2 x 1’s) in my dining room... it’s a great surround sound system and worth every penny/cent.

    I've also added a Harmony Hub to my room to voice control most aspects of my TV, like changing channels, input sources and controlling peripherals like Fire-Stick and Apple TV.

    Next, is to add subtle Philips Hue lighting to the room. (I have the hub already and bulbs are currently on the way to me, via Amazon)... it’s a great change to our family dining experience.

    I definitely will continue to recommend the Sonos Beam to all my family and friends. It’s perfect for small to medium-size rooms.
    Petebtn
    Lyricist III
    August 3, 2018
    I'm going to look up the Harmony Hub I've not heard of that before. At the moment I'll still struggling to get the TV to turn on by voice. I've tried all the tips from on here and not much joy so I want to get that right before I invest in other stuff.
    My lounge, kitchen and bedroom I have set up with the Phillips hue bulbs, it's excellent gear. I've not really played around with it too much but I really love it.
    Despite my little glitch with the voice control I'd recommend the Sonos set up I have in a heartbeat.
    Ken_Griffiths
    Ken_Griffiths
    August 3, 2018
    Petebtn,

    What make/model of TV is it?... did you see this post from Ryan about how to enable the TV HDMI-CEC controls for the different brands of TV.

    HDMI-CEC click here for Ryan’s Post

    Hope the link above helps.
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