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Hi everyone, I’m new to this and have tried to find the answer elsewhere, but cannot fully satisfy myself that I’m finding the correct answer and would really appreciate any help you can offer.

We are about to (potentially!) purchase the home cinema bundle  -  Arc, Subwoofer gen 3 and x2 One speakers. Now, from looking at other discussion boards on here I am already doubtful that we can arrange the speakers and possibly the subwoofer as planned…. we are planning to put cutout shelves in a stud wall that faces our sofa ( - it should never have been installed in the first place as they boxed in the emergency stopcock behind this, so needs some action anyway, but I digress..) 

 

Now our original plan was to have the x2 Sonos Ones on the left and right upper shelves, with the arc on the same shelf as the tv and the subwoofer on the very bottom shelf below the TV as per my diagram that I drew for the builder (please excuse my drawing ‘skills’!)

I just wanted to keep everything as neat as possible. But, don’t want to end up with awful sound or vibrations as a result . Now the actual shelving unit should be formed of plaster board and should be robust. 

 

What do you think?? 

 

Even without the picture which didn’t appear to upload, it would sound odd to have the surround speakers coming from in front of you. They’re supposed be behind you, at ear level. 
 

Are these shelves proud of the wall, or are they ‘cut into’ the drywall, creating a ‘box’ in which the Sonos speakers will sit?


I don’t know why the upload didn’t work. Thank you for responding. The shelves would be cut into the drywall.
 

I had pretty much abandoned the idea of the One speakers being located there, given what I read in a previous thread but was still hoping to put the subwoofer on the bottom shelf in a 500mm heigh cutout? Ok? The blue boxes are the cutouts… with fresh eyes, my drawing looks more confusing than I remember. Thanks for help/hints!


The Arc has side- and upfiring speakers, so should nog be put in a recess. Sonos say this about placemnet of the Arc (https://www.sonos.com/support/en-us/sonos-user-guide/index.html#t=sonos-user-guide%2Farc%2Farc.htm):

“Select a location

You can wall mount Sonos Arc under your TV or place it on a credenza.

Place on a credenza

  • Place horizontally on a stable and level surface.

  • Keep 4.0" (102 mm) space (minimum) between the top of Sonos Arc and the bottom of your TV (if placing Arc below the TV).

  • Don’t place vertically or on its side.

  • Make sure the touch controls are facing up.

Wall mount

To put Sonos Arc on a wall, see Wall mount.”

 

 

Not sure if it is wise to put the Sub in a cut out either. Sonos says this about it (https://www.sonos.com/support/en-us/sonos-user-guide/index.html#t=sonos-user-guide%2Fsub%2Fsub.htm):

“Select a location

Choose a location—it’s designed to provide optimal sound wherever you place it.

  • Use the acoustic slot as a handle to lift Sub out of the box. You should always bend your knees when lifting heavy objects to avoid undue stress on your back.

  • Make sure at least one side of the slot is free from obstruction. If you place it vertically against a wall, don’t block the front opening. If you place Sub horizontally on the floor, don’t put anything on top of it.

  • Sub is designed to sit on the floor. You can place it in a corner, against the wall, behind, under, or next to any piece of furniture on any kind of floor surface.

  • Position Sub either vertically or horizontally. If you’re going to use it horizontally, you can attach permanent felt feet (available upon request, contact Sonos Support). See Attach feet (optional) for more information”


Forum uploads are a mystery to me, too, as I’ve never tried to exercise that part of the software, but no matter, you were successful the second time :)

I am with @106rallye here. Putting any Sonos speaker inside a recess seems counterintuitive to me, as you’re looking for sound to radiate all around it. I’m on board with a shelf, but not a cutout. 

That being said, I would be optimizing for sound quality, less so for aesthetics. Your priorities and expectations might be different than mine. I’ve certainly seen my fair share of setups on these forums that I wouldn’t do, but others found perfectly acceptable. Ultimately, you need to please your self, not some random people on the internet. Fortunately, if you purchase directly from Sonos, there is a trial period in which you can return the speakers if they don’t ‘work’ for you. However, I suspect that most speakers placed inside a cutout would be similarly impacted, no matter who made them.