Hello,
Im looking at building a new Surround sound system for a new house and would like to go down the path on integrating two in-ceiling speakers, as well as an ARC bar, and subwoofer.
I’m also wanting to integrate a turntable into the mix.
I’d like to know what specific products I need, and what connects to where
Im aware for the in-built passive speakers I need the AMP, as well as wanting an ARC and SUB, how do these connect to each other for seamless use?
Thanks for any help!
Alex
The Arc will connect to your TV’s HDMI ARC or eARC port with an HDMI cable. The Sub will connect wirelessly to the Arc. The two in-ceiling speakers will be wired to the Amp with speaker wire. The Amp will connect wirelessly to the Arc so the in-ceiling speakers can act as surrounds. This will create a 5.1.2 home theater setup.
NOTE: If you are purchasing a new TV, make sure you get one with HDMI eARC so you can take advantage of the Arc’s full audio capabilities.
The turntable needs to be connected to a Sonos device with line-in. Since the Arc doesn’t have line-in and the Amp’s line-in is disabled when it is being used for surround speakers, you will need to get a Port, Five, or another Amp to connect the turntable.
To play the turntable audio on the Arc setup, you simply select the Line-In option under Browse in the Sonos app or group the Arc to the Sonos device the turntable is connected to.
Also, be sure your turntable has a built-in phono preamp.
Read more here:
Hi
The Arc requires a TV with eARC HDMI port to utilize it’s full potential to deliver Dolby Atmos. Of course you’ll want the TV to be 4K picture ready.
The Sonos Sub will bond to the Arc to handle the low end for movies and music.
In-ceiling speakers with the Arc will only be used as surrounds mounted over the main seating area. You’ll want to use Sonos speakers by Sonance. The Sonos Amp is required.
All components used together will provide a great home theater experience. The in-ceilings speakers can also be set to play music in full stereo along with the Arc and auto switch back to surround mode for movies.
To use a turntable (TT) you’ll have to employ a Sonos Port and connect the TT to it’s line-in. You’ll then configure the Port via the Sonos app to use the Arc as the auto-play room. The sound will be transmitted wirelessly to the Arc. Also the TT must have a pre-amp built in or use an outboard pre-amp between the TT and Port.
Note: The in-ceiling speakers cannot be easily used independently as a stereo pair. They can if you unbond them from the Arc and rebond them back to the Arc for movies. The process is very labor intensive/time consuming.
if you are wanting to use in-ceiling speakers for music only I suggest you consider using Sonos One SL x 2 for surrounds mounted on stands in the seating area to the left and right. You can then position the in-ceiling speakers for maximum coverage area.
If you want pure stereo for your TT you might consider investing in a pair of Fives and use the left Five’s line-in. No Sonos Port is required but a pre-amp as mentioned above is still required.
Wow, thanks GuitarSuperstar and AjTrek1, thats answered my questions perfectly.
That sounds like what I suspected in the first place.
Maybe another dumb question, I’m considering maybe a Five for the Turntable, but I’m assuming that whether I was playing from the TT, phone or TV that I’d be able to have all speakers in use simultaneously correct?
I don’t think I’d ever want to use the in-ceiling pair as standalone so I don’t think they would ever be an issue, I’d like to steer away from the wall mounted speakers up high or on stands as I kinda feel they’re dust collecters.
Yes, you can use all speakers simultaneously by grouping them together either via the Sonos app or by touching the play/pause on either the Arc or Five. Of course this assumes you intend to use a single or pair of Fives with the turntable or when streaming music.
You would not want to send TV audio to the Five(s) because there would be an echo effect. There is a 75ms delay to any Sonos speaker outside of the home theater setup for TV audio. However, if you were to send TV audio to another room with a Sonos speaker the delay may not be noticeable. Usually works best with sports.
Personally, I would use a pair of Fives with the TT for better stereo separation.
Also, know that the sub cannot provide low end for the Five(s) when bonded to the Arc. You could unbond it from the Arc and bond it to the Five(s) temporarily and back to the Arc but that’s a lot of work. If playing the Fives when grouped to the Arc the low end provided by the sub will blend in.
FYI, the line-in and bonding capabilities for the Amp are negated when used to power surrounds in conjunction with the Arc.
Would I not be able to use the Five for the tv setup also?
If not, I may as well just use a Port for the TT correct?
Would I not be able to use the Five for the tv setup also?
If not, I may as well just use a Port for the TT correct?
Answered in my post above 😊
Ah, sorry for some reason I didn’t see the second half of your reply. That makes a bit more sense.
Also apologies, this is a lot of information for me to take in but I’m slowly understanding it I think.
I understand what you mean by bonding the Sub to either the ARC or SUB, but why would it not by bonded to both? If I was to use the turntable I would want sound coming from both, including the five and surround speakers as well.
If you are using the turntable with a Sonos Port which sends sound from the TT to the Arc…all speakers bonded to the Arc will produce the music ( sub and surrounds).
If you connect the TT to a Five only the Five will play the music. To get the same music to play through the Arc (with the sub and surrounds) you must Group the Five and Arc together. Once done you ungroup…the Arc (with sub & surrounds) and the Five will act as individual units.
Bottom-line the sub cannot be bonded to an Arc and Five at the same time.
Note: In your situation it probably makes more sense to connect the TT to a Port and send the sound to the Arc (with surrounds and sub) for full enjoyment with all speakers. It’s also less expensive 
Note: FYI, Overhead speakers for surround can limit your arrangement of furniture to enjoy the benefits of surround sound for movies. The placement of furniture has to be more precise.
Gotcha, I agree, sounds like the port is the way to go to ease the complexity. With the ARC and surrounds there should be enough sound without the five. There’s always room for upgrades in the future:)
We’ve never had a system that will be as nice as this one, so although it may not be the most optimal it will be a whole lot better than what we’ve ever had!
Thank you so much for you help!
Gotcha, I agree, sounds like the port is the way to go to ease the complexity. With the ARC and surrounds there should be enough sound without the five. There’s always room for upgrades in the future:)
We’ve never had a system that will be as nice as this one, so although it may not be the most optimal it will be a whole lot better than what we’ve ever had!
Thank you so much for you help!
I used to think soundbars were inferior to a true separates theater. I just got rid of a 5.1.2 separates system because I was sick of the cables, the stands, the clutter. I replaced it with an ARC, Sub, and 2 One SLs and I'm blown away. It's as good as anything I've had before, including the system it replaced. Soundbars have come a long way.
Gotcha, I agree, sounds like the port is the way to go to ease the complexity. With the ARC and surrounds there should be enough sound without the five. There’s always room for upgrades in the future:)
We’ve never had a system that will be as nice as this one, so although it may not be the most optimal it will be a whole lot better than what we’ve ever had!
Thank you so much for you help!
Glad to help. One more point…if you have or can borrow an iPhone you can use the feature called TruePlay (built into the Sonos app) to tune your room for optimum souund. Enjoy your Sonos 😊
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