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Upgrading to Sonos system, how to integrate 2 new Amps with tv and existing ceiling speakers in 2 rooms

  • 2 May 2024
  • 1 reply
  • 59 views
M

I am replacing my current system (dumb tv, a/v receiver, subwoofer amp) with a new smart TV and Sonos system. 

Existing equipment that I plan to keep are DirecTV box and 4 ceiling speakers in TV room (center ceiling speaker in front of tv and subwoofer are also present, but not planning on using due to limitations of new planned setup as it was explained to me).  I might re-add a subwoofer down the line, if not too costly and easy to integrate into new planned setup.  TV is currently connected behind wall to to a/v receiver, which is connected to DirecTV box, ceiling speakers, subwoofer amp, etc.  That is zone 1.

There are also 2 ceiling speakers in kitchen, also connected to a/v receiver in TV room.  That is zone 2.

I received a quote that was a little pricey, so planning to take on the project myself to save on labor.  Using the quoted parts list, I have purchased 2 Sonos Amps for the 2 zones. Also on the parts list is a Binary Audio Return Extender for HDMI ARC and S/PDIF (Binary B-260-ARC). I have purchased, but after doing some research I am still not sure why it is needed.

Our ideal functionality would be to have the ability to stream music from phone to either zone or both zones, as well as play sound from TV to either zone or both zones. Eventually we will be adding another Amp, outdoor tv, and outdoor speakers to the system.

Questions:

  1. Do I have the right equipment to achieve the desired functionality of the new indoor system?
  2. Can someone please help me understand why an audio return extender is necessary to utilize new amps and existing equipment in current locations?
  3. If I am planning on having both amps where the old a/v receiver was, is there a reason why I can’t just connect the TV via it’s HDMI ARC port directly to the AMP with just an HDMI cord? Or is there some functionality that will be lost without using audio return extender?

Thanks in advance for any responses!  Happy to answer any follow-up questions if I was not clear above.

 

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Best answer by Jamie A 3 May 2024, 11:21

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Jamie A
Userlevel 7
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Hi @mgfrano, welcome to the Sonos Community!

Your post is fairly clear what you plan to do, however I do have a few suggestions. If you want 5.0 surround sound in the TV room (4.0 but the Amp can create a phantom center channel) you’ll need 2x Sonos Amps for zone 1. If you connect the four ceiling speakers to the zone 1 amp, you’ll get 2.0 stereo or mono across all four if you enable the dual-mono setting. Though this only applies if the ceiling speakers are setup in a way where two are in front by the TV and two are behind you.

I’m not sure what subwoofer you have but there is a sub output so you can use a third-party subwoofer with the Sonos Amp. This output is disabled on an Amp when it’s used to control rear surround speakers but that just means you wire your sub to the Amp that controls the front speakers.

With that said, here are the answers to your questions:

  1. Yes (and no, if that makes sense), you have everything to get this setup working but as I mentioned above, if you want a surround sound setup, you’ll need 2x Amps for zone 1.
  2. From looking up the Binary Audio Return Extender, it seems like it’s used when Amps are placed too far from TVs to wire via HDMI. It’s suggested that installers can use these to place the Amps in a more centralized and easy to access location. However, these aren’t necessary, it just gives you more placement freedom.
  3. If you can connect a HDMI cable from the Sonos Amp into the TV directly, then that’s always the better solution than using an extender. You gain no extra functionality so there’s no reason to us the extender other that what I suggested above.

I hope this information helps and let me know if you have any further questions!

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