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Post by fourwisemen on Jun 4, 2022 7:45:55 GMT
Sonos voice commands seem pretty good, especially for grouping/un-grouping.
Volume control is pretty natural, although it’d be great if voice would let you adjust rear channel volume.
I tend to have these up high for sport, and back down to a lower level for general TV. If there’s one feature I’d add to the software, it’s different EQ and level presets to switch between.
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Post by Zomoniac on Jun 4, 2022 13:44:47 GMT
My rear left Ikea picture frame surround gets unplugged each night as there’s only one socket and it’s needed for the dog’s monitor. When it’s plugged back in it’s a coin toss as to whether it will actually rejoin the surround group. It’s annoying.
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mrpon
Junior Member
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Post by mrpon on Jun 4, 2022 14:03:34 GMT
I don't want to blow your mind, but thought about a double socket adapter?
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Post by atomix on Jun 4, 2022 14:42:30 GMT
My rear left Ikea picture frame surround gets unplugged each night as there’s only one socket and it’s needed for the dog’s monitor. When it’s plugged back in it’s a coin toss as to whether it will actually rejoin the surround group. It’s annoying. Shouldn't your dog be asleep rather than being up all night playing computer games? |
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Post by Zomoniac on Jun 4, 2022 17:01:53 GMT
I don't want to blow your mind, but thought about a double socket adapter? The crate is right up against the wall, it would make it stick out and that would annoy me more. |
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Post by Dougs on Jun 4, 2022 17:11:41 GMT
4 gang extension?
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Post by Zomoniac on Jun 4, 2022 17:34:57 GMT
It’s on a 5m extension that’s stuck to the wall. In hindsight I should’ve put a bigger one on, but wanted it to look like a natural sockets and I can’t be bothered opening up all the trunking and replacing it. Ideally it would just rejoin every time like it’s supposed to.
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Post by atomix on Jun 4, 2022 17:52:07 GMT
Since the energy price rises Ive taken to switching off my entire setup at night at the wall as Sonos kit use a fair bit of juice whilst in standby. As long as i remember to switch it back on a few minutes before i want to watch Tv, there’s no issue with them being remembered. If I’m too eager it can show Arc + ? +? +? In the Sonos app. If that happen i normally restart the Arc from the app itself and that sorts things out.
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Post by Dougs on Jun 4, 2022 17:52:56 GMT
Ah, gotcha. Pain in the arse when sockets aren't where you need them.
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on Jun 4, 2022 18:39:30 GMT
I have a pair of 5s and after the update before last it’s about 50/50 whether or not they will fire up properly as a stereo pair. I do sometimes feel like shoving the whole lot on eBay.
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Post by harrypalmer on Jun 4, 2022 18:52:01 GMT
I’m tempted to get a beam and a couple of rears for my living room. Currently have an ageing soundbar and want something a bit more homecinema-y.
I’m a bit constrained as honestly I don’t want a fuck off massive bar in front of my tv at the moment, so rules out the Samsung etc.
Is the beam actually good for films?
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Post by rammy18 on Jun 4, 2022 19:13:21 GMT
I’ve got a beam (1st gen) and a couple of one’s for surround and yeah, it’s good. Only sit ten feet from it, room is wide but narrow, so I think a sub would be overkill. Don’t get the wall shaking bass, but the quality otherwise is (to my ear) fantastic
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Post by paulyboy81 on Jun 4, 2022 19:48:31 GMT
I've always been married to my separates for AV, but I setup a Beam (Gen 2) system for my parents a few months ago and was genuinely surprised at how well it fared in comparison.
They've got a couple of those IKEA Sonos lamps set up at the rear of the room for surrounds and honestly, it's all the home cinema 99% of people will ever need.
Low end isn't bad all things considered either, don't think the sub is needed in a small to medium sized room personally, especially at what Sonos are charging.
That said if the rumoured sub mini is decently priced...
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Post by harrypalmer on Jun 4, 2022 20:06:21 GMT
Nice. Yeah when I move and have the space I’d love to do a ‘proper’ setup, mainly just for fun, but now it’s just not feasible, and I’ve heard soundbars are getting better and better.
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Post by fourwisemen on Jun 8, 2022 19:31:33 GMT
The ‘Ray’ arrived today and pleased to say it fits the bill really well for soundbar for the bedroom. It does look a little dinky under a 55’ TV but as usual, sound output is greater than its size suggests. share.icloud.com/photos/0f6UtBNk86pgXzCdBLpItrJdQYou can see the angle they’re taking with this product as an entry point into the ecosystem, will be ideal for smaller rooms, bedrooms and home offices. |
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Post by bindipper3d on Jun 9, 2022 9:40:39 GMT
I just set up a beam (gen 2) in our garden room and have been blown away by the quality.
Dialogue clarity is on par, maybe even better than my B&W separates set-up and the low end is decent for such a small unit. Music sounds great too.
Excited to add the mini sub to it later in the year.
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Post by fourwisemen on Jun 10, 2022 8:33:09 GMT
Had a chance to do a Beam 2nd Gen v Ray side by side this morning.
The beam was in the office and originally the Ray was for the bedroom. Bottom line, an arc splitter with optical out has been bought and the rooms are being swapped.
The Ray, on its own appeared very competent but there is a totally noticeable uplift in overall quality and soundstage with the Beam.
Moving the Beam into a larger space has made me realise just how good the Beam gen 2 is. Nothing wrong with Ray in isolation, especially at the lower price point, but deffo a case of matching the right one to the right environment.
Tempted to put them in the same room as the Arc, in the living room, to get a sense of the step up to the big boy.
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Post by Chopsen on Jun 10, 2022 8:47:25 GMT
What would it be like using a Ray as a speaker for a typical PC setup? Sat under a monitor while at a desk?
I've got an original Playbar in the lounge, and the experienced is diminished the closer you get to it.
So overkill? Would sound shit that close?
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on Jun 10, 2022 9:03:04 GMT
I looked at the creative katana soundbar when I was looking for some PC speakers. Its supposed to be good for nearfield volume. Didnt get it because I dont think it would have been good for a dual monitor setup, but it looked really good.
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Post by fourwisemen on Jun 10, 2022 11:23:47 GMT
I looked at the creative katana soundbar when I was looking for some PC speakers. Its supposed to be good for nearfield volume. Didnt get it because I dont think it would have been good for a dual monitor setup, but it looked really good. That’s exactly how I was using the Beam and it sounded great, however giving it room to breathe has absolutely made it sound better. I think the Ray is going to be much better in that ‘under monitor’ config and so much tidier than the desktop speakers I had previously. |
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Post by darkling on Aug 5, 2022 15:54:48 GMT
I'm super confused about something that I didn't realise I could do, that I'm sure shouldn't work.
With my phone connected to mobile data only (wi-fi/bluetooth disabled) I'm able to connect to my Sonos Move (wi-fi mode) and play music to it via Spotify Connect.
I wasn't aware Sonos speakers were visible outside of your home network. Is this functionality that Spotify Connect enables? If so, why can't I see my Sonos Beam too?... it's on the same network as my Move.
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Post by rammy18 on Aug 5, 2022 16:15:44 GMT
I’d imagine it’s something that’s specific to the Move? Connectivity on the, well, move
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Post by darkling on Aug 5, 2022 17:43:44 GMT
'Move' refers to the fact it has a battery, and Bluetooth, meaning you can use it anywhere, but I'm actually able to see by Beam through Spotify Connect now too!
I've no idea how Spotify is able to see these speakers, when my phone is external to my home network on 5G. I assume Spotify has set up a server somewhere on one of my devices, making my Sonos speakers visible outside my home network.
I'm not complaining, just confused. It does have the added bonus of being able to play Pantera at 2am to piss off my noisy neighbours when I'm on holiday.
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on Aug 5, 2022 20:03:33 GMT
I had this a few times with Spotify connect. I think it’s because it plays ‘through the cloud’ and treats the app almost as a controller. Like you aren’t technically playing from your phone, you’re still controlling the session you have going on the speakers, if that makes sense.
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Post by darkling on Aug 5, 2022 21:47:02 GMT
Yes that's absolutely correct, in that there's no direct connection between my phone and the speaker (like there would be with Bluetooth) and instead Spotify starts a session within your account, that you can then control from any device linked to that account. That's exactly what Spotify Connect is.
However, I still don't understand how the Spotify app itself (running on a device not connected to my home network) 'knows about' my Sonos speakers.
On some level, the Sonos speakers must register themselves against my Spotify account, so whenever I log into my Spotify account (on any device, anywhere in the world) my Sonos speakers are now an intrinsic part of my Spotify account.
I'm just surprised it's this clever. Until now, I just thought Spotify searched for any other 'Spotify-enabled' devices on my home network, yet it seems to go one step further than that, and remembers the MAC address / IP address of my Sonos speakers within my Spotify account.
So basically, Spotify knows about any device in the world (on any network) that's linked to your Spotify account, which is pretty cool.
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askew
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Post by askew on Aug 6, 2022 11:01:54 GMT
Think of all that juicy data they're collecting!
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on Aug 6, 2022 11:14:53 GMT
I would also imagine it’s an unintended consequence of making sure you don’t have two streams open at the same time.
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Post by paulyboy81 on Sept 13, 2022 15:52:50 GMT
I see they've announced the Sub Mini finally, £429.
Still think that's too much personally, £299 or £349 at a push would have been ideal really.
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Bongo Heracles
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Post by Bongo Heracles on Sept 13, 2022 16:24:05 GMT
Yeah, that’s pretty steep. It’s 30 quid more than a refurb sub they are selling.
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Post by bindipper3d on Oct 10, 2022 10:49:31 GMT
I saw the sub mini in the flesh this weekend.
Lovely bit of kit, and the perfect size for a small-medium room.
The big problem is that price point.
As I was trying to sell it into the missus, I could see it was a losing battle. £430 when the bass from the beam is perfectly functional- is just too steep.
£299 is l the magic number for me where I would have bought it impulsively. Shame
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