Tech Tuesday: Unlocking the Power of Dolby 5.1
- Thread starter RyanWithWiiM
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If you had $3000, you could do a LOT Better than Sonos.
wplynx914
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- Apr 20, 2024
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Agreed
I don't know where the $3,000 price comes from. A Sonos Arc sound bar is $650 and 2 Sonos Era 100's are $500 for a total of $1,150. That includes the speakers and the amplifiers, which are bult in, and the streaming software. A sub adds $400. That price is competitive with other competitive 5.1 setups, most who do not have streaming software. It is roughly the same price as 5 of the new Wiim A10 speakers, but you also need a Wiim Ultra and a Wiim Pro/Pro Plus for the surrounds, which adds $500. Also, Wiim does not support a center channel yet and does not have a sub. My guess is that the Arc sound bar will sound better than 3 Wiim A10s. I know people have problems with Sonos these days, but their 5.1 setups are competitively priced for their quality. I think that there are still a benchmark for powered, integrated 5.1 systems.
WiiM is likely also "Planting its Flag" in the Wireless Dolby 5.1 space to address competition from "below" - Amazon Home Theatre.
Based on either an Amazon Fire TV Smart TV or a Fire TV Cube or a Fire TV 4k Stick, their version (currently) connects to 2x Amazon Echo devices and (optionally) an Echo Sub. This provides Virtual 5.1. The hardware specs on the latest Fire TVs and Sticks probably will eventually support true 5.1 and ATMOS (virtual or real).
I found this capability whilst researching the state of support by Fire TV Sticks for Amazon Music Ultra ATMOS Audio.
Based on either an Amazon Fire TV Smart TV or a Fire TV Cube or a Fire TV 4k Stick, their version (currently) connects to 2x Amazon Echo devices and (optionally) an Echo Sub. This provides Virtual 5.1. The hardware specs on the latest Fire TVs and Sticks probably will eventually support true 5.1 and ATMOS (virtual or real).
I found this capability whilst researching the state of support by Fire TV Sticks for Amazon Music Ultra ATMOS Audio.
Yeah, that’s been around a while. I occcasionally fire (no pun intended) it up with my single Echo Studio and 4k stick max, but given the state of Amazon developments I wouldn’t hold my breath for any expansion there
I keep track of WiiM support for Dolby 5.1, but don't see myself ever deploying such a setup. I have too many traditional AV Receiver-based 5.1 and 5.1.2 systems (Upstairs, Downstairs, Cabin, Car, etc) to specifically NEED this WiiM feature. But it does track for the push to support Multichannel Audio Streaming (Dolby ATMOS Music). With Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited (and now Tidal Hi-Fi Plus) all supporting Dolby ATMOS (at least on some devices), it seems Multichannel Audio Streaming is finally here. Except: Apple ATMOS is basically offered only on AppleTV and over their AirPods (2-channel spatial audio), and Amazon on only their Fire TV Sticks and PC/device App (HDMI or 2-channel spatial audio), and Tidal is trying to build 3rd-party support outside AppleTV and AndroidTV with a limited list of high-end brands (Lyngdorf, NAD, Paradigm).
I can add a FireTV Stick 4K via HDMI (real HDMI not just ARC) to most any of my AVRs to get Immersive DOLBY ATMOS support (limited to Amazon Music Unlimited), but I'm looking for the day when Software Streamers like WiiM will feature support for the format and output it via all their Digital Outputs (Coax, Optical, USB, WiFi).
In my case, I have the Wiim Ultra as my hub for audio and I also have a Samsung Q990C surround system for movies. If the it is really true that I can buy separate wireless speakers that will turn the Wiim Ultra into a surround system for movies I will sell the Samsung and have a more cleaner space..)
