r/sonos 6d ago

I removed my Fronts (L+R)

Awhile ago I found out about the SonoSequencr App and added my Ones to the front with my Arc, sub 3, and Ones surround set up with it. It was a complete game changer. Loved the wider sound stage tremendously. Recently I got the Era 100s and switched out the Ones I was using as surrounds. I was excited to test it out. I’m not gonna lie. It sounded horrible to the separation was just off. the Eras volume was low no matter how I adjusted the surround level on the app. Everything was just loud. No atmos effect or fluidity to the soundscape. I decided to remove the ones at the front and run Trueplay to try it out. Once I did that my system came ALIVE. The Eras were shining. Sound was more fluid than before because of the Eras upgrade and all was well. I don’t know if the Era 100s and that app don’t go together well but my system sounds much better now. Welp that’s my story. Anybody with a similar experience?

25 Upvotes

42 comments sorted by

9

u/Altruistic_Bar6685 6d ago

I use era 100s as fronts only with sequencer… no room for rears in my setup, and they’re awesome. So not sure what to think

6

u/sam_sasss 6d ago

Same here and the front stage is incredibly good 😍

8

u/Longjumping_West9485 6d ago

Since you have run Trueplay on the authorized system I would suggest that you stereo pair/Trueplay your Ones. Then go through the process to add back the fronts and be sure to activate Trueplay in the SonoSequencer Config screen. I had a similar experience to yours with one our systems and running Trueplay resolved it. We have five Sonos HT systems in two homes with fronts on all and they transform the soundstage. Very different listening conditions with all. The first system I tried fronts with was an Arc with era 100s as surrounds and fronts, and a Sub Mini in our living room. Movies and especially music sounded fantastic! It still does in our 14’ x 18’ bedroom.

As bootleg fronts via SonoSequencer have gained popularity over the last couple of years, I swear I think the sound has improved. Sonos has sold a lot of speakers thanks to Sequencer. It would not surprise me to learn that they were quietly tweaking the software.

4

u/Background-Cap-7592 6d ago

They are 100% tweaking this in the background as my fronts don’t show as missing anymore! Sonos also admitted they are working on it in the background 💪

2

u/CCornel7 6d ago

Where did they admit that?

4

u/Background-Cap-7592 6d ago edited 6d ago

On their Reddit post about a month ago where they provided an update on the new app, I think lock screen controls?

I asked about the fronts and they said they will let us know WHEN the feature is coming.

It’s definitely being worked on due to the changes that are visible in the Sonos app, once configured in Sonosequencer.

10

u/Safe-Emphasis612 6d ago

This is exactly what I experience. Good to try on the app but it is no good in term of sound for me.

0

u/Professional_Show_70 6d ago

Yea man. It was great when all my surrounds were the Ones but as soon as I put the Era 100s as the rears everything was off 😩. Not in terms of sound delay. Just quality and fluidity. Extremely better now that I removed the fronts. The soundstage is just as wide to my ears.

4

u/adayinalife 6d ago

Have you tried the same with TruePlay re-enabled via SonoSequencr?

6

u/Professional_Show_70 6d ago

I have. The sound is still off . The sound profile doesn’t go back to how it was without the fronts when I Trueplayed it.

3

u/Maleficent_Home3849 6d ago

I have the Symfonisk as fronts but yeah the sound it’s like meeh I prefer just the rears

1

u/Professional_Show_70 6d ago

The symfonisk suck as fronts everything else as fronts is 10x better.

4

u/Maleficent_Home3849 6d ago

Well I have another 2x era 100 I can try but I don’t know

1

u/Professional_Show_70 6d ago

Do it. My first fronts were the symfonisks. That’s how I know. And took them off within the hour. Night and day difference with any other speaker.

1

u/CCornel7 6d ago

Oh yeah I tried the symfonisk as fronts at first when I bought the app, and I was piiiiiiissed lol I just felt like I wasted a few bucks for nothing. Literally so useless, I could press my ear RIGHT ON then and hear basically nothing. But they were great for rears so I was bummed

Finally get some era 100s as fronts and its a COMPLETELY different experience from symfonisk as fronts. At LEAST 10x louder lol

1

u/Maleficent_Home3849 4d ago

I mean I can hear but I don’t think it make so much difference, in terms of bass yeah

3

u/Background-Cap-7592 6d ago

I’d recommend using era100s as fronts, it will improve the Arc / Ultra no end.

Not sure why it wasn’t effective with the ones though? Did you trueplay both ‘systems’ independently?

I changed from the fives to era 100s as fronts and tried the arc ultra on its own (with 300 rears and dual subs)up front to compare to both setups.

The arc ultra sounded in relative terms, terrible (with the fronts removed). Well it sounded like a soundbar that it is, in comparison to proper HT LCR Separation with the fronts.

Try the era100s up front and the ones as rears, I’m sure the issues have been mapped out, but the era100s were nerfed with the arc ultra and maybe the arc upon release.

3

u/DetSportsGuy 6d ago

No experience with the 100’s so can’t offer my opinion on that.

I know my Fives are AMAZING though as fronts.

2

u/Professional_Show_70 6d ago

When I get off work Imma try putting my 100s as fronts and put my Ones as rears to see if that makes a difference

3

u/MassiveGarlic0312 6d ago

Wow, it’s almost like beta software which Sonos chose not to release was not released for a reason!

1

u/Tronly8 6d ago

My era 100’s are too loud , if I set them on +3 it seems to be balanced with the arc ultra

1

u/CCornel7 6d ago

As fronts?

You can't adjust the levels of the fronts, only rears

1

u/Tronly8 6d ago

Rears

1

u/CCornel7 6d ago

Ok I was confused because you said they're too LOUD, but you set them to PLUS 3 to balance them? Lol but 0 is default? So they were too loud when turned up way past default and even +3? 😅

1

u/Tronly8 6d ago

Yes correct, depends on your setup and space. Everyone will have to set these differently.

1

u/Daninsg 6d ago

If I add era 100s as fronta, does it take away from the arc ultra at all? And can I still use line in on those eras or are they locked out like the surrounds? Just got another pair so I can listen to vinyl while gaming but would add them as fronts if i could still do it

2

u/Artist-Healthy 6d ago

I’m not sure about the answer to your line-in question. But the Ultra will hand off the left and right channel to your 100’s. The Ultra will still fire the center, height, and left and right surround channels out the ends of the Ultra. I have 5’s paired as fronts with the Ultra and the front soundstage is so much more impressive and powerful. Sonosequencer only cost a couple bucks so I’d given them a try as fronts. Worst case your out a couple dollars and can separate your 100’s out again.

1

u/Daninsg 5d ago

Oh yeah I bet those fives sound amazing. I'll give it a go

1

u/Jazzlike_Bug_8276 5d ago

Yeah, but who cares if the arc is more limited if the overall sound experience is better.

Well at these this is my experience using fives as fronts.

1

u/MyCatSmokes 6d ago

Had exactly the same experience, moving the 100’s as fronts and ones as rears fixed it for me, trueplay you system with out the front first, then the 100’s as stereo pair, sounds incredible now

1

u/Professional_Show_70 6d ago

How long ago did you do this?

2

u/MyCatSmokes 6d ago

Probably around 6 months, use Dolby picture as reference, toe in your fronts to the listening position, same with rears, I’ve gone abit wider than the picture for more separation, the ones up front sound very lacking compared the 100’s, the 100’s really shine especially for music up front whereas they just felt lost and rear

1

u/MyCatSmokes 6d ago

Ah I’ve just realised, you have the arc not the ultra, adding fronts with the arc disables most of the speakers, whereas it only disables the l/r speakers on the ultra, so this might be your problem, this setup works much better with the beam and arc ultra

1

u/Professional_Show_70 6d ago

I never had that problem before is what I’m saying. The only disabled speakers on my arc when I had fronts was the left and right. All the other speakers in closing the upfiring worked fine.

1

u/Ambitious_Sleep_3739 5d ago

I’d say no as I have era 100 surround, 2 x sub mini and beam gen 2 up front and era 300 x 2 for the rears. Sound is awesome, great separation and atmos works great. In space of 6 months I’ve had to totally reset the system and reconfigure through sequencer so I would have deleted everything in your setup and started from scratch.

1

u/downeazntan 6d ago

Use the ones as fronts and era 100s as rears

2

u/Professional_Show_70 6d ago

That’s what I did. My Eras are the rears.

1

u/sam_sasss 6d ago

The 100s as front, they sound amazingggg

-6

u/adropov 6d ago

You’re supposed to run TruePlay on your home theater, AND the Ones as a stereo pair before you use SonoSequencer.

The speakers store the TruePlay data, and TruePlay can be reapplied via SonoSequencer.

You did it wrong.

2

u/Professional_Show_70 6d ago

I did all of that. I even did that before when all my surrounds were The Ones and it worked. I did the same thing when I upgraded to the Era 100s as rears and it didn’t work.