Hi All
I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to systems and set up, what I am doing is looking to replace my 30 year old Denon F10 and KEF system with a Uniti Star and new speakers - floor standers but haven’t decided which. I will also connect a new turntable.
In the same room will be my television and originally I was going to connect the Sonos Arc and a couple of Sonos ones for better television sound , and keep my uniti star for music.
if my understanding is correct, I think I can omit the Sonos Arc and just connect the television to my Uniti star to play through the new floor standers - is this correct? does the television just plug striaght into the star or do I need an AV receiver?
trying to figure all this out - so would really appreciate advice and help - thanks
You have a few options here. If your TV has an HDMI connection that supports HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) then you can output the audio from the TV directly to the Star over HDMI.
If your TV doesn’t support ARC then it will almost certainly have an S/PDIF Optical output which you can then connect to one of the digital inputs on your Star.
If you take either an HDMI ARC or Optical Digital input from your TV you need to check on the TV setup menu that the output is set to Stereo/Downmix as the Star cannot decode multichannel Dolby Digital audio signals.
Another option if you want to add a Star to a multichannel setup is to enable AV Bypass which allows for an AV receiver to output its front L/R channels to Analogue Input 1 (RCA) on your Star so you can then support a setup that combines 2 channel Stereo playback as well as surround sound, combining the audio processing of an AV amp with the amplifier of the Star. This is configurable through the Naim iOS/Android App. Just be aware that should you do this that the input level is fixed and controlled by the source AV amplifier and volume controlled from there and not from the Star or Naim app.
thanks
it does have HDMI
think I follow your point on AV receiver - assume I would not only need to purchase the AV but also two further speakers
would you suggest that I use the Star or Sonos Arc for improved television sound ?
The Star is a 2 Channel Stereo only capable device whereas the Sonos Arc has the ability to decode and output multichannel Dolby Digital audio. Your TV probably only has a single HDMI ARC capable connection, most do.
It’ll depend in part what you expect to be listening to. You could for example connect your Sonos Arc via HDMI and your Star via S/PDIF and then you can choose which to use with both being available although not necessarily at the same time.
Multichannel audio is most commonly used for movies and some broadcast content like Sports or Music events. Dolby Atmos, which is supported by the Sonos Arc, requires the TV to support that audio format through HDMI ARC and for the source material to have that audio format included, this would included some content on Netflix and other streaming platforms or on BluRay discs as examples.
The majority of broadcast content is just Dolby Digital Plus in 2 channel Stereo and on occasion DD 5.1
If you are anyway set on the Star, you can maybe start with this and see, if it suffices for you? At most it’ll cost you a HDMI/optical cable.
(I have e.g. my Atom running connected to my TV; works pretty fine. Very clear/realistic audio and wide stereo field, and it’s surely loud enough, if needed. )
It’ll then depend on your preferences for movies, if you want to upgrade. E.g. for surround sound, simulated/indirect height channels projected by the Arc, … - on the Arc you can also rather easily add a sub and/or 2 satellites for the rear channels. Also the Arc has some more “digital processing” options for watching movies: improvement of voice clarity/volume and a “night mode” with reduced dynamics of the audio signal; i.e. the difference between “very silent” and “very loud” scenes gets smaller, making it easier to listen to a movie on “neighbor friendly” total volume (supposedly during nights).
Or, if the TV is not set somewhere “between” your speakers, you might want/need different positioning in your room.
The Star will always stay “stereo only”. (As described above, including the connectivity options.) At most, you could add a sub.
Then again, if you want to go multi-room for music in your place, this might influence the decision as well. (Naim and Sonos sporting “brand internal only” multi-room capabilities, except when using Airplay or stuff.)
thank you - I do have Sonos in the family room and bedrooms - so it might well work for me to have Sonos Arc for movies in the television room and run the Star also in the television room with separate two channel speakers
You can always add and group additional Sonos speakers like Play 1 on floor stands as pseudo rear channels to the Sonos Arc as well which is configurable within the Sonos App. I’d be inclined to use the HDMI ARC for the Sonos Arc and the Optical Digital for the Star.
)
- good luck!