I’ve been using a sound bar from Sonos with my TV for several years now, but in an effort to ditch the last appliances that unnecessarily require accounts and internet access, I am looking to ditch it in favor of something that is entirely contained within my own network.
What I think are my requirements:
- No microphone
- Ability to directly play audio from my Android (running Calyx OS), something I cannot do with the Sonos.
- HDMI ARC-connection to TV so that it can be controlled by my remote
- Sound must not be abysmal, but I am no audiophile. Preferably stand-alone without subwoofer
- Maximum 90 cm in length so that it fits under my TV, preferably in black / dark grey with a clean look
So far I’ve found something like this, which I believe gives me enough flexibility with HDMI ARC, Bluetooth and 3.5mm, even though it comes with a subwoofer: https://www.tcl.com/eu/en/soundbar/p733w
In terms of software, I have long been considering something like balenaSound to replace the Sonos functionality, but I’ll soon be setting up Home Assistant to run my lights, and I see that there is a Snapcast integration that might work for me here?
Are there anyone here who have done something similar and have found setups that work well or that I should stay away from?
Its funny, because I’d love to have a sound setup that accepts audio. I do FoundryVTT games regularly from my couch, and being able to talk at my TV, rather than setting up a bluetooth headset, would be great for hybrid home/remote games.
I know my TV has a built in mic, because it occasionally goes into “Did You Say Something?” mode based on keywords I never bothered to figure out. But I can’t get it to sync with the server I’ve set it up against.
Damned near everything has a mic in it, but nobody wants to let you use it for what you want.
Hehe, different use cases :) I typically prefer not to have things like microphones if I don’t have a use for it, particularly on devices connected to the internet like the Sonos one (afaik) is.