Looking to ditch Sonos Beam (sound bar) - any hardware and software recommendations?
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?
Does everything have to be all in one, or are you open to exploring passive speakers and a receiver?
Since this is in Homelab, I’m assuming you have access to a 19” rack. You could rack mount any amplifier (I like crown amps personally) and then feed either a Bluetooth or Raspberry Pi using a line/headphone amp. That also gives you the ability to continuing adding amps to feed more speakers around the house. That’s my homelab answer.
Home theater answer would be to look at a home theater receiver.
Thanks for the reply, and sorry for seemingly ignoring it - been fighting off a cold and massive headaches the last couple of days.
To answer your questions: no, it does not need to be an all-in-one solution (e.g. the draft solution I had pictured included an RPi connecetd to the speaker that runs balenaSound or Snapcast), but I hope to keep it simple and neat.
My "homelab" (I realize now I need to start putting that in quotes 😅 ) consists of a dedicated mini-PC hosting some services through Docker and soon a Raspberry Pi with a Zigbee-receiver running Home Assistant and an MQTT broker. So I don't have a very sophisticated setup, although I do hope to one day get there. So for the time being, your solution is a bit too advanced for me, but I have saved it in my notes for future reference!
Bose sound bars meet all your requirements. They have microphones but the mute button on it is a hardware disconnect of the microphone power. You can play audio over Bluetooth. Also has hdmi arc. You won't be able to use Home Assistant though.
Regarding Home Assistant, I think I can pull it off with a RPi connected with AUX to the speaker. So that was one of the things I was hoping someone had some experience with here, either balenaSound or Snapcast or something similar.