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Sonos soundbars are getting DTS Digital 5.1 surround support

Simon Cohen
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Sonos is rolling out an update to its S2 control app that will give the Sonos Arc, Sonos Beam (Gen 1 and Gen 2), Playbar, Playbase, and Sonos Amp compatibility with DTS Digital Surround. The surround sound format, which is most commonly found on LaserDiscs, DVDs, and Blu-rays, offers 5.1 channel audio. It competes with Dolby Digital 5.1, but DTS uses a slightly higher bitrate, which some believe lets it offer higher quality sound.

<a href=Sonos S2 app screenshot." width="220" height="220" />The update begins rolling out November 16 and Sonos S2 users can check to see if the update is available by heading into the app’s settings: Settings > System > System Updates > Check for Updates. Once you’ve got the update, the Now Playing screen will display a DTS Surround 5.1 badge whenever it detects that you’re playing DTS audio content.

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This app update also comes with a few more extras for Sonos fans:

Battery Saver on Roam and Move: When enabled, Sonos’ portable speakers will automatically turn off after 30 minutes of inactivity. While in this powered-off state, the Move will retain battery life for up to 30 days, and Roam will retain battery life for up to 70 days, according to Sonos.

The only thing to keep in mind is that when Battery Saver is enabled, you’ll need to turn Roam and Move on using their physical power buttons before starting music playback.

EQ Settings on the Now Playing Screen: iOS users now get the ability to access and adjust EQ settings directly from the Now Playing screen. A pop-up window will provide the sliders and checkboxes for treble, bass, and loudness. In the past, these settings were buried deep inside the System menu and had to be altered on a speaker by speaker basis. Now you can just tap the volume slider bar and press the equalizer button on the right-hand side.

When you’re in a grouped speaker situation, you’ll see an EQ settings icon beside the volume slider for each speaker, letting you adjust each speaker individually. Android users aren’t going to see this change immediately, but Sonos says it isn’t leaving this community in the cold — similar support will be added in the coming months.

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Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…
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