Why did you drop all that money on that 4K TV? Go on, it’s a serious question. Ponder it for a moment, and you’ll come up with some variation of wanting a premium viewing experience for TV, movies, and documentaries, right?You may have the visuals covered, but what about your sound? You’re not gonna watch that premium video through those crappy, tinny speakers built into your TV, are you?(opens in a new window)SonosArc Ultra(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)Available at WalmartBuy Now(opens in a new window)Available at SonosBuy Now(opens in a new window)sonos sound systems are so much better than TV speakersRight off the bat, Sonos’ best TV speakers can handle Dolby Atmos, a premium audio format common to high-end TVs. When studios mix up the best audio for home releases these days, they’re doing it through Dolby Atmos.Sonos also has an ace up its own sleeve: Trueplay. It creates, through the Sonos app on a connected device, a sort of three-dimensional map of your room so that it knows just how to bounce sound around and off the surfaces, creating more of a three-dimensional feeling of the listener being surrounded within the audio, rather than having it fired straight out of the speakers at their face.Trueplay will automatically sync all your compatible Sonos speakers into one system. It’s smart enough to recognize that a complete surround system requires more fine-tuning than a bunch of disparate parts. It’ll even automatically make changes if it detects that you’ve mounted the Arc Ultra to a wall mount.(opens in a new window)SonosSub 4 Subwoofer(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)Available at WalmartBuy Now(opens in a new window)Available at SonosBuy Now(opens in a new window)Any decent surround sound system needs a subwoofer. I don’t care what the soundbar manufacturer says about providing deep, rich bass. Some might be better than others in that regard, but none of them are a substitute for a real subwoofer if you can afford the expense.The Sub 4 uses opposed drivers that face each other to cancel out the unwanted vibrations that rattle the walls and anger those who share walls with you. I’m normally skeptical about this sort of wizardry, but set up in my home, the Sub 4 really did output deep, stomach-rumbling bass while shaking the room less than the worse-sounding, old, budget Vizio system that had been installed before it.Once you add the subwoofer, you can add the rear speakers, the ones that you put behind your couch. The Era 300 are compatible with Dolby Atmos, which gives them a leg up on the cheaper Sonos Era 100. You’re building a premium surround sound system. Don’t cheap out on the rear speakers. Spring for a pair of Era 300s.(opens in a new window)SonosEra 300 Smart Speaker(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)The post The Complete Primer to Sonos Sound Systems appeared first on VICE.