Sonos Arc

[What Hi-Fi?]

Sonos might be late to the party, but its first Dolby Atmos soundbar is an absolute belter.

Sonos Arc : Read more

 

[Hifiman2007]

What. I purchased this for a second room. Its £800 and I'm afraid is absolutely useless at Atmos. I have a separates based Atmos system in my main room. This is almost just a fake stab reliant on height of ceiling etc..I think the review needs to be clear it's no match for a proper Atmos set up and actually poor value taking that into account £800 can buy a complete Atmos receiver and Speaker package that simply blows this away.

 

[bravewolverine]

Out of interest, what settings did you have to tweak on the LG C9 to get Atmos passed through from the integrated apps? Arc arrives next week and would be good to know what settings to tweak (assume it is sound coming from HDMI Arc and changing to passthrough for sound rather than auto?)

 

[Tarx]

What. I purchased this for a second room. Its £800 and I'm afraid is absolutely useless at Atmos. I have a separates based Atmos system in my main room. This is almost just a fake stab reliant on height of ceiling etc..I think the review needs to be clear it's no match for a proper Atmos set up and actually poor value taking that into account £800 can buy a complete Atmos receiver and Speaker package that simply blows this away.

You must be one of the very first to have this speaker if you have it and reviewed it already. Can we see a picture of how you’re set it up?

 

[sevengroove]

Sonos might be late to the party, but its first Dolby Atmos soundbar is an absolute belter.

Sonos Arc : Read more

Was the Arc mounted or on a TV stand for this review? My TV stand is about 18" tall, and I'm curious to know if I will experience any significant gain in audio quality if I mount the bar between 30 - 36", which is roughly head height when I'm on the couch.

Edit for more context: I have a 65" LG C9 currently sitting on the TV stand which will be mounted as well to accommodate the Arc. So I'm trying to decide if I should just mount the Arc along with the TV or save the $80 and let the Arc sit on the stand.

 

[Hifiman2007]

You must be one of the very first to have this speaker if you have it and reviewed it already. Can we see a picture of how you’re set it up?

Hello.
To clarify. I ordered this product for delivery and was told 10 June was delivery date. This was from a well known on line retailer(who offered a 6 year gtee) same retailer emailed me and explained product was in stock but due to current issues could not deliver on 10th however it could be delivered prior to that date. Guess what I said yes. I'm unsure Sonos were aware.

I have not in my review said this product is bad. It's not it's good. It's just not as what hifi seem to allude to a proper Atmos product. Sorry but it's a fact. I have not mentioned other brands as I have no interest or anything to gain I'm just tempering expectations.

As for a picture of my set up..I don't post pictures on social media of my home and won't here. Why should I. I hope this answers your questions.

What. I purchased this for a second room. Its £800 and I'm afraid is absolutely useless at Atmos. I have a separates based Atmos system in my main room. This is almost just a fake stab reliant on height of ceiling etc..I think the review needs to be clear it's no match for a proper Atmos set up and actually poor value taking that into account £800 can buy a complete Atmos receiver and Speaker package that simply blows this away.

You must be one of the very first to have this speaker if you have it and reviewed it already. Can we see a picture of how you’re set it up?

Hello

To clarify this product was ordered from a well known online retailer for delivery 10 June. The same retailer emailed me and said product was in stock and due to current issues could not deliver all orders due for delivery on 10th June...however could deliver earlier. Guess what I agreed I'm unsure Sonos were aware they were doing this. My review does not say this is a bad product. Rather it's not a convincing Atmos product compared to a proper set up (ask what hifi for there opinion on this) a self contained soundbar cannot physically provide object based sound(in my opinion). Never seen an Atmos cinema with a soundbar.

I will not post a picture of my set up(s) I don't and won't post pictures of home on social media. Isnt it a burglary invitation?

I hope this answers ure queries.

 

[DaviWils]

What. I purchased this for a second room. Its £800 and I'm afraid is absolutely useless at Atmos. I have a separates based Atmos system in my main room. This is almost just a fake stab reliant on height of ceiling etc..I think the review needs to be clear it's no match for a proper Atmos set up and actually poor value taking that into account £800 can buy a complete Atmos receiver and Speaker package that simply blows this away.

Clearly telling lies, since it isn't even released yet LOL

 

[Hifiman2007]

Clearly telling lies, since it isn't even released yet LOL

Products are delivered to store warehousing in advance of release date. It's very common for customers to receive products before release date. How do u think so many sites have already reviewed the product. If a retailer cannot fulfill all orders placed to be received on release day it may attempt to re arrange. Clearly at moment it is reduced delivery capacity..and so will utilise any spare capacity to get a product to a customer either on. Before or as soon after release date. Next time you see a q outside the Apple store check online how many people have already received the product prior to that date. Never seen a movie at flix prior to its official release date? What gain have I got with my comments. I've not offered advice on an alternative brand product. Just left an honest opinion. Incidentally many other reviews are saying it offers little in height channels which is what I eluded to and also one of the main purposes of an ATMOS soundtrack.

 

[DaviWils]

Products are delivered to store warehousing in advance of release date. It's very common for customers to receive products before release date. How do u think so many sites have already reviewed the product. If a retailer cannot fulfill all orders placed to be received on release day it may attempt to re arrange. Clearly at moment it is reduced delivery capacity..and so will utilise any spare capacity to get a product to a customer either on. Before or as soon after release date. Next time you see a q outside the Apple store check online how many people have already received the product prior to that date. Never seen a movie at flix prior to its official release date? What gain have I got with my comments. I've not offered advice on an alternative brand product. Just left an honest opinion. Incidentally many other reviews are saying it offers little in height channels which is what I eluded to and also one of the main purposes of an ATMOS soundtrack.

Whatever. Some people are not interested in installing a full wired ceiling solution and just want a really good quality soundbar, for those people, this looks like a good bet.

 

[Hifiman2007]

Another 5 star review today. Yet even this review summary is exactly all I have said.

 

[no-name-123]

With out genuine pictures, we can't trust the text as genuine. Burglars would need to identify the out side of the house, and be sure your user name was the real you. With good reason I use a pen name. Just obstruct the windows when pictures are taken

 

[sevengroove]

Whether this person has the Arc or not is irrelevant. The point they are making is that it is no substitute for a full-blown Atmos system with satellite speakers, something that has been corroborated by at least one other review (Gizmodo). Stop asking them for photos of their home and product as if that is going to change their opinion.

Now can someone please answer my question

Was the Arc mounted or on a TV stand for this review? My TV stand is about 18" tall, and I'm curious to know if I will experience any significant gain in audio quality if I mount the bar between 30 - 36", which is roughly head height when I'm on the couch.

Edit for more context: I have a 65" LG C9 currently sitting on the TV stand which will be mounted as well to accommodate the Arc. So I'm trying to decide if I should just mount the Arc along with the TV or save the $80 and let the Arc sit on the stand.

 

[CV-74]

Afraid the Arc is one compromise too many from Sonos for me. Waited a couple of years now for them to embrace Atmos only to find that I can't use it. I refuse to upgrade the TV as the LG E6 from 2016 is the last and best home 3D solution and I love the format. As the TV won't output or pass through Atmos I have no way of making use of the Arc. I even tried using a 4K hdr 60hz hdmi matrix with an output to my sonos beam as a test and the other to the TV but nothing - apparently sonos HDMI connections only work with hdmi-arc from a TV. So reluctantly, the beam is going upstairs to be paired with the Symfonisk bedside lamps in a 5.0 setup with the bedroom TV, the two play 1s (previous surrounds to the beam) and the sub will provide my lounge music in a 2.1 arrangement, and I've now picked up a Samsung Hw-n950 on ebay for about £20 less than the price of the Arc. I appreciate Sonos focus on simplicity, but for the sake of a couple of HDMI inputs.... talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face. Will always go to Sonos for music, but they really don't get ease of use when it comes to home theater. I compromised with the absence of DTS with a UHD 4K player that can convert DTS to dolby digital on the fly, but getting rid of my beloved 3D OLED TV is one compromise too many. If the arc v2 in a few years includes a couple of HDMI inputs I'd consider it, but I'm not holding out.

 

[Wongster88]

Sonos might be late to the party, but its first Dolby Atmos soundbar is an absolute belter.

Sonos Arc : Read more

I’ve found your article late and realised the my 75 inch Samsung q7f , like your 49 q7f cannot run through Dolby Atmos. Have you managed to find a work around? Waited forever for this sound bar and Atmos only to fail at the last hurdle

 

[Dwpost]

Sonos might be late to the party, but its first Dolby Atmos soundbar is an absolute belter.

Sonos Arc : Read more

What. I purchased this for a second room. Its £800 and I'm afraid is absolutely useless at Atmos. I have a separates based Atmos system in my main room. This is almost just a fake stab reliant on height of ceiling etc..I think the review needs to be clear it's no match for a proper Atmos set up and actually poor value taking that into account £800 can buy a complete Atmos receiver and Speaker package that simply blows this away.

I received mine on the 10th June and would disagree about the Atmos effect which works very well. For most people they will be really happy with the effect and having a Sonos system, or even an alternative soundbar, will be preferable in order to avoid having clumsy and unattractive AV Separates in the lounge . I have friends who have a AV separates and they have also been really impressed with the sound from the Arc and no one has suggested separates ‘blows the arc away’

I understand you were lucky to receive you Arc early but I am still confused how you tested and reviewed it so early when the software that is required to even use Arc (It will not run on the original Sonos App) was not released until 8th June?

 

[Solarisca]

What. I purchased this for a second room. Its £800 and I'm afraid is absolutely useless at Atmos. I have a separates based Atmos system in my main room. This is almost just a fake stab reliant on height of ceiling etc..I think the review needs to be clear it's no match for a proper Atmos set up and actually poor value taking that into account £800 can buy a complete Atmos receiver and Speaker package that simply blows this away.

Sonos might be late to the party, but its first Dolby Atmos soundbar is an absolute belter.

Sonos Arc : Read more

 

[Solarisca]

I returned my Sonos Arc full package with sub and sl @ $2500 and got HW-Q90R for $1500 and sounds way better
Sonos Arc sound cheap at high volume and fails to produce clear low frequency sounds. in fact a reliable test proves that.

Sonos Arc Review

The Sonos Arc is the manufacturer's flagship soundbar released in 2020. It's a smart soundbar with built-in voice assistant capabilities designed for easy integr...

www.rtings.com

 

[Dwpost]

I returned my Sonos Arc full package with sub and sl @ $2500 and got HW-Q90R for $1500 and sounds way better
Sonos Arc sound cheap at high volume and fails to produce clear low frequency sounds. in fact a reliable test proves that.

Sonos Arc Review

The Sonos Arc is the manufacturer's flagship soundbar released in 2020. It's a smart soundbar with built-in voice assistant capabilities designed for easy integr...

www.rtings.com

I must admit I have not noticed the issue with the bass which is probably due to having a sub. I’m surprised you had a problem as you had the sub as well. I’ve not really tested the high volume issue as the Arc is very loud and never needed that level of volume.
As mentioned a number of times in the review there has been a software update to remedy this issue and by many accounts has worked but it will be interesting to see the revised review.

 

[mitchellsx]

Don't really trust these sort of reviews anymore, guessing what hifi are paid to review so they just slap on a 5 star and don't really test in full.
I have had the ARC for about 4 weeks, and not too impressed with it, very tin can sounding and the mid range is not great. Have tested against my Sonos Beam and that sound better.
I did have a q90r Samsung before but the speaker kept disconnecting so sent that back, yes that did sound great and im hoping Sonos can improve the ARC with some software updates and release some up firing rear speakers. Rtings are probable the best reviews to look at, as they test these thing fully. Thats where you will see that there is something not right with the ARC. Also check the Sonos forums, a lot of unhappy customers returning there's due to poor sound quality.
Im holding out for the 100 day return period to see im Sonos release software that sorts out the issues, if not will return beforehand.

 

[Joe Cox]

We have never been, and will never be, "paid to review". And advertising has no influence on the editorial team and never has.

 

[bigzolee]

Hi can you please clarify the following? I have a tv and a pc/xbox. Is it possible to use sonos arc for pc's sounds and also for TV with just the only one hdmi input? How?

Thanks

 

[meltingpoint]

What Hi-FI, are you by any chance sponsered by Sonos or got a free unit??
The Sonos ARC is basically a speaker that can decode Atmos, but in no way an Atmos system.
It has no upward firing speakers, no rear speakers, no sub, its made of plastic and most people agree that the ATMOS sound is underwhelming. On top of that it only has the 1 HMDI port, so unless your TV is 2019+ then its pretty useless. You can connect 1 device to it, so if you have an xbox and a amazon fire cube for example, then you are stuffed. Seriously, for about the same amount of money you can pick up a whole ATMOS system on sale such as the Samsung HW-Q90R, which is a true ATMOS system that sounds a lot better with ATMOS sound.

 

[Jim D]

Sonos might be late to the party, but its first Dolby Atmos soundbar is an absolute belter.

Sonos Arc : Read more

I bought a sonos Arc based on What Hifi review and recommendation but there is a MAJOR PROBLEM ! The eArc function does not work with my brand new 2020 Samsung TV Q95T . When the eArc mode is selected on the TV the sonos produces no sound . Having googled it , this is apparently a known problem between these two manufacturers . THIS SHOULD BE POINTED OUT IN YOUR REVIEW ! If you have or intend to have a new Samsung TV do NOT buy a Sonos Arc -it does not work !

 

[Erik]

I purchased the Samsung Q80T and the Sonos Arc based on this article purely to experience Dolby Atmos. Not sure what WHAT HI-FI did to make them work together as it is widely reported on Samsung and Sonos forums that the earc won't work for Atmos. Could you please elaborate, because you seem to be the only ones who had it working as it should... if your article is to be believed as even Samsung are now talking about working on firmware updates to remedy the problem.

 

[bobmatt]

What. I purchased this for a second room. Its £800 and I'm afraid is absolutely useless at Atmos. I have a separates based Atmos system in my main room. This is almost just a fake stab reliant on height of ceiling etc..I think the review needs to be clear it's no match for a proper Atmos set up and actually poor value taking that into account £800 can buy a complete Atmos receiver and Speaker package that simply blows this away.

My set up is the Sonos Arc + Sud + 2 x Sonos One . Absolutely Love and am very pleased with ot and the sound production and ease of use with the best to non-Sono 2 app , Excellent Dolby Atmos production with my 2-year-old LG TV with only an HDMI Atc (non eARC) and the bypass works very well to plays Doby Atoms contents with good heights, also all other non-Atmos contents signals play very well to with excellent surround sound stage. With this Sonos setup combination, it plays all types Music very well too (in excellent CD quality). (I have own other Cinemas AV systems and I see Sonos has made it better. I am also a keen high end 2 channel HiFi amp system owner and the sound out my Sonos setup is as good. This has been my experience.