The Last SONOS ARC review YOU NEED: Is the Arc STILL worth it?

Does this tv make my arc look tiny 😂🤣😂🤣

Sonos support their products well - the Arc has got a lot of updates since release, including DTS support. So a three year review is still relevant.
What I love best about my Arc setup is that it has such great lifestyle integration, and still delivers all the competence, authority and clarity needed across games, movies, TV and music in a decent sized room. I've never felt let down by it.

Great review Andrew. Looking forward to see and hear your review when the sonos arc gen2 arrives this year.

Excellent review. The only thing I would add is this - think of the Sonos Arc home theater system as part of your whole house audio video system. You not only get a wonderful home theater, but when you host a party, you can stream audio through the Arc system AND the other Sonos speakers in the house. It is very impressive.

Can’t wait for the Arc2 !

I always liked Sonos, always thought their sound was "cleaner" then most other of the higher end soundbars. The problem I've had is you need a sub, it's just not the same without one, and an extra $700+ for the Sonos sub was the "killer" for me. I stumbled upon the Bluesound Pulse, which lets you connect any 3rd party powered sub. The soundbar has a built-in cross over of 80Hz and you can tweak things in the BluOs app. So for $1000, I connected my Yamaha 10" sub, simple plug and play, and it sounds as good, if not better that the Arc...

Hi Andrew!
I've got the LG Oled C2 65" and i need a new soundbar. At first I was pretty sure i wanted the Beam gen 2. Our living room is about 20 sq.m. Do you think the beam gen 2 (without the subw) will be enough or do you think we need to get the Sonos Arc?
We got neighbours so we can't go that crazy, but just good sound for movies/music.
Best regards Jonathan

Hi there i have a question about sonos. What would you think about a sonos soundbar switch 2 sonance in ceiling speakers for a tv setup?

Decent product that really comes to life when you add the era speakers and the gen 3 sub with it. I would say it’s great when you add the whole surround setup. The Arc is just okay as a standalone product. Voice dialogue is quieter than I’d like on tv programs even with the speech enhancement feature turned on. The Arc is a solid product and I’m keeping it, but it feels $200-$300 overpriced for what it is.

Can you calibrate with an android phone?

If you have yet to try a Sonos, don’t ever…

Ok... So I just went to a massive department store here in Australia called JB Hifi... Tried every soundbar in the shop costing up to 2.5k...
Every single one from every major brand, had a plasticity resonance, which came through most strongly in human voice... What's with all the praise with these soundbars? Not a mention in these reviews of the coloration they have and are considered comparable to bookshelves.
Please don't waste your money and buy these blind. Go have a good listen to see if your living room space is worth the sacrifice in sound quality.

why are you reviewing a three year old product?

What about Soundbar BeoSound Stage vs Arc ?

Have owned arc, it is a nightmare. No Service when it doesn’t work

Great review. Won’t Sonos be coming out with a new ARC soon?

With all the added extra’s in this clipp its actually not an arc review at all imo 😶

Any thoughts on Klipsch the Sevens vs Sonos (as described in this video)? Thanks

Andrew
The Sonos Fives reproduce stereo music much more effectively than the Era 300s, as they are front firing, while the Era 300s are not.
So the Era 300s are great for Atmos music and movies, but are not ideal for regular stereo music, which is the lion’s share of the music available today.

Andrew, love watching your review. You're simply awesome to hear and watch. I have a situation where I cannot place rear speakers in my living hall setup. Therefore I want to know what's your thoughts when you compare arc with sub and bose ultra with sub. Need your straight answer without rear speakers in the mix. 990c is out as it comes with rears which I won't be able to use.

I respectfully disagree with this review on a few points. Music: Arc by itself - midbass, warmth, punch, are almost completely missing from this soundbar. Big disappointment. I then paired it with a sub mini(which provided a lot of low end) and again, midbass, warmth, and punch was lacking big time. The highs sound good from the bar, the lows sound good from the sub, but everything in between is BAD. I'm selling my Arc/Sub Mini and going back to a traditional AV setup where I came from. Movies on the other hand sound pretty good. Seems like the setup really wakes up when streaming movies from Disney, Netflix, or Max. Live sports and tv shows sound sub par.

Great review. And have an uncanny resemblance to Gerard Butler.

My SONOS arc keeps disconnecting from Samsung QLED mid watching something. Its easy fix by reconnecting but still a pain.

Just in time for Sonos to come out with a new flagship soundbar in the first half of next year! Hopefully it won't take you guys 3 years to review the new one.

Aktive speakers over the arc any day of the week

I just got a Sonos Arc during this year's Black Friday sales. Upgraded from Beam (Gen 2). It's fantastic. They're very rarely on sale so I think they'll release an upgrade next year.

For what it’s worth, I have (and continue to have) tons of weird issues with my Hisense (UH7) and a Sonos earc setup. It is not reliable AT ALL. E-arc works great with my LG but the Hisense just can’t handle this job for some reason.

I just wish sonos can do 2 things with the next release and I will buy one. Allow HDMI pass through and DTS HD and I'm in the sonos ecosystem

I think it's very telling that a bar that came out 3 years ago is still worth talking about today.

I heard the Sonos arc at a friend place and the dialogue was soft and hard to hear for every streaming. Everything was configured and clarity enabled. Action sounds are great but they just overpower the dialogue beyond recognition.

How do you add wireless headphones (has 3.5mm or optical- out ) to the system when the wife says she can not sleep? Sony Bravia TV - eARC HDMI to TV from Arc soundbar, 4K HDMI from Nvidia Shield Pro to TV?

For that price we can buy decent avr+speaker configuration

Can you please advise what stands you put the surrounds on? Thanks

As always an excellent review. I have the Bose 900, dual 700 bass modules, and the omnis but I enjoyed your review of the Arc.

Can you please review the PS3 next

Im considering another sub down the road. I've talked to someone that said 2 subs is the way to go.

This review was worth the wait. I enjoy all your reviews and value your opinion. Its crazy that this product still leaves most of the competition in the dust. I think the sub is one of the best in the game. I got lucky to get my arc and sub on sale a year ago. Im waiting to get the era 300s now

I love the comparisons given by Kristi, especially with the Sony HT-A9. I'm seriously considering that system at the current price.

what is that white furniture the sonos arc is sitting on?

Had my ARC for about 2 years or more and do agree the dialogue is not the best l, even after Truplay and speech enhancement on. I find it hard to get the right balance, you up the sound to hear the speech and then the loud sounds are too loud so you lower it but then can’t hear speech.. I have tried the loudness setting also and that don’t make much difference either.
Sonos just need to make the centre channel better, tweak it, give us control

Hi Andrew, nice review, it has been said before, but it would be nice to review the Amp some day! It’s quite good and you benefit from a perfect app and tv compatibility ( more then the powernode).

Great review! Thank you so much.
How does it compare to B&O products? Theatre and Stage??
Because I’m trying to figure out if I’m better off with an ARC or a B&O

Can you turn this of when watching the tv and just have it on for moves

Didn't work with Android. Sounded like crap in my living room since I don't own an iPhone. Returned it to Best buy and got the HT a9's

Finally! Lol. I’ve been waiting for this review and enjoyed your analysis of the system. Glad you had a good experience with your Sonos system. We thoroughly enjoy ours and continue to add to our Sonos ecosystem.

I never thought I would see the day lol

Thanks to you I discovered the ambeo max. Finally took the plunge this Black Friday and got it for 1600. To me it’s better that the Sonos arc, and miles ahead than the Samsung and Bose. But I cannot afford the b&o yet. Very happy with my sennheiser 😊 , all thanks to you, three years later but I got it!

I replaced my Nakamichi 7.2.4 with the Arc, dual subs, and Fives over a year ago to my LG OLED 77C1. This was way before the Era 300s had a release date. The Arc system was a huge improvement over the Nakamichi and I didn't want to wait for the Nakamichi Dragon to come out. I know I'm missing out on full Atmos with the Fives; but, only about 20%-35% of the content I watch is in Atmos format. I can wait for Arc Gen 2 and/or Era 500 down the road.

I just sold my Arc + sub (gen 1) which I had for about two years and got myself a Bang and Olufsen Stage. I don't care that much for a sub anymore and the clarity of the dialogs when watching a regular TV show are much better on the Stage. It's also more musical on its own than the Arc. Just my two cents.

Lol you guys only review product that you get for free should buy some products your selves haha