Sonos - Arc

Folks, don’t overthink this. For music, 2 of ANY Sonos speakers (apart from the roam), properly configured as a stereo pair, will sound much better than any of the soundbars. For TV’s and movies, especially atmos and DD 5.1 content, a soundbar setup will be more enjoyable. Which soundbar is up for debate, but as an owner of the OG beam and OG arc, the wider sound stage of the arc will be my pick everyday of the week.

Maybe a slightly used or even new Sonos Arc (not the newer Arc Ultra). I’ve had both and both are absolutely the best soundbars out there in my book. I have returned probably ten other systems and kept the Sonos ones.

Tienes la Arc o la Arc Ultra? Porque también noté algo más de bajos en la Beam 2 comparando a la Arc de primera generación, mejor relación costo beneficio. Pero menos separación de sonido por su reducido tamaño y cantidad de drivers

It's not. Atmos bubble with ultra and 300s is levels above the og arc + 300s

Anyone that tries the Ultra says it's worth the upgrade and yet there are always people convincing themselves that they don't need better vocal clarity/wider soundstage etc. It's because you have no idea how much better it can possibly sound. How much more audible the dialogue can be without coming off sibilant. I had the og Arc and I used to watch movies with remote near me to control the volume between action and dialogue scenes. The luxury of not having to do that anymore alone is more than worth it. If you have era 300s as surrounds, Ultra is a must have to create an amazing Atmos bubble for music.

You think I'm comparing them on paper? I have both as well bro. The difference in vocal clarity, soundstage and overall sound fidelity is strikingly obvious.

A lot of people seem to think the Samsung sounds fantastic. Sonos has the app and WiFi challenges. I’m neck deep in the Sonos system. I was contemplating making the move to the new Samsung Q990F hitting the market this year, BUT and a huge but, I just downloaded the Sonosequencer app and have been able to take my Sonos gear and turn it into a whole different experience. The app let me add my amp with bookshelf speakers as front left and right. Then it uses my OG Arc as a center channel (though other sounds do come out slightly) then I have two subs and 2 300s as rears. It is a HUGE improvement to just the sound bar. I heard Samsung is adding some new tech to their 990F, but I have a hard time believing it could compete with real wide left and rights. It’s made me re commit to Sonos in a big way. I’m extremely happy. Check out @neverenoughtech on YouTube. The guy is awesome. And really funny.

My suggestion would be to wait for CES 2025 and see what Samsung comes out with. Or other brands for that matter. And I have the OG Arc… had the Ultra and returned it. Was not overly impressed with it and think what’s coming out in a few weeks could be better. If not you can always go for the Ultra or Sony…

You're talking about Atmos under $1k. Just get the ARC, it sounds really good. Later you can add the Sonos mini-sub, which also sounds really good.

Great price for a new arc even if first generation. Get it!

Last month I've came from a original Beam 1 to the original arc. Sub gen 3 and one's for surround sound. Now sound is so subjective, but after playing with equaliser and voice settings: 1.5.1 is much better than before, larger sound stage with effects filling the room. This is from Netflix, Prime, Disney Plus and TV programs in Dolby 2.0 2.Atmos is great and compared to the Beam 2 that I listened too in demo, sounds better and not stimulated. 3.Never had issues with dialogue with speech enhancement on. Maybe because I sit closer to the TV or something, but I don't regret getting the Arc. I'm planning to get the Era 300s setup soon. The Beam 2 is an excellent speaker that punches above it's weight. However, it does fall down on Atmos, which is one of the main reasons I went with the arc. I also didn't want to go with the Ultra as I didn't want to pay that money for a soundbar!

Didn’t Costco have a dumbed down version of the Arc without a Mic and voice control that was a Costco exclusive.

The Costco Arc was a different product, even was a different color, like a lighter matte black. Not saying that’s what this, but that lesser product does or at least did exist. I’m a Sonos direct dealer and dealers were obviously somewhat up in arms when Costco started selling Sonos, and by releasing the lesser version of the Arc at Costco was one way for custom integrators to differentiate the product they were selling and installing that was a higher price.

Watch Andrew Robinson’s Sonos Arc Ultra immersive review. He specifically says it beats out some standard setups, which I agree with. I’m curious to know what soundbar your family has, because I tested the Q990C and original Sonos arc against Sony Cores I previously had (3 fronts only). On front soundstage alone in my viewing area, it was close. In fact, in some instance the soundbars did better, especially with things like dialogue. The soundstage on the passive speakers was slightly wider, but it wasn’t a day and night difference. Higher end soundbars like Sonos and Samsung don’t get enough credit. The Q990D is itself is impressive given that you get surrounds and a sub for under $1K often. And those surrounds are not as you say, small sounding. They punch above their weight and Samsung Smart Home allows for a lot of tweaking.