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The Sonos Arc’s premium pricing is justified by its impressive surround sound performance, but the lack of heavy bass output and Bluetooth connectivity might encourage picky buyers to consider other options.
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Table of Contents
Product Snapshot
Overview
First launched in 2020, the Sonos Arc is a premium 5.0.2-channel speaker that boasts a large soundstage and Dolby Atmos support. These two pros are very easy to find among the best speakers in the market..
Its lack of a subwoofer means that movie lovers will miss out on the low, thumpy bass that makes action scenes a lot more exciting, but its wide soundstage makes it easy to detect exactly where object sounds are coming from.
Unlike most highly-rated soundbars, the Sonos Arc is very limited in its array of physical inputs since it only has one HDMI port and one Ethernet port.
Its wireless connectivity options only allow for Wi-Fi connection or Apple AirPlay, as it does not support Bluetooth connectivity or streaming through Chromecast. For an alternative that supports all these options, see our Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar review.
The Sonos Arc is a stellar 5.0.2 channel soundbar that delivers clear and accurate dialogue and instrumentals, with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support for a wide soundstage and an immersive surround sound experience.
Its bass response is satisfying, and while it lacks Bluetooth connectivity, music can be streamed through WiFi, Apple AirPlay, or Spotify Connect, and there’s also Alexa and Google Assistant support for voice commands.
The soundbar has a very low 25ms latency tested over ARC and 21ms over Optical for in-sync listening, but there’s no full Eq for sound adjustments.
Unfortunately, its port selection is also quite limited, with only one Ethernet port. Overall, the soundbar is perfect for movie lovers looking for a cinematic, surround sound experience at home.
ReasonS to Buy
Premium sound quality
Sonos Arc is a great all-rounder for home entertainment. It is ideal for dialogue-focused content thanks to its pristine vocal and instrumental reproduction, and It also has a deep bass output.
Great voice clarity
Vocals are clear and precise on the Sonos Arc, thanks to its dialogue enhancement feature. This makes it ideal for TV shows or any other type of dialogue-focused content.
Smart features/connectivity
The Sonos Arc will stream and connect wirelessly through WiFi, Apple AirPlay, or Spotify Connect, and with a 21-25ms latency, audio-visuals are pretty well synchronized. This ultra-low latency is in the top 25% compared to other alternatives. It doesn’t support Bluetooth connectivity but has both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Its companion app is also easy to use
Deep bass output
The Sonos Arc’s bass output is deep and thunderous and can be adjusted through the Sonos app.
Loud max volume
The Sonos Arc gets as loud as 87dB, and although this is satisfyingly loud for most people, it is only higher than average compared to how loud other alternatives can get.
Reason to Avoid
Mediocre surround sound
Despite support for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital, the Sonos Arc’s surround sound is mediocre since it doesn’t ship with any satellite speakers or a subwoofer.
No full EQ
The lack of an EQ on the Sonos Arc means sound cannot be precisely fine-tuned to the requirements of the listener.
Sonos Arc Specs
Bluetooth Enabled
No
Depth
4.56"
Dialogue Enhancement Feature
Yes
Energy Star Certified
No
Equalizer Settings
n/a
HDMI ARC
Yes
Height
3.43"
Number of Audio Channels
5.0.2
Subwoofer
Optional (sold separately)
Surround Sound Supported
Dolby Atmos
Voice Assistant
Amazon Alexa
Wall Mountable
Yes
Weight
13.8 lbs
Width
45"
Wireless Connectivity
NFC, Wi-Fi
Wireless Subwoofer Connectivity
Yes
Works With
Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
All Specs
Test Results
These are the most important criteria to test for Soundbars based on our comprehensive Testing Methodology.
Low End Roll Off (Hz)
85.99
High End Roll Off (Hz)
17,984.021
Max Volume Test (db)
91.6
Latency (ms)
25
THD @ 80dB
0.25
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First launched in 2020, the Sonos Arc is a premium 5.0.2-channel speaker that boasts a large soundstage and Dolby Atmos support. These two pros are…
First launched in 2020, the Sonos Arc is a premium 5.0.2-channel speaker that boasts a large soundstage and Dolby Atmos support. These two pros are very easy to find among the best speakers in the market..
Its lack of a subwoofer means that movie lovers will miss out on the low, thumpy bass that makes action scenes a lot more exciting, but its wide soundstage makes it easy to detect exactly where object sounds are coming from.
Unlike most highly-rated soundbars, the Sonos Arc is very limited in its array of physical inputs since it only has one HDMI port and one Ethernet port.
Its wireless connectivity options only allow for Wi-Fi connection or Apple AirPlay, as it does not support Bluetooth connectivity or streaming through Chromecast. For an alternative that supports all these options, see our Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar review.
The Sonos Arc is a 5.0.2-channel soundbar that has support for Dolby Atmos. This makes it slightly better than the Sonos Playbar since it cannot…
The Sonos Arc is a 5.0.2-channel soundbar that has support for Dolby Atmos. This makes it slightly better than the Sonos Playbar since it cannot render Dolby Atmos content. The Arc can stream music through Apple AirPlay, but the Sonos Playbar doesn’t support this feature. The Arc offers voice assistant support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but the Playbar doesn’t work with these.
The Sonos Arc gets louder than the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), making it more suitable for use in large gatherings. The Sonos Arc also allows…
The Sonos Arc gets louder than the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), making it more suitable for use in large gatherings. The Sonos Arc also allows for height level adjustment, which is a feature that the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) does not have.
The Sonos Arc has unique features such as auto volume adjustment and auto night mode, and these are features that the Samsung HW-Q90R does not…
The Sonos Arc has unique features such as auto volume adjustment and auto night mode, and these are features that the Samsung HW-Q90R does not have. However, the Samsung soundbar includes a subwoofer and two satellite speakers, which are additions that the Sonos Arc doesn’t ship with.
