Enthusiast I

anybody else feel like the Playbar sounds better than the Arc ?

8 replies
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I got my Arc yesterday. And i have it setup with a pair of Sonos ones. I had been using a playbar for the last 6 months or so. The Arc sounds good. But i honestly don’t know if it’s better than the playbar. I mean the features are better. But in terms or sound i think I enjoy the playbar better especially for music. I;m not a sound expert...just what i;ve noticed in the first day that I’ve had it.

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Airgetlam

I have the complete opposite impression. Even without Dolby Atmos, the Arc sounds much better than the PLAYBAR.

Bruce

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ReefyAuthor

Enthusiast I

Interesting. For movies it sounds great. For music it’s good too. But not convinced that it’s that much better than the playbar. I thin

Need to try it out longer. It mainly just speaks to just how good the playbar was… or is.

CommanderB

Trending Lyricist I

I’m with @Airgetlam - In my setup of two Play:1 surrounds and the Sonos Sub the Arc is a significant upgrade over the Playbar paired with same. The sound field is amazing when using Atmos (check YouTube for Dolby Atmos show reels). The improvement for standard 5.1 is more marginal, but I would say still better.

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ReefyAuthor

Enthusiast I

Interesting. Well I’m glad people are seeing a big difference. It might just be me.
as for Atmos, I have a 2019 Samsung Q60R tv. Only an ARC connection. But the TV does have an Atmos setting and when playing certain Netflix movies the Sonos app shows Atmos.
im guessing lossy Atmos. I don’t really notice any difference though.

im trying to find some audio content that can “show off” the Atmos capabilities but nothing yet.

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Seeky

Prominent Collaborator II

Interesting. Well I’m glad people are seeing a big difference. It might just be me.
as for Atmos, I have a 2019 Samsung Q60R tv. Only an ARC connection. But the TV does have an Atmos setting and when playing certain Netflix movies the Sonos app shows Atmos.
im guessing lossy Atmos. I don’t really notice any difference though.

im trying to find some audio content that can “show off” the Atmos capabilities but nothing yet.

Maybe you’re a victim of this?

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-arc-muddy-bottoming-out-bass-6842379?postid=16440527#post16440527

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ReefyAuthor

Enthusiast I

Interesting. Well I’m glad people are seeing a big difference. It might just be me.
as for Atmos, I have a 2019 Samsung Q60R tv. Only an ARC connection. But the TV does have an Atmos setting and when playing certain Netflix movies the Sonos app shows Atmos.
im guessing lossy Atmos. I don’t really notice any difference though.

im trying to find some audio content that can “show off” the Atmos capabilities but nothing yet.

Maybe you’re a victim of this?

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-arc-muddy-bottoming-out-bass-6842379?postid=16440527#post16440527

interesting. I don’t know if mine is as bad as others are describing but i did find myself adjusting the base in the EQ. I lowered it. Something I never did with the playbar. And I was thinking to myself that maybe the base is not as good with the ARC… and also wondered if a Sub would be required. Again I never had a sub with the playbar. i have noticed some crackling. I just remember being blown away with the playbar… and I’m not as impressed with the Arc.

IndustrialEcho

Lyricist III

Just the thread I was looking for. My wife and I do feel that the Playbar has a much fuller sound then the Arc. Yes, the speech is better on the Arc, but the bass is so lackluster on the Arc. Also, unless you have an ideal room with 4 walls, i am not sure you get the Atmos effect as strong. Our room has one open wall and we have arched ceilings. We also have the sub and two Play Ones. Then there is the software problem that Seeky was talking about. I hate to loose Airplay 2 connectivity, but we are close to returning the Arc.

My 2 cents...

Formerly with a Playbar, now with an Arc, but unfortunately, due to poor sound quality, soon back to the Playbar. / Sub / 2 Sonos Ones

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ReefyAuthor

Enthusiast I

Just the thread I was looking for. My wife and I do feel that the Playbar has a much fuller sound then the Arc. Yes, the speech is better on the Arc, but the bass is so lackluster on the Arc. Also, unless you have an ideal room with 4 walls, i am not sure you get the Atmos effect as strong. Our room has one open wall and we have arched ceilings. We also have the sub and two Play Ones. Then there is the software problem that Seeky was talking about. I hate to loose Airplay 2 connectivity, but we are close to returning the Arc.

My 2 cents...

100%. This is one of the most disappointing products I’ve ever bought when you consider the price. Might seem like an exaggeration but it’s honestly been a flop! I bought the arc to future proof. But this Arc quite frankly sucks! And support seems to have no clue what to do and no communication.
If and when I go back to the playbar I will also downgrade the S2 app back to S1. St this point I don’t want to have anything to do with Sonos upgrades. They need to better test their stuff

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