Skip to main content
TheHeadlessPoster
Enthusiast I
June 8, 2020

Arc Arrived - Initial Impressions

I was lucky enough to pick up my Arc preorder from a store in Sydney today. I’ve set it up and it’s paired with a Panasonic 65” GZ1000 (which only has ARC, not eARC). Here are some initial observations. 

  • Apple TV 4K - YES - confirming I’m getting Dolby Atmos via ARC while watching 4K iTunes movies
  • Built in Apps - YES I’m getting Dolby Atmos from built in apps such as Netflix and Prime
  • The Bass on the Arc surprised me. I’m adding a Sub Gen3 this week regardless - but I can see how some people won’t need to add a Sub for everyday viewing
  • The dialogue is very clear - I thought the speech enhancement was on by default when I first set it up cos it was very clear - but it wasn’t on, which was a pleasant surprise
  • With the GZ1000 I haven’t seen any lip sync issues yet on either FTA channels or from the Apple TV 4K

 

      This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

      26 replies

      Show previous replies
      DanielDion
      Contributor I
      July 3, 2020

      Thank you for your quick response. I have a Sony X850E model. It says it outputs Dolby Digital Plus and have the Apple 4K TV. I wonder what I am doing wrong. 


      hello,

      i have the same tv. Did you made it worked ? If not , I do not want to buy a new TV. It will be cheaper to buy another soundbar that have an HDMI out. I have a lot of Sonos speakers, would be great if the Arc works with my TV for atmos.

      Regards

       

      Ken_Griffiths
      Ken_Griffiths
      July 3, 2020

      Thank you for your quick response. I have a Sony X850E model. It says it outputs Dolby Digital Plus and have the Apple 4K TV. I wonder what I am doing wrong. 


      hello,

      i have the same tv. Did you made it worked ? If not , I do not want to buy a new TV. It will be cheaper to buy another soundbar that have an HDMI out. I have a lot of Sonos speakers, would be great if the Arc works with my TV for atmos.

      Regards

       

      Apple TV 4K uses the multichannel LPCM codec .. maybe change it on ATV to one supported by the TV using HDMI-ARC such as DD+ 5.1 or DD 5.1.

      SOCalistic
      Renowned Enthusiast I
      July 4, 2020

      I have a Sony X930E which does not have eARC and I use Apple TV for everything.  

      Apple TV passes ATMOS via MAT 2.0.  It will not pass Atmos through my Sony.  However the built in Prime App and I have heard Vudu can pass Atmos through the TV to the ARC.  I’ve done it with Jack Ryan on Prime.  But the built in apps look quite a bit worse than the same content coming from Apple TV.  My guess is your TV is the same as mine for this.

        Timpan1
        Enthusiast I
        July 4, 2020

        Well I’m afraid I won’t be purchasing the Arc. I really wanted to love the Arc but after a demo in a proper sound room I think the Playbar does a better job when it comes to music, I really do. We then move to the Elephant in the room i.e. the Arc’s size. It’s simply to big. I have a 55 inch C9 on a glass table top stand and the Arc would be hanging off either end, frankly looking ridiculous. The Playbar hits the sweetspot when it comes to size. Sorry Sonos, it may have all the right credentials but my hard earned cash will be staying in my pocket.

        Ken_Griffiths
        Ken_Griffiths
        July 4, 2020

        Well I’m afraid I won’t be purchasing the Arc. I really wanted to love the Arc but after a demo in a proper sound room I think the Playbar does a better job when it comes to music, I really do. We then move to the Elephant in the room i.e. the Arc’s size. It’s simply to big. I have a 55 inch C9 on a glass table top stand and the Arc would be hanging off either end, frankly looking ridiculous. The Playbar hits the sweetspot when it comes to size. Sorry Sonos, it may have all the right credentials but my hard earned cash will be staying in my pocket.

        I have the Arc and LG C9 55 OLED TV and the TV is about 4 inches wider than the Arc (2 inch either side). It therefore sounds like your glass TV unit is the issue and you cannot point a finger at Sonos (or LG for that matter) about the TV unit, that is really something for you to address.

        Just to add the Arc in our home, with both sub and surrounds sounds awesome, worth every penny spent ...and perfectly compliments the excellent C9 TV too.

          Timpan1
          Enthusiast I
          July 4, 2020

          Well I’m afraid I won’t be purchasing the Arc. I really wanted to love the Arc but after a demo in a proper sound room I think the Playbar does a better job when it comes to music, I really do. We then move to the Elephant in the room i.e. the Arc’s size. It’s simply to big. I have a 55 inch C9 on a glass table top stand and the Arc would be hanging off either end, frankly looking ridiculous. The Playbar hits the sweetspot when it comes to size. Sorry Sonos, it may have all the right credentials but my hard earned cash will be staying in my pocket.

          I have the Arc and LG C9 55 OLED TV and the TV is about 4 inches wider than the Arc (2 inch either side). It therefore sounds like your glass TV unit is the issue and you cannot point a finger at Sonos (or LG for that matter) about the TV unit, that is really something for you to address.

          Just to add the Arc in our home, with both sub and surrounds sounds awesome, worth every penny spent ...and perfectly compliments the excellent C9 TV too.

          It isn't simply the size, though I think asthetic wise it is to big. The music reproduction just isn't as good as my Playbar, it really isn't. I purchased the Playbar at launch and will continue with it for the foreseeable. 

          Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement