Improved Height Channel Audio on Sonos Arc

Sorry, my mistake but I also have Top Gun. TV settings exactly as you say but if App reports Dolby Atmos signal the settings are unlikely to be wrong or it would say Dolby 5.1/PCM/True sound or some such. I have searched the Web and tried various ideas ie tilting the Arc forwards ( Peter Pee) turning loudness off etc without improvement. It would be interesting to conduct a Poll on this Community as to how many get any height effects. After 8 month of use I so far conclude for me at least I am chasing Unicorns. Any further suggestions?

@peta Very strange. I have a similar setup as you with the Arc placed on a media console 2 feet high with a flat 8-foot ceiling and a MLP around 6 feet away from the Arc. I also use an Apple TV 4K, Roku Ultra, and Panasonic DP-UB820. I can hear VERY discrete height channel effects from Dolby Atmos sources. And as I posted above, the height effects have improved and are even more noticeable than before.

You might consider redoing the TV Setup process in the Sonos app:

Disconnect all of your devices including the Arc from the TV. Unplug the TV and Arc from power for a couple of minutes. Plug them both back in but keep everything disconnected. Make sure Simplink is enabled in your TV settings. Run TV Setup in the Sonos app, and when the app instructs you to, connect the Arc to the TV’s HDMI ARC port using the Sonos-supplied HDMI cable. When the Arc has been successfully connected, connect your other devices to the TV. Make sure the TV settings are set to this:

HDMI Input Audio Format: Bitstream

Digital Sound Out: Pass Through

eARC: On

And test the Roma clip again.

If your TV or streaming device can play MP4 files via USB, go here:

https://download.dolby.com/us/en/test-tones/dolby-test-tones_5_1_2.mp4

Go to the three dots on the lower right, choose ‘Download’.  Get that file onto a USB, and connect it to the TV.  The individual tones sent to each speaker will let you know if your Atmos speakers are actually working. 

Blade runner 2049 and 300 is one of the best Dolby arrowsatmos tracks I’ve ever heard especially when the arrows will blot out the sun seen you can feel the arrows coming from everywhere..

Thank you GuitarSuperstar will try your suggestions but as the Arc App always reports Atmos when Atmos content is played I do not expect any major changes. Do you think a diagnostic report to Sonos worthwhile? Living in Ireland with its antique power supply system cuts are common and so everything has reset a good few times over in 8 months of use.

Update, reset all as per advice and updated Sonos App to 14.3. Tried Roma again and noticed an improvement. Some height now but my God its subtle even at +10 but hey its better. Do you think leaving the height setting at +10 will harm non Atmos content? Also submitted diagnostic report to Sonos to see what they say. Unfortunately I cannot do the MP4 thing but thanks any help resolving my problem. Will now check other Atmos content and will get back to you.

The height audio level has no effect on non-Dolby Atmos content since the upward-firing drivers are only used when playing Dolby Atmos audio.

From your MLP, +10 is probably too loud. I keep the height audio level set at +6. But experiment with the setting. Start at 0 and move it to +10 and listen for the difference. Then try different levels in between 0 and +10 until it sounds balanced with the rest of the drivers in the Arc and the surround speakers.

If you have an Apple TV 4K and an iPhone, you should be able to AirPlay the Dolby Atmos Test Tones file from your iPhone to the Apple TV, and it should play in Dolby Atmos. Check the Sonos app to verify.

https://download.dolby.com/us/en/test-tones/dolby-test-tones_5_1_2.mp4

Here are a couple of more Dolby Atmos trailers you can test with:

http://media.developer.dolby.com/Atmos/MP4/Universe_Fury2.mp4

http://media.developer.dolby.com/Atmos/MP4/shattered-3Mb.mp4

Thanks again, yes I have Apple TV 4K + iPhone 12 so will try this. Tested Roma at various levels but could not hear any height below +10 at all even at very high volume levels ( I have good hearing in both ears). Tried a few 4K discs with reportedly good Atmos height effects, but like Roma a glimmer here or there at best. Are my expectations too high? (pun)  Do you find 4K discs getting harder to find now and increasingly glitchy?

I dunno, without physical speakers on the ceiling, my expectations are pretty muted. I do find that Atmos tracks on the Arc have a bit more dimension to them, but I've never really noticed specific sounds overhead. 

I mean if you're really after perfect dimensionality and soundstage, than I would have thought separates would be a better bet than a soundbar, regardless of what Sonos or any soundbar manufacturer says.

Hi, inclined to agree, tried most of the Atmos content on Apple TV/Netflix/Disney+. Spatial Improvement over standard 5.1 for sure, height maybe a suspicion here and there but could be wishful thinking given my investment. Similar results with 4K UHD Atmos movies recommended for good height effects by many reviewers. And yes I am aware manufacturers always over hype their products but I did expect to hear something!. Remain disappointed given others on here with similar sized rooms report good height sounds, some even saying they need to reduce the height volume for fear of overbalancing the sound! I wish!!