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Room acoustics not ideal for Sonos Arc - worth adding surround set?

  • 29 January 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 284 views
B

 

 Hi, 

I have a Sonos Arc since almost a year, and somehow I’m not content with the sound it adds to my LG OLED TV. Already had a nice call with Sonos Service, and according to the very engaged hotline agent, signal formats, connections, update status and settings were just fine. And I tried Trueplay mit various iOS devices and in multiple runs. The sound is rather “thin”, I’m not really feeling that the sound is much better than the built-in speakers of the slim LG TV. Might I be having a faulty unit that I should send in for service repair? Or is this mediocre sound quality “expected behavior” of the Arc?

 

My questions:

  1. Room acoustics: 

The sound is reflected from the Arc on the one side by a wall, whereas in the other direction there is some open space (see images). Plus, I’m sitting quite close to the back wall. Any chance to get better results with the Arc in this arrangement by changing things in the room, or should I rather switch to some other home theater audio system? 

 

  1. Upgrade to surround set?

Is it worth a try to buy a Sub (or Sub mini?) and two One SL as rear speakers, or would the rear speakers be too close to the listening position anyway? How much improvement would you expect?

 

Thanks very much for your kind advice :-) 

Images: 

 

 

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Best answer by buzz 29 January 2023, 20:32

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2 replies

buzz

In my opinion that space is not very kind to any sort of soundbar. You might experience some improvement if you move the bar forward to the front edge of the cabinet.

M
Userlevel 4
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I did not see any major issue with your placement tbh. Almost any soundbar should at least offer considerably more authority over your TV speakers. The ARC should be a big improvement, it's pretty high capability as soundbars go. Have you access to another soundbar, or a pair of active bookshelf speakers you could test? Maybe from a friend or relative? It might help you rule out any hardware issues, or maybe even help you decide if you prefer a different kind of speaker?

If you were to expand the Sonos system I'd start with surrounds, they expand the presence and sound stage a lot. Sonos's DSP brings a well executed, balanced and pleasent ambiance with the rears, even with stereo sources. Consider a sub after that.

If you were to leave the Sonos ecosystem I'd start with a full size pair of bookshelves or floor standers. Almost anything else could be a downgrade in authority.

 

 

 

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