What about all the people who said it sounds like crap even without Trueplay though?
For me, trueplay does improve things somewhat, but the sound, even after trueplay is just a little too bright. To me, this is bothersome.
To test things, I brought back the Beam to hear it instead. I did the Trueplay dance and everything. I can still hear the areas where the brightness is prevalent, but overall the Beam’s sound is rounder, so that the brightness isn’t as pronounced.
I am very hopeful that a DSP update will fix things and make Arc amazing. Even some more fine-grained EQ could be helpful.
P.S. Some shows are indeed worse than others. This has to do with the way they are mastered, as well as their level of sound compression (how lossy DD5.1 is). The thing is: for the same compressed source, speech sounds better to me (has less bright/harsh artifacts) when processed by my iPad and played through wired headphones than when processed by Arc and played through the entire 5.1 system. Since the speech (center) channel is so important to the sound experience, I am not getting the most enjoyment from my Sonos system. It is the speech channel that needs adjusting.
I stress that I love my Sonos system, and I think it has some fantastic advantages. I am “all in” on it, with multiple speakers. I want my Arc to bring my joy, and I hope that its sound signature is fixed soon. As with my other comments, I will again ask Sonos to please give us some updates on what’s happening.
We ended up with two solutions that fixed my issue. I switched HDMI from pass through to auto in the LG HDMI settings and replaced the Sonos ARC supplied HDMI cable with a “higher” end cable. That fixed the issue and ATMOS now sounds amazing through the ARC. Night and day difference from before to after. Good luck with this possible solution for LG users.
I have the LG C9 and played with “auto” vs “passthrough” setting. While I couldn’t notice any difference to audio quality, it seems to have some effect on lip sync. I compared “Meridian” on netflix, especially lip sync on dialouge between 00:00:50 and 00:01:15. I find it better in sync with setting “auto” which I find odd, as I always thought “passthrough” should come with the most direct and unprocessed output.
Returned my arc and ended up buying a Sony ST5000 instead. Couldn’t have been happier. Crisp highs and pin point spatial sounds in Atmos. It’s not nearly as plug-n-play as Sonos and has a clunky remote, but hey, no more waiting for OTA updates to fix audio bugs.
We ended up with two solutions that fixed my issue. I switched HDMI from pass through to auto in the LG HDMI settings and replaced the Sonos ARC supplied HDMI cable with a “higher” end cable. That fixed the issue and ATMOS now sounds amazing through the ARC. Night and day difference from before to after. Good luck with this possible solution for LG users.
I have the LG C9 and played with “auto” vs “passthrough” setting. While I couldn’t notice any difference to audio quality, it seems to have some effect on lip sync. I compared “Meridian” on netflix, especially lip sync on dialouge between 00:00:50 and 00:01:15. I find it better in sync with setting “auto” which I find odd, as I always thought “passthrough” should come with the most direct and unprocessed output.
I always wonder what “Auto” does compared to passthrough, I have used passthrough from when I purchased TV and ARC, that way I know where the decoding is done.
I presume with AUTO the decoding would still be done on the ARC, especially if all hdmi ports are set to bitstream.
I think with AUTO it effects the internal apps rather than any external device.
We ended up with two solutions that fixed my issue. I switched HDMI from pass through to auto in the LG HDMI settings and replaced the Sonos ARC supplied HDMI cable with a “higher” end cable. That fixed the issue and ATMOS now sounds amazing through the ARC. Night and day difference from before to after. Good luck with this possible solution for LG users.
I have the LG C9 and played with “auto” vs “passthrough” setting. While I couldn’t notice any difference to audio quality, it seems to have some effect on lip sync. I compared “Meridian” on netflix, especially lip sync on dialouge between 00:00:50 and 00:01:15. I find it better in sync with setting “auto” which I find odd, as I always thought “passthrough” should come with the most direct and unprocessed output.
I always wonder what “Auto” does compared to passthrough, I have used passthrough from when I purchased TV and ARC, that way I know where the decoding is done.
I presume with AUTO the decoding would still be done on the ARC, especially if all hdmi ports are set to bitstream.
I think with AUTO it effects the internal apps rather than any external device.
My brother uses apple tv 4k on lg b9 and he says auto sounds much better than passthrough. Try this out with an atmos or 5.1 sources. There will be a difference. I notice a difference on my older OLED as well (i do not get atmos) but I think passthrough just gives me stereo sound)
Really surprised and disappointed about how thin dialogue sounds on the arc. Generally too bright for my taste, not what I expected from a Sonos product. I have a beam in the next room and for day to day TV and radio think it sounds fuller and more rounded. I have been impressed with the articulation and bass with the arc. Action scenes and sounds effects in particular are spectacular. However this is undermined by the issues so many have described in this thread. I can't understand how the product gets such rave reviews. Considering my options but arc is likely to go back to Sonos unless there is an imminent firmware fix.
Re LG C9, I find no changes with altering passthrough to auto etc.
Really surprised and disappointed about how thin dialogue sounds on the arc. Generally too bright for my taste, not what I expected from a Sonos product. I have a beam in the next room and for day to day TV and radio think it sounds fuller and more rounded. I have been impressed with the articulation and bass with the arc. Action scenes and sounds effects in particular are spectacular. However this is undermined by the issues so many have described in this thread. I can't understand how the product gets such rave reviews. Considering my options but arc is likely to go back to Sonos unless there is an imminent firmware fix.
Re LG C9, I find no changes with altering passthrough to auto etc.
That explanation is exactly what I think. The bass and effects are very good, but the voices ruin everything, thin, bright, annoying voices and the hissing especially of female voices are not in keeping with the sonos signature. I would add a detail ... it lacks means and in my humble opinion that is what takes the warmth out of the whole.
Really surprised and disappointed about how thin dialogue sounds on the arc. Generally too bright for my taste, not what I expected from a Sonos product. I have a beam in the next room and for day to day TV and radio think it sounds fuller and more rounded. I have been impressed with the articulation and bass with the arc. Action scenes and sounds effects in particular are spectacular. However this is undermined by the issues so many have described in this thread. I can't understand how the product gets such rave reviews. Considering my options but arc is likely to go back to Sonos unless there is an imminent firmware fix.
Re LG C9, I find no changes with altering passthrough to auto etc.
That explanation is exactly what I think. The bass and effects are very good, but the voices ruin everything, thin, bright, annoying voices and the hissing especially of female voices are not in keeping with the sonos signature. I would add a detail ... it lacks means and in my humble opinion that is what takes the warmth out of the whole.
Exactly as my feel and experiences. Trueplay does help. But still feel unbalanced overall, unless some EQ settings are tweaked.
Really surprised and disappointed about how thin dialogue sounds on the arc. Generally too bright for my taste, not what I expected from a Sonos product. I have a beam in the next room and for day to day TV and radio think it sounds fuller and more rounded. I have been impressed with the articulation and bass with the arc. Action scenes and sounds effects in particular are spectacular. However this is undermined by the issues so many have described in this thread. I can't understand how the product gets such rave reviews. Considering my options but arc is likely to go back to Sonos unless there is an imminent firmware fix.
Re LG C9, I find no changes with altering passthrough to auto etc.
That explanation is exactly what I think. The bass and effects are very good, but the voices ruin everything, thin, bright, annoying voices and the hissing especially of female voices are not in keeping with the sonos signature. I would add a detail ... it lacks means and in my humble opinion that is what takes the warmth out of the whole.
Exactly as my feel and experiences. Trueplay does help. But still feel unbalanced overall, unless some EQ settings are tweaked.
I, too, experience this precisely. The voices are really hissy and bright. I am eagerly waiting for this to be fixed (and for now I constantly Trueplay hoping one day, by magic, I’ll find a “sweet spot”. No such luck yet).
What EQ settings have you tweaked? I find that reducing the treble is too crude of an adjustment.
Sonos -- please tell us that you’re working on this!
Really surprised and disappointed about how thin dialogue sounds on the arc. Generally too bright for my taste, not what I expected from a Sonos product. I have a beam in the next room and for day to day TV and radio think it sounds fuller and more rounded. I have been impressed with the articulation and bass with the arc. Action scenes and sounds effects in particular are spectacular. However this is undermined by the issues so many have described in this thread. I can't understand how the product gets such rave reviews. Considering my options but arc is likely to go back to Sonos unless there is an imminent firmware fix.
Re LG C9, I find no changes with altering passthrough to auto etc.
That explanation is exactly what I think. The bass and effects are very good, but the voices ruin everything, thin, bright, annoying voices and the hissing especially of female voices are not in keeping with the sonos signature. I would add a detail ... it lacks means and in my humble opinion that is what takes the warmth out of the whole.
Exactly as my feel and experiences. Trueplay does help. But still feel unbalanced overall, unless some EQ settings are tweaked.
I, too, experience this precisely. The voices are really hissy and bright. I am eagerly waiting for this to be fixed (and for now I constantly Trueplay hoping one day, by magic, I’ll find a “sweet spot”. No such luck yet).
What EQ settings have you tweaked? I find that reducing the treble is too crude of an adjustment.
Sonos -- please tell us that you’re working on this!
Totally agree with this, the voices do sound very hissy and too bright. no warmth to it.
I had recently bought the Sonos Arc because of the reviews on youtube and other tech outlets swearing by the sound quality of the Arc.. But when I got the unit, I was so surprised about the metallic sound and bad audio quality. I can compare the sounds to “metal fork rubbing on a plate or nails on a chalkboard”.. So I did a quick internet search and found this forum talking about the issues I am having. I had no clue so many people felt the same way I did about the sound. Having to skim through 27 pages of this, people have been raising this issue over a month ago and apparently still no FIX? Should I just return and get something else? How many have returned their purchase so far because there’s still no fix for this? Seems like Sonos not responding to this issue in a timely manner. I am truly sad about this.
I had recently bought the Sonos Arc because of the reviews on youtube and other tech outlets swearing by the sound quality of the Arc.. But when I got the unit, I was so surprised about the metallic sound and bad audio quality. I can compare the sounds to “metal fork rubbing on a plate or nails on a chalkboard”.. So I did a quick internet search and found this forum talking about the issues I am having. I had no clue so many people felt the same way I did about the sound. Having to skim through 27 pages of this, people have been raising this issue over a month ago and apparently still no FIX? Should I just return and get something else? How many have returned their purchase so far because there’s still no fix for this? Seems like Sonos not responding to this issue in a timely manner. I am truly sad about this.
I’d suggest try re-truplaying, also if you have an older iphone use that as well to see if you see a difference. Another thing that some people claim is that turning off the arc (disconnect it from the wall ) for a while and turn it back on has helped (not sure what the technical reason would be though). So try doing that just in case (leave it overnight disconnected from the wall). Also, what TV do you have if you have an LG try using auto instead of passthrough check for difference in sound in the modes
I had recently bought the Sonos Arc because of the reviews on youtube and other tech outlets swearing by the sound quality of the Arc.. But when I got the unit, I was so surprised about the metallic sound and bad audio quality. I can compare the sounds to “metal fork rubbing on a plate or nails on a chalkboard”.. So I did a quick internet search and found this forum talking about the issues I am having. I had no clue so many people felt the same way I did about the sound. Having to skim through 27 pages of this, people have been raising this issue over a month ago and apparently still no FIX? Should I just return and get something else? How many have returned their purchase so far because there’s still no fix for this? Seems like Sonos not responding to this issue in a timely manner. I am truly sad about this.
Yep. I tried everything, including trueplaying until my arm went numb and a replacement arc to no avail. In my opinion it’s just a poor sound bar from Sonos. Rushed out maybe?
In my opinion everything just sounds very shrill. No matter how many times I trueplay (and I have tried with three different devices). It’s not that it creates sounds that aren’t there, it just that it emphasizes some high pitched sounds, and it drives me crazy.
Arc has been a great commercial success for Sonos, and I am happy for them that it is. However, as a Sonos fan, I am disappointed with my Arc’s sonic performance. I am just not enjoying listening to TV.
I keep hoping for a software update that will fix this. This is really bothering me.
(And, as usual, it pains me that I see no indication from Sonos that they are looking at this. @Scott - Sonos, please give us some assurance.)
In my opinion everything just sounds very shrill. No matter how many times I trueplay (and I have tried with three different devices). It’s not that it creates sounds that aren’t there, it just that it emphasizes some high pitched sounds, and it drives me crazy.
Arc has been a great commercial success for Sonos, and I am happy for them that it is. However, as a Sonos fan, I am disappointed with my Arc’s sonic performance. I am just not enjoying listening to TV.
I keep hoping for a software update that will fix this. This is really bothering me.
(And, as usual, it pains me that I see no indication from Sonos that they are looking at this. @Scott - Sonos, please give us some assurance.)
Oh, and I should mention that I have a true 5.1 setup, with a sub and two one SLs connected as well. So, I should be experiencing the best possible sound. However, sound is hissy and shrill (sounds sometimes like some frequencies are clipped). PLEASE FIX THIS!
Sonos: please chime in.
In my opinion everything just sounds very shrill. No matter how many times I trueplay (and I have tried with three different devices). It’s not that it creates sounds that aren’t there, it just that it emphasizes some high pitched sounds, and it drives me crazy.
Arc has been a great commercial success for Sonos, and I am happy for them that it is. However, as a Sonos fan, I am disappointed with my Arc’s sonic performance. I am just not enjoying listening to TV.
I keep hoping for a software update that will fix this. This is really bothering me.
(And, as usual, it pains me that I see no indication from Sonos that they are looking at this. @Scott - Sonos, please give us some assurance.)
Don’t bet your money on a hope that they will fix it. Return it and get your peace. You can always buy it again once (and if) Sonos fixes the sound profile to your liking. So many people actually like the current one, so it might just be a preference thing and won’t likely get changed drastically.
Veo que el foro está muy parado, muchos ya han devuelto todo y creo que a otros que aún no lo han hecho y siguen teniendo problemas después de ver el soporte técnico que hay en este foro se han dado cuenta de que es inútil escribir aquí tus problemas. Hay gente que tiene problemas reales ... no es cuestión de gustos. Quien lo crea, vaya al foro de muddy bass y vea el video que han subido, comparando una canción con su playbar y con arc sonos ... no es cuestión de gustos. A mi me molesta escuchar los agudos brillantes y los ssss tan enfatizados. Pero bueno, cuando lo devolvemos a los que faltan, el problema se acaba para todos.
Veo que el foro está muy parado, muchos ya han devuelto todo y creo que a otros que aún no lo han hecho y siguen teniendo problemas después de ver el soporte técnico que hay en este foro se han dado cuenta de que es inútil escribir aquí tus problemas. Hay gente que tiene problemas reales ... no es cuestión de gustos. Quien lo crea, vaya al foro de muddy bass y vea el video que han subido, comparando una canción con su playbar y con arc sonos ... no es cuestión de gustos. A mi me molesta escuchar los agudos brillantes y los ssss tan enfatizados. Pero bueno, cuando lo devolvemos a los que faltan, el problema se acaba para todos.
English please
I see that the forum is very stopped, many have already returned everything and I think that others who have not yet done so and continue to have after seeing the technical support that is in this forum have realized that it is useless to write your problems here . There are people who have real problems ... it is not a matter of taste. Whoever believes it, go to the muddy bass forum and see the video they have uploaded, comparing a song with their playbar and with arc sonos ... it's not a matter of taste. It bothers me to hear the bright highs and the ssss so emphasized. But hey, when we return it to those who are missing, the problem ends for everyone. Sorry I thought I had an automatic corrector.
I see that the forum is very stopped, many have already returned everything and I think that others who have not yet done so and continue to have after seeing the technical support that is in this forum have realized that it is useless to write your problems here . There are people who have real problems ... it is not a matter of taste. Whoever believes it, go to the muddy bass forum and see the video they have uploaded, comparing a song with their playbar and with arc sonos ... it's not a matter of taste. It bothers me to hear the bright highs and the ssss so emphasized. But hey, when we return it to those who are missing, the problem ends for everyone. Sorry I thought I had an automatic corrector.
I agree, become very quiet. Maybe some sent back and bought other brands or maybe bought Arc again and were satisfied then. I'm waiting for my Arc after being sent back.
I see that the forum is very stopped, many have already returned everything and I think that others who have not yet done so and continue to have after seeing the technical support that is in this forum have realized that it is useless to write your problems here . There are people who have real problems ... it is not a matter of taste. Whoever believes it, go to the muddy bass forum and see the video they have uploaded, comparing a song with their playbar and with arc sonos ... it's not a matter of taste. It bothers me to hear the bright highs and the ssss so emphasized. But hey, when we return it to those who are missing, the problem ends for everyone. Sorry I thought I had an automatic corrector.
I agree, become very quiet. Maybe some sent back and bought other brands or maybe bought Arc again and were satisfied then. I'm waiting for my Arc after being sent back.
There’s a new batch coming into my local shop on the 14th.l am going to check it out in the shop.
I see that the forum is very stopped, many have already returned everything and I think that others who have not yet done so and continue to have after seeing the technical support that is in this forum have realized that it is useless to write your problems here . There are people who have real problems ... it is not a matter of taste. Whoever believes it, go to the muddy bass forum and see the video they have uploaded, comparing a song with their playbar and with arc sonos ... it's not a matter of taste. It bothers me to hear the bright highs and the ssss so emphasized. But hey, when we return it to those who are missing, the problem ends for everyone. Sorry I thought I had an automatic corrector.
I agree, become very quiet. Maybe some sent back and bought other brands or maybe bought Arc again and were satisfied then. I'm waiting for my Arc after being sent back.
There’s a new batch coming into my local shop on the 14th.l am going to check it out in the shop.
Let us all know that goes?
I see that the forum is very stopped, many have already returned everything and I think that others who have not yet done so and continue to have after seeing the technical support that is in this forum have realized that it is useless to write your problems here . There are people who have real problems ... it is not a matter of taste. Whoever believes it, go to the muddy bass forum and see the video they have uploaded, comparing a song with their playbar and with arc sonos ... it's not a matter of taste. It bothers me to hear the bright highs and the ssss so emphasized. But hey, when we return it to those who are missing, the problem ends for everyone. Sorry I thought I had an automatic corrector.
I agree, become very quiet. Maybe some sent back and bought other brands or maybe bought Arc again and were satisfied then. I'm waiting for my Arc after being sent back.
There’s a new batch coming into my local shop on the 14th.l am going to check it out in the shop.
Let us all know that goes?
I certainly will. It’s going to have to be pretty damn good to beat my beam!!!!!
I honestly think it’s mostly a trueplay issue (and not a hardware issue). Something is wonky with trueplay. After what feels like 5000 trueplay attempts, I have done the magical one where the sound is pleasant. However, I am now afraid to move any speakers lest I need to run trueplay again.
Additionally I find that the AGC (automatic gain control) on it may be a little aggressive at times. That is, some times a character would speak at a perceived lower volume. This is not a cut out, as the same occurs when playing back on a different device. However, with the Arc, the difference is very sharp.
I honestly think it’s mostly a trueplay issue (and not a hardware issue). Something is wonky with trueplay. After what feels like 5000 trueplay attempts, I have done the magical one where the sound is pleasant. However, I am now afraid to move any speakers lest I need to run trueplay again.
Additionally I find that the AGC (automatic gain control) on it may be a little aggressive at times. That is, some times a character would speak at a perceived lower volume. This is not a cut out, as the same occurs when playing back on a different device. However, with the Arc, the difference is very sharp.
What was your magical TruePlay attempt?
