Enthusiast II

Answered

Sonos Arc - Metallic Sound

1017 replies
128946 views

Hi All.

It’s a relief that Sonos has identified the bug that’s causing the bass distortion in Sonos Arc. Thank you @Ryan S for working with the Sonos Communty to identify the problem quickly.

Having said this, I believe that Sonos still needs more work to make the Arc sound as it was advertised. Currently, multiple people on Reddit including myself are reporting the highs being too high which sort of feels “harsh”. This improve the speech clarity and brings out details in the movies, but the warmth in speech is lost because the voices sound thin and metallic (for eg. actors I know having heavy voices don’t sound heavy). I was expecting the mid-range to be a lot better considering the Arc has 8 woofers.

I have tried TruPlaying twice without success (Turning TruPlay off produces muffled sound). Adjusting the treble also did not help much. Loudness turned on and off does not make a big difference either. May be, this is how the Arc is tuned?!

Anyone else feels that Arc is over-emphasizing the highs with compromised mids?

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Scott - SonosAnswer

Sonos Product Management

Hello everyone. I’m a product manager at Sonos. Thank you for sharing your experiences with Arc. The development team is monitoring this community and listening to your feedback.

As we do with all Sonos products, we’ll continue to improve the experience for Arc through numerous software updates into the future. Last week we issued our first update (12.0.1) to fix a bug some customers were experiencing with low-frequency distortion at higher volumes.

If you have specific music tracks or timestamps for TV shows and movies that you want to bring to our attention, please use this form. It is helpful if you can submit a diagnostic when you’re listening to the content. Instructions for doing so can be found here.

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britishwonderings

Enthusiast I

So I spoke to Sonos support who basically said the diagnostic does not show any issue and when I am home I can record a video for them. Not sure what my iPhone microphone will offer them that my ears have not already told them.

I asked if they can run my serial number to see if they have any known issues with the batch. They told me they have no know issues with the Arc so running the serial would not do anything. So that threw me though a loop and I queried without much luck.

Bit irritated!

Beam. 2x Play:1 - 2x Play One (gen 2) - Sub - 2x Play 5 - Move

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gswanso2

Lyricist III

So I spoke to Sonos support who basically said the diagnostic does not show any issue and when I am home I can record a video for them. Not sure what my iPhone microphone will offer them that my ears have not already told them.

I asked if they can run my serial number to see if they have any known issues with the batch. They told me they have no know issues with the Arc so running the serial would not do anything. So that threw me though a loop and I queried without much luck.

Bit irritated!

I am guessing that is because the Arc is likely tuned as Sonos believes it should be. This isn’t like the bass issue - the Arc was purposefully tuned this way. They don’t view anything wrong with it. My guess is people are just going to have to return their devices if they don’t like the sound (which I plan to do).

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phollin2

Lyricist III

I asked Sonos support whether I should consider an exchange (thinking maybe I have a faulty unit), but they advised I just get a refund. Like people have said I think this is just how the arc was designed and intended to be. Not sure they can/will ‘fix’ it. Either way, it also gives me a headache so don't think I can put up with it for much longer. Bit gutted really.

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oriboaz

Prodigy I

I asked Sonos support whether I should consider an exchange (thinking maybe I have a faulty unit), but they advised I just get a refund. Like people have said I think this is just how the arc was designed and intended to be. Not sure they can/will ‘fix’ it. Either way, it also gives me a headache so don't think I can put up with it for much longer. Bit gutted really.

I am very hopeful you are wrong, and that the sound signature will be updated and fixed. To my ears, the Arc is just too harsh, with ‘S’ sounds too pronounced. Right now, I prefer to have faith. Let’s keep this thread active to make sure it gets the proper attention. Arc should have enough hardware to sound much better.

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mattadamsone

Enthusiast I

Anyone do any AB testing with sources? I just went back and forth between my iPhone8s and MacBook Pro, both via Airplay2 and get totally different sound profiles, specifically on the high end. The playback from my MacBook Pro was overly bright and exaggerated on the high end.

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CuzFeeshe

Enthusiast I

Anyone do any AB testing with sources? I just went back and forth between my iPhone8s and MacBook Pro, both via Airplay2 and get totally different sound profiles, specifically on the high end. The playback from my MacBook Pro was overly bright and exaggerated on the high end.

Interesting. Did you check whether it sounds the same on your iPhone between AirPlay2 and Sonos app? Also, whether the EQ is turned on in AirPlay2 on the iPhone or the Mac?

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knafets

Lyricist III

This is what I predicted. People are trying to explain: like this is what is supposed to sound like and Sonos wil not fix this.

all because Sonos is dead silent about this problem. Not give us an answer if it will be fixed/ tuned or not.

I have a 100 day return period. But for me this way all the fun is gone. Really thinking of returning the arc ASAP. Then I can move on. Maybe try Bose soundbar 700.

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CuzFeeshe

Enthusiast I

This is what I predicted. People are trying to explain: like this is what is supposed to sound like and Sonos wil not fix this.

all because Sonos is dead silent about this problem. Not give us an answer if it will be fixed/ tuned or not.

I have a 100 day return period. But for me this way all the fun is gone. Really thinking of returning the arc ASAP. Then I can move on. Maybe try Bose soundbar 700.

That’s not what I think. I think there is an issue, but I think it’s a complex one. Mainly because I have some sound experience and it sounds great to me…. but rtings.com clearly did a comprehensive test and found issues. Many other experienced reviewers are completely satisfied with the sound, while others here are clearly having a difficult time.

I hope those of you with an issue find an answer - I can imagine how frustrating it would be to hear constant exaggerated sibilance.

Maybe this kind of experience will prompt Sonos to break their “simple” philosophy and provide a band equalizer.

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Swelch

Lyricist I

I have been a Sonos fan for years, own all there products. Always bragged to all my friends and family how it just works and sounds good consistently. However, the arc is the first time I have been let down. I have the arc hooked up to a new Sony a9g through earc, with a sub and two s1 speakers. While the arc has plenty of volume, it’s harsh not typical traditional good sounding Sonos. I will be returning tomorrow.

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starlan

Enthusiast I

Just curious are most people, specifically those with sibilance and harsh treble using Trueplay? I have a surround setup with the Arc + Sub + Play 1’s and I find the default EQ to not be bright at all and in fact a little flat and boring. Definitely not anything I would consider bright. Turning on and using Trueplay however with my iPhone X, wife’s iPhone XS or 2017 iPad results in a very bright and harsh sound. All bass (sub is great) and a lot of bright high end and not a lot of midrange or overall warmth in the sound. Retuning with my wife’s very old iPad Mini (probably like a 2014 model or so) however resulted in much better sound that I’m happy with it.

This doesn’t just apply to the Arc. Trueplay results in a brighter, different sound with my other Sonos speakers too so I retuned them all with the old iPad Mini. I think the Arc soundstage just amplifies it even more. So I think the device used for tuning makes a difference which I didn’t believe at first when I read it here until I found one that worked well.

If people are finding the non Trueplay default EQ overly bright though, can’t say I have that issue.

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