Poor frequency response (no bass, tinny highs, no punch)

poor special separation. 
 

Bad sub and surrounds mix

I have just tried this trueplay in seating position and this is by no way a fix for the metallic sound from the voices we are all having, in fact it did nothing. I’m glad it did something for you, but that does for sure not fix this issue at all.

I think it proves though it’s clearly a trueplay tuning issue. It’s the way the frequencies are interacting in the room and how the information is being received and processes. 

Not sure i agree with this as trueplay is an added feature not a repair for bad sound. We shouldnt be having these such big issues with trueplay enabled or not.

Completely disagree. Every single sound system needs to be tuned for the space it’s in. No sound system will sound great without being correctly eq’d. And that’s what trueplay is. EQ. The EQ field in the Sonos app is not a room equalising feature, it is there to colour the sound to your liking. If you like more bass or treble than what trueplay sees as ideal then you can colour to your liking. 

I get that, but i have had multiple lower end soundbars before which obviously dont have the metallic sound and sounded a lot better than the arc. Maybe your issue is different to mine but the issue i am having is not a trueplay issue, it a fault with either software or hardware. Trueplay will most definetly better the sound to your surroundings but i have never heard a soundbar with tinny sound like this regards to room calibration or not. Something is missing from the sounbar itself, its like one of the speakers are not working.

Without trueplay engaged there is definitely no metallic sound in mine, it sounds muffled if anything without a correct trueplay tuning. 
 

after my first day of tuning I had a very trebly sharp sounding system. Very unpleasant. 
 

if you only have the “metallic” sound after tuning and if the arc sounds more muted and muffled without trueplay then I say it’s a trueplay issue. 
 

If your arc is all metallic before any tuning I’d say it may be a faulty unit perhaps. 

Hi all

Haven’t got my Arc yet as it’s on backorder. 
But I have been keenly following this and other threads with interest. 
Thought I’d share these videos by Peter Pee on YouTube. They may already be posted on here. 
He measures the frequency response of the Arc using different devices to show the effects. 
The video also discusses the issues people are experiencing with metallic sound, due to boosted treble after a truplay. 
Appreciate this will be very subjective to the individual listener and their surroundings. 
But thought it may help to show why they think it’s happening, and some of the things that can be tried to improve it. 
Im certainly not suggesting there is no underlying issue or potential faulty units in circulation. 
This is just something I’ll be using as a guide on setup, that may help someone out now.  

Ultimately, if I experience similar listening discomfort after attempting to resolve through settings or Truplay device. It’ll be going back before the returns window expires.  

Good Luck
 

Its metallic before and after trueplay, have had a replacement arc and its the same. So annoying, im keeping hold of it only in the hope sonos sort it. I know what you mean about muffled sound before trueplay and can slightly tell the difference after trueplay but its hard to distinguish as the metallic sound is so vibrant & takes over any other frequencies.

Yeah I watched all of his videos yesterday. 
 

it also depends of the individual phone too! 
 

I tuned mine with an iPhone XS and mine is perfect now. I think it has more to do with the position in the room which you tune than the phone model. 

Just got Bose 500 soundbar with the sub 500 for the same price as Arc. There’s no competition whatsoever. Music is miles better, fuller dialogues and sub-bass is awesome, thanks to the sub (compact sub that doesn’t overpower apartment and annoys neighbors). Movies and music both shine. Those who live in apartments and don’t want a Sonos sub, and having sound quality issues could consider this option. ONLY if you don’t care about Atmos. 

@Krishma M @Scott - Sonos 

Was the latest update this week meant to fix metallic sound issues?

According to Sonos, there are no issues. Lol

Based on what, exactly? That contradicts their input in this thread. 

I sold my 500 over the weekend and replaced it with an Arc. Compared to the Bose, the Arc has a massive soundstage, which was a sore point that always used to bug me with the 500. Everything was tightly localised to under my TV. The bass response comparing bars alone is night and day with the Arc. Everyone has different taste preferences, so good to hear you are enjoying your setup.

In regards to the metallic sound, I had read this thread extensively before purchasing the Arc. Day one I had exactly what has been described above. Harsh treble, thin midrange and weak bass. I Trueplayed the bar using my 3 year old iPhone X. Admittedly, it has the usual ‘pocket fluff’ buildup in the mic.

The next morning I re-ran Trueplay with a 2018 iPad Pro (3rd gen 12.9”). The difference is remarkable. No harsh sibilance and midrange is full again. Previously, I was running -7 treble and noticed all of the ‘metallic sound’ comments. Now, the bar is at 0 Treble and -3 Bass sounding wonderful. 

There is definitely something odd going on with device specific Trueplay. Mic ports tend to fill with dust which would invariably lower treble response measurements. 

 

I also run trueplay with an iPhone SE original at first and then thought I would try my iPad pro 11” (1st generation) both true plays seemed the same to my ears. I don’t actually notice this harshness, I have listened to some content and voices have sounded bright, but I put that down to the content as most content I listen to is fine.

I run treble a -3, just because in general the soundbar sounds slightly brighter than my previous soundbar.

I looked at the Bose 700 with sub before I bought the Arc. Had my dealer set them up side by side and played the same content on both for comparison. Sound being what it is, highly subjective, to the individual I can share that to my ears the Arc was the hands down choice on all front. Soundstage being much wider than the Bose. Then add the fact the Bose is not a smart bar made the decision even easier for me. 
At the end of the day I’m happy that you’ve found a solution that works for you, your room and your ears. You’re personal satisfaction is all that matters. Enjoy!!!

Right. Sound is indeed highly subjective and room setting affects it quite a lot (for eg. Arc did not have any wider soundstage than my 500 as my living room is an open-concept). But Bose soundbars do have AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, assistant functionality, room correction, good EQ (adjusting the center channel volume is a big plus), etc. Which smart function do you think it’s missing?

Some people either don’t know how to read, don’t want to or are trolls spreding misinformation. Reps did indeed say the ****muddy bass**** issue was corrected before. BUT they also said the engineers were now looking into the metallic sound tinny center channel issue….. then again don’t feed the trolls

Edit: Guess what thread we are on? ;) 

I’ve added a sub as I can’t bear the muddy bass any longer but still have this nasty tinny ness… driving me nuts. 

@Krishma M @Scott - Sonos @Ryan S 

Krishma, Scott, we didn't seem to get a reply from our last comment. Could you please find out for us if this metallic sound issue is likely to be fixed anytime soon or even at all? The bass issue was fixed very promptly after it was reported and this is certainly not the case for this issue, i understand different problems can take longer to rectify, but i want to know if im pointlessly hanging onto my arc in the hope of a fix and it never comes or is not expected for months, my return window is soon about to end so a prompt response would be great.

i understand it may take some time to chase this with the relevant people but on behalf of everyone with this issue we would really appreciate if you could find out what is going on. This soundbar does not sound right to me at all.

Thanks.

For those of you who are still hearing the “metallic” or “tinny” sound from the Arc, more than likely it will not change anytime soon or at all. Most people who own the Arc are happy with the way it sounds, including myself. If you personally hear a “metallic” sound and it bothers you, it will probably ALWAYS bother you, and you will never reach a point where you are completely satisfied with your sound bar. For most of you, it’s probably best to just return the Arc before your return window has closed rather than wait for something that may never come.

For your information ... the metallic sound that is spoken in this forum is recognized by sonos.

Also - for what it’s worth - the bass issue (when not using a sub) is better than it was but certainly NOT 100% fixed….

I don’t have an issue with the metallic sound - but I have no doubt some people do.