Correct, ambient and full only affect music, as I mentioned, part of my problem is also vocals in songs. I do change that to see if it affects the vocals, however, with all my testing I realized “talking” is the weak point here, whether in songs or movies.
@Ken_Griffiths, you might find it funny, I definitely don’t have any iphones in my immediate friend/family circle. I can for sure find one and try what you suggest to, but if that’s the case, it sucks that the product is configured in a way to only cater to a certain group of users.
Bruce and I are just users, like yourself and simply trying to help - often Trueplay can sort these kind of issues. The reason why iOS devices are used is that their microphones are a certain known standard, whereas in many Android devices they can vary considerably by make/model, so that’s why borrowing an iPhone might be helpful and it’s something you only need to do once in most cases.
Correct, ambient and full only affect music, as I mentioned, part of my problem is also vocals in songs. I do change that to see if it affects the vocals, however, with all my testing I realized “talking” is the weak point here, whether in songs or movies.
@Ken_Griffiths, you might find it funny, I definitely don’t have any iphones in my immediate friend/family circle. I can for sure find one and try what you suggest to, but if that’s the case, it sucks that the product is configured in a way to only cater to a certain group of users.
Bruce and I are just users, like yourself and simply trying to help - often Trueplay can sort these kind of issues. The reason why iOS devices are used is is their microphones are a certain known standard, whereas in many Android devices they can vary considerably by make/model, so that’s why borrowing an iPhone might be helpful and it’s something you only need to do once in most cases.
I appreciate the help. most of the times communities like these are more useful than actual product support, or at least in my experience.
With Trueplay, is there a period that’s suggested to “recalibrate” the room? or If I need to move the surrounds and then place back where they were, approximately, I’m still good?
@hooman64
I tend to TruePlay/calibrate things with the speakers set in the position where they are normally/usually placed in the room. If I do move them for any reason (it’s rare I do that), I simply switch TruePlay off, then switch it back on when the speakers are returned to their regular spot.
@Ken_Griffiths got it, thanks for the suggestions. Let me see if I can do that here and compare the results.
@Ken_Griffiths I ended up borrowing a phone and doing what you suggested, the system improved slightly but I still feel the vocals/conversations are trapped in a box (compare to other systems) maybe I contact Sonos support now and see what they can offer.
Hi there!
Can somebody please help..
I bought both the arc and sub (gen 3) this week. I am coming from a cheap logitech 5.1 system, but sadly this (as it sounds now) doesn’t seem like a worthy upgrade..
The lows are incredible (with the sub), but the mids are pretty absent and highs to present. This makes the total profile seem metallic/hollow, instead of warm.
Do I perhaps have a faulty arc??
What to do?
Kind regards,
David
@DavidKlein
It’s difficult to know what you’re hearing, but when you encounter the described poor audio quality issues mentioned (assuming you have the App settings at their default), it maybe best to submit a system diagnostic report and note it’s reference back here and then contact/chat with the Sonos Support Staff via this LINK, (during the usual opening times stated) and maybe see what they suggest.
Sometimes a video recording can possibly assist the Staff too. At the very least, they should be able to identify if there is a hardware fault or not.
Hope that assists.
I bought the sonos Arc last week and was soo dissapointed. I added a Sub gen 3 because I tought that would give the sound of the arc more “body”. The bass is better now, but there are no mid tones.
During tv shows, the vocal part drops in volume (probably because the voice goes into the midrange where there is almost no amplification)
I am really dissapointed, and would not recommend anyone buying this setup.
I bought the sonos Arc last week and was soo dissapointed. I added a Sub gen 3 because I tought that would give the sound of the arc more “body”. The bass is better now, but there are no mid tones.
During tv shows, the vocal part drops in volume (probably because the voice goes into the midrange where there is almost no amplification)
I am really dissapointed, and would not recommend anyone buying this setup.
Yeah having had the ARC for well over a year, The midrange is not great on the ARC, ive truplayed and truplayed changed settings galore but never found I could get the midrange to sound great.
I bought the sonos Arc last week and was soo dissapointed. I added a Sub gen 3 because I tought that would give the sound of the arc more “body”. The bass is better now, but there are no mid tones.
During tv shows, the vocal part drops in volume (probably because the voice goes into the midrange where there is almost no amplification)
I am really dissapointed, and would not recommend anyone buying this setup.
Yeah having had the ARC for well over a year, The midrange is not great on the ARC, ive truplayed and truplayed changed settings galore but never found I could get the midrange to sound great.
850 euros down the drain! This product is useless. My poor car speakers sound better.
To everyone I know I will advice not to buy this soundbar! Complete rubbish. I made an amplifier at school that produced better sound …
After days of research on this. It’s Trueplay creating this issue. Turning off Trueplay made the harsh s, sh and t’s go away. I’ve tuned this five times and it’s still an issue. I’ll try using another device and tune Trueplay again.
Just submitted my return request for my ARC and my SUB. I am so glad to read that so many people thought this system sounded terrible. I thought I was crazy after everyone on Youtube raving about it and RTINGS giving it a good rating. I felt like I was watching TV in a cave. It sounds so thin and hollow. I plugged my 4 years old Vizio in and immediately my room was filled with sound again. I can’t believe how disappointed I am in this product. I also had to fight with it constantly to actually work right because it didn’t like my Orbi. Just ordered a Samsung 950A off of greentoe for $1149.
I'm so glad this thread exists. I thought I was going crazy. Just spent an hour with support, and they're going to send me a replacement. Has anyone actually had success with a replacement or is the product just bad?
I have had a Sonos Playbar for 8 years and the sound sold me on Sonos! Decided to upgrade to the Arc as I was so impressed with the Playbar that on paper the Arc was a no brainer. I had the privilege of having both sound bars hooked up and comparing the 2 almost side by side (Arc in my living room connected to TV and Playbar in kitchen used for music only now) the sound and feel of the two are very different. I cannot say one is better than the other only different. The Playbar to me had more feel to the bass and a warmer sound over all compared to the Arc. The Arc seems more defined and fared better at louder volumes especially with the bass which the Playbar’s bass had issues at volumes above 65 IMO.
Music was compared by setting the 2 speakers up as a system so I could play the same songs simultaneously from the same source (Qobuz Hi Res Audio 24bit 48kHz). My ears preferred the Playbar but the Arc sounded great! The Arc truly excels at Dolby Atmos content and I much preferred it over the Playbar for all TV related viewing. I do not seem to be having the issue of the “thin” “metallic” sound as others are describing. Only issue I had was an annoying popping/crackling sound that began midway through a movie which was resolved by unplugging the speaker and plugging it back in. No issues since.
I changed from Playbar to ARC in January and have often thought it was sounding distorted - I have just happened upon this thread - I thought it was just me and I was going mad. During Four Weddings and a Funeral the other night, when Kristin Scott Thomas is proposing a toast ‘to Duckface’ outside the church, the distortion on her speech was excruciating. I have tuned several times with iPhone 12, without a case and holding/moving as instructed.
I have turned Trueplay off and will see how it sounds for a few days. It seems better on first listen.
I changed from Playbar to ARC in January and have often thought it was sounding distorted - I have just happened upon this thread - I thought it was just me and I was going mad. During Four Weddings and a Funeral the other night, when Kristin Scott Thomas is proposing a toast ‘to Duckface’ outside the church, the distortion on her speech was excruciating. I have tuned several times with iPhone 12, without a case and holding/moving as instructed.
I have turned Trueplay off and will see how it sounds for a few days. It seems better on first listen.
iPhones for me always had issues. Found an old iPad and seems to sort it correctly.
I changed from Playbar to ARC in January and have often thought it was sounding distorted - I have just happened upon this thread - I thought it was just me and I was going mad. During Four Weddings and a Funeral the other night, when Kristin Scott Thomas is proposing a toast ‘to Duckface’ outside the church, the distortion on her speech was excruciating. I have tuned several times with iPhone 12, without a case and holding/moving as instructed.
I have turned Trueplay off and will see how it sounds for a few days. It seems better on first listen.
iPhones for me always had issues. Found an old iPad and seems to sort it correctly.
That’s very interesting - I’ll try with an ipad.
Crazy that this is still unresolved.. I have never been wowed by the ARCs sound.. always sounded tinny to me what ever settings I changed, truplayed etc. Hardly any warmth in the sound
Crazy that this is still unresolved.. I have never been wowed by the ARCs sound.. always sounded tinny to me what ever settings I changed, truplayed etc. Hardly any warmth in the sound
Have you asked Sonos Support about your issue? - it maybe worth submitting a Diagnostic Report and perhaps a video too of your audio issue and ask Staff to see if there is anything they can do to assist.
You can contact them via this LINK
Hope you're able to get it sorted.
I'm so glad this thread exists. I thought I was going crazy. Just spent an hour with support, and they're going to send me a replacement. Has anyone actually had success with a replacement or is the product just bad?
I got 2 replacements from Sonos in last few months. All sounded same. Then bought newly built one(Feb-22) from Bestbuy to just test the new built. Same metallic sound and painful sssh sound with vocals from certain streaming content.
I wonder if using eARC versus the Optical converter has any impact on this? I’m using the optical at the moment because I haven’t got a spare HDMI on the TV.
So, all the reviews of the ARC are generally exceptional - all praising rich warm sound. So what are we doing wrong?
So, all the reviews of the ARC are generally exceptional - all praising rich warm sound. So what are we doing wrong?
I don’t know what they are hearing, all I can think is places like what hifi are paid reviews… Ive never felt the ARC has a rich warming sound and ive had mine a year and half.
Is the Beam any better in this regard? I’m thinking of changing.
So, all the reviews of the ARC are generally exceptional - all praising rich warm sound. So what are we doing wrong?
I don’t know what they are hearing, all I can think is places like what hifi are paid reviews… Ive never felt the ARC has a rich warming sound and ive had mine a year and half.
I assure you that I am a simpleton, wannabe HiFi enthusiast that saves up my money in order to afford my sonos speakers and I truly enjoy the sound from my Arc. True that the Playbar sounded warmer to my ears but by no means is the Arc lacking in warmth which is a signature sound to Sonos as compared to BlueSound speakers. It all comes down to preference and as far as wireless HiFi speakers go I choose Sonos. I am not denying that others are having issues with their Arc’s so maybe a quality control issue exists? Maybe some do not care for the sound signature that Sonos offers? Maybe some source material being listened to is of poor quality? My whole family appreciates the sound and when friends and neighbors have stopped by they are impressed with what the Arc can do.
