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Sonos Arc - Metallic Sound

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K
Userlevel 2
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I bought the arc two days,and l have tried everything to get rid of this harshness and tinny sound in the audio.I am very disappointed at the 

moment with the product,and l hope Sonos will address this problem. I wonder does the soundbar need a “running in” 

Do we wait for a fix or send it back???
 

T

This is a personal experience and wanted to share here, I was as fed up as everyone here, and before returning, decided I will give one more try with Sonos tech support and managed to reach them through chat. I spoke about both the muddy bass issue and the harsh metallic tone (treble) issue. We did the usual diagnosis and then a few tweaks done from the support agent. I guess he did a resetting of my EQ, restarted my Sonos arc, and then we did the trueplay configuration again. 

There was not much difference and I was not happy. So the agent requested me to send 20 seconds of files with different sources. (I am yet to do this). All this happened on Friday

On Saturday, I do not know what miraculously happened since there was no software update or any other action taken but my Arc sounds different now for good. The music and sound are much better, nicer, and crisp. 

PS: I have not tested movie source/content from TV (ARC/eARC) since my TV stopped working. My experience is with Airplay/Youtube Premium is the music source. 

I am still wondering and thinking if it could be a placebo effect but then even my wife felt today the system sounded way better. 

If anyone else has a similar experience, pls do share. Cheers 

I had the same problem with the metallic sound. I did disable WIFI connection in the SONOS app. Ars restarted and the problem is solved. Sound is perfect. Of course solution is not to disable Wifi connectuion but the restart of ARC.

K
Userlevel 2
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No change for me!!!!!!!Still harsh!!!!

L
Userlevel 2
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While I’ve been waiting for something like the Arc for quite a while (product with earc, ability to use sonos sub and my existing ones as rears) the issues, lack of lpcm and non-communication regarding the issues is starting to push me in other directions.
 

Too bad the beam isn’t an option, but happily I’m not too deeply bought into the sonos ecosystem yet.

They committed to adding multi channel LPCM. In their defense sonos is usually much better at this but IDK what is going on with their restructuring and covid.. 

 

gswanso2 .. Look at the beam curve dude theres no way they get to design their own speakers pick components and they say YES this is what we want for the Flagship product to perform worse than the Beam! Yes this is our sound signature….. come on. I do not know if theres a hardware issue, but I think this is most likely a DSP issue. The weird thing is if a random small company can test this, and a youtuber can test this I cannot believe that SONOS wouldn't. So something weird went on.

 

Regarding the “metallic sound” that could be a different topic where they are purposedly emphasizing the highs for atmos and directional wider sound-stage presence. 

 

Regardless I dont really experience any of these issues anymore or at least cant tell since I dont push the volume too high.

 

I’m expecting this to be the new normal, based on the sacking of the community manager right after the biggest new product launch in years.

Smilja

@TomasKV, Is the Arc your only Sonos device? If there are more Sonos devices I strongly advise you to re-enable the WiFi module on the Arc.

»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
G
Userlevel 7

Mine is updated and I still get a popping sound.  While watching interstellar, a minute and 30 seconds in when they show the ship re-entering earth, it starts popping and crackling.  Atmos generally sounds great, but that popping sound is annoying and ridiculous for an 800 speaker.

Just curious… what source are you watching Interstellar from? What do the popping noises sound like?

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
C
Userlevel 6
Badge +11

has anyone like myself who is also having a major issue with this ‘metallic sound’ maybe been to a shop or round a friends or even had a replacement arc and found another arc not to have this issue?

 

Or the reverse? ie someone that doesn’t have the issue, been to a friends that does.

H

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.

S
Userlevel 2
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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.

 

Of course. We just spent $800+ so you better believe we’re exhausting every option to get it to sound right. 

 

Mine is going back to Sonos. I truly believe there is a bad batch of these out there. 

O
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

Upon the first trueplay attempt post update, the sonos app crashed after the “sit where you watch” phase of trueplay. I reran trueplay and it went through fine. In my experience, sound seems somewhat better, but still brighter than I would like.  
I look forward to further fixes and tweaks by Sonos. 

M
Userlevel 5
Badge +7

Ok, third post on this thread. I finally sat down and re-tuned with an iPhone 6 running 12.0.2 (previously ipad pro 11” and iPad Air 2). I also decided to just sit on the couch and wave the phone around a bit rather than walk around. 

This is the first time I feel like the life wasn’t sucked out of the sound, and there is now some ok midrange. I can actually listen to music without it being distracting. I’ve only been through a few songs, but I’m more and more convinced that the right EQ can produce a good sound from the arc.

That doesn’t mean I’m ready to say I’m totally happy with it, and I’m still mulling over a return. I don’t like the lack of communication from Sonos. A few simple thing would go a long way:

  1. At least acknowledge how the arc sounds very different from other sonos speakers, that this is very disappointing to many customers, and open a dialogue about what can be done. 
  2. Talk about what, if any, investigation is going into why trueplay seems to be producing wildly different results. 
  3. Talk about providing more control over the system. Trueplay + Bass/Treble is fine for a default mode, but why not have an advanced mode with a proper manual EQ? Even if that would take a while to build, just say it’s coming. 

Totally agree, the sonos manager introduced himself however long ago and then never came back with anything since, more indication of what is going on in the background would put a lot of people at ease. @Scott - Sonos (11 days to be exact)

O
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

Ok, so I updated and trueplayed several times. Using iphone 11 pro for trueplaying results in a tinny and hollow sound that sounds terrible. The iPhone 6s produces a better sound signature, but I am still not happy with Arc’s sound signature. There is still a significant difference between trueplay attempts, and I had to do multiple rounds before I got a sound that was passable. However, in all cases the high frequencies are still too sharp, and the SSS sounds are too pronounced. I know that the S sounds are there, but I expect a better balance. When I A/B test scenes between Arc and airpods, the airpods give a much more enjoyable sound signature (the high frequencies are softer and nicer to hear).  
 

As an example, take the opening minute of Hamilton on Disney plus. The way the narrator says “silence all cellphones” is very bothersome when listened to on Arc, whereas when I use airpods it is much nicer sounding. 

T
Userlevel 3
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I don't have any apple product so I can't really try it (might need borrow someone's)

However, I think the main concern is that without trueplay, the default sound of the Arc is bad, which should not be the case.

Trueplay should be improving an already good sound, not fixing bad sound.

 

 

 

Yeah, I mean TechHive described it in their review as having “thick midrange”. Like… where?! Something isn’t right.

L
Userlevel 3
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Yeah we need an update.. ive been waiting 3 months for a fix  :(

J
Userlevel 4
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  1. Best Buy Arc sounds better than Amazon Arc
  2. Called Sonos support- wasn’t happy and but, the Arc fixed itself the next morning.
  3. Electricity went off and Arc is fixed when it came back on.
  4. Disabled wifi and now, the Arc sounds good now.

Please tell me you people are joking, right? 


Haha…

 

Well, #1 can be explained by defective hardware at least.

M
Userlevel 5
Badge +7

@Simon B 

Hi can you find out what is going on regards to this issue, its all gone very quiet from Sonos on this thread, but other threads are being replied to even tho this and the bass issue thread are much bigger.

 

thank you

B
Userlevel 3
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Time to move on folks, I’ve resigned myself to the fact it is what it is and to look elsewhere.

If you’re unhappy with your Arc it may be best to sell it on now whilst it commands a higher price due to new units being in short supply.

I guess it’s possible later generations may be engineered differently but if any sound affecting software update was to be released regarding this issue for existing units it would have been done by now I reckon.  

B
Userlevel 3
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“The problem is with this, a lot of people need the update yesterday as people will be running to the end of there return windows and what do people do, hope that the update fixes it 100% and are happy with it or return it as its too much of a risk with how much it costs, and even if the update does help it, people may not be happy with it & it will be too late to return.”

That is a big part of the reason I returned mine, not knowing when or if Sonos will correct the problem.  I couldn't take the chance and just went back to my playbar which still sounds fantastic.

A
Userlevel 6
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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. 

M
Userlevel 5
Badge +7

@Jean C. I have a LG c9, I followed your steps reset tv etc but still the same results with the ARC, sound is still very bad. I have also tested my Sonos Beam next to the ARC and find the Beam gives a much nicer warmer sound. ARCs sounding is just to sharp.

P
Userlevel 2
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So I finally received a replacement arc today. I’ve set up and tested and the verdict is in….. it’s exactly the same as the old one!!!
 

Same tinny, hallow sound, annoying dynamic range (loud one minute, inaudible the next), different volumes on different channels, doesn’t push out sound to fill entire open plan room, sounds odd and artificial… can clearly tell it’s coming from sound bar which is separate from tv. Basically it’s a bit of a mess. 
 

It’s even more noticeable as I have been using a beam for last week which is a much nicer sound (but smaller soundstage). 
 

ive got a sub + ones as a rears. Squarish room. True play with iPhone 6s and iPad. updated with today’s update. All in all bit of a disappointing saga. 

I want to repeat the great majority of users and Sonos have stated this is not a hardware issue. Replacement doesn't solve the problem ( many reported so) I have seen one user saying it did, and i attribute that to something else (not sure what).

Please @phollin2 check the new updated issued this morning (not that loing ago) you must update the app then the firmware within the app. After that you need to re-truplay! I noticed an improvemen in music. After this I am not sure what was changed or if it is a case of a truplay incosistency fix. But my bar sounds better I can say I am happy with it. If you think it still sound harsh turning down the treble one or two notches can help. 

I just assumed it was a hardware problem as I didn’t expect the ‘upgrade’ from the beam to lead to a significantly worse sound. I really wanted it to be better as well as the beam is lacking a little bit, but the playbar seems a bit dated. I’m kind of invested in Sonos as the Surrounds are hardwired into the wall. If I was starting from scratch I’d look elsewhere. 
 

 

O
Userlevel 4
Badge +6

I found that Trueplay makes a huge difference. I highly recommend running Trueplay again if you are unhappy with the sound. I still think that the sibilance can be improved, but overall the sound is much better now. 

 

J

Just wanted to add my experience here I believe I also have this issue, using an Arc/sub 3/symfonisks.

Sometimes during dialogue there is a metallic tinny sound, a bit like tin foil being scrunched up. It is not all the time and it is definitely not the source material as it doesn’t happen on other devices.

This seems to have been reported for some time now, is Sonos going to do anything about it?

I have the same problem, during certain dialogues, often the letter “a” or “o” the audio pops and crackles. It often occurs when someone raises the voice in a dialogue. Is there any fix for this? Have had this problem since day one. 

Smilja

DO NOT disable the WiFi module on the Arc. Has nothing to do with sound quality, but Sub and Rears will no longer work!

»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
P
Userlevel 4
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sebas1509 - I didn't realise you had a sub probably made makes all the difference

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