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Sonos Arc - Metallic Sound

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A
Userlevel 6
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I agree. Mine just sounds off and not what I expected at all - especially after listening to so many other Sonos products over the years. Being that Sonos is reluctant to help with with an RMA at the moment I still have mine. I’m going to wait to see what happens with next week’s update for the bass issue and then make a final decision on a return. 

Oops. I accidentally tagged your answer as the best. don't know how to fix it. @Ryan S

J
Userlevel 1
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@Jimothy My Arc/Sub/Play:1s setup sounds fantastic to my ears, and the majority of users love their Arc. Rather than complaining and hoping for a “fix” for something that isn’t broken, you should sell your system and find something you can enjoy. No one is forcing you to own a Sonos Arc. Cut your losses and move on. Life is too short to be angry over a speaker.

 

I paid $1700 and it does not perform as advertised or even reasonably for the price.  I have every right to be upset and complain. I cannot return it and even if I sell it I can’t get anywhere near the money back for it. People settling for a sub par system For such a high price such as the arc Are the reason this crap happens. This is a subpar system at best I have heard $200 LG and Samsung sound bar sound better than this thing. Like I stated I have resorted to using my TV speakers which deliver clearer dialogue. How about you stop putting out false information like this system sounds good... There are people that read these comments and are going to go out and buy the thing like I did. Do you work for sonos? Also this is the correct forum in which one would voice their grievances with the product. 

K
Userlevel 3
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Hmm...thats worrying….

Come on Sonos! please give us some information of this problem, otherwise all kinds of negative stories/theories will flood the internet!!!

Potentially leading to Sonos brand damage….

If there is a problem, just admit it...that’s called damage control….(ignoring it hoping it will blow over is an illusion)

M
Userlevel 5
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I’m not sure if my opinion would be much different if I hadn’t come from Samsung Q90r. Which had its own issues in regards to speakers disconnects and poor software support, but comparing the sound quality of that and I mean the general overall sound not just the atmos, that sounded so so much better, was great sounding what ever you played. So having to pay a lot more to get a full Sonos system I would expect this to be just as good if not better than the Samsung in sound quality, that’s why I have such an issue with the sound from the ARC. I can’t believe Sonos would just release a product like this and that’s how it’s meant to sound.

 

 

 

 

K
Userlevel 3
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For testing purposes I just unplugged my arc and watch some tv using the (mediocre) built in tv speakers. I’m astonished what a relief this is for my ears. No more bright piercing voices. 
 

just stunned how bad the arc is.…

 

I wanted to wait for a software updated but right now I feel like I just want to get rid of this thing ASAP. 

C
Userlevel 6
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From the above facts, here is what I think is happening:

  1. Sonos Arc was tuned at the factory to a certain room size and shape. Testing was probably done for a limited number of scenarios, and for them it works well.
  2. Trueplay also assumes certain factors about a room, such as (maybe) symmetry, wall material, etc. 
  3. Thus, there are problems if people have different room setups that cause distorted sound signatures. For example, in my TV room: the Arc is on a cerdenza near a reinforced concrete wall. Across from it ( about 4.5 meters) is another concrete wall. To its left (looking at it from the sofa) is a big glass doorway, and to its right is an empty space (for the dining area and kitchen). Ceilings and floor are both reinforced concrete, and there are no rugs or anything of the sort. This is very different to what you may find in North America, and perhaps differs significantly from the settings Arc was optimized for. 

@oriboaz Totally agree the room will affect the sound, lots of hard surfaces will make a bright speaker sound brighter. What is interesting is your room you describe above is similar to the picture of Arc on the Sonos home page, lots of hard surfaces, albeit sonos.com has a rug!

 

P
Userlevel 3
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I haven’t had a chance to test this in my ARC, until they fix the bass issue. Until the software update, it’s staying turned off.

D
Userlevel 1
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Is anyone having the same issue with the sub connected as well? & if so does is it the same or does it help with the tinnyness? I have a sub connected and still experiencing exactly the same.

A
Userlevel 6
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For testing purposes I just unplugged my arc and watch some tv using the (mediocre) built in tv speakers. I’m astonished what a relief this is for my ears. No more bright piercing voices. 
 

just stunned how bad the arc is....

Try retuning with a different device, preferably an older one, if you can. Having updated the Arc software and retuned with an older device, the harshness is pretty much gone. I mean there is still some favoring of treble frequencies in spots, but nothing like before. Generally it sounds good to an unpicky ear. If you are saying your TV speakers sound better, you might need to get your Arc replaced.

I did all that you said. Treble did go way, but the dialogues were unchanged. My TV speakers have the same dialogue quality. can’t tell the difference. You would think a soundbar with a dedicated center channel would have much better vocals, but no. I don’t think the airplay functionality and lack of few wires is worth $799.Good luck.

O
Userlevel 4
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Is anyone having the same issue with the sub connected as well? & if so does is it the same or does it help with the tinnyness? I have a sub connected and still experiencing exactly the same.

I have the sub (gen 2) and two sonos ones connected. It does not help with the harsh sounds and over exaggerated SSSS sounds. I am hoping for a fix. For now, this is a big problem. 

S
Userlevel 2
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Hello All,

Sorry for the delay, I have only just now been able to review this thread and taken a quick cursory glance at the half dozen or so diagnostics submitted (thank you for those).

The one commonality that I’m seeing on all of these reports is that the ARC status on the Arc (I know) is either disabled, blocked, or inactive. 

Have you examined the CEC settings on your TVs (and for good measure made sure that the Arc is in the HDMI/ARC port)?

If you do a full reboot of your TV (unplugging it fully from power/plugging it back in) change anything in the audio settings or quality?   

 

Hi all! This is my first post. I found this thread after searching the web to see if others were disappointed with their new Arc’s. My new Arc replaced a Beam in my home theater system. The primary reason I was replacing the Beam was because of how it handled music. I was never happy with it. The highs were just too harsh/thin/brittle for my ears. I don’t experience this with the Play 5 in my office at all. I realize these products are tuned for specific roles but I also owned the Playbar which was fantastic with music. 

 

I believe the product should sound good without extra processing, just like my Play 5 does, but I’ve done everything to try and improve the sound of my Arc with no success. I have Trueplay tuned several times, adjusted EQ and Loudness, with no success. I also believe our ears need several days to adjust to a new sound. I gave the Arc several days and I’m still not happy. I don’t believe I have an improvement over my Beam for music which is wild. I’m at the point where I’m ready to start a return. 

 

With that said, thanks for chiming in Jean. I’m hoping a solution is possible before my return period expires. To your question about whether or not CEC settings are configured properly, what I’m hearing from the community is that we all feel like something is missing overall. A harshness or “thinness” is there. With that said, I’ve tried turning CEC on and off and there is no improvement. I’m happy to help in any way I can. 

J
Userlevel 1

I think this is definitely a software issue more than a hardware - reason being, after you use the Trueplay it plays a tone to show you its complete and the depth and range of that tone is completely different than when I’m watching it with a movie. You can hear the capability it has. I’ve just tried a retune and played “Man Of Steel” more specifically, the scene where superman first learns he can fly. When he’s flying through the air there is no rumble, when he hits the ground there is no thud at all.
 

As a test, I set my Ones to a stereo pair and watched the same scene on my phone and airplay’d the audio to the speakers - it was much closer to the sound I was expecting from the Arc. It wasn’t perfect but I felt way more engaged and a part of the scene. How can an iPhone and £280’s worth of speakers out do £800’s worth of sound bar?! Makes no sense. 

C
Userlevel 1
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Seeing the same behavior. The mids on the Arc aren’t great even without TruePlay. 
 

Not specific to S2, even a few months ago in S1 I noticed that if I use an iPhone 11 Pro to tune a Playbar, the resulting audio is very treble heavy and tinny. Tuning it with an older iPad Pro worked a lot better. 
 

I suspect there is some issue where maybe the newer iPhones are processing the mic input in a way that doesn’t work well with TruePlay. 

S
Userlevel 7
Badge +15

Without any Trueplay (like it has to be for all of the non iOS owners, how does it sound?

Trueplay should refine the sound and tune it to the surroundings - not be a requirement and sound as bad as it does out of the box.

A
Userlevel 6
Badge +6

CEC is on for me, same as the Beam was… I use it all the time “Alexa, turn off the TV” (as my wife and daughter do not seem to understand that a TV can also be switched off as well as on….. but that is a different problem, that I doubt Sonos can fix 🤓)

 

Cant see why CEC would make a difference, but tested and the Arc still sounds more harsh than Playbar or Beam.

Harshness goes when truplayed with older iPhones. But dialogues are still hollow. It doesn’t feel like the center channel has 2 woofers and 1 tweeter. The balance between highs and mids just isn’t there.

Also, my CEC is on. Zero chance that it’s affecting sound quality. 

D
Userlevel 1
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All these comments about moving things, changing settings or cables are all irrelevant. You shouldnt have to do any of that. I had an LG SK9Y sound bar mid range from a couple of years ago and i put sound bar and sub in the same position as the old equipment with same cables etc and it sounds no where near as good as my LG. I have had another Arc sound bar sent out to me and that is exactly the same. The issue is the bar nothing else, it needs an update to sort this or if that is not possible then this is a very poor sound bar from sonos.

Just to confirm my issue with the arc is the extremely noticeable and very bad sounding tinniness to the voices.

G
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I’m getting migraines every single night since moving to the Arc. Sonos please provide an update, I really love the Arc but if this cannot be fixed, I need to return my Arc/ Sub/ 2x ones purchase because it’s just unbearable. 


the dialogue sound way too high and tingy and my ears are hurting after 30-45 minutes alone. Every night I’ve gone to bed with sore ears and a headache since moving to the arc soul based on how the dialogue sounds. Tuneplayed, eq treble -8 and all. 

A
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

I am also coming from the beam, and the arc is a substantial improvement, but I will say it’s certainly a ‘brighter’ presentation, but I see this as aiding overall clarity, not a reduction in richness at all

This is what the rtings graphs show. The high frequency cut off for Playbar and Beam shows a score of 7.5, where as the Arc shows a score of 9.8. So this means you are hearing high treble frequencies on the Arc that you may not have heard on the Beam/Playbar, depending on how good (old?) your ears are at this frequency?

Well my 36 year old ears may have deteriorated slightly!, but for anyone to experience the beam sounding in any way ‘better’, there’s something seriously wrong with those units

J
Userlevel 1
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Come on Sonos! I have the arc 5.1 system and it is by far the worst 5.1 system I have ever owned. I have reverted to just using my TV speakers as the dialogue is clear. I spent $1700 on this system and I’m way outside the return window. I definitely feel like Sonos RAPED me here. before the arc I had the beam and thought that sounded pretty terrible for the price so like an idiot I upgraded to the arc thinking that throwing more money at the system would solve the problem. It did not. I think that Sonos just makes a terrible sound bar altogether i guess. I have been listening to this thing for seven months and I have never hated watching movies more than when I turn on my TV and have to listen to this POS. If this is something fixable by a software update why the hell hasn’t SONOS fixED this yet? Anyone stating the sound is good or even reasonable for the price is either insane, deaf, or working for SONOS. 


i do agree with you, i have a  LG C8 and the dialog is a lot clearer on my tv speakers.. i feel the arc is lacking of mid and accuracy. Maybe adding a sub will fix this? Or maybe it is a trueplay problem i don’t know .. i had the jbl 9.1 at the same time and the dialog was clearer and a lot warmer, more enjoyable. 

The sub has zero affect on the terrible sound quality. It sounds just as bad just with more bass.

S
Userlevel 2
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Just recently found this thread, would anybody be so kind to summarise this thread up for me so i don't have to read through all the 418 replies haha. Is there a solution to the metallic sound or anything that helps/reduces it?

 

No - not for those affected by the issue.  Sonos has been pretty silent on the issue as well.  There may or may not be a hardware issue/bad batch as some people don’t seem to be having any issues/complaints whatsoever.  Others think all the issues can be fixed with software updates.

Bottom line is - your guess is as good as anyone’s at this point!

@dhewitt  Try it out. Many are happy with their Arcs! I have 0 complaints about metallic sounds… Lots of replies doesnt mean everyone here is complaining theres tons of back and forths and also people posting examples of their problem content. So not 418 complaints

Issues exist. So many people can’t be wrong at once (Few YouTubers have also acknowledged). Arc is still very much a beta product. LPCM support is also a few months away (this matters a lot if you do gaming, use Apple TV 4K, etc). Unless you absolutely cannot live with what you have right now, I would wait it out. Just my 2 cents.

Dont necessarily agree with this you could get the Arc today and be satisfied and happy with it. Many are keeping theirs. LCPM support was never promised at launch, and yes it means your gaming wont have surround but stereo gaming sounds great and good enough for me for the time being. In terms of apple TV not sure how it even matters (basides some TVS having issues if they hasve LPCM and the arc doesnt) but my apple tv plays surround just fine and sounds great

 

The beta product statement I dont agree with either,  because my functionality isn’t reduced or buggy. During normal use I do not notice any issues. And theres manyt people saying this on reddit and here. They got their arcs and are happy with the arc and will be keeping it. So the only way of knowing is trying it out! @dhewitt  no need to wait months .  Unless you decide you dont want to deal with a potential return hassle (not even that big of a hassle but ok) 

Are you on the Sonos Defense Council? This isn’t the “Sonos Arc Rich and Full Sound” thread. We’re trying to get to an issue 95% of us are expressing in this thread and you’re acting like we need non-qualified customer support. Glad you’re enjoying yours. Start a thread about it.
 

Guys it sounds like Sonos isn’t seeing issues with the Arc. It’s unfortunate but it’s okay. I’ve made several speaker purchases that I regret. I know the Sonos ecosystem is a big investment so I’d just keep what’s working and maybe start looking for another home theater solution. That’s what I’m doing. I’m keeping my Play 5’s for music and moving on. 

B
Userlevel 3
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Does anyone notice an improvement with the new 12.0.6 update?

I’ve been keeping an eye on this thread in the hope I see something positive to encourage me to update my Beam with an Arc before I move away from Sonos.

 

I really don’t like the current sound signature of the Arc.

The strange part about this is that there are a tremendous number of Arc owners who love their Arc. Sound being such a personal experience is the only thing I can chalk it up to. My Arc setup is incredible “for me” and my spouse loves it as well. I’ve asked her about her Arc experience and in her mind and to her ears she is very impressed with the soundstage and overall performance. I do hope that you’re able to make the Arc work for you and the others who are unhappy with their purchase. Based on reviews and forums that I’ve read and followed those who are not pleased are definitely in the minority. 

I’m happy you’re happy.

Z
Userlevel 2

Just watched John Oliver on HBO Max. I have the Sonos Arc with Gen 3 Sub and 2 SL’s and the audio sounded like it came from my laptop speaker. Squeaky, metallic, high pitched (not sure what to call it). It lacks the richness of a modern soundbar. I have updated it to the latest software and trueplayed several times with an ipad after reading the issues with my iphone 11 pro, but still the sound just sucks. I hope Sonos gets its act together and releases an update which addresses this issue. If not, I will be sending all of it back and buying the Samsung Q90R.

 

 

A
Userlevel 2

FWIW I think the TruePlay issue plays a role in how bright/metallic the Arc can sound but it’s not the only factor. 
 

Even doing the tuning with an unaffected device, in my assessment when playing music, the side firing tweeters that are meant to bounce off the walls end up contributing to at least 30% of the volume, which probably contributes to a bright treble heavy effect. 
 

in my opinion this is a stark contrast to the Playbar which barely uses the side tweeters for music, allowing more of the midrange in the front facing part of the sound bar to dominate. 


this is what I was trying to articulate to the author... arpatil1… I think the side firing speakers are tuned too loud thus drowning out the center speaker, mid range/ vocals.

**Updated edit**
 

So I think I figured it out. Spent a lot of time on this.

Its as if the “virtual surround sound” is tuned too high. Think about a cheap sound bar and you select the “virtual surround button.” It creates a “room filling” sound but this also why people are explaining the sound is irritating especially with music. You hear too much of it thus missing out on the warmth and depth of mods. I suspect people with a large room where sound doesn’t bounce off walls don’t have this problem which explains the differing view points.

 

Even when I pair the sub and surrounds I still feel like the arc is trying to do too much electronically to fill the room. Let the speaker do the talking and back down the algorithm for emphasizing “virtual surround sound” 

from arpatil1: “This does not explain why the vocals are tinny. Center speaker is till direct, facing you. there is no virtual surround with the speech” 

S
Userlevel 4
Badge +4

Just recently found this thread, would anybody be so kind to summarise this thread up for me so i don't have to read through all the 418 replies haha. Is there a solution to the metallic sound or anything that helps/reduces it?

 

No - not for those affected by the issue.  Sonos has been pretty silent on the issue as well.  There may or may not be a hardware issue/bad batch as some people don’t seem to be having any issues/complaints whatsoever.  Others think all the issues can be fixed with software updates.

Bottom line is - your guess is as good as anyone’s at this point!

@dhewitt  Try it out. Many are happy with their Arcs! I have 0 complaints about metallic sounds… Lots of replies doesnt mean everyone here is complaining theres tons of back and forths and also people posting examples of their problem content. So not 418 complaints

Issues exist. So many people can’t be wrong at once (Few YouTubers have also acknowledged). Arc is still very much a beta product. LPCM support is also a few months away (this matters a lot if you do gaming, use Apple TV 4K, etc). Unless you absolutely cannot live with what you have right now, I would wait it out. Just my 2 cents.

Dont necessarily agree with this you could get the Arc today and be satisfied and happy with it. Many are keeping theirs. LCPM support was never promised at launch, and yes it means your gaming wont have surround but stereo gaming sounds great and good enough for me for the time being. In terms of apple TV not sure how it even matters (basides some TVS having issues if they hasve LPCM and the arc doesnt) but my apple tv plays surround just fine and sounds great

 

The beta product statement I dont agree with either,  because my functionality isn’t reduced or buggy. During normal use I do not notice any issues. And theres manyt people saying this on reddit and here. They got their arcs and are happy with the arc and will be keeping it. So the only way of knowing is trying it out! @dhewitt  no need to wait months .  Unless you decide you dont want to deal with a potential return hassle (not even that big of a hassle but ok) 

Are you on the Sonos Defense Council? This isn’t the “Sonos Arc Rich and Full Sound” thread. We’re trying to get to an issue 95% of us are expressing in this thread and you’re acting like we need non-qualified customer support. Glad you’re enjoying yours. Start a thread about it.
 

Guys it sounds like Sonos isn’t seeing issues with the Arc. It’s unfortunate but it’s okay. I’ve made several speaker purchases that I regret. I know the Sonos ecosystem is a big investment so I’d just keep what’s working and maybe start looking for another home theater solution. That’s what I’m doing. I’m keeping my Play 5’s for music and moving on. 

Dude chill , I am just commenting since people here are asking for summary. Remember people dont have the arc and some are looking for feedback like that poster. They see this giant thread and incorrectly assume everyone has issues and hates the arc. The arc is a piece of poop bla bla bla. 

I am not defending SONOS, have stated time after time there are issues with the soundbar., especially at higher volumes. My advice was simply it is better to test it in person because there is a large standard deviation (bug, expectations? hardware defects? who knows)  in satisfaction with the product. And I stated theres a good chance this person gets the arc and doesnt hear any metallic or tinny issues and is happy.  I am following these threads because I am interested in SONOS response and many people have constructive conversations. For example, some discovered retuning with other iphones helped the issue which led me to retune etc…. 

V
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

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.
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