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Sonos Arc - Metallic Sound

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L
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.

On a side note, it's good that there are ways to improve sound quality through software, an indication that its not hardware related.

Im hopeful that this will get resolved soon :)

 

 

 

H
Userlevel 6
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The more I hear someone trying to justify the Arc's poor sound quality and making excuses for Sonos ,the more it makes me angry.  There is really no good reason to put out a new product, have many complaints and returns but offer no explanation what is wrong and what can or cannot be fixed.  I believe it is a hardware issue and Sonos doesn't know exactly what to do about it.  If it was only a matter of tweaking Trueplay it would have been done by now.

Ok “bonedaddy” you say bad sound quality yet many Sonos customers are happy and reviewers give it glowing reviews. So Maybe theres something OFF here. some bad units? Some bad tuning? both? software bug? Manufacturing versions? I am not sure.

No one here is justifying bad sound quality. The issue is some people say its bad some others say its good. But you do you. I know this thread is about a specific issue. And that needs to be addressed it is not OK that so many users are having this issue. SONOS needs to step up. No one is defending them

Agreed on not trying to justify bad sound quality. Arc was my first Sonos purchase (I have a house full of wonderful HomePods that I’m totally spoiled by, both individuals and in stereo pairs). I think part of the issue may be the number of variables involved. For example, when I first got my Arc I was relatively disappointed. Not only was I experiencing the muddy bass sound but because of the shape of my room there was no way I was going to get any of the virtual surround envelopment. It sounded fine, but not amazing. I’ll freely admit that I don't think that the Arc, by itself, justifies the $800 purchase price - especially when compared to the amount of HomePods I could get for that and the sound quality available from them. 

That having been said, after adding the Sub 3 and a pair of One SLs, I think the Arc SYSTEM (strong emphasis there) is an absolutely amazing collection of speakers and I love it dearly. Working together, they create what I consider to be a pretty awesome sonic experience - for both movies and music (though, admittedly, I think movies are definitely the Arc System’s forte). Combined with ease of setup, ability to combine with my HomePods via AirPlay 2, app control, etc., the Arc System has become a pretty quickly become beloved part of my equipment. 

Now, here’s where those variables come into play. I’m no longer talking about an $800 soundbar. I’m talking about a $2000 home theater system. If Arc was a product unto itself, I probably would have returned it as it was fine, but not worth the money (to me). Combined with everything else, I think it makes an amazing little home theater system that well justifies the total expense.

And while I’m not dismissing the very legitimate possibility that there could be true hardware issues at play, I’m guessing that things like what I’ve described above may well be accounting for some of the wild swings in opinion about the Arc. Because Arc is changed dramatically by adding on additional pieces (I, personally, think the Arc shouldn’t be sold without the Sub because it transforms the sound so much). 

For what it’s worth. 

Arc + Sub 3 + One SLs = Awesome and Loving It!
V
Userlevel 2
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Beagle  de alberta, If it bothers you so much that this person tries to fix your problem, please do not enter this forum, live their life and do not bother. I don't know what you're doing even here ... are you still here? You do not contribute anything friend.

S
Userlevel 4
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Reposting what i posted on the Muddy bass thread:

Here is a snippet of the Compression graph from RTINGS.com in red it shows the Arc at high volume and on green it shows the Beam at high volume. There is a noticeable dip there for red, this is not what is expected at that range. Note this only happens at high volume. The other green (mostly flat line) is the Arc at 80dB SPL level (not as loud) which is flat as it is ideal. It is normal for speakers to struggle at higher volumes but theres a clear issue for the bass response for the Arc at high volume.

 

Here is the summary with the score, pretty poor score even lower than Beam and Playbar.

 

 

Here is another score that is lower than expected, and it points to the metallic sound/ tinny sound some are experiencing 

 

Find it hard to believe SONOS didnt test these type of things before pushing the Arc out of the door. So it makes me wonder what is going on….

N
Userlevel 1
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I have the same issue, and the harshness gives me a buzz. As much I want to keep the ARC these issues are not helping. Its too bright,metallic sounding. 

D

just got the arc yesterday and hear the same thing as everyone else. thin vocals and lacking mids. 

J
Userlevel 4
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After reading all the info in this topic I think we can come to this conclusion:

  1. the high frequencies are indeed “boosted up” (we are not crazy)
  2. this can be corrected by updating the trueplay software

 

 

Disagree.  We cannot logically come to the conclusion that anything can be corrected by simply updating the Trueplay software.  The problem goes beyond fixing/tweaking the Trueplay software.  Yes, there MAY be some issues with Trueplay with the Arc and/or the Sonos v2 iOS app which would explain why people have gotten very different results when re-tuning using older iOS devices vs. newer iOS devices.  But that does not explain the terrible sound quality many are experiencing WITHOUT using Trueplay.  Rtings.com addresses the Arc’s issues in their review and they go beyond Trueplay.

 

Trueplay is Sonos’s version of room-correction equalization.  It is not mandatory, nor should it be.  This is conceptually the same as using something like Audyssey in an AVR (i.e. Denon) to tweak the EQ of your speakers for your specific room (which I have used many times over the years).  This tuning should result in minor improvements to account for the unique acoustics of one’s room - not be a requirement for a speaker to sound good.  In fact, many high-end speaker designers recommend NOT using room-correction EQ for various reasons.

B

Just wanted to throw my experience into this too.  I am experiencing the same ‘tinny’ and ‘metallic’ sounding vocals with my ARC as well.  I have a Beam in the other room and it definitely sounds more warm and fuller than the ARC.  I’m not an expert on this audio stuff but I can hear a big difference between my ARC and Beam. Hope this helps.

A
Userlevel 6
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Packing everything- getting ready to return the Arc and 2 ones even after paying 30% off the price. Dealing with the quiet and thin dialogue by increasing the volume did not help much as the action scenes were getting too loud. Sonos is also silent about this issue and have not provided any assurances. I can’t just bet my money on HOPES that they will fix it. Lack of 4K pass-through ports, LPCM and DTS support were aleady a bummer, but I still accepted those flaws because of the price I paid, but I can not accept sound quality issues. Not everybody was privilged to get 30% off and at $799, Arc is just not worth it as it depends too much on the pricey sub and surrounds for good experience. 

 Overall, the experience is sub-par for a supposedly premium system. I will be going back to the HomePod and Airpods combination which are much more cost-effective with a fuller sound (I never thought I would be saying this after using the Arc).

T
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I own over 30 sonos speakers 7 tv's each one has a beam and my 135 inch screen projector screen has an Arc, I got to say it's the worst speaker sonos made. Regardless of the money factor the beam sounds way better in pretty much everything you throw at it. I'm happy I found this thread as I felt I'm loosing my mind, I tried to mount it over and under the screen , tried to tune it using ipad but nothing, the ARC sounds like a cheap speaker  specifically when dealing with voice from any source. Sonos please fix it or admit you have a shitty product and replace it for us . Side note I own it for enough time for it to bed in or whatever it needed to do and over the past year no improvement was made to my hears

These online reviews can’t all be wrong. Perhaps it’s your ((h)ears🤔?), or your setup/environment...

Rting.com was the only source I trusted in your list and it was actually the review which triggered my sonos Arc purchase , apparently they also do paid reviews as my hears works just fine and environment that works for beam should work for the ARC, thank you for the educated reply. 

A
Userlevel 6
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It’s definitely a software issue. I don't see a reason why Arc should have thin, tinny vocals since the center channel has one tweeter and 2 woofers. I think Sonos just decided to pack all the hardware it needs to make it sound great but decided to release half-baked product thinking they will fix all the software issues later. Usually done to meet the deadlines. Though this does not explain all the positive reviews. 

H
Userlevel 1

Having the exact same issue. I believe there’s an issue with the Trueplay calibration when done via an iPhone (at least me and my husband's iPhone 11). Tries tuning with a first-generation iPad Pro and the results were much better. That incredibly harsh, metallic trebly heavy sound is gone. Can anyone else see if this works better for them? 

@Heilo the Dog I noticed the exact same thing. TruPlay done with iPad Pro did bring down those harsh trebles, albiet with compromised details. Then I redid the TruPlay again with my iPhone XS, and no surprise - the harsh and metallic treble came back. I plan to repeat this process multiple times to validate our hypothesis.

 

So I repeated the Truplay again with both iPad Pro and iPhone XS. I can confirm that harsh trebles go away with iPad Pro Truplay, though it does not sound as detailed and clear. Vocals sound like they are using mask. iPhone Truplay did bring the clarity back, but the “highs are too high” scenario came back with lacking mid-ranges. 

I think the enhanced truplay that Sonos is implementing might be a culprit here. This is specifically affecting iPhones. @Ryan S Can you forward this to the team if you think it’s worthwhile? Thanks!

UPDATE

So today I had a friend let me use his iPhone 8s to try a calibration and I can’t believe what a difference it made. It’s much warmer and more full sounding (like my previous playbar sounded). I have a theory that there is an issue  with the microphones on the newer iOS devices that is causing this terrible trueplay effect. I saw someone mention how a mesh screen can impact a frequencies ability to pass through. Waterproof mesh materials also affect frequency passthrough effectiveness. Will be interesting to see how exactly this gets fixed. I almost wished they would support some third party Bluetooth mic or sell an accessory that would do the tuning. Then the android people could also benefit. 

S
Userlevel 7
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I find conversations regarding Trueplay and retuning etc. bizarre to be honest.  With it switched off (like it has to be for a huge amount of users who use Android), the Arc should not be exhibiting any of the issues being so widely reported.

Trueplay is to adjust the sound according to the room/environment it is in, not to fix fundamental problems.  There may be issues with tuning on specific devices’ microphones (quite ironic given the reasons for Trueplay only being supported on Apple devices) - but with it switched off these sorts of issues with bass etc. really shouldn't be there.

If you switch it off and have the problem then there is a huge issue.

1- You can easily find someone with an iphone borrow their phone for 10 mins and trueplay. (now is more difficult due to covid I know)

2- You are confused by the “issue” at hand. It isn’t that theres an issue that trueplaying fix. It is quite the opposite. Some users are reporting that truplaying is incorrectly tuning the profile and making high pitch voices and sounds sound harsh and “tinny” and Ssssss to be quite annoying to the ear (siblance). 

Keeping truplay off means more muddled sounds and voices and no room correction so forego the “virtual surround” and atmos adjustment.

Room correction is a very good and high end feature for soundbars and systems. Even home theater receiver system use it and need it (they provide a mic you move around). Sonos system is easier and simpler **but** you need an iphone (refer to point 1) Theyd have to develop this to account for multiple mics used on multiple androids that release on multiple flagships cycles every year and dramatically change components in the process. Not saying it couldnt be done but it adds considerable complexity to keep truplay constat for all with tens of phone models (keep in mind this goes through the years) so every year it would be 3 or 4 samsungs, 2 or 3 pixel phones, 2 or 3 LGs, 3 or 4 iphones etc. Edit: and then you would probably complain your samsung A isnt supported but the S is or the S is but the note isnt. Or the note is but the galaxy fold isnt etc

Presumably this is replying to me - but I am well aware of the reasons for Android not having Trueplay (hence my comment on the irony on seemingly different results from the iOS devices that do use a ‘known’ mic standard - that also get tested before being included in the Sonos software (it’s often added some time after the devices’ release.))

Regarding confusing the issue, I’m really not.  You don’t think there are users with issues that they should not have that are being improved by Trueplay?  As I say, this option that is not a realistic option for all should not be viewed as a solution.

I’m really starting to think there is either something wrong with the Arc design or a huge batch of them.  If it was something more basic like the DSP part of the software was changed between all of the reviews and the final public release then Sonos could have restored that profile much quicker, even as an interim….

W

Same issue here with my wall-mounted Arc (+ Sub Gen3 + 2x One SL for surround). Already contacted customer support by phone, sent diagnostics reports, went through all the hoops of unplugging hdmi, power cable, restarting the tv (LG C9), different sources, eARC on/off, selecting pass-through/automatic, selecting automatic/dolby digital plus on my tv audio settings, etc...but to no avail. Nothing helped. Still experiencing the same (sometimes painful) piercing highs with a lot of hiss sounds, especially when people talk and barely any mids. Music playback has the same issue by the way.

Trueplay (iPhone X) actually makes it even worse, and without Trueplay everything sounds dull. Nothing close compared to the raving reviews online which talk about full range audio.

Something is definitely off with the tuning on the Arc. I hope Sonos will take the time to look into this and fixes this asap.

ant0
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Hi everyone, I just read the whole topic briefly and yes there is something off with the Arc, I am so disappointed and I am returning it next week.

I was waiting for it to replace the Beam in a 5.1 setup which was ok but definitely the weak link in this setup. 
The Arc arrived and noticed the Bass issue right away, it also sounds bad for music with the centre channel almost dead in some songs, vocals come out on the side and do not come straight at you, I have also had some movie scenes where sound effects were almost muted and voices really low, music comes on and it shakes the whole room. On a side note my TV isn’t Atmos compatible.

It is not tuned properly and what really gets me is how a lot of people say it sounds amazing, maybe when you have an Atmos compatible TV or I don’t know but I have enough of trying to figure out why what where who.
In Australia it retails at AUD$1400 so this is not possible for me to justify having a sound bar costing so much and having such a unbalanced sound.

i love my Ones, love my Play 5 but for home theatre Sonos is not for me. Adding to this no HDMI input which is also asking for a new TV to get the full potential and you never stop spending money.

I am taking Sonos the Amp route, don’t care so much about Atmos and at least I will have something great for music at the same price….I mean I hope! 
In the end if you’re not happy it’s just not the right product for you

 

Good luck guys

S

So, is there a fix?  There are multiple forums on this/similar sound concerns.  I want to love the ARC, but either can’t hear it or it becomes painful.  However, you can hear that the real sound is in there somewhere and at times, you get to hear some of it and then, ugh.

Need to know if I return.

 

Thank you.

S
Userlevel 4
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This is such a joke people are bored of posting now on here and Sonos will probably just accept everyone is putting up with it… we need updates!

I think by now if one wants to return they have already done so.  The rest are accepting the shortcomings and learning to live with it.  With 99% all positive reviews plus a few fanboys out there raving about the ARC, the Arc is mostly sold out.  So why should they care?

They already said here theyre workin gon a fix and investigating the issue. They provided a form to submit problematic content. I do agree it is frustrating they haven’t provided any updates. But sayihng they dont care and are doing  nothing is just not right. Just speculation and doesn’t really contribute.

Also, many have said their setups are sounding good and theyre enjoying it. So “living with it” doesnt quite fit it. 

 

AGAIN there is an issue for some people, it seems this group isn’t small and many have complaints. SONOS said theyure working on it and theywentr quiet (dont know why or try to defend that). But let’s have accurate posts here for those who come here looking to check progress. Your post just isn’t right at no point SONOS has said “most users are happy, there is no issue,if you dont like it Arc is not for you, we plan on not investigating or working on this” so don’t be misleading.

V
Userlevel 2
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Watched Lord of the Rings (Fellowship) last night and it was horrible. Piercing. Couldn’t hear voices. 
 

Haven’t returned my quite yet. Waiting on the update.

Return it. It’s crap. Will never work for you. 
Mine, on the other hand has been fantastic and it’s no issues with connectivity or Atmos content. 
You’re a very small minority of unhappy buyers. The Arc continues to be sold out everywhere with few complaints. Not sure exactly what the expectation was but if you want it to sound like a $40,000 home theatre set up then start saving your money to buy a $40,000 home theatre. 

No we don’t we want something that sound as good as the playbar which is 7years old! This fails that in every way except Atmos. Do you ever run yours with bass at 50% plus? Or do you just have a sub? 

Most Arc owners will disagree with you. As stated there are very few owners who aren’t satisfied. Sound being highly subjective I won’t argue that yours sounds horrible to “you”. If it does do yourself and the rest of us a favour and sell it or return it. You’ll feels so much better with something else. 

As you can see begle there is a problem in arc, not that it is not for us sonos arc ... something is wrong. It's not that we have high expectations and you don't ... the problem exists and they have recognized it. What sonos does is contribute to the problem and not say that if you don't like the sound, give it back and stop bothering. I repeat ... some of us don't like what we hear ... keep that in mind

V
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Well, very easy ... I think that since you are not nostradamus, it is difficult for you to know how much money people who have a problem have invested in the sonos brand, people do not want to sell everything and lose money. I don't really care how much you have invested, in case you feel like saying so now. This forum in the title says very clearly what is happening. Until you arrived, people have tried to contribute, even the people who work for you. As for you ... I will not waste any more time ... do not distort the forum thanks.

B
Userlevel 3
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All I can tell you is i own and love all my Sonos products until now.  Playbar, sub, and 4 play 1’s. Many of us were extremely excited to read about the Arc the HDMI input and Atmos.  And after reading all the glowing professional reviews I expected to at least get as good of sound quality from the Arc as I do my playbar, and hopefully much better considering it’s $800.  But this is just not the case.  Could it be the S2 trueplay implementation is bad?  Sure, but why doesn't Sonos say something? The covid excuse only goes so far.  Maybe production took a hit but the Arc was already well on it’s way to becoming a product before covid,  That’s what leads me to believe it is more of a hardware problem, but who knows?

I’m disappointed in the Arc and i’m disappointed in the way Sonos isn’t addressing these issues.   

That’s all  

G
Userlevel 4
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Maybe there is a bad batch. Mine sounds great after 2-3 weeks daily use. Arc + surrounds + sub. Replaced a Beam 5.1 system, which replaced hardwired Denon AVR and NHT 5.1 speakers. 

The Arc-anchored Sonos system much better than the Beam, and while not getting as really loud as well as the AVR-based system the quality of sound is more or less on par for me. 

Atmos is effective in my usage  as well.

G
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I also have an LG C9. That’s like four people on this thread. Anyone else have an LG tv?

M
Userlevel 5
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Gonna exchange mine see if it’s any different.. just put my mind to ease that it’s not just the unit I have, then return if the same.. come Sonos give us some info on this issue

@John A @Chris - Sonos @Jean C. 

C
Userlevel 1
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Hi Ken,

thanks for the quick response, no it’s not wall mounted just sitting on a low tv unit, although the tv is wall mounted so is sitting approx 1 foot below the tv.

I did try true play before and it made no difference, just tried it again but this time I did not walk around the room too much I kind of just rotated slowly in the middle of the living room as I read someone reported they cured the harshness by not moving around the room, but If you just sit on the sofa it knows you are not moving etc. so need to test some more.

no I did not check with Sonos support, I guess I can discuss with JL if I get no joy.

forgot to say it’s a complete setup, so Arc, Sub gen 3, 2 x One’s gen 2.

Before I got the arc and sub I just used the Ones for stereo music and have always been very impressed with them, so upgraded to the Era 100’s and these are even better, so I then added the Ones to the arc and sub.

K

Same issue here (Arc and Sub v3) - deeply disappointed in the sound quality right off the bat.  Coming from a decade-old Bose Cinemate GS Series II system, this setup as it currently stands loses out pretty dramatically. 

Out of the box it had a “dull” sound.  Trueplay with an iPhone 11 Pro resulted in this tinny, treble-y sound described by everyone else.  I was going to try Trueplay using the iPad (again, mentioned by others) but apparently support for the 2020 iPad Pro is lacking (receive a network error) so I’m stuck.  The piercing highs are honestly uncomfortable to listen to even at mid-volumes so I turned off Trueplay and bumped the treble and bass a bit to get something halfway decent.  It still emphasizes the highs too much and is lacking mid-range but I’m going with this weak config and keeping my fingers crossed Sonos addresses this before nearing the 45 day window or I’ll be returning it.

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