Sonos Arc Muddy/Bottoming out Bass

@armando.spataro 

Did Sonos outline a possible update/fix or what was the next step to resolve the issue please.

Great info, thanks

Unfortunately the only fix to resolve the issue was to turn Trueplay off.

I'm in a similar situation as you preferring the sound of Trueplay but it's a sacrifice I had to choose. I eventually purchased the sub, which resolved the issue entirely. However, this should not have to be a key selling point of having to force other products in order to make your "flagship" product to work properly.

I hope they this sorted out on the next firmware update as it continues to be an issue for others. Best of luck!

Hey Sonos Community,

I have some updates: It seems that the bass on my ARC has improved...not totally fixed but it's way better.

Apparently, the way the ARC was sitting on my entertainment center was causing more of a reverb for the bass during Trueplay?! I also noticed that the firmware was updated to 12.2.5, so not sure if the combination of the two was the solution.

So if any of you are still having issues, try the following:

- Retune your system under the new firmware.

- If your ARC sits on a large Entertainment Center, try shifting the ARC towards the front edge when tuning for Trueplay.

I hope this helps.

My replacement Arc arrived today. Original was a June 2020 build, with the replacement being a December 2020 model. Setup is standalone bar with no sub or surrounds. 
 

After having enough of constantly adjusting volume and bass EQ during movies, I’d finally gotten to a point where I contacted Sonos support and sent them a video. They agreed to swap it out but alas, no change. Trueplay on or off makes little difference to the booming bass. One would think that this level of distortion can’t be good for the drivers long term.

Only hope is that firmware can correct this now.  
 

Do you happen to have a photo of how the ARC is placed? I moved mine towards the front of the media cabinet and that helped big time.

Also, what kind of TV do you have? Curious if it could be an issue with the ARC (Audio Return Channel) HDMI port or inconsistency with apps?

I can't believe after all this time people think a firmware update is going to fix this issue! If only Sonos had released this soundbar stating that the sub was essential to produce room filling bass then no one would have ever complained. Instead it was sold as a standalone and those without 'extra' speakers were mostly left disappointed. Clever marketing to make people buy more products or make people leave the Sonos eco system and look elsewhere with ridiculous claims of what the Arc can achieve as a standalone unit?

I did the latter and glad I did... Wake up complaining Arc owners it'll never get any better with software, people have been saying that for 9 months now and it's rather boring. 

Did this problem ever get solved?

ive just purchased the arc but I do also have the sub 

but strangely I’m having the turn the bass up to around 10 to feel happy with the bass

i haven’t yet tried without the sub 

If you have the sub whatever you do, don't try without it!! 

Making me feel I should switch back to the beam

I’ve got 2 IKEA Symfonisk lamps, which are apparently based on the Sonos One. These relatively low-end speakers (in terms of price point) sound significantly better when playing music vs the Arc and Sub. With the Arc and Sub, when there’s a low amount of bass in a track, the audio sounds incredibly thin and lacking. It’s like you have the fullness of bass from the sub which fills the room perfectly, but then the Arc seems very “directional”, like a laptop speaker at the front of the room that is easily picked out.

I’m no audiophile and I’m not sure exactly what is missing, it just doesn’t sound right, especially given how fantastic the Symfonisk lamps and sub sound together.