Enthusiast II

Answered

Sonos Arc Muddy/Bottoming out Bass

1406 replies
193263 views

Beyond thrilled to receive the new Sonos Arc. True played my room and I have loudness on as well connected to LG B8 using Tidal and Spotify. Most of the sound range is phenomenal, aside from the bass. At even half volume the woofers are extremely muddy and sound terrible. Not sure if this is because I have under two hours of use but I wasn’t expecting to have to break-in the speaker. I own set of speakers next to it in the same room (KEF LS50W) and the difference is night and day. There have also been posts on Reddit regarding this issue. It is interesting given no reviewers have mentioned this issue but more than a few recipients have. Has anyone else experienced similar issues? Turning loudness off helps but it is disappointing for such a highly anticipated product.

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Scott - SonosAnswer

Sonos Product Management

Hello everyone. I’m a product manager at Sonos. Thank you for sharing your experiences with Arc. The development team is monitoring this community and listening to your feedback.

As we do with all Sonos products, we’ll continue to improve the experience for Arc through numerous software updates into the future. Last week we issued our first update (12.0.1) to fix a bug some customers were experiencing with low-frequency distortion at higher volumes.

If you have specific music tracks or timestamps for TV shows and movies that you want to bring to our attention, please use this form. It is helpful if you can submit a diagnostic when you’re listening to the content. Instructions for doing so can be found here.

Show previous replies

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Seeky

Prominent Collaborator II

Whats the game plan here Sonos? Is this software or hardware? A software fix to a hardware issue isn't acceptable.

Do I need to start the return process on my 2 Arcs and supporting speakers or not?

It seems to be a hardware issue since some users are not expecting it. That does not mean that they can’t fix it to your satisfaction with software. There might be a batch of the Arcs being equipped with a slightly different speaker. That would just need them to retune their speaker curves. You might not be able to notice a difference from the two batches afterwards.

Anyway, I wouldn’t accept it either if the software fix has other downsides. I saw there are some people who have two Arcs, one with the issue and one without. Those people will be able to tell us if we need to send ours back or if the fix is creating equal quality on both.

D

Dauda

Lyricist III

Whats the game plan here Sonos? Is this software or hardware? A software fix to a hardware issue isn't acceptable.

Do I need to start the return process on my 2 Arcs and supporting speakers or not?

it would be nice to get a response today by the Team to get some clarification on the issue.

i know it’s Friday but if there is no update on such a blatant mishap in quality control whether software or hardware it would be disappointing.

Most people probably won’t pay attention to this but hopefully Sonos does not make their products for the lowest common denominator…

as a first time Sonos buyer, it sucks to be disappointed like this. My old budget and Mid-end soundbars could push better bass without much or any distortion without a subwoofer.

I want to hear about a solution in terms of the product getting called back or an update if it truly is a software issue. And if a software fix to a hardware issue is the solution I want none of it !

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bbalz

Renowned Enthusiast I

They have already replied stating they are working on a software update.

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-arc-muddy-bottoming-out-bass-6842379?postid=16438889#post16438889

D

Dauda

Lyricist III

They have already replied stating they are working on a software update.

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-arc-muddy-bottoming-out-bass-6842379?postid=16438889#post16438889

Hi,

We will see but since this affects a lot of users that do not have the subwoofer. I’m pretty sure most users without a sub if they test the soundbar thoroughly , it would be nice to get an update and statement from the company. It is just strange that this just gets discovered now. I have heard recordings of people with the same issue and it’s the exact same sound issue with low frequencies.

As I stated before, from a product at this price and the reputation of the company it is disappointing for first time buyers like myself.

Im hoping that the issue will be fixed because I still think the soundstage and height of the bar are amazing and I was initially impressed.

B

bbalz

Renowned Enthusiast I

They have already replied stating they are working on a software update.

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-arc-muddy-bottoming-out-bass-6842379?postid=16438889#post16438889

Hi,

We will see but since this affects a lot of users that do not have the subwoofer. I’m pretty sure most users without a sub if they test the soundbar thoroughly , it would be nice to get an update and statement from the company. It is just strange that this just gets discovered now. I have heard recordings of people with the same issue and it’s the exact same sound issue with low frequencies.

As I stated before, from a product at this price and the reputation of the company it is disappointing for first time buyers like myself.

Im hoping that the issue will be fixed because I still think the soundstage and height of the bar are amazing and I was initially impressed.

It's possible that the most recent update caused an issue. I can't speak for everyone but I had an update immediately after setting up the soundbar. Perhaps reviewers didn't, perhaps everyone didn't, perhaps everyone has different expectations or ears.

I was one of the first to report this on launch day. Trust me in disappointed but there are many times on a new product launch where some bugs happen. The fact they've replied already and are working on it is a great thing. Not all companies would be so quick to act.

I'm hopeful in a day or two we will see an update and hear the Arc in all of its glory and have the same reactions that the early reviewers had.

D

Dauda

Lyricist III

They have already replied stating they are working on a software update.

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-arc-muddy-bottoming-out-bass-6842379?postid=16438889#post16438889

Hi,

We will see but since this affects a lot of users that do not have the subwoofer. I’m pretty sure most users without a sub if they test the soundbar thoroughly , it would be nice to get an update and statement from the company. It is just strange that this just gets discovered now. I have heard recordings of people with the same issue and it’s the exact same sound issue with low frequencies.

As I stated before, from a product at this price and the reputation of the company it is disappointing for first time buyers like myself.

Im hoping that the issue will be fixed because I still think the soundstage and height of the bar are amazing and I was initially impressed.

It's possible that the most recent update caused an issue. I can't speak for everyone but I had an update immediately after setting up the soundbar. Perhaps reviewers didn't, perhaps everyone didn't, perhaps everyone has different expectations or ears.

I was one of the first to report this on launch day. Trust me in disappointed but there are many times on a new product launch where some bugs happen. The fact they've replied already and are working on it is a great thing. Not all companies would be so quick to act.

I'm hopeful in a day or two we will see an update and hear the Arc in all of its glory and have the same reactions that the early reviewers had.

I’m hopeful as well !

I don’t mean to be rude to the engineers and the people behind the product. I really do hope for the best. I’m just a little disappointed right now.

Hopefully we get a bit of an explanation as to what is causing the problem and what is being done to fix it. Just so we are informed as customers :)

A

arpatil1

Enthusiast II

They have already replied stating they are working on a software update.

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-arc-muddy-bottoming-out-bass-6842379?postid=16438889#post16438889

Hi,

We will see but since this affects a lot of users that do not have the subwoofer. I’m pretty sure most users without a sub if they test the soundbar thoroughly , it would be nice to get an update and statement from the company. It is just strange that this just gets discovered now. I have heard recordings of people with the same issue and it’s the exact same sound issue with low frequencies.

As I stated before, from a product at this price and the reputation of the company it is disappointing for first time buyers like myself.

Im hoping that the issue will be fixed because I still think the soundstage and height of the bar are amazing and I was initially impressed.

It's possible that the most recent update caused an issue. I can't speak for everyone but I had an update immediately after setting up the soundbar. Perhaps reviewers didn't, perhaps everyone didn't, perhaps everyone has different expectations or ears.

I was one of the first to report this on launch day. Trust me in disappointed but there are many times on a new product launch where some bugs happen. The fact they've replied already and are working on it is a great thing. Not all companies would be so quick to act.

I'm hopeful in a day or two we will see an update and hear the Arc in all of its glory and have the same reactions that the early reviewers had.

I’m hopeful as well !

I don’t mean to be rude to the engineers and the people behind the product. I really do hope for the best. I’m just a little disappointed right now.

Hopefully we get a bit of an explanation as to what is causing the problem and what is being done to fix it. Just so we are informed as customers :)

Very unlikely that they will give any technical explanation (no company does that tbh). They will just issue the update and say “the update improves the bass response of the Sonos Arc”.

S

SOCalistic

Renowned Enthusiast I

Hi there, I just got my Arc 20 minutes ago in Melbourne - Australia, sadly I have to report the same issue, I knew the song to try, Daft Punk - Loose Yourself To Dance. I had it at 50% volume with the Bass at +5 and the rumble it makes is not a normal sound, I would describe it as if one of the driver received to much gain or something, it actually crackles (not sure if this word make sense).

I also have a Beam to compare, the Arc sound much better in every other regard but even if I increase the Bass to +10 on the Beam does not do what is happening with the Arc.

What are you watching or playing that you’re hearing this on? I just tried this with Music for now with Daft Punk - Loose Yourself To Dance
What volume do you experience this at? 50% and Bass EQ increased to +5
Is your Arc wall-mounted? No
Are you using Trueplay, and does it go away if you turn Trueplay off? I am using Trueplay, it is less discernible without it but if I increase the Bass EQ it is still there
Do you have the Bass EQ setting flat or adjusted in some way? Adjusted
If it’s possible, can you share an image of the setup? Tv and Arc are on a regular TV Bench, not wall mounted
Please submit a diagnostic from the system with it happening and let us know the number. 1386646161

Cheers

That’s one of my go to test songs too.

R

Redraider3403

Enthusiast I

They have already replied stating they are working on a software update.

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-arc-muddy-bottoming-out-bass-6842379?postid=16438889#post16438889

Hi,

We will see but since this affects a lot of users that do not have the subwoofer. I’m pretty sure most users without a sub if they test the soundbar thoroughly , it would be nice to get an update and statement from the company. It is just strange that this just gets discovered now. I have heard recordings of people with the same issue and it’s the exact same sound issue with low frequencies.

As I stated before, from a product at this price and the reputation of the company it is disappointing for first time buyers like myself.

Im hoping that the issue will be fixed because I still think the soundstage and height of the bar are amazing and I was initially impressed.

It's possible that the most recent update caused an issue. I can't speak for everyone but I had an update immediately after setting up the soundbar. Perhaps reviewers didn't, perhaps everyone didn't, perhaps everyone has different expectations or ears.

I was one of the first to report this on launch day. Trust me in disappointed but there are many times on a new product launch where some bugs happen. The fact they've replied already and are working on it is a great thing. Not all companies would be so quick to act.

I'm hopeful in a day or two we will see an update and hear the Arc in all of its glory and have the same reactions that the early reviewers had.

I’m hopeful as well !

I don’t mean to be rude to the engineers and the people behind the product. I really do hope for the best. I’m just a little disappointed right now.

Hopefully we get a bit of an explanation as to what is causing the problem and what is being done to fix it. Just so we are informed as customers :)

Very unlikely that they will give any technical explanation (no company does that tbh). They will just issue the update and say “the update improves the bass response of the Sonos Arc”.

Not going to cut it if “improves the bass response” really means filtering out the bad frequencies causing the problem. Especially since some users seem to not have the issue. If they retard a certain population of arcs, that has class action written all over it. I paid for the normal arc, not the diet version.

A

arpatil1

Enthusiast II

They have already replied stating they are working on a software update.

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/sonos-arc-muddy-bottoming-out-bass-6842379?postid=16438889#post16438889

Hi,

We will see but since this affects a lot of users that do not have the subwoofer. I’m pretty sure most users without a sub if they test the soundbar thoroughly , it would be nice to get an update and statement from the company. It is just strange that this just gets discovered now. I have heard recordings of people with the same issue and it’s the exact same sound issue with low frequencies.

As I stated before, from a product at this price and the reputation of the company it is disappointing for first time buyers like myself.

Im hoping that the issue will be fixed because I still think the soundstage and height of the bar are amazing and I was initially impressed.

It's possible that the most recent update caused an issue. I can't speak for everyone but I had an update immediately after setting up the soundbar. Perhaps reviewers didn't, perhaps everyone didn't, perhaps everyone has different expectations or ears.

I was one of the first to report this on launch day. Trust me in disappointed but there are many times on a new product launch where some bugs happen. The fact they've replied already and are working on it is a great thing. Not all companies would be so quick to act.

I'm hopeful in a day or two we will see an update and hear the Arc in all of its glory and have the same reactions that the early reviewers had.

I’m hopeful as well !

I don’t mean to be rude to the engineers and the people behind the product. I really do hope for the best. I’m just a little disappointed right now.

Hopefully we get a bit of an explanation as to what is causing the problem and what is being done to fix it. Just so we are informed as customers :)

Very unlikely that they will give any technical explanation (no company does that tbh). They will just issue the update and say “the update improves the bass response of the Sonos Arc”.

Not going to cut it if “improves the bass response” really means filtering out the bad frequencies causing the problem. Especially since some users seem to not have the issue. If they retard a certain population of arcs, that has class action written all over it. I paid for the normal arc, not the diet version.

I know. Let’s just give them some time (It’s good that they have acknowledged the issue super quick). I am getting my Arc today and will report back after testing all the songs listed here. We have 100 days return window in the US which gives me peace.

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