Answered

Sonos Arc Muddy/Bottoming out Bass

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1406 replies

W
Userlevel 5
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I am in no way doubting that folks on here are having issues with their Arcs.  However, I do think that SONOS employees can identify and fix the issue much more quickly if you would all submit a diagnostic and report the number here within a few minutes of noticing issues.  I am reading a lot of specific movie and song examples from the community, and while these are probably helpful in noticing the problem, a diagnostic will give specific software information to the engineers without them having to scroll through all the media examples.  

L
Userlevel 1
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Just in case Ryan S is still reading this forum - 

 

Thanks mate! Hope you are ok. You helped a lot of people on this forum for many years and I for one am grateful. Dont post much but have been reading and following his advice for a long time.

 

All the best.

 

S
Userlevel 3
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Could be just me but there’s also a significant lack of mid-range even with the Sub 3.0.  I hear the “bass” issue when I turn off my sub leaving the Arc to play by itself.  The fullness of sound returns when the sub is on but the Arc ends up sounding like just a bunch of tweeters coupled to a bass bin … not something I’m used to even with my Five and several Play 1s.

Ended up calling Sonos service yesterday before jumping on here and they’re very reluctant to return or exchange.  Hope this is fixed by next week.

… For other’s with 5.1 Arc + Sub set ups … just me??

I agree with you. My issue is not simply the bass at higher volume. The overall sound even at lower volume is not great. The balance is off. Something just isn’t right. 

100% with you here.  The “balance” is definitely off and the full body richness ie Sonos sound that I’ve come to appreciate, is not present.  Appreciate you confirming you’re hearing the same things and I’m not just a crazy audiophile :) 

L
Userlevel 3
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Other than the muddy bass, I noticed that the Sonos Arc sounds a little too metallic and sharp to my ear. The sound is just not engaging, at times it's uncomfortable to listen. Is anyone else facing this issue?

 

I saw a reddit post with someone having the same concern as me:

https://amp.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/ha7w7y/sonos_arc_sounds_extremely_tinny_metallic_and/

BMF
Userlevel 5
Badge +13

seriously? this video….. again?

M
Userlevel 2
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We have identified a bug that has potential to cause distortion when playing bass-heavy content at higher volume levels on Arc. Our team is working on the fix now. We expect the software release to be implemented as early as next week. I'll share any additional updates here.

Can we get some info as to when an update is coming ASAP? Return windows are closing fast and the Arc in this current state is not going to cut it for $800. Please!

B
Userlevel 5
Badge +4

I understand the frustration from everyone, trust me, I’m there too. 

It’s a new product with raving reviews.  Clearly something changed since the reviews were done to the public release and that change likely isn’t hardware, but a software change.  

Before we start spreading word of panic, let’s just give Sonos a few more days and allow them to work on the issue and provide us updates.  Let’s not try to pick apart words in an update we’re being provided.  

Everyone can choose to handle their Arc individually but my decision is to wait for Sonos to release the update and see if it truly resolves the problem.  If it does, great!  If it doesn’t, then the other option is clear. 

I have faith that Sonos will fix this and fix it quickly.  It’s hard to ask for patience when you spend this much on a product but unfortunately we all have to be patient for the update.

R
Userlevel 2
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This whole debacle is just exhausting. And now that Sonos fired the only person who was seemingly working to fix it and communicate status to those of us that purchased the Arc based on Sonos’ prior reputation, I don’t have much hope of it getting resolved. My arc is going back. 

W
Userlevel 5
Badge +9

I think a daily update from Sonos at a particular time until the problem resolved make sense... especially for those Arc owners that have a returning window to chase...

C
Userlevel 2
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This is pretty serious, and it shows the obvious issue in the ARC. I’m still keeping my ARC turned off, until their is software repair. I don’t want to take a chance in blowing my expensive speaker.


Drink

B
Userlevel 3
Badge +1

Apparently, anyone who is still experiencing an issue has a defective unit.

Where did you hear this? 

From people who whinge and it’s more believable, since they no longer believe in what SONOS say anyway.

I also found a solution. 

Sell or return the ARC. Buy a sound bar that goes with your TV brand. 

If you have a Sony TV, buy a Sony sound bar. Are they not good enough?

If you have a LG TV, buy a LG sound bar. Are they not good enough?

If you have a Samsung TV, guess what...buy a Samsung sound bar, guess what… Are they not good enough?

Stay away from SONOS community and don’t bother checking if there is any solution. 

Walk away because SONOS is expensive and it doesn't satisfy your expectations.

Let it go, forget about it, start a new system, go… go on…. just do it. 

Oh and don’t bother telling the community what other better brands you are buying, no one really care. 

.

.

.

See, I said stay away from SONOS community. Why are you still replying?

That’s the dumbest statement I’ve ever heard.

J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

@pyro225 @Pawl Unfortunately it did happen,

 

Also, very unfortunately Ryan does not longer work at Sonos. Don’t want to speculate if these are related by he let me know by DM here, but I wouldn’t want people to think he just dropped and ignored our issues. He really did do a good job keeping up with this community 


This is bad news if this is true! I’m getting less confident with Sonos by the day with all that’s happening with the company. 

Maybe we need to open a new topic for the still existing issues in the Arc if Ryan is really no longer with the company since this one has already been tagged as “Answered” and the new support team may not give this any prioritization. No feedback or response have been provided by the team after the update and there have been a lot of responses from users already!
 

 

JJ
R
Userlevel 3
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Yes I believe Sonos is a very responsive company and the problem would be resolved very soon! 😊😊

 

Sonos is part of my everyday live for years so no matter what, I'm with them!!

Sonos is a company, not a family member...that’s like saying you have been going to the same strip club every night and now are loyal to a dancer...YOU are paying HER, not the other way around. Sonos should be loyal to you. 

G
Userlevel 5
Badge +2

Just ran the sweep. The most problematic portion of the frequency range for the speaker is between 45 and 55hz. The aforementioned muddy bass occurs at half volume. Moving up the range to 65hz, it occurs around 70% volume and is not very discernable above 75hz. It tapers off and requires higher volume to hear as you increase hz from the 55hz baseline.

Ryan, as for above I also wanted to mention my bass eq setting is flat and I sent my diagnostic number in with a new open case for the issue. Thanks again for the support, hopefully we can resolve this. Attached is a picture of my setup. 

 

R
Userlevel 2
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Utterly ridiculous, the update didn’t fix anything.  The arc still chokes on anything bass heavy and the volume above 35-40%.   

F
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Got the sub today, easy set up as always.  I can confirm that the sub takes care of the arcs bass issues.  All the films I've watched which had the distorted bass all sound spot on now.  That's with the sub set to -3

we really gotta stop saying “bass issues “ the bass issue was fixed already with yesterday’s firmware.

 

if you properly updated and have any issues you might have a defective unit but the widespread bass issue was fixed 

It was partially fixed it wasnt fully fixed at all.  Not on my arc anyway 

M
Userlevel 3
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Try playing Dr. Carter by Lil Wayne at a 70% volume. 

The bass in this song sounds horrid at 40%

Although overall I’m still statisfied with the improvements, I experience exactly this at like 50%. Especially where the heart-beeping goes static. Also try Monate Mpolaye - Dj Sumbody. Deep tones don’t sound that well either.

That being said: For general usage, the Arc is fine now, there were even (movie) scenes where I was: That’s what I’m talking about!

Still, I believe buying an additional sub for crisp low tones shouldn’t be needed. Especially not with a 899 EUR soundbar. I know a soundbar can’t produce as much sound as a full set, however, it should be crisp at all times and never distort (okay, could be acceptable at the 80%+ volume levels). There are still examples where this is the case, unfortunately. I stick to my earlier statement: Great improvement, still not 100%.

I actually tried to record this Dr.Carter track in order to upload an example, however, can’t really hear the rumbling / muddy sound when you record it with an iPhone 7 xD

Also: I see some ppl claiming that the issue is resolved (also some very brand-loyal people claiming Sonos never let them down and they will undoubtedly fix this etc.). Good that you give your opinion, but please also let other people give theirs and ‘complain’ as long as they aren’t satisfied. This still is a premium product that comes with the highest expectations.

B
Userlevel 5
Badge +4

Just received this email via Sonos…

 


Hi *********,

My name is Alex and I'm a supervisor here at Sonos. Our team is still looking into the issue you've reported and are working to address it in a future software update. For the community, we have recently made some changes to our internal teams, which may be why you're seeing longer times to a response there than usual.

We certainly understand that isn't ideal, and apologize for the inconvenience along the way.

If you do have any questions or need further assistance, please let me know.

Best,
Alex C. 
Supervisor | Sonos Customer Experience Team

 

The changes to the internal teams must mean the layoffs that were reported and the community people from Sonos are no longer active, which many have already noted here. 

At least it notes that they are still looking into the issue and will address it in a future update.  Details are vague but at least it’s something.

G
Userlevel 5
Badge +2

Thanks, Ryan. Very impressed at your team’s responsiveness to the issue. Looking forward to getting that update!

K
Userlevel 1

I am a first time Sonos customer - just bought an Arc (and have confirmed this issue) and two Ones to go in the bedrooms.  I’ve ordered the Sub separately but it won’t arrive for a while.  As a first time customer, I also have no loyalty to Sonos either and completely understand the frustration and the want for quick answer - I’ve spent almost $2k on Sonos products as well!

What I do trust though, is the support that the larger Sonos community has given to the company for years, and for them to keep Sonos accountable to fix this issue.  The Arc is their newest flagship product and I’m sure that they are doing everything they can to support it.    In addition, @RyanS has been quite responsive with updates, so thank you for that.

I personally am willing to wait - in the grand scheme of things, we’re less than a month into a completely new product and there will inevitably be kinks.   And if it turns out to be a hardware issue, I also trust that Sonos will fix that situation as well (via recalls or exchanges).  And if that doesn’t happen, you can be certain I’ll be returning the product but I’m a far ways from that.  

 

C
Userlevel 1

I’ve made this thread into a drinking game. Every time that same video appears you take a drink. Harsh midrange? Drink. S2? You know it. The only thing you can’t drink for is muddy bass, the thread topic.

You’re gonna blackout when Ryan posts that the update is released lol 

On a more serious note, Ryan, do you have an update to the software fix prior to heading into the weekend? 

S
Userlevel 3
Badge +2

if y'all are so upset and think this is unacceptable, then return it. period. mistakes happen, if you stretched your budget so thin buying a luxury item you probably didn't need to get it anyways. this thing has been out for 5 days. give them some time and they will fix it. check back in a month and buy it again, easy.

If you think its ok that they release a $799+tax product without proper testing then that’s on you. In my opinion they rushed to market trying to capitalize on people sitting at home and said we’ll deal with the fallout later. How can something like this go unnoticed? This isn’t some isolated incident to be called “mistakes happen”. They released untested product. Something that costs the price of two beams should work from day one as intended. Just because the issue doesn’t bother you doesn’t mean that it’s ok for the issue to be there in first place. This is Sonos and this isn’t their first rodeo. Should not have happened, period. The product is used for AUDIO, that should be working flawlessly and not become unusable at over 50% volume. it’s like buying a car that can only go 50mil/hr but hey it’s ok they’ll figure it out later how to make it go faster.

M
Userlevel 3
Badge +3

Twitter reaction:

 

Hey Maurice, thanks for reaching out. We don't have a timescale to share just yet. The team are working fast on a software update. The best place to stay upto date would be our Community Forum -

M
Userlevel 2
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Updated the App to 12.0.6, and redid Trueplay on my Arc + 2 One’s. No difference whatsoever… I always check bollywood movie Drive on Netflix at 35 min, wobbling bass all over te place… You hear it already clearly at 30% volume or so.

@Sonos , I created some diagnostics, number is 2024072718

This needs to be dealt with, once and for all, I am not expecting the moon here, just expect the bass not to sound like a 20€ speaker...

J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

if y'all are so upset and think this is unacceptable, then return it. period. mistakes happen, if you stretched your budget so thin buying a luxury item you probably didn't need to get it anyways. this thing has been out for 5 days. give them some time and they will fix it. check back in a month and buy it again, easy.

If you think its ok that they release a $799+tax product without proper testing then that’s on you. In my opinion they rushed to market trying to capitalize on people sitting at home and said we’ll deal with the fallout later. How can something like this go unnoticed? This isn’t some isolated incident to be called “mistakes happen”. They released untested product. Something that costs the price of two beams should work from day one as intended. Just because the issue doesn’t bother you doesn’t mean that it’s ok for the issue to be there in first place. This is Sonos and this isn’t their first rodeo. Should not have happened, period. The product is used for AUDIO, that should be working flawlessly and not become unusable at over 50% volume. it’s like buying a car that can only go 50mil/hr but hey it’s ok they’ll figure it out later how to make it go faster.


Hi. I think this thread has been really civil so far. There are clearly some who are a little anxious about the situation and I think that’s ok. For some this will have been a really big purchase for themselves and being let down after having chosen to spend their money on this and not something else will result in a more pronounced disappointment. It was my main birthday present this year. 
 

let’s not start posting comments that judge people’s reaction to the issue. If someone goes a little too far, the best thing we can do is ignore it. 
 

If someone judges your comments in a clearly inciting manner then leave it. 
 

otherwise we risk this whole thread getting derailed. It won’t encourage Sonos to support this group. 
 

Please don’t bite  

 

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