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Sonos Arc Muddy/Bottoming out Bass

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D
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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.  
 

 

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. 

A
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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?

K
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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.  
 

 

A
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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.

A
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@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!

R
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@armando.spataro 

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

Great info, thanks

R
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For those who have this issue can you turn trueplay OFF for the Arc and post if this fixes the issue of wobbly bass?

I ask because it looks like I have a similar issue with trueplay ON for the Sonos ones, turning it off resolves this issue but I prefer the overall sound with trueplay on.

Apologies if my question is too simplistic or this issue is independent of trueplay for most.

 

A
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Hi Sonos Arc Community,

I just wanted to give everyone an update to see if this could help someone in the future and perhaps you could share your feedback if you noticed something similar.

After troubleshooting my issue with a Sonos rep we’ve narrowed it down to this issue:

  • Trueplay enabled while watching Dolby Atmos content via native TV apps (Disney+, VUDU & Dolby app)
  • Trueplay is over compensating the bass (just for reference, my room is about 14 x 22 and is the front room of my house with entry-ways to another playroom (double doors) and open entry to the kitchen area)

I’ve even recalibrated using two different iPhone series and still the same issue. The exact sound emitted during playback makes the center driver sound like it’s too much to handle with a “wobbly” sound. When I turn off Trueplay, the sound is gone making watching content far more enjoyable and I can even push the volume beyond 50% without hearing the same nasty sound.

It could also be related to my TV (TCL R613), but without testing it on another TV I wouldn’t be able to be 100% sure about this. In any event, I’m hoping this helps others and just a bummer I can’t use Trueplay when watching Dolby Atmos content on this system.

A
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So after recalibrating Trueplay and lowering the bass to -5 I still notice the issue (especially during the Pacific Rim scene at about 1:14-large monster is pushing Gypsy back while firing). 

However, when I toggled Trueplay off this seemed to have resolved it. So it seems to be something within the calibration that produces too much low end.

I've only noticed this problem with movies streamed on VUDU and Dolby Atmos.

A
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Still experiencing this issue with the newer Arc SL and firmware 12.2.2. Most noticably on movies Pacific Rim & Mad Max Fury Road on VUDU (Dolby Atmos).

 

During the loud scenes (monster fights & explosions), I will notice bass muddiness and clipping. I have to lower the bass below -6 to get it to stop and I only have the volume at 35%.

Submitted diagnostic with form provided by Scott. Anyone else noticing this on certain streaming sites?

The same issue here.

Bass clipping with volume higher than 20%.

Definitely disappointing to run into this from such a premium product. I've had the Playbar for years and never had this issue.

I'm going to try tuning again via Trueplay, then try again. I'll even test these same scenes toggling Trueplay off/on to see if that makes a difference. I currently have the bass set at -5.

V

Still experiencing this issue with the newer Arc SL and firmware 12.2.2. Most noticably on movies Pacific Rim & Mad Max Fury Road on VUDU (Dolby Atmos).

 

During the loud scenes (monster fights & explosions), I will notice bass muddiness and clipping. I have to lower the bass below -6 to get it to stop and I only have the volume at 35%.

Submitted diagnostic with form provided by Scott. Anyone else noticing this on certain streaming sites?

The same issue here.

Bass clipping with volume higher than 20%.

A
Userlevel 1
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Still experiencing this issue with the newer Arc SL and firmware 12.2.2. Most noticably on movies Pacific Rim & Mad Max Fury Road on VUDU (Dolby Atmos).

 

During the loud scenes (monster fights & explosions), I will notice bass muddiness and clipping. I have to lower the bass below -6 to get it to stop and I only have the volume at 35%.

Submitted diagnostic with form provided by Scott. Anyone else noticing this on certain streaming sites?

S

I currently have a 5.1 setup with playbar + sub + 2 Ones. I have been wanting to upgrade to the Arc but waited and waited because of the many issues that were reported early on. 
 

I still can’t tell if these have been resolved or not?

 

I use my setup for music often, as well as gaming and TV/movies. 
 

Any advice would be appreciated if someone thinks this upgrade would be worth it for me? Thanks!

I personally don’t have any issues, because I’ve got the Sub and surround Ones. As you have those too, I figure it’s gonna sound good. Whether the Arc has advantages over the Playbar, I’m not so sure. In theory there Dolby Atmos, but I have never really notified any significant positional audio coming from the Arc. There’s also Airplay. But your Ones also support that, so i guess that works for you now too.

F

I currently have a 5.1 setup with playbar + sub + 2 Ones. I have been wanting to upgrade to the Arc but waited and waited because of the many issues that were reported early on. 
 

I still can’t tell if these have been resolved or not?

 

I use my setup for music often, as well as gaming and TV/movies. 
 

Any advice would be appreciated if someone thinks this upgrade would be worth it for me? Thanks!

K
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Ok I purchased the Arc the second time around as the other bar I tired has software bugs like in/out sound etc.  So to make my family happy I am giving Arc a second try. Not sure if it was a software fix by Sonos or the bar i got previous was defective, I don’t have the bottom out bass or the metallic highs issues that I have experienced before.  

S

I’d been using two Sonos One speakers as a stereo pair for my living room sound and was quite happy with them (even though my older Sonos Play 1 seemed to have better bass). However, because I also wanted to add my TV’s audio to them, I bought the Arc.

At first I only connected the Arc and found its sound underwhelming. For movies it was somewhat OK. But Spotify / Apple Music audio sounded very centered, thin and low on bass. I then added the two One speakers to the Arc as a surround pair. This did enhance the audio, but I still found the bass lacking. I then went out and bought the Sub and added that to the system and now I’m pretty happy with the sound.

However, I’m still a bit unsure whether the Arc itself is worth the price. I feel a lot of shortcomings were solved by adding the Ones and Sub. So what’s the value of the Arc? I’ve played several Atmos movies, but didn’t find the Arc’s positional audio very convincing. I’m going to research my setup some more in the coming days as I can still return the Arc and Sub within 20 days. Maybe I’ll buy a Beam and check whether that will be a better fit than the Arc. But I think having only the Arc is definitely not worth its price, especially if you like playing normal stereo music through it.

jfranche
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Just was over a friends house that had a beam home theater (with sub) setup.   He switched the beam with the arc and so far is considering going back to the beam (and that is without knowing any of the above).  
 

it doesn’t make sense.  The arc clearly has to be superior.  It just sounded a bit “muddy”. 

M
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After all updates so far I was not even that dissatisfied with the Arc + 2 Ones, but nonetheless, bought me a Sub gen3 during Black Friday voor 649 euros.

All I can say, OH MY GOD, what a huge difference. It completely opens up a new world, obviously the bass is way way better, but what struck me most is that the mids and the highs coming from the Arc are really much better. You notice the Arc ‘suffers’ from the fact it needs to do the bass as well in normal configuration.

So, even though the Arc really sounds great, the Sub really adds a lot. You have to bite through the pain of the extra money but you forget about it soon enough ;).

 

GardeningZen
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What is the difference between the hardware numbers? Colour?

i have 1.27.1.8-2.1 (white Arc) and a friend of mine has 1.27.1.8-2.2 (black Arc).

 

he claims not to have problems but he has a sub

Mine has no problem and it is a Black Arc 1.27.1.8-1.2

I have a Black Arc with 1.27.1.8-1.2 as hardware version, and I haven’t been able to reproduce any muddy bass problems though 1) I do have a part of Fives grouped with the Arc, and 2) I do only music listening, no TV. The Fives provide plenty of bass for the overall sound stage though I may eventually get the Sub as well if I buy a TV for the room.

B
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Ok I was so done with the bass issues on the Arc, did not return it but added the Sub, that is such an improvement wow! It should not be necessary but it solves the issue and improves the sound by a million 

And nearly costs as much!

P

Ok I was so done with the bass issues on the Arc, did not return it but added the Sub, that is such an improvement wow! It should not be necessary but it solves the issue and improves the sound by a million 

Me too.  Cures everything but It's whether I stay with it or go for seperates now, as that a lot of capital invested for surround sound

C
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Ok I was so done with the bass issues on the Arc, did not return it but added the Sub, that is such an improvement wow! It should not be necessary but it solves the issue and improves the sound by a million 

P

ken - yes i would have submitted data to sonos but it was 6am.  i turned my sonos arc plus surrounds onto absolute .  was astonished at what i was hearing and immediately turned it off.  turned on my kitchen sonos speakers, and had a coffee…  then went to work wondering about what I had just heard

 

P

roflmao  - sonos is like a disease.  my solution... I have ended up spending another £600 on a sub.  as i understand this fixes it.  Will see in a couple of days

Ken_Griffiths

I assume folk can continue to submit Arc feedback HERE if they do encounter any issues. I’ve not come across any matters personally speaking and am ‘more than’ happy with the ARC audio connected to our LG C9 TV.
 

If you have an issue the answer has to be to complete and submit the requested information on the form, which looks to be a rather simple process.

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