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Sonos Arc Muddy/Bottoming out Bass

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gregmelnyk
Userlevel 2
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I’ve had the same experience and have been messing with settings over the past few hours trying to figure this out. Music sounds particularly terrible. Movies have great highs and mids, but the low end sounds muddy and like the speaker is about to blow. 

I have an AppleTV 4K connected to my TCL 65R615. Arc and two Sonos Ones...no sub. Atmos is not supported with my tv so my Atmos content shows Dolby Digital Plus 5.1. 
 

Im baffled. This Arc is replacing the Beam that I’ve been using for close to a year with this same setup. I’m tempted to switch back to the Beam at this point. 
 

 

Ryan S
Userlevel 7
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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.

Thanks. Will the fix be applied for the Sonos One too?

I don’t believe this particular bug affects the Sonos One, but I’ll raise it with the team just in case.


What about an Arc paired with Sub? Does the team believe the issue is only when the Arc is performing solo?

The Sub takes over most of the troublesome frequencies for Arc that cause the audio distortion to surface. So it may or may not be affected or apparent, but the fix will apply nonetheless.

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
D
Userlevel 4
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Hi folks, we greatly appreciate your patience. Upon checking the issue with the Arc Bass muddied without satellites or a Sub is no longer occurring. Thanks for understanding and let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with.

 

@Krishma M

@Scott - Sonos 

The issue is NOT fixed….what are you talking about? Plenty of people still having the issue - Do the people still having the issue need to exchange our bars?

F
Userlevel 2
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I hope they get this sorted soon or mine is definitely going back.  Only 10 minutes into Inception and have turned Arc off and listening through tv speakers.

Any rumbling in any film sounds identical like wind blowing into the speakers.  

M
Userlevel 4
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I think the people who have been using SONOS products for years may have more patience and willing to give them some time to get it right, while especially those who bought Arc as their first SONOS product may not… It make lot of sense! 

Nah that’t not it. I have been with Sonos for 2 years and my Beam had 0 issues since day one. People expect the same from a product that costs as much as 2 Beams. That’s not much to ask of a premium brand like Sonos. Consistency

Yes, that’s true!

I’m going to be patiently waiting to replace my Beam until I see further update on this.  I thinking that by December this kind of quirk should be fully resolved.  

This reviewer has been pretty reliable in his objective approach.  It may be worth following him.

 

 

Michael
M
Userlevel 3
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Agree. In movies you hardly hear voices but the ambient sound is very loud. Also with sub only low frequencies seem to be present but there is a lack of midrange.

P
Userlevel 4
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Hi folks. The issue with the muddy or bottoming out bass from the Arc in a stand-alone configuration (no satellites or Sub) is no longer occurring. If your system is up to date and still the same issue we need to troubleshoot as normal. I’d suggest checking with the content (TV, Music in Sonos app) if it’s the same. If wall-mounted, does removing the speaker from the wall bracket and setting it on a credenza or table improve the issue? Is Trueplay configured on the Arc? Try to enable/disable Trueplay, if there would be any different. Is the Bass EQ setting flat or adjusted in some way? If it’s all the same after playing around, try to reboot the Arc or reset to its factory settings. 

If the issue still persists, call 800-680-2345 from Monday to Friday from 10 am to 9 pm EST for further steps and resolution. We’re always here to help. Thanks for the patience! 

Hi, @pyro225! Yes, with or without satellites and Sub should work flawlessly with the Arc.

If you all are still having a problem provided with the steps outlined above, it would be best to reach out to our phone support team to check and proceed with a replacement if needed. 

I can imagine how inconvenient it is to all of you and I really appreciate your patience. We’re always here to help. 
 

I’m confused though your email support are saying they are aware of the issue still and to sit tight for a fix but you are saying otherwise- so the email guys are wrong? 

A
Userlevel 6
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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/

Agree with you 100%

K
Userlevel 1
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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.  

R
Userlevel 3
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You’re mentioning the audio team. So that means that there is actually a hardware dependent variance in our speakers which needs to be adressed with a slightly different sound tuning? We are not talking about a failed update or a wrong firmware being used?

Do you mean the team that’s investigating? That would be the audio software team. At the most basic level, make the software that tells the speakers what sounds to produce, and they do a whole lot more. Though there are other teams involved too to various degrees. I know in threads like this on these sorts of topics the conversation can get out of control with speculation, so let’s try to taper that down where we can. The right teams are investigating this already and we’ll let you know as soon as there’s a resolution or more details to share.


@Ryan S Can you confirm this is a software issue? You originally said it was but now your response only says your team is working on a software fix. 
 

I think most of us are willing to wait for this fix if we have confidence this isn’t hardware related but with the big price tag and limited time to return, we need to know ASAP. Thanks 

While it’s under investigation, I’m hesitant to say it’s anything specific. This looks to be software related, but let’s give the team some time to work on this and if I can share more with you later, I will. 

How much time are we talking? This week, next, or a month from now? I understand they’re working on it but this is insane given the price of the ARC. 
Purchased from Best Buy, and quickly closing in on the return period. 

Could not agree more. Sonos seems to be using the same Playbook they would for a customer who purchased a One. With the arc you are dealing with a different customer. A customer who not only was an early adopter, but a premium product buyer. I understand Sonos has “lots of eyes on the problem”, but they clearly don’t have the right CR eyes on this. 

A
Userlevel 6
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I’ll just throw this out there for consideration.  If this problem does turn out to be hardware and not fixable view software, returning the Arc is certainly one option.  However, I might be willing to accept buying a Sub to address the issue as long as a very steep discount is provided.  I realize that this will not be acceptable to folks who don’t want a Sub for various reasons.

Very steep would be 50% for me. I will take it.

A
Userlevel 2
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Been having a long email conversation with Sonos customer support. A lot of similar questions and actions reported on here. They have said it might. That’s might, be a hardware issue. They are replacing my Arc. It comes on Thursday. 
I hope this fixes things. Will report back. 
 

S
Userlevel 4
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Please have a look at this video:

 

Seems like the initial problem has been fixed BUT there are new issues with the bass at different frequencies.

 

 

@Ryan S please look at this. I confirmed the rattling sound at close to 100% on my arc. The previous issue was fixed but at 100% 40Hz still has this new rattling. Also, on my sonos one I definitely hear some wobbling (less bad than on Arc) at 40Hz at a range of volumes. So seems like there’s still work to be done. Definitely an improvement but bring this up with your team please

A
Userlevel 2
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As a beta tester I have performed all the actions required of me. 
I really hope this gets sorted out soon before people are forced to send their units back. 
I think that if there is no resolution by the end of this week people will have no choice due to various return timescales. 
Like most I just want my new Arc to blow me away. 

G
Userlevel 5
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After some more testing:

This is a significant improvement. That must be said. However unfortunately not 100%there yet.

Agreed. Feeling more like 65% of the way but glad I can use it more regularly now 

B
Userlevel 5
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Will check the update in a bit, slightly confused as the app updated then checking for updates to Sonos said no update was required and ‘about my system’ also reports it’s on 12.0.1, so not sure what happened but it definitely didn’t update or run the process to the speakers.

 

I believe it relates more with the Arc hardware build, if you go into the System-->About My System, what does your Arc build report back with?

Mine is updated from the weekend and we had to make sure we were on build 58178180.  I believe 12.0.1 is the iOS or Android app update but the build/firmware update for the Arc is probably more critical to verify that you are indeed on the updated build/firmware.

M
Userlevel 2
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It sounds like the speaker is being pressed up against something when trying to hit some frequencies. I fear that it might be a hardware issue on some units and we may never hear about it. Sonos will accept returns on those units and fix the production problem. Just a theory.. I will be returning my arc on Friday if there is no additional update to this. 
 

@Ryan S please let us know what is going on from the Sonos side of things! Is it in any way possible a hardware issue?

P
Userlevel 3

The fact that Sonos hasn't given us any update on the issue that is plaguing every ARC buyer is really just sad at this point. 

B
Userlevel 5
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@Scott - Sonos - Has there been any progress made on this issue or any update you can provide to the community?  

Lots of mixed messages are coming via email, people are starting to return the product for a replacement but receiving the same issue.  

I am on the final week of RMA and having a hard time justifying spending $800 on a product, especially with how quiet it’s been on this issue. 

Any status update on this would be greatly appreciated.  

Thanks for your time.

Bumper
Userlevel 6
Badge +13

going back. 

 

@sebas1509 If we bought the Arc in the US before May 31st, do we get 100 days return window?

 

I got an email that said so but I am not 100% sure. maybe someone else has gotten confirmation from support.

@Bumper the answer for a “defective” device isn’t a return window, it’s a warranty claim. You have 1 to 2 years depending on your region. Yes you’re totally free to return. I was just mentioning if you sold your previous soundbar it just makes more sense to keep the Arc. But that’s on every person.

 

No, the the answer for a defective item is to return it if your return window is still open. 

 

S
Userlevel 4
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Yeah it’s still sounding really terrible. Completely unlistenable.

While I understand some people think the bass isn’t quite there and not as good as it should be. I’m very baffled by this type of comments. Because 1) I would never say it’s unlistenable and others that have heard mine don’t think so either. (Maybe you can argue not performing at the $800) but terrible garbage unlistenable certainly NOT.

 

  1. kind of wondering why someone would buy a speaker for $800 and think it’s unlistenable and garbage and keep it?? Oh well…

 

H
Userlevel 6
Badge +7

Thanks for all the great details everyone! We really appreciate what you’ve shared so far. The engineering team is looking into this right now and they’ve been able to reproduce it using your feedback. They’re working on a software fix for it now.

I’ll let you know when there’s more to share. I don’t have a timeline right now as they’re just getting started, but hopefully it won’t be long.

As of now, we don’t need more details on this one, but I’ll let you know if the team determines they need some more data.

Thanks again!

 

Thanks for the fast response, Ryan. Got to say, I’m impressed with Sonos jumping in and QUICKLY admitting there’s a potential issue. Mine will be arriving and I'll be anxiously waiting to see if 1) there's a problem with mine and 2) if Sonos is able to come up with a fix. 

Arc + Sub 3 + One SLs = Awesome and Loving It!
B
Userlevel 5
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Is this the case if you also have the subwoofer? I ordered both and it sounds like everything work fine if you have the sub!

The sub woofer essentially masks the issue as all the lower frequencies are directed to the sub woofer and not the Arc.  

To directly answer your question, I don’t think it’s ever been an issue when it’s paired with a sub.  Some have reported it still isn’t perfect but it’s extremely hard to tell unless you’re trying to find the problem. 

The common listener will likely never hear any issues if you pair a sub.  I’ve paired my sub from another room with the Arc and it sounds great, so you have nothing to be concerned about.  If it sounds good to you, I would disregard this entire thread unless you plan to have the Arc without the sub. 

B
Userlevel 5
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My replacement arrives tomorrow.  I’m not banking on any difference but was also recommended after numerous support calls/emails that we swap it out.

P
Userlevel 4
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@Krishma M Please clarify your statement we've been waiting a few days since you wrote it and we all have some expensive paperweights still...

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