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Sonos Arc Muddy/Bottoming out Bass

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1406 replies

K
Userlevel 1

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!

 


Thank you for the quick work on this.

My only concern now, is why are only some users affected by this? Do we have physically different soundbars that sound worse than those who do not expeirence the issue? Is my soundbar being reduced in function with this fix compared to others, or are they all the same and some people are missing something in their software?

A breakdown of what was fixed after this would help put these fears to rest, if possible?

M
Userlevel 3
Badge +3

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.

 

Do you mean the ones that are produced now? 

A
Userlevel 1
Badge

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.

J
Userlevel 4
Badge +1

 

Sonos have and always will continuously improve the products already out in the world and I have no doubt will end up fixing this issue. The problem that companies like Sonos have is that they give so much in the way of constant improvement and longevity that people take it for granted and completely forget the limitations of the real world. You could argue the Arc was released a little early or the testing during production wasn’t as thorough as it could have been, but they aren’t immune to the challenges facing the world today. 

 

 

Let’s not make excuses for Sonos.  They didn’t HAVE to release the Arc if it wasn’t ready - COVID-19 challenges or not.  They should have waited until the bugs were better ironed out if they didn’t want a bunch of returns or unhappy customers claiming that their old Sonos Playbar or $400 Beam sounded better.

I have no sympathy for Sonos if they receive 1,000/5,000/10,000 returns for a product that was released half-baked and before it was ready.  Router manufacturers have historically done this same thing - often releasing super buggy products that weren’t ready for launch.  I’ve had brand new iPhones that were buggy as hell on launch day.  It took Apple & Verizon 1-2 months to completely fix issues with Verizon randomly dropping to “no service” in good service areas back when the iPhone 7 was released in 2016.  There was no excuse for that - it should have been tested better before launch.  Sonos Arc is no different.

A lot of people can’t afford to sit around and hope their $800+ investment improves with time, hoping that Sonos fixes and/or improves the product.  For some people, $800 is pocket change.  For others, $800 is an expensive investment that they have been saving up for and won’t be able to afford to replace for 5+ years.  If the Arc doesn’t sound good to them, they should send it back - not sit around and hope that Sonos improves/fixes it.  Maybe Sonos will, maybe they won’t.  Yes, I hope they do.  I hope the Arc unquestionably becomes the best $800 soundbar on the market.  But there are no guarantees in life.  People who are afraid of being stuck with a product that is not performing to their expectations should vote with their wallet and return the product.

M
Userlevel 1

I invite my English speaking friends to read this French review. You can use google translate if you wish but the important graph/image is in the Audio section.

 

you can see the harmonic distortions with and without the sub. (With sub in red, black without the sub).


 After 110hz and below the ARC without the sub is pathetic.

 

seems like a scam to get you to buy the Sub... 

 

https://www.lesnumeriques.com/enceinte-home-cinema/sonos-arc-p57755/test.html


the review is still a positive one, with some referred to imperfections in the high and low end. 
 

I do hear the issue, but I have tried a lot more since I reported it and I see it as a minor one. 
 

there is a reason we have subs and insanely expensive separates systems. 
 

I don’t expect perfect Atmos and flawless quality from an £800 soundbar without a Sub woofer. 
 

the issue is then, could it better handle the issue it has in the toy story type example and I think yes. 
 

others keep referring to a batch, but Sonos have confirmed they can replicate the issue and believe it is software related. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. 

 

Again, if this isn’t a batch, but a software issue. How is this not affecting everyone? We’re all on the same damn software

We all assume we are doing it exactly the same way and that we are all as sensitive to it. 
 

I listened to some of the tracks on my arc for example and hear no issue, but definitely have it with toy story. 
 

music was via airplay and toy story was via iTunes movies, through a LG C9. 
 

the point being that mine appears to have it in one instance and not in another (or I am not sensitive to it). 
 

I’m not an audio engineer but the fact that Sonos could replicate it gives me comfort that it’s not a hardware issue: I am assuming that they tried it against various arcs of course. 


My guess is they can replicate it because they got hold of a faulty unit.

There is NO way this could be missed by all those people untill the community reported it, I mean, it’s sounds like the God damn bass is puntured

N
Userlevel 1
Badge +1

 

I have no sympathy for Sonos if they receive 1,000/5,000/10,000 returns for a product that was released half-baked and before it was ready.  Router manufacturers have historically done this same thing - often releasing super buggy products that weren’t ready for launch.  I’ve had brand new iPhones that were buggy as hell on launch day.  It took Apple & Verizon 1-2 months to completely fix issues with Verizon randomly dropping to “no service” in good service areas back when the iPhone 7 was released in 2016.  There was no excuse for that - it should have been tested better before launch.  Sonos Arc is no different.

A lot of people can’t afford to sit around and hope their $800+ investment improves with time, hoping that Sonos fixes and/or improves the product.  For some people, $800 is pocket change.  For others, $800 is an expensive investment that they have been saving up for and won’t be able to afford to replace for 5+ years.  If the Arc doesn’t sound good to them, they should send it back.  Not sit around and hope that Sonos improves/fixes it.  Maybe Sonos will, maybe they won’t.  Yes, I hope they do.  I hope the Arc unquestionably becomes the best $800 sounder on the market.  But there are no guarantees in life.  People who are afraid of being stuck with a product that is not performing to their expectations should vote with their wallet and return the product.

 

I agree whole heartedly! I also have no sympathy for them if they get a considerable amount of returns. The famous saying of voting with your wallet applies here, if you don’t like the product don’t buy it (or in this case go ahead and return it).

I understand I may come from a position of privilege and as a serial early adopter I may be desensitised to this kind of behaviour.

Sonos is a business, this will have been a calculated risk that upsetting the few to strengthen cash flow during covid was worth taking; bear in mind the Arc is and has been on backorder for a while at all major distributors. They may believe they will be able to deliver a fix quick enough before the masses find out about the issues. I know that’s not a particularly valid excuse and it kinda sucks, but it’s so incredibly common place it happens everywhere all the time, just a lot of the time it doesn’t get noticed as much as this has.

I sort of repeat myself here but if it’s a practice you’re not happy with, return it, buy something else or even wait till it has had a moment to soak in production and buy it again. We have control over our money, not Sonos.

 

Personally given my experience with Sonos in the past, I’m happy to give them some time. I fully understand others not feeling the same.

1 x ARC | 2 x PLAY:5 | 4 x PLAY:1 | 2 x ONE | PLAYBAR | SUB | CONNECT
S
Userlevel 1

I’ve seen some people say with the current issue if you are playing with any loudness, even with the sub, you can damage the arc speakers, is there any truth to this? Is there a need to hold off on using until the update? Thank you.

Airgetlam

Interesting. Does Sonos not require you agree to an NDA when you join a beta? It was a requirement when I would set them up for various game software betas. 

Bruce
M
Userlevel 1
Badge

Hi everyone,

We released a software update today to address a bug that resulted in audio distortion for some customers listening to bass-heavy content at higher volumes on Arc.

Make sure you’re updated to 12.0.1 to get the latest release.

Good stuff, now for that LPCM update... 🤗

K
Userlevel 1

Yes, also disappointed to find that while it's not quite as severe, it's still present and just slightly more muted now. Why does the Beam still sound better?

S
Userlevel 4
Badge +4

Is this issue you guys are having with just the ARC bass or while also using the new subwoofer? I’m getting nervous...just order both at $1500 and don’t wnat to be bummed out.

i really recommend you not to be nervous or freak out many people are very happy with the arc. Try your new system and judge for yourself you might end up very happy like most of us are! 
the bass issue was real it has been fixed but the software fix 

A

Yes, also disappointed to find that while it's not quite as severe, it's still present and just slightly more muted now. Why does the Beam still sound better?

Yep. It does sound good/better but the more I listen the more it’s still not great/fantastic. Something is up with the Arc. 

J

Experiencing the same. Hoping for the software update soon. 

M
Userlevel 2
Badge

Hi everyone,

We released a software update today to address a bug that resulted in audio distortion for some customers listening to bass-heavy content at higher volumes on Arc.

Make sure you’re updated to 12.0.1 to get the latest release.

@Ryan S , thanks for the update. Unfortunately the bass is still sounding really bad.. I tried multiple movie scenes (opening 2 min of Captain Marvel), and music (Dr Carter by Lil Wayne) and it does not sound good at all, it really sounds defective and like the speakers are blown. What is the next step here? It seems like some of us have different units because this is incredibly obvious to hear. 
 

I have to return by Saturday and it looks like that’s what’s going to happen.. I guess I’m going to buy the beam.. which is so weird because it’s half the price and sounds better. 

N
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

Nope, not returning mine. I’m 100% confident that the Sonos engineers will fix the bass problem. These things take time, the fix will get done. I’m really surprised that many of you don’t believe that it will get done, instead giving up. 

Just FYI. Got through to the chat session with Engineer. Reported my issues (the one most of us are having) and was told that they are continuing to look what the main problem is. So.... They got no idea, it seems, what's the root cause really is yet. I'm suspecting the patch was just to possibly cover up (minimize) the issue not actually fix it. You cannot fix something if you don't know what the actual problem is. Just my 2 cents and a report after I ended my chat session with Sonos. By the way, I also tested the patch (part of Beta). My case was escalated to Tier 2.

Wanted to add one thing, that I really believe they will either patch this properly at the end or replace the soundbar if they uncover its a hardware problem. I hope... 

Ryan S
Userlevel 7
Badge +26

@ftm, how would the Arc be as a music speaker if this problem with the Arc’s bass wasn’t there? Did you try it at lower volumes with music? Thanks!

At low volume it sounds no better than the beam it replaced. Just a wider sound stage. 


Why none of the reviews mentioned this? It’s like they were paid to say good things. Mine arrives on 12th. Let’s see how it goes.

No reviews are paid by us to say good things. That’s not something we’d do. But every home is different, and your living room may look very different from a reviewer’s living room. Audio, especially the low end, can be affected by what’s in the room, and the architecture. Though this seems to be related to the volume and choice of tracks, most reviews have their own list of tracks or sources to use and it’s possible they just didn’t notice any trouble then. Hard to say since we’re still gathering information.

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
M
Userlevel 1

Here’s how the update works - It’s an adaptive limiter and high pass filter. As the volume is raised, the lower frequencies are bypassed. Penatrator by Pleasukraft at 55% extends to about 30hz. At 75% volume it’s high passed closer to 80hz and seems to be limited in volume as well. Sweeping a 65hz tone shows what I mean. Abov 55% volume and it doesn’t get any louder, just strange. 

Basically the mids and highs on the arc can outrun the bass above 50% volume, so they have to calm it down. 

glad I own the sub. 

P
Userlevel 4
Badge +4

FFS they dropped the guy that seems to be in touch with the community? Seems wrong he did a great job up until this point! How do we get this progressed now? You’d have hoped a member of the team would have immediately taken over

A
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Ok, to draw a line under this muddiness, Thought I was contributing a valid bit of news to Sonos community members without breaking the NDA.

All your comments and advice noted, thank you.

Looking forward to the fix.

What’s beta? :grinning:   

A
Userlevel 6
Badge +6

No there is a new app update 12.0.2 came out last night going to test shortly

App update, not firmware update. No change in sound.

P
Userlevel 3
Badge +2

I agree to the previous two comments. Worst case, Sonos rushing a fix that doesn’t completely solve the issue or causing another problem and us losing more confidence. I have the time to wait for them to get it right. It’s only been 6 days, with multiple comments from Sonos in this thread. They know what the problem is.

M
Userlevel 3
Badge +1

Here’s how the update works - It’s an adaptive high pass filter. As the volume is raised, the lower frequencies are bypassed. Penatrator by Pleasukraft at 50% extends to about 30hz. At 75% volume it’s high passed closer to 80hz. 

Basically the mics and highs on the arc can outrun the bass above 50% volume, so they have to calm it down. 

glad I own the sub. 

I just read your comment after posting mine and this sounds like a viable explanation for why the bass sounds great and full at lower volumes but weaker as the volume increases. I’m assuming the sub makes a world of difference? 

Yes the sub makes a world of difference. Think of the Arc as  mid / high speaker that can do sub bass at very low volumes.

Sonos did the right thing though. The wrong move would have been to make 55% volume = 100% volume with no sub. Then you’d never notice, and buying the he sub would unlock higher volume levels. Technically thats right for more perfect frequency response, but it’s a sound bar, the trade off is less surface area for the drivers in turn for a simplified set up. 

 

I understand what you’re saying but it doesn’t explain everything. I have a beam that extends lower and smoother than my Arc. The Beam doesn’t get as loud and definitely less immersive but the bass doesn’t “fart out” like the Arc does. So my question remains- how can I be getting worse low end from the Arc with its larger and additional drivers than the Beam? It’s an entirely different experience

C
Userlevel 1

It doesn’t seem like there’s any other choice but to return the Arc for everyone that is still having problems with it now that the only person that was in touch with the community is gone

A
Userlevel 6
Badge +6

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 -

Understanding it’s been the weekend, I didn’t expect an update the past two days. That being said, I absolutely don’t think the standard “we don’t have a timeline for a fix...” answer is appropriate moving forward. The twitter response doesn’t bother me, but if that’s going to be the same answer given in this forum, that’s not going to fly. Sonos launched a super premium product in an unacceptable state. Daily updates are warranted at this point even if only to acknowledge the team is still working on it. I fully expect a substantial and tangible update prior to this weekend. 

I am with you. This is especially important because a lot of people are thinking about returning the Arc, and return window countdown has begun. Not everybody has 100 days to try. People who bought from best buy only have 14 days. That gives Sonos 10 more days to fix the issue.

B
Userlevel 3
Badge +4

100% agree with @leelaw !

Beam. 2x Play:1 - 2x Play One (gen 2) - Sub - 2x Play 5 - Move
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