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Sonos Arc Muddy/Bottoming out Bass

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R
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Support just reached out to initiate a replacement based upon my initial case from day one. Has anyone else received anything similar? I hate to go though that process if it really is software related but the fact that some people appear to not be affected is strange. 

C
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Support just reached out to initiate a replacement based upon my initial case from day one. Has anyone else received anything similar? I hate to go though that process if it really is software related but the fact that some people appear to not be affected is strange. 

Now you’ve got me concerned that they have determined it’s hardware and we are all going to need replacements haha. Hopefully we get an update from Sonos today. 

B
Userlevel 5
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Support just reached out to initiate a replacement based upon my initial case from day one. Has anyone else received anything similar? I hate to go though that process if it really is software related but the fact that some people appear to not be affected is strange. 

 

I haven’t.  I’m waiting to see if the software update fixes the issue.  Since I added my sub and removed the sub and it made a giant difference, I feel as if there needs to be some tweaks on how the Arc handles bass and once that is done things will be fine. 

Just my personal opinion but I am leaning more towards certain people aren’t listening to things exactly the same.  IE:  I played DD+Atmos scene with Atmos enabled and then I adjusted settings so it would be forced to play through stereo.  Stereo sounded fine and no blow outs.  DD+ Atmos sounded great except for when the heavier bass scenes hit.  

I don’t mean to say others are just wrong when they say it’s fine, I just know looking at Reddit and on here that settings can make all the difference in the world and if it’s not setup right, you might think it sounds great but you might be blown away if the settings were how they should be.  I’m sure it’s not the case for everyone but just my opinion.  I have also watched content that sounded incredible and great but it never really had any scenes that would’ve made the bass muddy sounding.

Crossing my fingers that the software update resolves this.

J
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So I've been following this thread since the begining and was afraid this would include mine. Just got it and tested it out with previous examples as mentioned here. Mine does not have the issue. True play was on and loudness. Did not hear any issue with the bass. So I guess it's a batch problem?

Mine was delivered and bought in Norway. Arrived today to the shop from Danmark. 

I don’t have it all the time.

Oh.. So I guess I have to test it a little more then. Anyone got good song examples? Or movies with what time in the movie? 

Toy atory 3 opening scene when the train falls in the ravine is the only time I notice any issue. I love it with everything else I have tried. It’s amazing with the scene in Spider-Man Far from Homw when mysterio is tricking Spider-Man in the abandoned warehouse/building site or the opening scene of Baby Driver. 
 

i listener to reverence by faithless all the way through to test and it was amazing. 
 

 

B
Userlevel 5
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So I've been following this thread since the begining and was afraid this would include mine. Just got it and tested it out with previous examples as mentioned here. Mine does not have the issue. True play was on and loudness. Did not hear any issue with the bass. So I guess it's a batch problem?

Mine was delivered and bought in Norway. Arrived today to the shop from Danmark. 

I don’t have it all the time.

Oh.. So I guess I have to test it a little more then. Anyone got good song examples? Or movies with what time in the movie? 

Toy atory 3 opening scene when the train falls in the ravine is the only time I notice any issue. I love it with everything else I have tried. It’s amazing with the scene in Spider-Man Far from Homw when mysterio is tricking Spider-Man in the abandoned warehouse/building site or the opening scene of Baby Driver. 
 

i listener to reverence by faithless all the way through to test and it was amazing. 
 

 

Try John Wick 3 if you have it with Atmos.  I found it in the intro right after the rollercoaster company intro ends and when blood falls on the coin. 

At 0:33 and 0:53.  Also a bit when the title comes up shortly after that too.

A
Userlevel 6
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Support just reached out to initiate a replacement based upon my initial case from day one. Has anyone else received anything similar? I hate to go though that process if it really is software related but the fact that some people appear to not be affected is strange. 

Now you’ve got me concerned that they have determined it’s hardware and we are all going to need replacements haha. Hopefully we get an update from Sonos today. 

I received my Arc today, and don’t have the issue. I did play all the songs listed here and compared them to the recordings people have provided. My Arc sounds different and better. Could be a hardware issue. Who knows!

B
Userlevel 5
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Support just reached out to initiate a replacement based upon my initial case from day one. Has anyone else received anything similar? I hate to go though that process if it really is software related but the fact that some people appear to not be affected is strange. 

Now you’ve got me concerned that they have determined it’s hardware and we are all going to need replacements haha. Hopefully we get an update from Sonos today. 

I received my Arc today, and don’t have the issue. I did play all the songs listed here and compared them to the recordings people have provided. My Arc sounds different and better. Could be a hardware issue. Who knows!

Did you have an update after adding it to the Sonos app?

A
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So I've been following this thread since the begining and was afraid this would include mine. Just got it and tested it out with previous examples as mentioned here. Mine does not have the issue. True play was on and loudness. Did not hear any issue with the bass. So I guess it's a batch problem?

 

Went from beam to this one and I have to agree that it requires higher % to have the same volume as beam

Mine was delivered and bought in Norway. Arrived today to the shop from Danmark. 

 

How much better from the beam is it ?

 

Ryan S
Userlevel 7
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Support just reached out to initiate a replacement based upon my initial case from day one. Has anyone else received anything similar? I hate to go though that process if it really is software related but the fact that some people appear to not be affected is strange. 

Now you’ve got me concerned that they have determined it’s hardware and we are all going to need replacements haha. Hopefully we get an update from Sonos today. 

Hey @ripcordaff, a replacement shouldn’t be needed. The current process internally for this particular issues does not involve replacing the unit. Most likely you were working with someone not fully in the loop, doing a replacement because that’s one of the standard processes for most audio quality issues that come up. I’ve been working with the team investigating this issue and they have not asked for any of the units back.

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
R
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Thanks, Ryan. I’ll go ahead and decline the replacement. I appreciate your help on this issue.

 

A
Userlevel 6
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Support just reached out to initiate a replacement based upon my initial case from day one. Has anyone else received anything similar? I hate to go though that process if it really is software related but the fact that some people appear to not be affected is strange. 

Now you’ve got me concerned that they have determined it’s hardware and we are all going to need replacements haha. Hopefully we get an update from Sonos today. 

I received my Arc today, and don’t have the issue. I did play all the songs listed here and compared them to the recordings people have provided. My Arc sounds different and better. Could be a hardware issue. Who knows!

Did you have an update after adding it to the Sonos app?

Yep. Have the truplay on. Bass EQ +3.

S

Same issue here guys, tried every possible setting

I get that muddy bass sound like its bottoming out 

Happens with pretty much all music, movies seem to be mostly ok.  I have a sub + amp setup connected via HDMI arc to a Sony TV.  The Bass / Treble are set to 0 .  Trueplay or Loudness up or down only slightly affect it.

 

Hope for a resolution, is there a way to submit an official ticket?

J

Experiencing the same. Hoping for the software update soon. 

S
Userlevel 4
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Same issue here. The bass response is terrible. My beam at about 50% volume has a smoother And cleaner response. This is terribly disappointing and so glad I read this thread. I thought it was me. 
 

The Highs and mids are incredibly detailed and crisp though. It is a LOT louder when compared to the beam. 
 

The bass for me was poor while listening to music (Spotify and Apple Music), watching inception on Netflix was great until the bass kicked in and same muddled response. Plugged in the PS4 Pro to play some call of duty and yet again same experience. My sub has yet to be delivered, but thinking of cancelling both and sticking with the beam (much better value for money). 
 

I have the arc placed on my wooden tv unit with the tv behind it. This is the same location I had the beam with no issues at all. All running through HDMI Arc. Not using optical. 
 

Hope a software update fixes the issue otherwise, bye bye Sonos Arc. 
 

 

Once you have the sub, you will not have any issues...

Great! A $700 solution for an $800 problem. 

He said he already bought the sub before he knew of the problem.  The point is that given that he already wanted the sub, and having a sub means there is no problem, he will have no problem after it arrives.  He won’t have to wait for the software fix. 

Or will he? The context of my reply included other posts in this and other threads experiencing issues WITH the Sub when compared to prior performance with Beam’s and Playbar’s. A Sub may mitigate the mud, but the truth is we (customers) don’t have any idea what kind of problem this is (firmware for the Arc, S2 issues, both, hardware….) and how it will be solved, yet. 

What are the issues with a sub? 

You can learn of these issues if you read all of the posts here and venture into other threads in the troubleshooting forum.

For some, performance with the Sub and Arc isn’t as good their previous Sub with Beam and Playbar setups even if the mud is reduced. 

And the real issue is regardless of having a Sub or not.. the Arc isn’t ready for prime time for some reason. Combine that with almost universal reviewer approval it makes you wonder if reviewers were testing a version of the Arc that is different from what we are currently able to purchase. 

What is happening is the music set to ambient mode is now affecting the sub too for music playback making the sub much quieter/ I saw someone reached to Sonos support and they confirm it sffects sub too and after changing it many people on reddit said their sub was much better 

ant0
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When I see those videos, I am so confused right now

 

How is this possible? I left a comment to see what they say but My Arc’s bass on it’s own is anything but impressive, I am lucky to have a Sub and it does sound good but still, there is something wrong here...

S
Userlevel 4
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When I see those videos, I am so confused right now

 

How is this possible? I left a comment to see what they say but My Arc’s bass on it’s own is anything but impressive, I am lucky to have a Sub and it does sound good but still, there is something wrong here...

Because it’s most likely a bug/ this is not normal performance they’re not gonna talk about a defective software or hardware. They’re gonna talk about the soundbar they designed which is quite good.

 

i have the issue on mine but only notice it when I’m looking for it or at very high volumes when I’m below 50 percent which is plenty for my space and I’m not playing bass songs I don’t hear any issues/

 

I tried hip hop and everything it sounds quite good. Tv and movies sound great I’m waiting for my sub to arrive next week. Hope they either fix the software or replace hardware soon 

T
Userlevel 3
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Same issue for me. Bass is horrific but I have a sub on route in hope of resolving. 
Also hearing nothing in the way of Atmos but I may only have my shelf to blame, Sean Connery gag and real problem in one…

 


What’s the name of this media stand? Absolutely gorgeous, although I do wonder how Atmos is affected in this configuration.

T
Userlevel 3
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Hey @Ryan S, just curious if there’s any updates regarding the team also looking into this issue while paired with a Sub? My Arc and Sub haven’t arrived yet, so can’t contribute a diag, but just hoping the issue is being looked at from all angles since some folks are citing performance issues even when paired.

D

I had the same issue:

First i had a Sonos Beam, for that small bar it sounds really good, really good bass, good sound etc.

Then bought the ARC and the Sub, first i received the ARC and below 50% it sounded good, some wider soundstage the the Beam, BUT: the price of the Beam vs Arc and the quality of sound…. Hmmm the Beam it is. (Room is 5.7 x 10 meter). 

Now when i turned the volume up the bass where muddy, like cracking or something! And the music sound volume going softer when it happend, so really bad! So i tweaked and listened and tweaked etc.

>>> When you put the bass level in the app to -2 Then the muddy bass will be alot less. <<<

Next day my Sub arrived, i truplay the set-up again, and everything is fine now, good sound, good bass etc.

Only Note: i sold my beam, but how would that sound with the sub, how much better is the Sonos Arc really? I Hope still that they have a fix for the bass on the ARC without the Sub really soon!!

J
Userlevel 2
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Unfortunately I have found a really bad example of this phenomenon that brings me back to thinking the arc will have to go back if not fixed. 
 

listen to “Bats in the Attic” by King Creosote and Jon Hopkins. From 1:43 the bass is just unlistenable. It is awful. Sorry. 

Edit: sorry my recordings failed.

S
Userlevel 4
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Unfortunately I have found a really bad example of this phenomenon that brings me back to thinking the arc will have to go back if not fixed. 
 

listen to “Bats in the Attic” by King Creosote and Jon Hopkins. From 1:43 the bass is just unlistenable. It is awful. Sorry. 
 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zufvp791ofpv079/AADKtrP9qEyCHAuTZmSTRJS6a?dl=0

Empty folder ;(

J
Userlevel 2
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Unfortunately I have found a really bad example of this phenomenon that brings me back to thinking the arc will have to go back if not fixed. 
 

listen to “Bats in the Attic” by King Creosote and Jon Hopkins. From 1:43 the bass is just unlistenable. It is awful. Sorry. 
 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zufvp791ofpv079/AADKtrP9qEyCHAuTZmSTRJS6a?dl=0

Empty folder ;(

Sorry. Yes. I had an issue. 
 

I have just had a breakthrough for how the issue effects my setup. I have two play:1s as rears. I think this has been touched on before, but the issue mostly goes away if I set surround to full and not ambient. 

I redid the Toy Story test, but with rears off and the issue also goes away. 
 

This is clearly a software issue. 
 

there are two recordings in the folder. One set to ambient and one to full. 
 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zufvp791ofpv079/AADKtrP9qEyCHAuTZmSTRJS6a?dl=0
 

 

M
Userlevel 3
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I’ve just tried without the One’s but no difference for me. It sounds horrible :(

 

 

J
Userlevel 2
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I’ve just tried without the One’s but no difference for me. It sounds horrible :(

 

 

I have also found that my position really effects it. If I am in the middle of the room with no soft furnishings it is very hard to identify. If I am sitting in the corner of the corner sofa (couch) it drowns out most other sound as per the first recording   

K

I’m playing music on my entire home setup and It appears to me that all of my home speakers have lost the tightness in the bass and And are predominately treble which is disappointing. 
 

My play 5 combined with my arc surround sound sounds bad. My play 5 + sub before the addition of the arc’s was amazing.  I did notice an improvement when I changed the audio output to full from ambient. 

 

Also a major headache for me is the inability to have my subs multipurpose between my play 5 and my Arc surround sounds. Im hoping to just use my old play 5 + subs since the sound for me before was far superior. 
 

My setup if it matters.

 

Family room: 

Arc

Sub

Pair of ones sl

 

Dining room

Play 5

 

Living room

Arc

Sub

One sl


 

 

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