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Sonos Arc Muddy/Bottoming out Bass

G
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Beyond thrilled to receive the new Sonos Arc. True played my room and I have loudness on as well connected to LG B8 using Tidal and Spotify. Most of the sound range is phenomenal, aside from the bass. At even half volume the woofers are extremely muddy and sound terrible. Not sure if this is because I have under two hours of use but I wasn’t expecting to have to break-in the speaker. I own set of speakers next to it in the same room (KEF LS50W) and the difference is night and day. There have also been posts on Reddit regarding this issue. It is interesting given no reviewers have mentioned this issue but more than a few recipients have. Has anyone else experienced similar issues? Turning loudness off helps but it is disappointing for such a highly anticipated product. 

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Best answer by Scott - Sonos 3 July 2020, 01:04

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L
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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 for keeping us up to date Ryan. Much appreciated. Quick response...A first world problem after all…  Any ideas how it got through testing? 

S
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My first impression was damn! I have wasted money and Playbar was awesome. I thought it was just me. hope it’s just the software that can fix the issue.

R
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My first impression was damn! I have wasted money and Playbar was awesome. I thought it was just me. hope it’s just the software that can fix the issue.

Ha I had the exact same reaction. Playbar really was awesome. This Arc feels like an incomplete project. Hopefully the fix works and improves the overall sound balance. 
If not… this puppy goes back and I get myself a playbar again

A
Userlevel 2
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Give them a chance! The Sonos guy posting on here has made it fairly clear that they have identified an issue and are working on the solution as we speak. Not sure what else they could be doing at this point. Presumably if they think the issue might be affecting other components in the range then they will do the same for them, or release a software update that is applicable to all devices. 

A
Userlevel 6
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My first impression was damn! I have wasted money and Playbar was awesome. I thought it was just me. hope it’s just the software that can fix the issue.

Ha I had the exact same reaction. Playbar really was awesome. This Arc feels like an incomplete project. Hopefully the fix works and improves the overall sound balance. 
If not… this puppy goes back and I get myself a playbar again

Happy that the bass distortion will get fixed, but still concerned about overall sound balance. Highs, mids, and lows have no harmony. Everything feels overly crisp. Tried EQ, doesn’t help very much. I should probably start another thread for this?

A
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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.

@Ryan S Thank you!

R
Userlevel 3
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Give them a chance! The Sonos guy posting on here has made it fairly clear that they have identified an issue and are working on the solution as we speak. Not sure what else they could be doing at this point. Presumably if they think the issue might be affecting other components in the range then they will do the same for them, or release a software update that is applicable to all devices. 

I am giving them a chance. That’s why I haven’t returned it yet :)

A

Definitely waking up to positive news. Thanks and Please keep any updates coming Ryan. 

S
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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??

R
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. 

S
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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 :) 

M
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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.

S
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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??

wow..exactly similar experience here. I have Arc with Sub 3.0 and Sonos SL in surround. I thought people would call me mad if I bring up Sub as well.. Playbar with Play ones in surround was able to produce much more immersive experience than all these together. Sub is just not the old Sub I used before. these new devices are definitely not fine tuned.

R
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??

Completely agree. As of right now, this thing just doesn’t sound all that good. I’m willing to wait for the fix, but the reviews that claimed the arc didn’t need a sub are WAY wrong. If you can’t afford the sub there are MUCH better options out there. 

L
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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/

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??

Completely agree. As of right now, this thing just doesn’t sound all that good. I’m willing to wait for the fix, but the reviews that claimed the arc didn’t need a sub are WAY wrong. If you can’t afford the sub there are MUCH better options out there. 

Feel like a little kid that just opened an NES system on Christmas day then immediately told I can’t play it until I finish my vegetables :(.

Still very curious if anyone has a working Arc and happy with the sound??

BMF
Userlevel 5
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I retuned TruePlay several times because I thought it was too nasally in 5.1 with sub and play 1 rears.

 

I am sure they will sort it out.

S
Userlevel 4
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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??

Completely agree. As of right now, this thing just doesn’t sound all that good. I’m willing to wait for the fix, but the reviews that claimed the arc didn’t need a sub are WAY wrong. If you can’t afford the sub there are MUCH better options out there. 

Feel like a little kid that just opened an NES system on Christmas day then immediately told I can’t play it until I finish my vegetables :(.

Still very curious if anyone has a working Arc and happy with the sound??

Maybe you should create a different troubleshooting topic for this. This post refers to the muddy bass issue. And that is being addressed by Sonos. IF there is a different issue (not saying there is) but IF then you create a different topic and everyone with that issue will show up there/

 

I am a bit confused by this because I had the playbar and I think the Arc sounds better. The bass is definitely stronger on the Arc as well ( when I dont push it to loud volumes I dont have any muddy issues). Are you mostly listening to music? For movies and TV the voices are very clear and loud. After trueplay of course. The details are there too. I think it sounds pretty good. Waiting for my sub to arrive today which I heard improves things further

S
Userlevel 4
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I retuned TruePlay several times because I thought it was too nasally in 5.1 with sub and play 1 rears.

 

I am sure they will sort it out.

BTW some people mentioned when you do trueplay make sure to wave the phone in front of the speaker for a bit and not too far away either. This helped with those that feel like the tuning was harsh. Try that out

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%

R
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??

Completely agree. As of right now, this thing just doesn’t sound all that good. I’m willing to wait for the fix, but the reviews that claimed the arc didn’t need a sub are WAY wrong. If you can’t afford the sub there are MUCH better options out there. 

Feel like a little kid that just opened an NES system on Christmas day then immediately told I can’t play it until I finish my vegetables :(.

Still very curious if anyone has a working Arc and happy with the sound??

Maybe you should create a different troubleshooting topic for this. This post refers to the muddy bass issue. And that is being addressed by Sonos. IF there is a different issue (not saying there is) but IF then you create a different topic and everyone with that issue will show up there/

 

I am a bit confused by this because I had the playbar and I think the Arc sounds better. The bass is definitely stronger on the Arc as well ( when I dont push it to loud volumes I dont have any muddy issues). Are you mostly listening to music? For movies and TV the voices are very clear and loud. After trueplay of course. The details are there too. I think it sounds pretty good. Waiting for my sub to arrive today which I heard improves things further

There are like 9 people on both sides of your post with a consensus that the sound is thin and lacking midrange. Either you have a unicorn arc with magic sound or you have a different ear than the general population. I’d imagine you will be exposed to just how much the arc is lacking once you add the sub to your setup. 

S
Userlevel 4
Badge +4

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??

Completely agree. As of right now, this thing just doesn’t sound all that good. I’m willing to wait for the fix, but the reviews that claimed the arc didn’t need a sub are WAY wrong. If you can’t afford the sub there are MUCH better options out there. 

Feel like a little kid that just opened an NES system on Christmas day then immediately told I can’t play it until I finish my vegetables :(.

Still very curious if anyone has a working Arc and happy with the sound??

Maybe you should create a different troubleshooting topic for this. This post refers to the muddy bass issue. And that is being addressed by Sonos. IF there is a different issue (not saying there is) but IF then you create a different topic and everyone with that issue will show up there/

 

I am a bit confused by this because I had the playbar and I think the Arc sounds better. The bass is definitely stronger on the Arc as well ( when I dont push it to loud volumes I dont have any muddy issues). Are you mostly listening to music? For movies and TV the voices are very clear and loud. After trueplay of course. The details are there too. I think it sounds pretty good. Waiting for my sub to arrive today which I heard improves things further

There are like 9 people on both sides of your post with a consensus that the sound is thin and lacking midrange. Either you have a unicorn arc with magic sound or you have a different ear than the general population. I’d imagine you will be exposed to just how much the arc is lacking once you add the sub to your setup. 

Other option is the 9 of you have different ear than the general population? I’d imagine SONOS has sold waaaaay more than 9 arcs. Regardless please make a thread for the issue you are talking about because it crowds the bass muddy software issue thread, and doesnt really get visibility if its a separate issue make it stand out create a page etc.

R
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/

Agree with you 100%

I agree as well. I couldn’t find the right word for it. But metallic sounds abiut right. And yes everyniw and then uncomfortable. Like piercing to the ear. 

A
Userlevel 2
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So far you lot are all making me keen to stay with my Beam + Sub….

G
Userlevel 5
Badge +2

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%

I agree as well. I couldn’t find the right word for it. But metallic sounds abiut right. And yes everyniw and then uncomfortable. Like piercing to the ear. 

This seems more like a room setup/ environment problem than a sound problem. Does your room lack dampening like curtains and a carpet?

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