I am having the same issue. I just upgraded to the arc ultra to replace my gen 2 beam. I have a gen 3 sub and 2 one SL surrounds. The bass from the sub is minimal now compared to what it was before, also what I have noticed is the white lights on sub and the 2 ones are no longer lit and they actually look like they aren’t switched on (ones are as I can hear them fine)

The white status light led is disabled by default. If you want it to show, then enable it in the app.

That's what I think too, I have the same feeling but I'm waiting for Sonos to confirm it (I hope they will have time to look into this issue soon).

Hi @Matclane et al

Thanks for reporting this issue.

We are aware of an issue whereby, after TruePlay Tuning, Arc Ultra will either sound low in bass, or sound not quite “pristine”.

To remedy this while we investigate, please try retuning, either with the same method (Quick/Advanced) or with the other, if available to you.

If this does not help, please try disabling TruePlay Tuning in the meantime, if that sounds better to you.

We thank you for your patience while we investigate this matter.

I hope this helps.

Hi ​@Corry P​

Thank you for taking the time to answer and for the proper consideration of the problem ; but just to be absolutely clear : the problem is not the lack of bass of the Arc ultra itself, but the overall lack of bass WITH a Sub Gen 3 type (and especialy compared than before with a Beam Gen2 for exemple).

Hope you’ll find the source of this malfunction and provide an update when possible. Thanks again and please keep us informed here if possible.

It isn’t just with a Gen 3 sub though, the issue is there on Gen 4 subs too after the advanced Trueplay has been completed.

Hi @Matclane 

Yes, I noticed the difference when I found the documentation on the issue, but the documentation did not mention Subs at all - just that Arc Ultra sounds like it has less bass after TruePlay Tuning, which everyone here mentioned. As the Arc Ultra will tell Subs what to play, the issue seems to fit what was described here. There may be more aspects to the issue that I am not aware of, but it seems to be the right issue to tag here.

I don’t have this issue with ultra, 300s and g2 sub. The issue I have is that the surrounds are overpowering. The ultra sounds distant because the surrounds are so loud. No way is the true play accurate on this.

Simply adjust the ‘TV Level’ and/or ‘Music Level’ slider controls in the Home Theatre surround settings - it’s why they are there to help you fine tune the levels to suit you and your listening environment. 

I did that, but it’s still not balanced. It’ll lower the volume of the surrounds, but in tandem. So it doesn’t sound as good as it should because the left and right surrounds decrease in volume together rather than letting me change the volumes individually. Based on other posts, it seems like Trueplay is the issue.

@Corry P  I am also having this issue.  

Arc Ultra with two Era 300s and two Sub Gen 3s.  After Advanced Trueplay, sub levels are really low and overall the system sounds thin (a bit sibilant).  Subs need to be turned up to +6 to get any response that sounds like there is more than just the Ultra. Overall the sub bass is a lot weaker than my previous setup with the original arc (everything else is the same for the e300s, Subs and Trueplay device).

Quick Trueplay is a bit better, but right now it seems Trueplay off sounds the best whereas in the past, Trueplay substantially helped the entire system sound clearer and balanced.

Using an Apple iPhone 16 Pro for Trueplay.

Probably the room environment. You can simply adjust the position of your sweetspot to compensate in the first stage of TruePlay tuning. That’s the easiest thing to do  here, together with any adjustments to the two slider bars mentioned earlier (if required).

I'll add my issues here as well. I recently upgraded from an Arc + Sub Gen 2 to the Arc Ultra + Sub 4, but I can barely notice any bass now—it's incredibly frustrating.  My system also include 2 x One’s (gen 2) for surrounds. While the setup was seamless, the execution is disappointing. With all the praise they give their app, you'd think they would have resolved these issues by now. Unfortunately, I'm starting to wonder if the hope of them returning to their former standards is just wishful thinking.

I had this exact same issue after replacing playbar with the Arc Ultra and replacing Sonos one’s with Era 300s, it was super frustrating! The bass was almost non-existent. I had turned off true play tuning and manually increased the bass levels in the app.
However, I got a Sonos app update couple of days back and now the bass is much better. I still feel my previous setup had a punchier bass (note that I haven’t upgraded my sub from gen 2, still using that one now). I’m wondering if with the Ultra Arc which can handle better bass if some of lower frequencies are being sent to the Ultra Arc and not to the sub. But overall extremely happy with the performance now.

I highly doubt that, I have not had trueplay on since I got the utlra and my 2 subs has been banging like crazy. Im gonna test now with trueplay (android lite version) and see

Anyone tested trueplay with the new app update, looks like it’s fixed this issue going by the what’s new in app update and reports from other people.

I don't dare to update the app for now, I see a lot of negative comments...

If you are on the previous app then not updating is a good idea.

If you are on the new app updating is almost always good.

If you’re using the Arc Ultra, per the title of this thread, then yes, you should update. 

In fact im up to date.

This is hugely frustrating, especially after dealing with a poor app experience for months. 
 

Upgraded an Arc to an Ultra and bought two additional 3rd-gen subs. No bass. The subs are alive (vibrate slightly to the touch) but volume is imperceptibly low. Turning the sub audio on and off in settings makes no difference. 
 

Overall sound quality is not as good as the Playbar + 2x gen2 subs we have in the other living room. 
 

Feeling really g…] about my $2000+ upgrade right now, Sonos. 
 

Same issue here.

I got an Arc + 2x Era 300 + Sub Gen 3 setup and upgraded it with Arc Ultra to get an even worse performance on bass.

I was hoping to finally get metter mid-low bass frequencies in music play - which is totally missing for Arc.

But I was disappointed. Sonos is dropiing unfinished crap on the market and we shall now wait until our return periods are over so that they don’t have to fix it anymore wand we are stuck with out crap…

Sorry. Thats how it feels to me.

Arc is technically capable to deliver better sound quality on music but it does not and it gives me nearly no control.

And if I tune Bass by cranking it up, to get better music experience, I have an issue when watching TV because bass is too high then.

Such a stupid setup...

Glad I came across this thread. I just reached out to support regarding this exact issue and referenced this thread. Just going to copy/paste the email I sent below as it succinctly summarizes my situation as a Sonos user with multiple home theater configurations:

“Hi there. I would like to confirm that I have in fact received all my items. However, I think I am in need of additional assistance. I have a couple other Sonos home theater setups in my house, including one in the living room very similar to the one I just purchased, only it is an Arc (original) + 2 Sub Gen 3 + 2 Sonos Five for surrounds, compared to the Arc Ultra + 2 Sub Gen 4 + 2 Era 300 I just bought. I also have a Beam Gen 2 + Sub Gen 3 + Sonos Ones for surrounds in the master bedroom. I have gotten everything setup in the upstairs office with my new purchase, and I must say, compared to my other two setups, I am thoroughly underwhelmed. I have been spending the better part of the last two days trying to re-tune and play with settings and positioning and various source content, and no matter what I do, the whole system sounds anemic compared to my other two. I've moved subs around the room in various placements, tried with the tune and without etc. and it just lacks an "oomph" to it that the other two have. Even more puzzlingly, this is the smallest of the three rooms, so I would expect this new setup to be even more impactful. Just now I was testing it out with a bass heavy track on Apple Music and then compared it to the room with only one Sub Gen 3 and the Beam and it blows this newer more expensive setup away. I have found this thread on the Sonos forums that seems to describe accurately what I am experiencing.

Arc Ultra + Sub Gen 3 : Sub less powerful than before !? | Sonos Community

Is it the Ultra that is the source of this issue? If so I'm kind of regretting spending more for it when the proven Arc has been on sale for even cheaper. Please help. I am a Sonos evangelist and someone with a very expensive traditional home theater setup which sounds amazing, but given the cost and complexity, I always tell people I'd always spring for a Sonos setup instead of doing it all over again with a traditional AV Receiver setup. I genuinely love my other Sonos products, but so far this new setup has got me feeling down about my new purchase.  Even in bombastic scenes of various movies/games where my other setups are rattling the walls, I have to literally put my hand onto the inner portion of the subs to verify that they are even playing is how weak they sound.”

One other important note I forgot to mention in the email but I feel is important, is that on the other systems, my wife and I seldom go over 30-35 as it is getting too loud. I feel like with the newer setup I’m pushing closer to 50+ before it starts to sound remotely similar, although the low end still lacks that movie theater rumble my other setups produce. All setups are on recent LG OLED panels with eARC, all using Apple TV 4K for main TV viewing. 

Was playing Space Marine 2 on PS5 Pro on the living room setup, and just walking around in the hangar, the power armor’s heavy thuds can be felt. Played it upstairs on an identical TV, also on a PS5 Pro, and the low end just doesn’t sound nearly as good. I was honestly expecting this setup to be overkill for the office size considering how incredible a similar setup sounds in a much larger area with tall, vaulted ceilings. 

App, software, system are all up-to-date.

I sold my ultra. I don’t agree being a lab rat over and over again whiel sonos is making money in a premum price segment selling a system that actually is not working correctly together with their own components.

Don’t get me wrong. I stilly love my system but the upgrade experience to ultra is very disappointing.

Update from me and my situation:

I ended up returning the Arc Ultra back to Sonos and bought a regular Arc while they are still on sale at Best Buy.

There is something going on with the Arc Ultra with sound quality, loudness and an overall lack of bass and surrounds in my system. It’s like the Arc Ultra is trying to handle frequencies the dual subs should be taking care of and the surround sound on the Era 300s doesn’t sound right. There are several issues with this soundbar and I’m not planning on being a troubleshooter/QA tester after Sonos gets back from holiday and my return period has expired.

First time I’ve returned a product back to Sonos, hopefully it goes smoothly and quickly; I’ve read a number of customer service nightmares on this forum.

My advice for any other prospective Ultra buyers? Wait until next holiday season, and hopefully by then whatever issues that are plaguing this thing are ironed out. As someone with multiple Sonos surround systems, the Ultra was a downgrade. Save yourself $300 and get an Arc while they are on sale.