Trending Lyricist II

Big WOW Factor The Gold Standard with a Few Handcuffs

Forum|Forum|8 months ago
February 1, 2026
86 replies
1477 views

My Review: My audio journey has spanned almost every configuration imaginable: basic 5.1 wired sets, LG soundbars, Sony AV receivers with Bose systems, and eventually the standard Sonos 5.1. I recently took the ultimate leap, upgrading via Sevenoaks to the full Sonos flagship setup: the Arc Ultra, two Era 300s, and a Sub Gen 3.

Moving from a standard 5.1 to this 9.1.4 system has been a revelation. Here is my honest take:

The Positives (+)
The Gold Standard of Sound: Sonos is undoubtedly the king of the sound world. It offers a deep, premium quality bass paired with a crispness that is a joy for anyone who listens with "attentive ears." Once you go Sonos, you can’t live without it.

Simplest Setup Ever: This was the easiest system I’ve ever used. Connect the Arc Ultra first, then add the other pieces one by one—the whole system bonds flawlessly. No tech-headache required.

True Dolby Atmos: To truly enjoy Atmos, you need this specific kit. The Era 300s and Arc Ultra work together to create a massive 3D soundstage, especially once you run the Trueplay tuning.

Practical Features: Settings like Speech Enhancement and Night Mode make the system very user-friendly for real-world living.

Premium Value: It’s pricey, but the build quality, brand trust, and extended warranty (like the 6-year one from Sevenoaks) make it a great long-term investment.

The Negatives (-)
The "ARC" Glitch: Random sound drops are a known issue. I often have to switch my TV audio to internal speakers and back to the Arc to "wake it up." For this price, it should be seamless.

The App Prison: The Sonos app feels like a "control freak" environment. You are largely restricted to playing what they allow, often requiring premium subscriptions to even use the added services.

Bluetooth & Connectivity: Even with Bluetooth hardware, you can’t easily just "cast" a song from your phone to the whole system. Adding a personal music library is a hurdle that isn't suitable for non-tech-savvy users.

Atmos Content Gap: True Dolby Atmos content is still hard to find, and when you do find it, it’s often hidden behind the most expensive subscription tiers or labeled with "fake" Atmos tags.

Final Verdict: I love this system day and night. I’m currently running a single Sub Gen 3 and plan to add a Sub 4 in the future. If you want the best sound and easiest physical setup on the planet, buy Sonos … just be prepared to live in their ecosystem on their terms.

I am here to share my experience and open to share suggestions with you guys

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buzz

Grand Maestro

A little bit of cloth will not significantly impede bass.

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

I am cheap, made my own covers for three Subs from one length of speaker grill cloth from Amazon.

Used it all, and I'm cheap, so my garage Sub gen 2 is living in the white bag my Sub 4 came in. Seems to work fine, can't hear it flapping at moderate volumes (not tried higher, hate calls from the HOA) or any impact on the sound.

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Speaker-Stereo-Fabric-Repair/dp/B07F3YS99J/ref=dp_prsubs_d_sccl_1/132-4883735-2212245

TheWhiteWaterAuthor

Trending Lyricist II

Thanks for the reassurance regarding the acoustics and the amplifiers, gents. It is good to know that a bit of fabric won't muffle those deep rumbles.

To Stanley_4, I must say I admire the DIY spirit! Saving a few quid while getting exactly what you need is always satisfying. I would certainly appreciate it if you could share a few images of your handiwork to inspire the rest of us.

Unfortunately, I suspect I shall have to look for a ready-made alternative like the Soundskins. I don't possess a sewing machine, and my "know-how" in that department is fairly non-existent! I’d likely end up with something that looks more like a potato sack than a premium speaker cover.

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

Hard to share images as all but the garage are not easy to access and require I ask family to assist in getting to them.

Really minimal sewing needed, scissors, needle and thread are more than adequate. I did two styles, a SoundSkin type slip-over cover and a simple band of the speaker cloth.

The fancy ones I simply draped the cloth over, inside-out and sewed a line of thread up each corner, folded the top like wrapping a present and sewed the flap down, then snipped off the extra material.

The bands, even easier, cut to width, wrap, sew a line across the width, snip the excess and rotate the seam to underneath the Sub.

First one took about 30 minutes to get looking nice, simple was about 5 minutes.

At my cost, $11.00 for the lot I saved $280.00 over the SoundSkins. The plastic covers are far cheaper for ready-built options and likely a better choice if you don't need the fancy colors to blend a Sub into the spouses decor.

TheWhiteWaterAuthor

Trending Lyricist II

Hard to share images as all but the garage are not easy to access and require I ask family to assist in getting to them.

Really minimal sewing needed, scissors, needle and thread are more than adequate. I did two styles, a SoundSkin type slip-over cover and a simple band of the speaker cloth.

The fancy ones I simply draped the cloth over, inside-out and sewed a line of thread up each corner, folded the top like wrapping a present and sewed the flap down, then snipped off the extra material.

The bands, even easier, cut to width, wrap, sew a line across the width, snip the excess and rotate the seam to underneath the Sub.

First one took about 30 minutes to get looking nice, simple was about 5 minutes.

At my cost, $11.00 for the lot I saved $280.00 over the SoundSkins. The plastic covers are far cheaper for ready-built options and likely a better choice if you don't need the fancy colors to blend a Sub into the spouses decor.

@Stanley_4

That is a rather ingenious bit of work, Stanley. Saving over £200 with just a bit of speaker cloth and a needle is certainly something to be proud of! I suspect many of the "Grand Maestros" here would find that very inspiring.

However, I’m afraid I’ll have to look for a ready-made alternative. I intentionally bought my entire set in white so it could double as decor, and I fear my own hand-stitching might lack the "designer" finish the room requires! I’ll certainly show your post to my other half.

As it happens, I’m due to renovate my TV room this summer. I’ll be installing acoustic panels on one of the walls and giving the whole space a bit of a facelift, so finding a cover that looks "integrated" rather than "DIY" is high on my list of priorities.

TheWhiteWaterAuthor

Trending Lyricist II

I’ve had a bit of a breakthrough today that’s been a total "dream come true" for my setup. I managed to pair my phone and laptop directly to the Arc Ultra via Bluetooth. The sound quality is remarkably good, and it’s a massive relief to finally play anything from a Chrome browser straight to the speakers without any faff.

I did experiment with a "Cast to Sonos" app, but I’ve had to bin that off immediately. It was incredibly buggy and caused a significant lag. Worse still, it made my Era 300 surrounds rattle quite badly. It felt as though it was pushing a distorted signal that the speakers didn’t like one bit.

I'm much happier sticking with the stable Bluetooth 5.3 connection for my browser content. It’s given me the "bridge" of freedom I wanted while keeping the hardware safe. Now, I can get back to planning that summer renovation and hunting for a second sub!

@Stanley_4

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