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Hello,

I started my sonos system 18 years ago in 2006.  I use all connects and connects amps with the exception of the playbar and sub (both gen 1).  The playbar is in my masterbedroom and gets used for whole house audio but primarily for bedtime tv viewing of local news.  Over the years on other bedroom tv’s I’ve tried other soundbars: Polk; Denon; Yamaha; Sony etc and all were returned because I couldn’t hear dialog at low volumes.  My wife would yell to turn it down even on the lowest setting and any lower settting literally turned the volume completely off.  The Sonos playbar is the only soundbar I’ve owned were I could hear dialog without pissing her off.  As I upgrade my system, I can get a 30% discount on the arc with all the upgrade codes sonos is giving me.  So my question is, has anyone gone from the original playbar to any of the new Sonos soundbars and were there any negatives to the sound quality?  My experience is newer isn’t always better.  Thanks all, I appreciate your feedback in advance.

I have gone from the Playbar to he Arc just last Christmas. While I now love the upgrade, I didn't think the Arc sounded as warm as the Playbar. Once I added the Sub (which is a gen 1) it quickly became apparent of how much mor depth and dynamics the Arc adds. After adding my Ones as surrounds, the whole system really started to shine. The older Sub and Ones sounded louder with more presence. I did Trueplay and adjust the treble to -2, which then gave me the warmth that the Playbar is known for. 

I had speech enhancement turned on with the Playbar, and it is also enabled with the Arc. At lower volumes they both produce clear dialogue.

The Arc adds width and depth to your home theater system, but if you are simply going using it for local news, a set of headphones for the bedroom may be the answer and place the Arc in a room designated for TV viewing, movie or series, with Dolby Atmos content. That's where the Arc really shines.

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