Contributor I

Answered

Sonos Arc Ultra Sound Issue

35 replies
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I wanted to gauge from the community as to whether or not people are experiencing bad sound quality through their arc ultra speakers as I have had two units and both have produced a slightly distorted/fuzzy sound specifically from the right side of the speaker. I don’t know if it’s bad luck or not but wanted to check with others to see if they’re also experiencing this and what they did to fix it?

My arc ultra is connected to my Samsung tv through the eARC port with the cable provided and use my Apple TV 4K Gen 1 to watch content. The fuzzy noise is present when watching any kind of media through the Apple TV as well as when I’m streaming music through the Sonos app and even when adding the product to my system through the chime it plays as well as during the trueplay tuning.

I have even changed the settings on the Samsung tv such that sound is output via pass through rather than automatic

Any help would be much appreciated, I will try get the product replaced but wanted to see if this is a common issue.

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User117655Answer

Prodigy II

I had exactly this issue from the right hand channel of an Arc Ultra too. It was specifically noticeable on the male voice and lower frequency sounds, at lower volumes. It was quite subtle but definitely present.

Support suggested it could be the source and asked for a recording. They listened to it and authorised a replacement.

Using sources that had triggered it to check (radio stream/local NAS) it was not present on the replacement so my conclusion is that it was a fault. I have not noticed the issue since.

Out of interest, a specific source was the BBC's Ed Reardon's Week... Ed's voice seemed to consistently hit the issue for me - not limited to but the start of s16, ep1 for example 🤓.

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Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

Call back, get a different support person, give them your case number. Mention the language issue too.

K

Keytar

Lyricist III

Update: I got my Arc Ultra (SN: 2508) replaced due to fuzz in right most channels. New one is now set up and it doesn't have it!

Instead, it has an EVEN WORSE fuzz but this time in the far left channel. 💀 New serial number is 2507.

Those that got it replaced with a “proper” one, what was your serial number? I am starting to wonder if I shouldn't wait a little bit, if half the Sonos Arc Ultra's out there are broken, this seems like a very big gambling game.

J

Jeponder

Lyricist I

My Sonos Arc Ultra serial number is 2506. Left side is distorted in some low frequencies.

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

Support doesn't visit the forums often and the moderators have limited abilities, so it would be best to call support directly and work on getting a replacement in progress.

P

PH17Author

Contributor I

I have received my replacement and can confirm the distortion has gone so I’d recommend to keep getting them replaced until you receive a speaker that doesn’t have this issue.

I have however noticed an imbalance in bass output with the right side of the speaker producing a more punchy and pronounced bass in comparison to the left side. I’m just trying to confirm whether this is normal behaviour or is this another issue I’m facing now which means I have to send it back for another replacement.

E

Eme77

Lyricist III

I have received my replacement and can confirm the distortion has gone so I’d recommend to keep getting them replaced until you receive a speaker that doesn’t have this issue.

I have however noticed an imbalance in bass output with the right side of the speaker producing a more punchy and pronounced bass in comparison to the left side. I’m just trying to confirm whether this is normal behaviour or is this another issue I’m facing now which means I have to send it back for another replacement.

Great to hear the replacement unit does not have the distortion. Any chance you could share the batch number?

I am awaiting my replacement and will be checking the number as soon as it arrives.

The fact that you hear more pronounced bass at the right side could be because the “Sound Motion” speaker is located more to the right.

K

Keytar

Lyricist III

I can confirm my third Sonos Arc Ultra will thankfully be my last. Serial number 2504 - no issues I can find. I insisted to support to try different batches and to their credit, I went 2508->2507->2504.

As for bass imbalance, I can’t detect anything but to be honest I have bass at -5 or more, since I don’t like the way the Arc Ultra’s bass is in your face. I have a separate sub and it’s more than enough. I also have mild paranoia that intense bass could cause some further issues in the future, god knows.

R

Renaud123

Lyricist I

I am having the same issue. The right speaker sounds fuzzy and distorted when people speaking i.e. watching the news but music sounds clear. I contacted Sonos but my Arc is outside of warranty period. I was offered 30% off a new one. Not sure anyone has any advice.

A

alevla

Contributor I

I had exactly this issue from the right hand channel of an Arc Ultra too. It was specifically noticeable on the male voice and lower frequency sounds, at lower volumes. It was quite subtle but definitely present.

Support suggested it could be the source and asked for a recording. They listened to it and authorised a replacement.

Using sources that had triggered it to check (radio stream/local NAS) it was not present on the replacement so my conclusion is that it was a fault. I have not noticed the issue since.

Out of interest, a specific source was the BBC's Ed Reardon's Week... Ed's voice seemed to consistently hit the issue for me - not limited to but the start of s16, ep1 for example 🤓.

I have the same problem. After some weeks, the sound at certain frequencies is distorted and muffed. Went through all the steps from support and now I am waiting for a replacement. However, and based on all the users I see here with the same problem, I assume there is a design and engineering problem in the product. This speaks very bad about Sonos. I moved from a Sennheiser Ambeo Plus soundbar to Sonos as read multiple good reviews, but seems I made a big mistake...

User117655

Prodigy II

Your profile does not say which country you are in but in the UK, electronics have a statutory warranty under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, meaning goods must be satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and last a reasonable time, usually entitling you to a repair, replacement, or refund for up to 6 years (5 in Scotland) from the retailer, though proving fault after 6 months is your job…

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