Skip to main content
ProUSAConstitution
Avid Contributor I
January 30, 2023

Sonos Arc value or lack of

I just hooked up and finally got the Arc working. 
in my opinion, unless I am missing something the Arc is in NO way worth $900!

My Arc only displays 5.1 in the S2 app NOT ATMOS!

One of the multiple seemingly all foreign( I mention foreign due to our language differences and therefore difficulties of communication) Sonos employees I tried to get the Arc working with , said ATMOS is just marketing and no different or better than Dolby Digital 5.1.

 I am seriously thinking of returning the Arc and buying some self powered Yamaha HS8 studio speakers for $800. 
In my opinion the the dynamics, sound quality, and overall enjoyment will be far superior with 2 quality self driven studio monitors. For less $.
Prove me wrong?

What do you think is a better way to go for the $900 usd.

 I’m just trying to be honest and factual. 

All productive comments are welcome!

No BS or propanda please. 
Thank you and best wishes to all. 

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

65 replies

Show previous replies
furacaopr
Prodigy III
January 30, 2023

@furacaopr .  You may well be correct that this offers a solution to the OP, and it is definitely worth checking out before buying any form of audio extractor.  But DD+ over Arc is a necessary condition for getting Atmos, but not sufficient. My 2016 LG TV will output DD+ but cannot process Atmos, and doesn’t have a pass-through option

Yes, you need DD+ passthrough. That's what this TV's bitstream setting does.

    Ken_Griffiths
    Ken_Griffiths
    January 30, 2023

    I did all of this yesterday. None of it got me atmos.

    I do thank you for your attempt to help me and the community!

    Maybe just double-check there are no further firmware updates for your TV on the Vizio site too, just in case. 

    furacaopr
    Prodigy III
    January 30, 2023

    I did all of this yesterday. None of it got me atmos.

    I do thank you for your attempt to help me and the community!

    How is your Apple TV connected to the TV? What streaming service are you using? How do you check if you are getting Atmos or not?

    John B
    January 30, 2023

    I did all of this yesterday. None of it got me atmos.

    I do thank you for your attempt to help me and the community!

    Maybe just double-check there are no further firmware updates for your TV on the Vizio site too, just in case. 

    And if you cannot get this to work, then just to reiterate, you will need one of the HDMI-ARC audio extractors mentioned.   (I use the Arcana.  It is pricey, but a fraction of what it would have cost to replace a top-of-the-range LG OLED.  It also cured the lip sync issues for which the LG TV was responsible.

    Edit - but you need to be sure you have followed @furacaopr’s suggestions precisely before you give up on that.

      Ken_Griffiths
      Ken_Griffiths
      January 30, 2023

      @ProUSAConstitution,

      Also note the Apps built into the TV are not the ones to use for your testing - nor the Apple TV (when set to its default LPCM multichannel codec) as that codec requires HDMI-eARC - you need to set the audio format to ‘off’ and select (DD+) Atmos audio.

      Maybe try an episode of Jack Ryan (series 3) on Amazon Prime as a test and see what displays on the ’Now Playing Screen’ for the Arc in the Sonos App.

      ProUSAConstitutionAuthor
      Avid Contributor I
      January 30, 2023

      To be fair. Positives about the Sonos Arc is that it is far better in clarity and sound quality than the TV speakers.

      When I watch Supercross the announcers are easy to hear and not mushed together along with the engine sounds etc. The whole broadcast is much more enjoyable.

      Usually tv shows, etc. we constantly had to change the volume and the sound coming from the TV was irritating on our ears and our nerves. Not so with the Arc soundbar.

      neg.: There is no separation with Arc as far as right and left channels or surround sound. Sound all comes from the bar directly as one.

      This is my experience.

      Yours could be different.

      side note: any of you had experience with the TV models that use the screen as a speaker?

      Thoughts and experience?

      Is it just like a sweet sounding electrostatic speaker that has GREAT highs and mids in the sweet spot but falls off sharply outside the sweet spot? Electrostatic speakers also need something like at least a sub for the low end.

      Does the screen get worn out by it acting as a speaker?

      Thank you again folks.

      ProUSAConstitutionAuthor
      Avid Contributor I
      January 30, 2023

      I did all of this yesterday. None of it got me atmos.

      I do thank you for your attempt to help me and the community!

      Maybe just double-check there are no further firmware updates for your TV on the Vizio site too, just in case. 

      I updated everything yesterday.

        ProUSAConstitutionAuthor
        Avid Contributor I
        January 30, 2023

        @furacaopr .  You may well be correct that this offers a solution to the OP, and it is definitely worth checking out before buying any form of audio extractor.  But DD+ over Arc is a necessary condition for getting Atmos, but not sufficient. My 2016 LG TV will output DD+ but cannot process Atmos, and doesn’t have a pass-through option

        Yes, you need DD+ passthrough. That's what this TV's bitstream setting does.

        Tried bitstream yesterday and it did not change vs auto/Dolby/pcm.

        Ken_Griffiths
        Ken_Griffiths
        January 30, 2023

        I’m personally still not entirely convinced that the Vizio TV will support Atmos audio pass-through, but no harm in pursuing these things to check - it’s true an HDMI-ARC port can support DD+, but I’ve not yet come across a TV this old that supports pass-through of Atmos metadata. That’s slightly compounded by the review I read earlier, that made no mention of DD+ and stated that the Vizio TV supported DD5.1/DTS pass-through.

        Anyhow, if it doesn’t work, then there’s always the fallback of using an audio extractor (recommended) and that’s likely to provide perhaps better lip-syncing anyway with the video on screen, despite the pass-through option over the TV ports. 

        ProUSAConstitutionAuthor
        Avid Contributor I
        January 30, 2023

        I did all of this yesterday. None of it got me atmos.

        I do thank you for your attempt to help me and the community!

        How is your Apple TV connected to the TV? What streaming service are you using? How do you check if you are getting Atmos or not?

        Tablo(over the air with a antenna), Hulu, Amazon, Paramount, YouTube and Peacock for Supercross or the politically correct name supermotocross, what ever they want to call it.

        Show more replies
        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement