Sonos Arc value or lack of

  • 30 January 2023
  • 65 replies
  • 1516 views
P
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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. 

65 replies

melvimbe

As John stated, in order to get atmos audio, the Arc needs to receive an atmos audio signal from your TV.  It’s definitely different than 5.1 audio, but whether you think it’s significantly better is a matter of opinion and what sort of content you typically watch.  Also depends on your room layout, ceiling height and such.

I have never heard the yamaha’s you mention, so can’t compare them.    Generally speaking, any pair of speakers will sound better than a soundbar for music, assuming they are quality speakers properly spaced and stereo source. 

This is the 3rd topic you started and you haven’t bothered to follow up on any of them after people took the time to respond to you.    I’m wondering if you’re not really interested in answers.

Danny
J

I would certainly buy the Arc again, although not particularly for Atmos. 

What the Arc does is entirely in line with my expectations. What I know now is pretty much the same as I knew when I bought it.

I would only expect decent surround sound, with or without Atmos, with the addition of rear speakers.  My experience is that these make a big difference (although that depends on the nature of the film).

Ken_Griffiths

As stated, the Vizio TV model mentioned does not support Atmos - so an audio extractor would be required to get Atmos across to the Arc. See the (usual) links below for examples of the type of product needed:

HDFury Arcana

https://www.hdfury.uk/product/hdfury-arcana/

Feintech VAX04101A

https://feintech.eu/en/collections/hdmi-topseller/products/feintech-vax04101-hdmi-earc-pass-switch-4x1-for-soundbar

OREI HDA-931 or OREI HDA-935 (link is for 931)

https://www.orei.com/products/dual-hdmi-earc-audio-extractor-converter-4k-60hz-18g-hdmi-2-0-arc-support-hda-931

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J

I think you are very likely to be correct that the Vizio TV is the likely failure point.  I have had a bit of a Google but cannot find anything definitive.  Mostly it talks only of Dolby Vision in the context of TVs, and that only for the “Quantum” series.

The cheapest option to get around this is to send the audio direct to the Arc rather than via the TV.  I’ll try to find a thread with the possible devices listed.  

Surround speakers would, I beiieve, enhance the movie sound.  Ones are perfect for this.

J

Edit - Ken beat me to it!

F
Userlevel 3
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Oh and I agree with @John B that adding two ‘Ones/One-SL’s’ as surrounds would enhance the setup greatly for both TV and music audio.

Totally agree with that as well. Another option to the Ones would be a pair of IKEA's Symfonisk.

Ken_Griffiths

I searched for Atmos content and I found Jack Ryan on Amazon prime that had a little marker that said it was Atmos. so I tried playing that and adjusting the settings. still no Atmos from the Sonos Arc Soundbar.

I would give Vizio Support a call or email them and ask if your TV is capable of passing through Atmos audio (DD+ compressed only of course) - at least you will know one way, or the other. The chepest answer here though is still to add one of the audio extractors mentioned. I use the Feintech extractor switch and that works well, as does the Arcana apparently. I’ve seen mixed reviews on the OREI device, so perhaps that one needs researching some more, but cheaper than a new TV and that then perhaps leaves room to consider then adding the two surrounds to the setup too.

Ken_Griffiths

Note too, that the Amazon Prime App can vary across devices - not all may show the Atmos logo, but perhaps just ensure you’re not misinterpreting the Audio Description logo for Atmos content, see the attached image showing the two logos - sometimes people see AD and expect Atmos, but Jack Ryan is definitely available (on compatible devices) encoded in Atmos audio for its original soundtrack, but if there is something along the path to the Arc that does not support Atmos (eg the TV), the audio sent will fallback to the lowest common denominator, usually DD 5.1 or PCM stereo in some instances.

 

 

F
Userlevel 3
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@ProUSAConstitution, I don't have an Apple TV, so I don't know if these apply, but worth a shot:

You can't play sound in Dolby Atmos if Quick Start is turned off in Settings. To check, go to Settings > Apps > iTunes Movies and TV Shows > Quick Start.

 

Audio format: By default, Apple TV uses the best audio format available. You can change the audio format if you’re experiencing problems with playback. Select Audio Format, then select Change Format and choose either Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 5.1, or Stereo.

 

When testing these, be sure the Vizio is set to bitstream and the cable is connected to its HDMI1 (ARC) port.

 

EDIT: The cable that comes from the Sonos Arc connected to Vizio's HDMI1 (ARC). The cable that comes from the Apple TV to any other HDMI port

P
Userlevel 6
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@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.

Apple TV will automatically send Atmos over DD+ in its default setting (as long as the Atmos option is turned on in settings). It is smart enough to change from LPCM to DD+ when on an ARC-only HDMI port.

I can even toggle my HDMI port between ARC and eARC and Apple TV will seamlessly alternate Atmos formats.

If you have Apple Music, I would recommend turning on one of the playlists “Made for Spatial Audio” as all the tracks will be Atmos and you’ll have lots of pleasant testing material running.

Ken_Griffiths

Apple TV will automatically send Atmos over DD+ in its default setting (as long as the Atmos option is turned on in settings). It is smart enough to change from LPCM to DD+ when on an ARC-only HDMI port.

I can even toggle my HDMI port between ARC and eARC and Apple TV will seamlessly alternate Atmos formats.

If you have Apple Music, I would recommend turning on one of the playlists “Made for Spatial Audio” as all the tracks will be Atmos and you’ll have lots of pleasant testing material running.

Thanks, I didn’t realise that the ATV audio format would auto-switch and detect the port in use by the Receiver, 👍

Ken_Griffiths

Apple TV will automatically send Atmos over DD+ in its default setting (as long as the Atmos option is turned on in settings). It is smart enough to change from LPCM to DD+ when on an ARC-only HDMI port.

I can even toggle my HDMI port between ARC and eARC and Apple TV will seamlessly alternate Atmos formats.

If you have Apple Music, I would recommend turning on one of the playlists “Made for Spatial Audio” as all the tracks will be Atmos and you’ll have lots of pleasant testing material running.

Surprised when I do this the S2 app just says Apple Music, not what format is playing. No 5.1/pcm/atmos.

Seems rather clear the TV is not supporting pass-through of Atmos audio. I would still personally suggest you consider using an audio extractor, like Arcana/VAX04101 to bypass the TV altogether, or just live with DD/DTS 5.1 audio … and maybe get the suggested HT surrounds.

Mr. T
Userlevel 7

In the majority of cases, Apple TV 4K requires an eARC connection for Atmos, however, there are a few televisions (some LG and Samsung TVs that I have read about) which can convert the Dolby MAT output from Apple TV into Dolby Atmos (DD+) to work over HDMI ARC.

Never had any issue using Apple TV with eARC enabled on my LG C1. I did experience a couple of pops using an older Samsung TV with a One connect box, which was resolved with an HDFury Arcana. This was before I even had the Apple TV.

J

not psyche about spending another $330 to get the Soundbar to work!

Ho hum. The Arc works fine. You would be spending the money to overcome the limitations of your TV.

I live in hope that eventually this will sink in.

P
Userlevel 6
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I wouldn’t buy it again because I haven’t been able to turn Atmos on for my Apple TV and Xbox in about two years. Once you get the pop, Sonos recommends you turn off Atmos since it will just reoccur within about 30 minutes.

Sonos Arc sounded good for the short while I could use Atmos. If Sonos fixes the problem, I would go back to enjoying it. But at the moment, with the problem having been going on for years, I would not recommend Sonos to anyone who wants to use Apple TV or Xbox. 

J

Hi. The Arc will play In Atmos if you send Atmos to it.  Either your television isn’t capable of doing so or you have something wrong in the settings of your TV or source devices.  If you tell us what equipment you have, how it is connected, what audio out settings you have and what sources you are playing, there is some chance we might be able to help.

If you consider my reply BS or propaganda, then you are certainly going about resolving your issues in a strange way.

PS for the avoidance of doubt, I am just a fellow Sonos user, not a Sonos employee.

J

A few things you won’t get from a pair of speakers:

  1. Atmos
  2. 5.1 sound
  3. Multiroom capability

If you think you might be happy without those features, then possibly the Sonos Arc isn’t the best fit to your needs.

F
Userlevel 3
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TV doesn't need to be Atmos compatible for you to play Atmos from streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, etc. as long as it can passthrough Dolby Digital Plus. Your TV is not too old as it even has an ARC HDMI port.

Connect the HDMI cable to the HDMI 1 (ARC) port of your TV.

 

Press the MENU button on your TV remote and go to AUDIO. Turn the built-in speakers OFF and set Digital Audio Out to BITSTREAM.

Back to MENU, go to SYSTEM and confirm CEC is enabled for HDMI ARC. Then, your TV remote should control the volume of your ARC and be able to mute/unmute.

Let us know if it worked.

J

I have spent A LOT of time on fixing the Sonos Arc 

Then you have spent a lot of time on misdirected effort.  Your problem is that you are not getting Atmos to the Arc.  Nothing you can do to the Arc will resolve this.  Get Atmos to the Arc and it will play it.

F
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@furacaopr, 

Dolby Digital Plus? I don’t see that codec mentioned in its spec. See my earlier post and attachment showing the codec pass-through from rtings.com. 

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/dolby-digital-plus-dd-atmos-over-hdmi-arc.2378442/post-42675274

 

J

Just to add my two cents….

  1. The TV must have an eARC labeled input as opposed to just an ARC labeled input. If not you must use an audio extractor between the TV and the Arc Soundbar such as the HDFury mentioned by @Ken_Griffiths

Not correct I am afraid.  eArc is only required for lossless TrueHD.  HDMI-ARC can carry Atmos over DD+

F
Userlevel 3
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Just to add my two cents….

  1. The TV must have an eARC labeled input as opposed to just an ARC labeled input. If not you must use an audio extractor between the TV and the Arc Soundbar such as the HDFury mentioned by @Ken_Griffiths.

Not really for streaming, as it's compressed Atmos encapsulated in DD+. You do need eARC to play uncompressed Atmos, e.g., from a Blu-ray player, though.

F
Userlevel 3
Badge +2

@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.

J

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.

P
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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.

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