Arc poor dialogue

Dialog on my Arc sounds really good. Have you performed Trueplay tuning?

Yes on many occasions. Enabled enhanced audio, turned off “loud” etc. Still significant amount of poor performance for dialogue. 

What is “enhanced audio”? What model TV do you have? What type of audio are you getting to play out of the Arc? Stereo PCM? Dolby Digital Plus? Dolby Atmos?

You might consider performing Trueplay with a different iOS device.

For me, dialog is not poor quality but just not loud enough sometimes even with night mode and speech enhancement on and getting dolby 5.1 signal and true play. 

So far sonos has refused to give us ability to adjust center channel manually. 

Yeah agree, Sonos needs to allow control of the centre channel, Im constantly having to raise and lower the volume to hear voices, but then other sound gets to loud.

Ive found a solution to this problem. Update your sonos arc to the latest version (14.12).

Then perform a factory reset on all of your speakers starting with the arc.

Set up you arc like you normally do.

Mine is connected to a lg c9 65. 

Set the audio on passtrough via the options.

Still some movies are bugged like the matrix via the lg netflix app.

If i choose 5.1, the dialogue is like 10% of what is supposed to be. If I choose original audio the dialogue is perfect! Dolby atmos is also perfect.

Hatefull eight via the amazon prime lg app on 5.1 is perfect.

Sonos has made changes to the way the Arc handles dialogue in update 14.12. This is documented here: 

Since the extra clarity is a result of the update, maybe your solution does not need a complete reset, that will result in the system losing all settings.

I don't have an iPhone so I can't run the Trueplay tuning process.

I noticed that you mention the "loud" option so I am wondering if you are referring to the "Loudness" option in the EQ settings?

I am a little hard of hearing (being in my mid 50's) and on some movies on Sky Q there is no subtitle option like on the 'Great Movies' channels.

Should this loudness option be turned off if it enhances dialogue?

Cheers

Any solution for this?  I have just purchased arc and the center channel dialog is ridiculously too low with some content, Dolby atmos movies from hbo max for example are low dialog with super loud music, meanwhile a non surround broadcast has super loud dialog

The frequency response of our hearing varies with intensity. “Loudness Compensation”, usually abbreviated as “Loudness”, is designed to compensate for this variation when the overall level is low. This effect is very obvious in the bass area and many listeners simply assume that Loudness adds bass. At concert hall levels, our hearing response is much more uniform and Loudness Compensation should not have any effect.

Experiment with the Loudness ON and OFF. Your best approach might be with Loudness ON and the bass reduced, but only you know what sounds “best” (to you). Don’t be afraid to boost the treble at bit. There is also a “Dialog” setting that you can fuss with while watching TV.

Another dimension of this issue is “compression”. You might notice that the difference between loud and quiet on many TV shows and movies is almost non existent. Everything is more or less at the same level. Compression has advantages when the audio is played in noisy environments. While none of the quiet details will be lost in the noise playing on dreadful TV speakers, the result is not very exciting in quiet rooms, playing on good equipment. Dolby Atmos tracks assume that you are listening in better environments and there is much less compression. For someone with your hearing issues, this is not productive. In my opinion the source material should be uncompressed and the playback equipment should provide adjustable compression. The compression can then be adjusted to suit the listening situation. In past eras this was expensive, now it’s a cheap option. I wish that the equipment manufacturers, reviewers, and the public would not be so stubborn. Unfortunately, compression is considered to be a bad feature and too many people try to avoid it. The pop music producers issue highly compressed product and this sells lots of music. Pop music producers understand the value of compression.

I read a review a few months back on Sound bar ratings including the sound output. Arc came in last where all others were significantly louder and rated higher. 

Yea it’s not the frequency response it’s the level.  Center channel sucks on this device.  I might ask for a refund if I can and put my old Sonos sound bar on which was MUCH better.  This is practically unusable and I can’t believe Sonos has not provided a solution by now after a year of complaints 

HI

The Arc is a complex piece of gear. For optimum performance placement of the Arc is critical as is room design/shape. I submitted a post on Arc placement at this Link. 

To address dialogue I agree that it can be finicky without proper tuning to the room parameters which include all mentioned in the link above. Sonos to address sound issues has Trueplay; but you must own (or borrow) an iOS device. TechRadar considers TruePlay not an option; but an essential to get the best performance from the Arc. Read the opinion here.

I have a 2nd Arc (with sub and surrounds) in an open space room with vaulted ceilings. The experience even with Trueplay is not the same as in my media room (as described above in the first link). The Arc creates a “bubble” (if you will) that has to be contained. If the containment field is too far left/right and/or in height/depth; you’ll have diminished returns, as it relates to the listening experience. In hindsight; had it been available, the Ray would have been the better choice. 

To sum things up...the shape and size of your room is critical for deployment of the Arc. Open spaces and high ceilings will not deliver the best experience. I dare say such rooms may cause you to regret your choice of the Arc; especially so, if there is no sub to handle the low-end. Even if I were building a surround system with the Arc for the first time (in a properly portioned room) I’d opt for the sub first and add surrounds later; if budget dictated so.

I did get some improvement by turning on speech enhancement.  Night mode compresses things too much but also evens it out substantially.  I notice that atmos content is generally more problematic then older 5.1 content.

my room has a low ceiling but definitely it is not a well contained media room.  Perhaps arc should not be in this room if the above post is correct.  If that is true then somos is selling an unrealistic product for a large number of people who use them in living rooms rather then media rooms.

However I still think the center channel is generally under delivering and a simple fader to raise it a bit would be appreciated.  Speech enhancement mode does seem to do this without an actual fader to fine tune that, though this work around seems better with 5.1 content then it does for atmos, but it helps atmos too.

That statement would be true for any Dolby Atmos soundbar manufacturer. The basics of proper placement and room parameters apply to all; not just Sonos.

Please.  If this product is dependent on being in perfectly shaped media room then it should marketed as such.  Most people are not using it that way.  People with media rooms use much higher quality equipment than this!  The statement made above is that this product REQUIRES reflections off ceiling and walls in just the right way in order to sound right.  it is ludicrous to think that most of the people buying this product will have that viewing scenario.   If that is a requirement, then it should be made clear by Sonos that that this product is meant to be used in media rooms and not typical living rooms with strange wall and ceiling placements.  my local Sonos dealer, who actually did the install, certainly never mentioned any of this or pointed any of this out to me whatsoever.  An older Sonos sound bar would actually be much more appropriate, regardless of whether Sonos still sells it or not.  Sonos wants to market and push the concept of “Atmos”, the latest buzz word, and the sound bar design is pretty cool for the right situation, but if it depends on a perfect media room to work right with wall and ceiling reflections, then this should be explained to buyers ahead of time and many people should NOT buy it.

@Dewdman42

Let’s be clear. There are two options other than the Arc.

The Beam 2 which negates the upward firing speakers but delivers some of the Dolby Atmos experience in the right room. However the design of the Beam 2 is more audience focused (direct front firing speakers) which makes it a better choice in rooms not optimized for Dolby Atmos. The DD 5.1 experience will be excellent.

The other choice is the Ray which is non-Dolby Atmos but optimized for DD 5.1 sound.

Regarding your Sonos Dealer/Installer. Some are more familiar with a traditional WIRED  Dolby Atmos setup that employs multiple speakers. Consequently, they incorrectly assume that the Sonos Arc setup (with sub and surrounds) will perform in the same manner. Barring that excuse the Dealer/Installer is more concerned about the sale than customer satisfaction.

In some cases (especially in the big box stores) they are just sales people tasked to move units; be they Sonos or another brand. Typically the brand with the highest markup over cost (ROI).

Note: A good knowledgeable Dealer/Installer will spec the environment before making a recommendation.

Soundbars in general, regardless of brand or cost, along with traditional multi-speaker approaches, are governed by the laws of physics -- convenient or not. The shape and size of a room must be considered. There are also personal preferences. “Sounds good” and “sounds bad” could be comments about the same system. A good sales person or consultant can be a valuable guide.

Bla bla bla you guys are just making excuses now for the fact that arc’s dialog from the center channel is too soft.  The topic of this thread I will add.  If anything I would expect closer walls and ceiling to enhance the sides and overheads, making the situation even worse.  Blame the room, blame the dealer; anyone but Sonos.  Bla bla bla….  Not helpful info.  At least I hope future customers will be better informed about the limitations of the arc

I suggest we stop trying to help @Dewdman42, they have obviously made up their mind.  Good thing Sonos does well in the resale market, so they can go out and buy what they wish.  

I hope so as well. Although, There are limitations with any speaker setup.