I purchased the Bose 700 and Bass Module 700. After reading all the reviews and comparing Bose and Sonos on paper and watching videos… I made the decision to take it back and get the Sonos Arc and Gen 3 Sub. Not sure if I made the right decision. It’s possible I don’t have the settings set correctly? The dialogue on several shows and movies is hard to hear as it is drowned out by background and action noises.. I tuned it with my iPhone and it’s better but not by much at all. The night mode and voice enhancement are terrible together so not going to be using those. Voice enhancement along doesn’t make a huge difference at all. In regards to the dialogue the Bose 700 is WAY better, in my opinion. Unless there’s a setting that I’m just missing?? I understand every room and listening experience is going to be different for every user but, is there a “general setting” I can start off with to help with dialogue?? I know with the Bose 700 I could turn the center speaker up and down for better dialogue but not seeing that feature on the Sonos app. I’m debating taking this back and getting the Bose 700 again. Will it ever be possible that Sonos will add this feature that their Bose competitor already offers? Love the Sonos with the volume up but, it’s useless at lower volume. My wife will be requesting I take it back and get the Bose 700 if this can’t be fixed or if there’s not a plan in place by Sonos to fix this issue. She loves the Boss 700 features. Sonos is seriously lacking in this area. Any advice?
Sonos hasn’t announced any plans to add center channel audio level control, but this doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen. So Night Sound, Speech Enhancement, Trueplay tuning, and adjusting the EQ settings are pretty much your only options.
I would suggest borrowing a different model iPhone or iPad from a friend or relative and redoing Trueplay tuning. Some users have had some success using other iOS devices that gave them better results.
How are you watching movies and shows? From streaming services? What audio is the Arc playing? Stereo or Dolby Digital/Dolby Atmos?
I tuned it with an iPhone 12 Pro. It tuned it nicely but the dialogue just isn’t where I’d like it to be. That’s just a personal preference I wish Sonos would allow me to control like Bose does. In regards to your questions… I use Apple TV 4K. The latest model. I have it connected directly to my Samsung ES8000 tv using hdmi arc. TV is an older model but it does have arc. I watch Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, YouTube TV, Amazon. I haven’t really witnessed atmos as of yet but I may not have watched something that supports it yet either. My main concern right now is dialogue and wishing there was a way to control the center speaker. If I can’t control that then I feel it’s a bust and back to Bose I go. Don’t want to as the Sonos at louder volume rocks! But happy wife happy life.
How do I know if it’s in stereo mode or Dolby Digital/Dolby Atmos?
On the Now Playing screen in the Sonos app, it will display what audio is currently playing:
The reason why I ask is because you may get improved dialog if you are listening to multi-channel audio rather than stereo.
In the Apple TV audio format settings, be sure to set Change Format to On and choose Dolby Digital 5.1.
FYI… your TV is not capable of passing through Dolby Atmos audio. It may not even pass through 5.1 audio.
I made the changes for audio on my Apple TV but I’m still playing in Stereo. I’m playing Avengers End Game and I know that is in Dolby Atmos on Disney+. Per Sonos, if the tv has hdmi arc then I can get Atmos and 5.1 but, you’re saying I can’t?
If your TV has HDMI ARC it may be able to pass through Dolby Atmos. But because your TV is older (2012), I guarantee that it can’t. Also, in order to get Dolby Atmos audio from an Apple TV 4K, you need a TV equipped with HDMI eARC or get an HDFury Arcana eARC adapter. I use the Arcana because my TV is from 2013 and can only pass through stereo audio. Your TV is even older than mine, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was also limited to passing through stereo audio only.
What are your TV’s audio settings set to?
Well, that’s a bummer. I’ve been looking to upgrade my tv to OLED but not for another year or so. Is this HDFury Arcana or anything like it at BestBuy?
The speaker settings on my tv are set to External Speakers. The audio format is set to PCM. There is an option for Dolby Digital but it’s grayed out and I can’t select it. I don’t know why.
The HDFury Arcana is the only eARC adapter that I am aware of, and you can only purchase it directly from their website or on eBay from a third-party seller. HDFury ships quickly from Taiwan and they have fantastic customer service.
https://hdfury.com/product/4k-arcana-18gbps/
If you can figure out how to change the audio format from PCM to Dolby Digital, that might help.
Have you tried testing Netflix or VUDU from your TV’s native apps to see if they can play in Dolby Digital audio?
Yes, I have to no avail. It keeps reading PCM Stereo. I haven’t a clue how to change the audio format from PCM to Dolby Digital. I’ve tried everything that I can think of and it’s continuously grayed out. I would think that if it’s on there then there is a way to select it. The Sonos Arc does come with an hdmi/optical converter. Can I get Dolby Atmos / Digital this way?
The Sonos Arc does come with an hdmi/optical converter. Can I get Dolby Atmos / Digital this way?
It wouldn’t hurt to try. Dolby Digital might be possible, but Dolby Atmos is impossible. Your TV is not capable of passing through Atmos audio.
Well, I called Samsung. When I originally hooked the Sonos Arc up to my tv I didn’t select anything in regards to source on my remote because everything was working. Samsung told me to physically select the source that my Sonos was hooked up to. I did that and then went into the Menu and I was able to select Dolby Digital at that time. I’m now running Dolby Digital 5.1. So now, my question is… is going from Dolby Digital 5.1 to Dolby Atmos worth the $200?
Have you noticed a difference with the dialog with Dolby Digital content?
Yes, $200 is most definitely worth it, especially since you have an Apple TV 4K. You have access to A LOT of Dolby Atmos content including Dolby Atmos music on Tidal and Apple Music which is fantastic.
Do you use a Blu-ray or UHD player? How high are your ceilings? Are they flat?
I haven’t really listened yet. I’ve been going back and forth between my computer and tv working the solution while trying to finish up my work - I work from home. I’m off now though so I’ll give it a listen… FINALLY. My ceilings are 9 foot ceilings and they are flat. What setting for height should I select after I get the HDFury? Also, I understand my room is different than yours but can you suggest a standard setting for bass and treble on the soundbar and level for the sub?
I have a Blu-Ray player but I honestly haven’t even turned it on in about two years. I’ve been streaming movies via AppleTV. I do have several blu-rays though… may go back through my list and give them a watch. ie - Star Wars, Harry Potter series, LOTR and The Hobbit. I’ve listened to Ready Player One last night and I thought it was a great sound but didn’t even realize it was only on Stereo - I can’t imagine what it’ll sound like with 5.1 or even Atmos. I’ll order the HDFury this evening. The tv I have was top of the line in 2012 and it still has an awesome picture so I won’t be trading it in until it breaks on me. $200 is better than $3000! I really appreciate you answering my questions and being so quick about it. Very insightful!
The height audio level setting will depend on the distance the Arc is from your ceiling and how far you are seated from the Arc. I have 8 ft ceilings and my Arc is 6 ft from the ceiling. I get the best height effect when I’m seated about 6-7 feet away from the Arc with the height audio level set to +6 or +7.
In my setup, I use multiple EQ settings:
General TV watching: Bass +2, Treble -2, Night Sound On
Listening to music: +5, +3
Watching a movie: +6, +4, Night Sound Off
I always keep my Sub level at 0.
After you get the Arcana, I recommend connecting your Blu-ray player because uncompressed Dolby TrueHD/Dolby Atmos audio sounds so much better than compressed Dolby Digital Plus/Atmos when streaming. You just need an HDMI switch to connect more than one device to the Arcana. I recommend using the ROOFULL HDMI switch from Amazon. And get some good quality HDMI cables. HDFury recommends KabelDirekt, Zeskit, or Cable Matters cables.
The Ready Player One Blu-ray is in Dolby Atmos and sounds incredible, especially the race scene.
Sounds good. I’ll purchase that as well. My Arc is about 7 feet from the ceiling and I’m about 15 feet from the Arc. So I’m guessing I need to set it at 10+.
Thank you for the setting info. In regards to the hdmi cables… I have one of the best that Monster sold back in 2012. They are for 1080p so I’m sure they may be “out of date” now? I really hope not because I have 3 of them and they were about $90 each. Should I get different cables or will these suffice? I know I’ll have to if I ever get an OLED tv because they’re 1080p and the tv will probably be a 4K or 8k but will these hdmi cables support Dolby Atmos with the HDFury?
Starting to wonder if I was a sucker for paying that much for the hdmi cables now.
Ok. I listened to it with 5.1 and may I say… WOW!! What a difference it made!! Night and day difference! Can’t wait to get the HDFury now. Can’t imagine how it could get any better than this. I’m sure I’ll be blown away again.
I’m glad listening to 5.1 audio on the Arc has improved your listening experience.
15 feet is pretty far from the Arc. I don’t believe you will be able to hear the upward firing drivers from that far away even with the setting at +10. Is there any way to move your seating and the Arc a little closer together?
When you get the Arcana, connect everything using your current HDMI cables. They might work just fine. But if they don’t, purchase cables from one of the three recommended brands I mentioned above. They are very reasonably priced cables.
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