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Sonos Arc Muddy/Bottoming out Bass

G
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Beyond thrilled to receive the new Sonos Arc. True played my room and I have loudness on as well connected to LG B8 using Tidal and Spotify. Most of the sound range is phenomenal, aside from the bass. At even half volume the woofers are extremely muddy and sound terrible. Not sure if this is because I have under two hours of use but I wasn’t expecting to have to break-in the speaker. I own set of speakers next to it in the same room (KEF LS50W) and the difference is night and day. There have also been posts on Reddit regarding this issue. It is interesting given no reviewers have mentioned this issue but more than a few recipients have. Has anyone else experienced similar issues? Turning loudness off helps but it is disappointing for such a highly anticipated product. 

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Best answer by Scott - Sonos 3 July 2020, 01:04

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D
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Have an LG C9 connected to the Arc, hard to explain but muddy base probably nails it. Using the Arc with an amp for in celling surrounds, waiting on sub to arrive..Watched Twister on Netflix, voice was terrible. Purchased Top Gun on Vudu which was good but lots of low end issues. Hope Sonos figures this one out. I dumped and old my Denon Atmos setup for the Arc. I hope this is not a hardware issue and can be fixed in firmware.

S
Userlevel 4
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Actually Amazon would have to remove the works with Alexa certification Badge from Sonos:

https://developer.amazon.com/de/support/legal/wwa-program-guidelines

 

Your smart home skill must be up-to-date with the latest applicable Smart Home API functionality. If Amazon introduces new features or functionality to the Smart Home API for your WWA certified product, you must update your Alexa integration to include the new feature or functionality as applicable.

 

Or am I misreading something there?

P

Hello,

 

Just to share my experiment :

Sonos Arc with One’s as surrounds, no sub.

Song : “Remember the name”, downloaded from Apple Music on my iPhone and played to Arc through AirPlay with surrounds de-activated in Sonos App.

Volume set on the Arc at 60-70%.

 

Result : I can not hear any bass bottoming or rumbling as the sample shared by another contributor on page 4 of this thread : https://www.dropbox.com/s/il1m9kt134k9rsq/RememberTheName-ARC.m4a?dl=0

 

Hope this helps,

Nice day,

S
Userlevel 4
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Actually Amazon would have to remove the works with Alexa certification Badge from Sonos:

https://developer.amazon.com/de/support/legal/wwa-program-guidelines

 

Your smart home skill must be up-to-date with the latest applicable Smart Home API functionality. If Amazon introduces new features or functionality to the Smart Home API for your WWA certified product, you must update your Alexa integration to include the new feature or functionality as applicable.

 

Or am I misreading something there?


That was the comment to a wrong topic, unfortunately can’t edit the post.

M
Userlevel 3
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Just want to mention I am experiencing the same bass-related issues as mentioned here (standalone Sonos Arc). Sent an email to sonos expressing my concern and hoping to have a solution soon. Also worried the ‘muddy’ bass might leave permanent hardware damage (or a lower lifetime expectancy) if I keep using the product as I usually would (I have the muddy bass sound while watching some movies at only 30% volume). Sounds as if the bass is ‘overused’ or something. So weird.

S
Userlevel 4
Badge +5

Just want to mention I am experiencing the same bass-related issues as mentioned here (standalone Sonos Arc). Sent an email to sonos expressing my concern and hoping to have a solution soon. Also worried the ‘muddy’ bass might leave permanent hardware damage (or a lower lifetime expectancy) if I keep using the product as I usually would (I have the muddy bass sound while watching some movies at only 30% volume). Sounds as if the bass is ‘overused’ or something. So weird.


I don’t think we have to worry about it breaking. I once by accident had my Play:5 play on 100% when the volume limit from the app was removed by some bug. It damaged my ears, but the Play:5 still works flawlessly ;)

M
Userlevel 3
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Just want to mention I am experiencing the same bass-related issues as mentioned here (standalone Sonos Arc). Sent an email to sonos expressing my concern and hoping to have a solution soon. Also worried the ‘muddy’ bass might leave permanent hardware damage (or a lower lifetime expectancy) if I keep using the product as I usually would (I have the muddy bass sound while watching some movies at only 30% volume). Sounds as if the bass is ‘overused’ or something. So weird.


I don’t think we have to worry about it breaking. I once by accident had my Play:5 play on 100% when the volume limit from the app was removed by some bug. It damaged my ears, but the Play:5 still works flawlessly ;)

But the Play:5 has proven to be a great product. My first experience with the Arc is that it’s not.

M
Userlevel 3
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I’ve solved my problem for now… I’m not selling my sub anymore and added it to my system again. Bass much more clear now and I can really crank up the volume now :)

B
Userlevel 5
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I’ve solved my problem for now… I’m not selling my sub anymore and added it to my system again. Bass much more clear now and I can really crank up the volume now :)

Yeah I temporarily moved our sub from the media room to our living room with the Arc until a fix happens.   

S
Userlevel 4
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I’ve solved my problem for now… I’m not selling my sub anymore and added it to my system again. Bass much more clear now and I can really crank up the volume now :)

Yeah I temporarily moved our sub from the media room to our living room with the Arc until a fix happens.   

Could have kept it where it was and just adjusted the bass to be louder so you feel it from the other room :joy:

What do we have wireless multiroom systems for?

I
Userlevel 2
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Since I do not have arc arc, sub, and OneSLs yet, to make sure I am all of this correctly, the muddy bass issue is with the arc itself, and not the sub?  

Thanks…

B
Userlevel 5
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Since I do not have arc arc, sub, and OneSLs yet, to make sure I am all of this correctly, the muddy bass issue is with the arc itself, and not the sub?  

Thanks…

The sub helps mask the issue for the most part but the issue is still there. At least in my opinion.

I
Userlevel 2
Badge +3

Since I do not have arc arc, sub, and OneSLs yet, to make sure I am all of this correctly, the muddy bass issue is with the arc itself, and not the sub?  

Thanks…

The sub helps mask the issue for the most part but the issue is still there. At least in my opinion.

 

Thanks.  I figured the sub would be a bandaid….. pretty crazy issue.  Hard to belive it would be released like that.  If they do not want a lot of returns, they better fix it in a hurry.  I figure they have up to 30 days for a fix depending on where purchased.  Trying to stay positive, but i guess thats easy when I dont have it yet :)

 

Thanks again..

F
Userlevel 2
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I hope they get this sorted soon or mine is definitely going back.  Only 10 minutes into Inception and have turned Arc off and listening through tv speakers.

Any rumbling in any film sounds identical like wind blowing into the speakers.  

R
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Hi everyone, I just came across this and I thought it would be interesting to share 

 

You can clearly hear that The Playbar has better low end which does not match what other reviewers are saying

@Ryan S is this related to this bass issue we are all having here?

 

Playbar did sound much warmer and balanced. Arc’s bass is poor with too much treble. I was expecting much better sound from Arc given how much time they had in between it and the playbar. Currently, i feel like my pair of ones as surrounds are pulling all the weight. Don’t know how much the software update will improve things.

$799 is ridiculous for the sound it produces. Good at 30% off ($559) which I paid or even less.

@Ryan S Please let the team know they have a lot of work to do on the Arc. At this moment, it feels half-baked. 

I 100% agree. The playbar seemed to sound better. As you said it’s more balanced. Spot oj with the base vs treble comment. So balance whatsoever. Very underwhelming. And dissapointing. Hopefully the software issue will fix it but a bad first impression. I’m willing to give Sonos a little bit of time to get this right. 

W
Userlevel 5
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I think all of us are upset but most of us are willing to give SONOS some time to get it right… but Ryan please kindly say something and give an update, let us know what’s been going on asap?

 

Thanks!!

M
Userlevel 3
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I think all of us are upset but most of us are willing to give SONOS some time to get it right… but Ryan please kindly say something and give an update, let us know what’s been going on asap?

 

Thanks!!

Yeah an update on the status and some sort of timeline for pushing a software update would be appreciated.

M
Userlevel 3
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Twitter reaction:

 

Hey Maurice, thanks for reaching out. We don't have a timescale to share just yet. The team are working fast on a software update. The best place to stay upto date would be our Community Forum -

A
Userlevel 6
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I think all of us are upset but most of us are willing to give SONOS some time to get it right… but Ryan please kindly say something and give an update, let us know what’s been going on asap?

 

Thanks!!

Yeah an update on the status and some sort of timeline for pushing a software update would be appreciated.

Tagging @Ryan S  

B

Bought an arc and put it exactly where my beam was in front of my TV. Bass is worse on the arc regardless of content. Hoping a fix comes within my return window. 

R
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Twitter reaction:

 

Hey Maurice, thanks for reaching out. We don't have a timescale to share just yet. The team are working fast on a software update. The best place to stay upto date would be our Community Forum -

Understanding it’s been the weekend, I didn’t expect an update the past two days. That being said, I absolutely don’t think the standard “we don’t have a timeline for a fix...” answer is appropriate moving forward. The twitter response doesn’t bother me, but if that’s going to be the same answer given in this forum, that’s not going to fly. Sonos launched a super premium product in an unacceptable state. Daily updates are warranted at this point even if only to acknowledge the team is still working on it. I fully expect a substantial and tangible update prior to this weekend. 

A
Userlevel 6
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Twitter reaction:

 

Hey Maurice, thanks for reaching out. We don't have a timescale to share just yet. The team are working fast on a software update. The best place to stay upto date would be our Community Forum -

Understanding it’s been the weekend, I didn’t expect an update the past two days. That being said, I absolutely don’t think the standard “we don’t have a timeline for a fix...” answer is appropriate moving forward. The twitter response doesn’t bother me, but if that’s going to be the same answer given in this forum, that’s not going to fly. Sonos launched a super premium product in an unacceptable state. Daily updates are warranted at this point even if only to acknowledge the team is still working on it. I fully expect a substantial and tangible update prior to this weekend. 

I am with you. This is especially important because a lot of people are thinking about returning the Arc, and return window countdown has begun. Not everybody has 100 days to try. People who bought from best buy only have 14 days. That gives Sonos 10 more days to fix the issue.

S
Userlevel 4
Badge +5

Twitter reaction:

 

Hey Maurice, thanks for reaching out. We don't have a timescale to share just yet. The team are working fast on a software update. The best place to stay upto date would be our Community Forum -

Understanding it’s been the weekend, I didn’t expect an update the past two days. That being said, I absolutely don’t think the standard “we don’t have a timeline for a fix...” answer is appropriate moving forward. The twitter response doesn’t bother me, but if that’s going to be the same answer given in this forum, that’s not going to fly. Sonos launched a super premium product in an unacceptable state. Daily updates are warranted at this point even if only to acknowledge the team is still working on it. I fully expect a substantial and tangible update prior to this weekend. 

I am with you. This is especially important because a lot of people are thinking about returning the Arc, and return window countdown has begun. Not everybody has 100 days to try. People who bought from best buy only have 14 days. That gives Sonos 10 more days to fix the issue.


The damage of not having a fix available and not being able to tell wether it will have a degrading impact on the sound quality is way worse. We here on the forum are patient and waiting for them to say anything. But imagine the people out there who do not read this forum and just send their “trash 900€ soundbar” back because they don’t know this is a bug?

A

Twitter reaction:

 

Hey Maurice, thanks for reaching out. We don't have a timescale to share just yet. The team are working fast on a software update. The best place to stay upto date would be our Community Forum -

Understanding it’s been the weekend, I didn’t expect an update the past two days. That being said, I absolutely don’t think the standard “we don’t have a timeline for a fix...” answer is appropriate moving forward. The twitter response doesn’t bother me, but if that’s going to be the same answer given in this forum, that’s not going to fly. Sonos launched a super premium product in an unacceptable state. Daily updates are warranted at this point even if only to acknowledge the team is still working on it. I fully expect a substantial and tangible update prior to this weekend. 

I am with you. This is especially important because a lot of people are thinking about returning the Arc, and return window countdown has begun. Not everybody has 100 days to try. People who bought from best buy only have 14 days. That gives Sonos 10 more days to fix the issue.

Honestly, I fail to see how this is acceptable. Obviously I know that bugs happen and nothing is ever perfect but this is, what, the biggest launch Sonos has had in years? This thing cost $800 before any discount code you might’ve used. For that kind of money on a speaker we should never have had this kind of issue right out of the box. Where’s the quality control? If there’s no software update and/or communication update on progress by Wednesday I’m sending it back. We ordered over a month ago, waited for the shipment/delivery only to be disappointed. I’ve read on here/Reddit about people using a Sub from another room “temporarily” or waiting for their Sub to come in to alleviate the issue. It’s a shame we need to do that. I was on the fence to begin with about getting deeper into the Sonos ecosystem with more products and this makes me feel like I made a mistake. 

J
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Twitter reaction:

 

Hey Maurice, thanks for reaching out. We don't have a timescale to share just yet. The team are working fast on a software update. The best place to stay upto date would be our Community Forum -

Understanding it’s been the weekend, I didn’t expect an update the past two days. That being said, I absolutely don’t think the standard “we don’t have a timeline for a fix...” answer is appropriate moving forward. The twitter response doesn’t bother me, but if that’s going to be the same answer given in this forum, that’s not going to fly. Sonos launched a super premium product in an unacceptable state. Daily updates are warranted at this point even if only to acknowledge the team is still working on it. I fully expect a substantial and tangible update prior to this weekend. 

I am with you. This is especially important because a lot of people are thinking about returning the Arc, and return window countdown has begun. Not everybody has 100 days to try. People who bought from best buy only have 14 days. That gives Sonos 10 more days to fix the issue.


there is always the option that they commit to honouring returns past the deadline on arcs for people that raised the issue prior to the return window and a confident statement that it can be fixed without sacrificing the core selling point of the arc which is a huge soundstage and support for Atmos. 

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