Stellar sound like no different
The brand new Arc Extremely is an entire reimagining of a Sonos soundbar. It would seem like an Arc, however there’s nothing else prefer it within the Sonos lineup — or anyplace else.
Professionals
- Dynamic, room-filling sound
- Spectacular readability
- Deep bass
- Beautiful design
- Lastly has Bluetooth
- Simple setup
- Seamless integration with different Sonos audio system
Cons
- Costly
- No HDMI passthrough
As a longtime Sonos consumer, I used to be excited after I first realized that Sonos was updating its soundbar lineup so as to add a brand new high-end mannequin. I used to be much more excited after I spoke to the corporate and realized that the brand new Sonos Arc Extremely isn’t simply an Arc replace. As a substitute, it’s a wholly new soundbar that was constructed from the bottom up. In reality, regardless of the plain similarities on the outside, Sonos says that the Arc Extremely doesn’t share a single inside part with the Arc soundbar.
I’ve now spent a number of weeks testing the Sonos Arc Extremely soundbar, and I’m able to share my ideas. I’ve additionally been utilizing it together with the next-generation Sonos Sub 4, in addition to a pair of Sonos Period 300 surrounds. By itself or as a part of a full encompass sound system, suffice it to say I used to be blown away by the Arc Extremely. Let’s dive into what makes this new soundbar so particular.
Arc Extremely couldn’t be simpler to arrange
Any Sonos consumer will attest to how simple it’s so as to add a brand new speaker to your system. There are a couple of key variations with the Arc Extremely, however the excellent news is that they’re enhancements to the setup course of.
If you happen to’ve added a soundbar to your Sonos system earlier than, you’ll be aware of the method. Plug within the speaker, open the Sonos app, and Sonos does many of the give you the results you want. The app walks you thru every step of the method, similar to it does with some other Sonos speaker. Because it’s a soundbar, you’ll even be prompted so as to add a Sub in case you have one, and organising rear channel encompass sound audio system is equally easy.
All of that’s the identical because it has been for years. The principle distinction with the brand new Sonos Arc Extremely is what occurs after the preliminary setup.
That is the primary Sonos soundbar that helps a brand new, simplified model of TruePlay. For these unfamiliar with it, TruePlay is a course of whereby a Sonos soundbar fine-tunes itself based mostly on its environment. Since no two rooms are precisely alike, the purpose is to optimize directional sound to fill no matter area the soundbar sits in.
Conventional TruePlay tuning includes holding your smartphone out and shifting across the room whereas your Sonos soundbar performs a bunch of loopy sounds. Sonos makes use of your telephone’s mic to detect how these sounds mirror off of surfaces in your room as you progress. You may nonetheless do this previous music and dance, which Sonos now calls “Superior” TruePlay. However with the Arc Extremely, there’s additionally a brand new “Fast” TruePlay choice that makes use of the mic on the soundbar as an alternative of your telephone. That approach, you’ll be able to simply sit again and chill out whereas the speaker does its factor. And because the Fast choice now not requires your smartphone, that is additionally the primary time that Android telephone house owners have been capable of make the most of TruePlay.
In observe, I did discover some refined variations in sound projection after I tried every of the 2 totally different TruePlay setups. To my ear, nevertheless, I wouldn’t essentially say that one was higher or worse than the opposite.
Design, structure, & specs
I’m not going to dive too deep into the weeds right here. If you happen to’re a sound geek (like me) and also you need to learn via the specs from high to backside, you don’t want me for that. All the data is available on the Sonos website. That being mentioned, there are some distinctive facets of the Arc Extremely’s design and structure that I undoubtedly need to discuss.
Within the picture above, you’ll be able to see that the designs of the brand new Arc Extremely (entrance) and the older Arc (rear) are fairly related. Each have an rectangular form, although the Extremely mannequin is a little more squished than the common Arc. The Arc Extremely can be a lot wider (46.38 inches huge), as you’ll be able to see within the picture under.
Within the picture above, you can even see that there’s a brand new piece on the again of the Sonos Arc Extremely. On it, you’ll discover contact controls for playback, quantity, voice management, and speaker grouping.
I do like that Sonos simplified the contact controls on its newest soundbar by placing them multi function place that’s centrally positioned. However I can’t say I’m an enormous fan of the look. After all, since this new contact management strip was properly positioned again behind the principle enclosure, you don’t see it except you’re standing proper subsequent to the soundbar.
The general design of the Sonos Arc Extremely could be very glossy in black or white, and it’ll look nice entrance and heart in any dwelling theater setup. After all, it ought to go with out saying that the actual highlights are all on the within.
A complete of 14 customized drivers are packed into this slender soundbar, which is itself an unimaginable feat. That features seven tweeters, six mid-woofers, and a brand new Sound Movement subwoofer that I’ll get to shortly.
The Arc has 11 drivers, so the Extremely mannequin clearly has extra. As anybody who is aware of audio system will let you know, nevertheless, the variety of audio system is way much less vital than the standard of sound they produce.
To my ear, the distinction between the Sonos Arc Extremely and the Arc is dramatic.
Sound high quality
I’m a giant fan of the Sonos Arc. It has been the principle soundbar in my lounge for a very long time now, and in most methods, it was a considerable enchancment over the Sonos PlayBar it changed. As a lot as I benefit from the Arc, nevertheless, I’m sorry to say that it has been relegated to basement TV responsibility ever since Sonos despatched me an Arc Extremely to assessment — and there’s no approach that my previous Arc is escaping from the basement anytime quickly.
Put plainly, the Arc Extremely is healthier than the Arc in each conceivable approach. Vocal readability is excellent, as is instrument separation when listening to music. As for motion pictures, crank up the quantity and also you’ll really feel bangs and booms in your chest, but nothing will get muddy as a result of the sound is so clear.
The Arc’s already crisp highs have much more readability on the Arc Extremely, however they’re not piercing at larger volumes. Mids are fuller and have cleaner separation from the bass vary. That is particularly vital when watching TV since a lot of the sound falls into midrange frequencies. As for bass, that’s the place you’ll discover essentially the most pronounced distinction between the Arc Extremely and Arc.
Sonos’s new Sound Movement woofer makes use of a wholly new transducer design that’s in contrast to the rest. While you image a speaker in your head, you undoubtedly see a conventional cone since that’s most likely what each driver you’ve ever seen appears like. Properly, that’s not what the Sound Movement woofer appears like.
The woofer within the Sonos Arc Extremely is rectangular, however that’s not the thrilling half. It really makes use of 4 motors and a dual-membrane design as an alternative of a single membrane. The membranes face one another, so the Sound Movement speaker is of course force-cancelling. It additionally has extra floor space to maneuver extra air, thus producing extra bass.
If you happen to’re curious, that is what the Sound Movement woofer appears like:
Bass efficiency with the Arc Extremely is in a wholly totally different league than the Arc. Even in case you plan to make use of your soundbar with a Sonos Sub, as I do, Sound Movement nonetheless makes a giant distinction. Low-end frequencies are a lot clearer and cleaner with the Arc Extremely than they’re with the Arc.
The opposite factor that struck me in regards to the Sonos Arc Extremely is that it’s a lot better at making a 3D sound expertise that truly feels multi-dimensional.
The association of the 14 audio system contained in the Arc Extremely permits the soundbar to mission sound in so many alternative instructions. You could have front-firing drivers, up-firing drivers, and even side-firing drivers. The Arc Extremely presents a 9.1.4 spatial audio expertise, which is a gigantic sound stage. However maybe much more vital is that sound looks as if it’s surrounding you even with out spatial audio or Dolby Atmos.
I’ve examined the Arc Extremely with and with no linked Sonos Sub 4. I’ve additionally examined it with and with out Period 300 audio system for the rear channels. Extra audio system clearly improve the listening expertise, however they’re hardly needed. The Arc Extremely presents a spectacular audio expertise all by itself, whether or not you’re watching a film, sports activities, a TV present, or listening to music.
A couple of extra options I really like
Along with all the pieces I’ve already coated, there are another options which might be value highlighting on the Arc Extremely. Some are new, some are up to date, and a few are previous, however all of them make a giant distinction to the general consumer expertise.
Speech Enhancement: Sonos soundbars have had speech enhancement for a very long time. Traditionally, I’ve hated it. Certain, it helped make speech clearer, however the sacrifice to the general sound high quality was far too drastic. With the Arc Extremely, nevertheless, there are actually three ranges of Speech Enhancement: Low, Medium, and Excessive. I discover that Low is ideal as a result of it helps speech stand out a bit with out crushing the remainder of the audio and making it sound tinny.
Evening Sound: That is an previous function that hasn’t modified on the Arc Extremely. I really feel like not sufficient folks find out about it, although, so I wished to name it out. Allow Evening Sound within the Sonos app (or with a Soro shortcut in your iPhone, like I do), and your EQ is immediately adjusted to scale back frequencies that journey via partitions. It additionally blunts the depth of loud sounds. If you happen to don’t need Movement Sound to get up your loved ones late at evening, give Evening Sound a strive.
TV Audio Swap: Similar to Evening Sound, this isn’t a function that’s unique to the Arc Extremely. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless superior, and I take advantage of it on a regular basis. If you happen to personal a pair of Sonos Ace headphones, you’ll be able to maintain down a button on the best ear cup to immediately switch audio out of your soundbar to the headphones. And the Ace headphones assist spatial audio, so the sound orientation adjustments as you progress your head.
Mic Swap: If you happen to’re like me and also you don’t need your audio system listening to each phrase you say, there’s now a {hardware} swap to kill the mic on the Arc Extremely. I don’t use any voice assistants in my dwelling which might be all the time listening, so I respect with the ability to reduce the mic with a {hardware} swap.
Bluetooth, lastly! When you have a Sonos system in your house, you’re not going to be serious about streaming music over Bluetooth. Why would you? However family and friends who go to your home would possibly need to play music, and now they will with out having to be given entry to your Sonos system.
Conclusion
Backside line: Sonos Arc Extremely is one of the best soundbar you may get for underneath $1,000. Interval.
It doesn’t matter in case you’ve by no means tried a Sonos speaker earlier than or in case you have 20+ Sonos audio system unfold round your property like I do. In both case, it’s best to get the Sonos Arc Extremely if it’s in your worth vary.
By itself, the Arc Extremely presents phenomenal sound high quality and a large sound stage. It’s a marvel of recent engineering, with 14 customized drivers meticulously organized to create an incredible listening expertise. Plus, the Sound Movement woofer has no equal within the business. The Arc Extremely could be expensive at $999, however you’ll be able to really get away with not shopping for a separate subwoofer and also you’ll nonetheless take pleasure in deep, pulse-pounding bass.
As an addition to an current Sonos system, the Arc Extremely is the definition of a no brainer. If you happen to’re seeking to improve an previous soundbar or add one to a brand new TV in your house, it’s best to completely get the Arc Extremely so long as it matches your area and your price range. Simply be sure you have a free HDMI eARC port in your TV as a result of the Arc Extremely sadly doesn’t assist HDMI passthrough.
By the best way…
Along with the Arc Extremely, Sonos additionally launched a brand new era of its Sub. It’s largely the identical because the previous-generation mannequin, so I’m not going to assessment it by itself.
When it comes to sound, the Sonos Sub 4 is unchanged in comparison with the Sub 3. The principle variations contain the electronics contained in the speaker. Sonos upgraded the Sub 4 with a quicker processor, a brand new Wi-Fi radio, and some different new parts that reduce idle energy consumption by 20%.
Additionally new is the end of the Sonos Sub 4, which is matte as an alternative of high-gloss. “How a lot of a distinction does it make,” you ask? Right here’s a photograph of the brand new matte Sub 4 in entrance of a high-gloss Sub 2, neither of which had been dusted for 2 weeks:
See all that mud and canine hair on the Sub 2? Yeah, I’m undoubtedly glad that Sonos determined to change to a matte end.
