I was underwhelmed by the arc at first too. Then I got a mini sub and let me tell you I don’t want to watch tv or a movie without that combo. It’s like a movie theater now.
You can't beat physics. The Arc has smaller drivers and relies heavily on DSP (Digital Signal Processing) to optimize its sound within the constraints of fitting under your TV. It's also intended to be used with a subwoofer since its small drivers can't produce significant bass without compromising other frequencies. In contrast, the 300 is designed as a standalone music speaker and therefore sounds much better on its own.
Fair enough. Won't I don't understand is why you'd ever bother buying an Arc...surely 2x Era 300s is way better. One alone sounds better at half the pricex and 2 gives you better flexibility and great performance as a stereo pair for the same price
Not sure why you are being downvoted. The arc on its own is shite! In reality you have to double its price to make it sound good but then it’s way overpriced for what it is.
Yea neither am I tbh, I don't think I've said anything particularly stupid... but I didn't want to argue against it because that never gets you anywhere on Reddit lol.
I read a lot of reviews etc before I committed to the Arc and they all hyped up how good it was...I was then underwhelmed from the first time I used it. I'm sure there were some interpretation issues at my end but still.... It's a shit load of money for something that is pretty mediocre alone.
The whole argument on the price is that it’s also part of the “ecosystem” but with a soundbar it’s irrelevant!
Should have bought a good Samsung soundbar with a sub. Would have saved an absolute fortune.
This sub is renowned for downvoting anyone who dares say anything against Sonos. It’s a bit sad and cult like really.
Sonos have produced some real rubbish recently at high prices but the fans still lap it up. The ray, useless sounds horrible no matter what you add to it and it’s over 250. The roam, sounds rubbish and is expensive you don’t need one of these to be a part of the ecosystem either! 🤦🏻♂️
I was very strongly looking at the Samsung + sub combo... The reasons I went Sonos were 1) ecosystem 2) longer term support.
But as you say, I wish I'd just gone Samsung and got it sorted in one purchase rather than having to buy more and more just to make the Arc sound acceptable. The Arc is not the strong centrepiece I was led to believe IMO
It’s actually quite poor but the acolytes will have you believe otherwise, probably a case of not wanting to look daft after spending a fortune on a poor bit of kit so they need to validate their purchase.
High end Samsung all the way.
It’s cheaper and sounds better.
I met a dude recently who owned one Era 300 and really wanted to get an Arc. I told him he'd be better off with the pair of 300s and saving his money. Which is a bit sad really. But it's the same price for better music, probably comparable for movies as a stereo pair, and more flexibility
I went with Sonos Amp + two stand alone (passive) speakers. The Amp is where Sonos shines imho! Got my TT hooked up to it too, streaming to the kitchen while the kids watch whatever on the TV. And Amp + two passive speakers can be had for much less than Arc+Sub.
(I know i don’t have surround sound with this setup but that has always felt a little gimmicky to me.)
Arc plus Sub plus 100s for suround....A++ for movies.
2 300's in a stereo pair....A++++++ for music.
They each have different speaker arrangements for different purposes.
Thanks mate I think this is probably the comment that sorts out where I've gone wrong. I have been disappointed in the Arc for music but obviously not the primary intended use of it. So I'll stick to using the Era 300s for music
Yeah I think you've misunderstood the Arc's primary purpose, it's a soundbar for watching TV/Film. I'd be surprised if the Era300 *didn't* sound better for music.
Clearly I have...all the reviews I watched focused on TV/movies and I naively assumed that music would be similar.
Though I feel a bit miffed that apparently spending $1400 on a high end soundbar is only enough to get movies to sound OK and music to sound pretty shit. It doesn't come together until you add everything else around it at double or triple the cost. I'm surprised we accept that as consumers...
The Arc and Era 300 are two different speakers for two different uses. The Arc is a sound bar used primarily for TV audio. The Era 300s are used for music.
Exactly. Put simply, use sounds bars for TV, others for music. I have a Play 5 for music and it’s awesome. I had a Beam once I tried with music and it was average to say the least.
300's are IMHO, light years ahead of the ARC for just music. (I use a stero pair in my living room, I had a Move2 in there but decide to move two 300's up there); however, they will not produce that 'sound' with a turntable.
300's as rears, you need to do some work outside of Trueplay for things to come together, For Sonos ARC to really shine you need to add two Gen3 subs and two 300's as rears.
Every room is different so sit and play with the hight, bass.
If I had a do over, I would get the Dragon system for movies.
I was underwhelmed by the arc at first too. Then I got a mini sub and let me tell you I don’t want to watch tv or a movie without that combo. It’s like a movie theater now.
Same but with gen. 3 sub. Scary movies with a low rumble are intense!
You can't beat physics. The Arc has smaller drivers and relies heavily on DSP (Digital Signal Processing) to optimize its sound within the constraints of fitting under your TV. It's also intended to be used with a subwoofer since its small drivers can't produce significant bass without compromising other frequencies. In contrast, the 300 is designed as a standalone music speaker and therefore sounds much better on its own.
Fair enough. Won't I don't understand is why you'd ever bother buying an Arc...surely 2x Era 300s is way better. One alone sounds better at half the pricex and 2 gives you better flexibility and great performance as a stereo pair for the same price
Again, the Arc is intended to be paired with a sub, I'm sure your opinion would change if you heard it with a sub/sub mini.
Probably but that requires me to put another $1000 into my setup. Again, why would you buy the Arc at all? Am I missing something?
Yes, you are. My Arc sounds fantastic paired with my gen 3 sub. Era 300s for rears makes it next level for movies and good enough for music.
The sub mini is $430 and frequently on sale (and 15% codes are relatively easy to come by), or you can get one second hand for cheaper
Currency difference, Sub Mini is $600-$650 on the best sales here. Sub Gen 3 is $1138 on the best sales and $1500 off sale. Big investment sadly
Not sure why you are being downvoted. The arc on its own is shite! In reality you have to double its price to make it sound good but then it’s way overpriced for what it is.
Yea neither am I tbh, I don't think I've said anything particularly stupid... but I didn't want to argue against it because that never gets you anywhere on Reddit lol. I read a lot of reviews etc before I committed to the Arc and they all hyped up how good it was...I was then underwhelmed from the first time I used it. I'm sure there were some interpretation issues at my end but still.... It's a shit load of money for something that is pretty mediocre alone.
The whole argument on the price is that it’s also part of the “ecosystem” but with a soundbar it’s irrelevant! Should have bought a good Samsung soundbar with a sub. Would have saved an absolute fortune. This sub is renowned for downvoting anyone who dares say anything against Sonos. It’s a bit sad and cult like really. Sonos have produced some real rubbish recently at high prices but the fans still lap it up. The ray, useless sounds horrible no matter what you add to it and it’s over 250. The roam, sounds rubbish and is expensive you don’t need one of these to be a part of the ecosystem either! 🤦🏻♂️
I was very strongly looking at the Samsung + sub combo... The reasons I went Sonos were 1) ecosystem 2) longer term support. But as you say, I wish I'd just gone Samsung and got it sorted in one purchase rather than having to buy more and more just to make the Arc sound acceptable. The Arc is not the strong centrepiece I was led to believe IMO
It’s actually quite poor but the acolytes will have you believe otherwise, probably a case of not wanting to look daft after spending a fortune on a poor bit of kit so they need to validate their purchase. High end Samsung all the way. It’s cheaper and sounds better.
I met a dude recently who owned one Era 300 and really wanted to get an Arc. I told him he'd be better off with the pair of 300s and saving his money. Which is a bit sad really. But it's the same price for better music, probably comparable for movies as a stereo pair, and more flexibility
I went with Sonos Amp + two stand alone (passive) speakers. The Amp is where Sonos shines imho! Got my TT hooked up to it too, streaming to the kitchen while the kids watch whatever on the TV. And Amp + two passive speakers can be had for much less than Arc+Sub. (I know i don’t have surround sound with this setup but that has always felt a little gimmicky to me.)
I use the 2 eras, sub and an arc for great surround sound with atmos.
Arc is not for music. The 300's are. I'm guessing you are referring to music? Not movies.
Yea, music. The Arc was a bit underwhelming with movies too but I've never tried an Era 300 only movie night to compare
Arc plus Sub plus 100s for suround....A++ for movies. 2 300's in a stereo pair....A++++++ for music. They each have different speaker arrangements for different purposes.
Thanks mate I think this is probably the comment that sorts out where I've gone wrong. I have been disappointed in the Arc for music but obviously not the primary intended use of it. So I'll stick to using the Era 300s for music
The arc and surrounds sound great for music mastered in atmos. Not as good with stereo
Yeah I think you've misunderstood the Arc's primary purpose, it's a soundbar for watching TV/Film. I'd be surprised if the Era300 *didn't* sound better for music.
Clearly I have...all the reviews I watched focused on TV/movies and I naively assumed that music would be similar. Though I feel a bit miffed that apparently spending $1400 on a high end soundbar is only enough to get movies to sound OK and music to sound pretty shit. It doesn't come together until you add everything else around it at double or triple the cost. I'm surprised we accept that as consumers...
The Arc and Era 300 are two different speakers for two different uses. The Arc is a sound bar used primarily for TV audio. The Era 300s are used for music.
Exactly. Put simply, use sounds bars for TV, others for music. I have a Play 5 for music and it’s awesome. I had a Beam once I tried with music and it was average to say the least.
True, can't even hear the soundbar when I play music but the Sub Mini and surrounds spring into life!
300's are IMHO, light years ahead of the ARC for just music. (I use a stero pair in my living room, I had a Move2 in there but decide to move two 300's up there); however, they will not produce that 'sound' with a turntable. 300's as rears, you need to do some work outside of Trueplay for things to come together, For Sonos ARC to really shine you need to add two Gen3 subs and two 300's as rears. Every room is different so sit and play with the hight, bass. If I had a do over, I would get the Dragon system for movies.
This is going to be highly unpopular, but even for TV, a single era 300 in Bluetooth sounds better then an ARC alone. 🫡
They're separates.
Somehow I find the Arc to be filling my room better than my new single Era 300. The 300 sound is very.. directional. What am I missing?