Sonos is a premium brand that distinguishes itself with a well thought-out ecosystem of audio products with good sound quality. The new Sonos Arc soundbar with Dolby Atmos support should take your music, movies and series to the next level. Computer!Totaal tested the soundbar costing 899 euros and the new Sonos S2 app.
Sonos Arc
Price € 899,-Number of speakers 7.0
Number of speaker channels 9.0
Connections HDMI ARC and eARC, Ethernet
wireless Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Google Assistant, Sonos app, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Amazon Alexa
Format 8.7 x 114.2 x 11.6 centimeters
Weight 6.25 kilos
Colour Black or white
Website www.sonos.com/en 8 Score 80
- Pros
- Service
- Excellent sound
- Beautiful design
- Negatives
- Google Assistant works poorly
- Limited connectivity options
- Dolby Atmos is still a niche
The Sonos Arc comes in a luxury box and the installation was done within ten minutes. Connect the power cable, HDMI cable and optional Ethernet cable, open the Sonos S2 app and simply follow the steps. The new app is clearer and more beautifully designed than its predecessor. The Arc may also be there. In our opinion, the matt-finished housing looks luxurious and the tested version (black) fits exactly under our 55-inch television in terms of color and length. You can also hang the Arc on the wall, but you have to buy the bracket separately. Please note that the soundbar does not support bluetooth and does not have separate connections for, for example, a 3.5mm cable or record player.
Dolby Atmos
Sonos – rightly – shows off the fact that the Arc can handle Dolby Atmos sound technology. The soundbar directs the sound to the front as well as to the sides and above, creating surround sound. This works great. A helicopter seems to be flying over you from the top right, a car is tearing through the image from left to right and the storm really feels like hitting behind you. All nice, but there are two downsides. First of all, not all TVs support Dolby Atmos via HDMI ARC (so check this) and secondly, only part of the content uses the technology. A pity, but fortunately the Arc also sounds full, spacious and balanced without Dolby Atmos. There is also more than enough bass.
Service
You can operate the Sonos Arc in various ways. The soundbar has a few touch buttons for basic actions, works with your television remote and via the Sonos app. Built-in microphones also make the Arc suitable for voice control via Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant. However, the latter voice assistant works moderately with us. The Arc does not always receive our 'Hey Google' commands, does not understand all questions or commands well and often takes ten seconds to answer or perform an action. A Google Nest (Hub) speaker performs significantly better on all these points.
Conclusion
The Sonos Arc is a premium soundbar with a corresponding price tag. Fortunately, for that solid price you get a beautifully designed soundbar with impressive sound and extensive control options. Those who are already or want to be in the Sonos ecosystem will enjoy the Arc even more. For ultimate listening pleasure, your TV and content must support Dolby Atmos, something that is not obvious. Other points of attention are the limited connection options and the often malfunctioning Google voice assistant.
