Sonos Arc Smart Dolby Atmos Soundbar (White) EXPIRED

OK, I'll be your Sonos shill today then.

I came from a Pioneer Elite SC-77 from 2013. It was driving a 5.1 setup with two PSB Imagine T2s for fronts, a pair of Image B5s for the rears, a PSB I can't remember (maybe an Alpha 2?) for center and a REL T5 for the sub. It was loud. It was amazing. It was overkill and when I had a kid, it became a fun toy for him to try to knock over. The amp also didn't support Atmos and despite multiple efforts, I found the dialogue to be muddy no matter what source (Blu-rays on a PS4, Rokus, later Apple TV); I even had the problem with some vinyl on a Rega RP-1. It always sounded like was a constant low-level drone right in the vocal range. In retrospect, it could've been a power issue in the apartment, but I gave up after twiddling with it for five years and lived with it for almost nine years.

I downsized to the Beam 2 and a pair of Play:1s I had lying around and it instantly sounded much clearer. It sounded better still once I did a proper tune. I wanted to say here that separation is not as pronounced, but thinking back, actually, yeah, the separation is really that good. I'm sure it's better on the Arc, but the real improvement is the processing on the rears — they're actually closer to the sofa than I had the B5s, but I hear things whizzing more distinctly from left to right and vice versa. Height remains a problem, but I think short of a pair of actual height speakers, this will always remain the case. And I finally added a Sub Mini to the whole setup (sitting next to my sofa) and holy crap, the whole system is even better — the Beam is delegating all the low-levels to the Sub and after a re-tune it's as much fun as the old setup.

As to unsupported, I'm not really sure what you mean. Yes, there is a bifurcation in the app and officially there are no updates to functionality for about ten devices that have been discontinued for over a decade. This does not, as far as I can tell, affect what you can play on newer or older systems — I can use the older S1 controller for every one of the services offered on the new system. Sure I could use the PSBs, but I'm astonished when the receiver is supported for more than a year with updates; these older devices got at least a decade, in some case nearly two decades, of updates. I'd say that's a fair amount of time for a speaker to be supported. And this is a current device. I think you can reasonably expect 5+ years of support, which will likely be 4+ years more support than your receiver will get.

So yeah, sure, you're right they've got loyalists — but it's earned loyalty. We accept that we might not be getting the experience someone who has spent $10k on their audio system, but damned if the $1950 Arc/One/Sub set doesn't get 95+ percent of the way there with less hassle and longer system support.

A bit disingenuous to assume those who love and recommend Sonos products haven't heard other systems. Sonos has monopolized the space where quality meets convenience/UX. The sound quality, dimension, and functionality of Sonos products are all quite outstanding. This idea that Sonos users don't know speakers is the same tired argument that counter-culture contrarians make about Apple users not knowing consumer technologies.

Not everything appeals to everyone. But there's a reason they're a leading premium sound company with excellent hold on the market. All the marketing in the world wouldn't matter if the products didn't live up to the hype.

I can't speak to the arc, but I have a beam 2 and one sl's. For those on the fence about getting in to the Sonos ecosystem - I kinda liken it to Apple vs android. If you know exactly what you want, android/non-Sonos will give you more flexibility and customization. However, I have an iPhone and Sonos speakers simply because at this point in my life, I just want things that work well and reliably together. Sure, I'm paying a premium due to marketing…but to me, it's worth the time of having things just connect and work together. Things pair nicely. Sound is great for a non-extreme audiophile. Wireless speakers are also great. One day maybe I'll invest in a true set up, but I don't want to have to go through and learn about all the different receivers, and various wattages/amps etc. I had a mini set up for headphones and even that was more time that I wanted to learn about right now.