Sonos Arc – the Perfect Soundbar?
New Year – new soundbar and Donald Trump has damaged my TV.
So, I was given a lovely present – the new Sonos Arc soundbar – which presented a problem: I had decided to boycott the company due to their abandonment and attempted “bricking” of earlier products. However, they relented, introduced the S1 app and everything kept working. That was – until I needed to use the S2 app.
Let’s get this out of the way immediately – the Arc is a fantastic piece of equipment. Combined with the Sonos Sub (still works) and a couple of Play 1s (they work too) – the quality of surround sound is easily as good as one would have gotten from an early 2000s wired system. It might be better – but – my 2018 (maybe its the 2017 model) LG OLED TV doesn’t seem to output the Dolby Atmos information through HDMI-ARC – but there does seem to be high resolution audio. Yes – HDMI – the previous Playbar was hugely handicapped by only using digital optical audio output (max 16/44 – good sound for CD – but no high resolution) and really fiddly audio remote control (causing endless domestic disputes, I’m sure, the world over). None of this with the Arc. TV on – Arc On – any remote – volume up and down – regardless of the source: it is literally an extension of the television. On top of that Alexa and “Hey Google” are built in – meaning that you don’t have to look for the remote control (down the side of the sofa or under the dog) to turn up the volume or turn off the TV.
There is a degree of precision to the Arc that was not present in the Playbar – no boominess, much more distinct and dialogue (there were multiple complaints in our household that “we can’t hear the talk” – volume up and then your are blown out of it by an action scene). Sometimes voices seems a little too crisp – perhaps due to the source rather than the speaker. Sound separation with the Arc is far superior to the Playbar and there seems to be a lot more activity in the satellite speakers and Sub than before. The soundstage is wider and deeper. Watching the Blu-Ray of Roger Waters’ “Us & Them” was a truly immersive experience. The concert movie had been screened on BBC a while ago – and I watched it out of the corner of my eye while surfing the internet. That did not happen with the Blu-Ray – the sound quality was just – spectacular – along with the visuals (although Jonathan Wilson could wash his hair once in a while). Waters uses the <middle of the crowd> screen that U2 utilized for their recent tours: it featured Battersea Power Station (cover of Animals) – and wow those concerts must have been impressive to attend. I was glued to the screen. Watching ordinary TV channels and streaming services (with their lower end Dolby Digital 5.1) – the sound just jumps out of the screen. Even the fake crowd noise at NFL/EPL matches sounds better on the Arc.
So, two thumbs up for the ARC and it’s sound, and if you are a Sonos virgin and don’t want the hassle and marital disharmony of a properly wired surround system (which, incidentally would cost less than Arc, Sub and 2 x Play 1s and sound better) – then it’s a no brainer. Quibbles? Not many.You need a relatively new TV to use the Arc. Without HDMI-ARC it is no better than the Playbar. Without HDMI-eARC (very new TVs 2018 and later) – there is no Dolby Atmos or True-HD. The soundbar should be ideally placed in front of the TV – with no side obstructions.There may be an issue if the TV stand is low: you might need a 1.5 inch riser (such as an Ikea Lack in wall shelf – or equivalent – I got something similar for €15 in local hardware). The setup – as used to be the case with Sonos – was simple seamless and really well executed. Room tuning made a difference as well.
So – Sonos back in the good books? No they are very much on my shit list. Why? Because they seem to think that, by making the operation of our old Sonos (S1) gear so difficult, that we will ditch it for the new stuff. To operate the S2-app-world – one has to disconnect and disable the previously installed (and fully functioning – due to last year’s outcry) Sonos hardware – and set the “non compatible” gear up as a separate system. No problem – I have a couple of Play 5s, a ZD 90 and my old Playbar that I can use with Roon (no library limit and Roon transcodes HiRes and DSD). But, compared with setting up the S2 system – building a new S1 system has been (and remains) and complete nightmare. For example, the S2 app sees a Play 5 (first generation/Zone Player S5) – tells you that it’s incompatible – advises you to open the S1 app – that can’t see it! The damm thing is plugged directly into my router. I have spent hours fruitlessly trying to get the S5 speakers working. Occasionally, I’m given a nudge by Sonos to upgrade to the new S5 speaker (that only sounds marginally better than my old one – which used to work fine). This is passive aggression by any definition. My Play 3 speakers – which are compatible – refused to work with either app – until I realized that they needed a hard reset. Subsequently the S2 setup was very simple indeed.
Why do we need two apps? Because Sonos says so. Sonopad – an independent one-person created App – can see and operate all my Sonos gear – from one App (including the equipment the S1 is refusing to install). The argument that one app cannot drive all of the Sonos gear is completely bogus. If Stefan Hansel can develop a combined app from his apartment – Sonos, a billion dollar company, can surely do the same. Interestingly – their stock price fell dramatically after Sonos announced the “old hardware cull” and improved after they relented. So, perhaps they should take note that by pissing off long term customers like me with shoddy S1 apps, support and clear coercion to upgrade – that they are stifling new business. The multi-room streaming market is fairly saturated – and – let’s face it – most people don’t actually need any higher end gear than the original Sonos S1 cohort.
One final note: Donald Trump has damaged my TV. Yes – its true. Consequent of the abject craziness over the last couple of years resulting in low level news addiction, CNNs “Breaking News” byline has burnt itself into our LG-OLED screen. We first noticed this during the extraordinarily artistic “hell” scene of that exquisite masterpiece of modern cinema “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.” Then it was evident when looking at the green and fairways during the US Masters. Sometimes it bugs me. Sometimes not. CNet have provided some advice how to avoid this horrible situation (computer companies came up with screensavers decades ago to prevent burn in affecting VGA screens). The comments suggest that it is a major problem that has affected a large number of LG-OLED buyers – I would avoid buying one second hand. The problem looks permanent. Instead of MAGA – we should put together a group “MOTNA” (make our TVs new again!). We weren’t exactly warned – class action lawsuit – anybody – or maybe a trade in for a more recent model with…em….eARC?
Similar to my TV – this image is from this site.
audioexchange 
A couple of weeks ago I opened our filing cabinet and a Currys receipt fell out. It turned out to be the receipt for the LG OLED TV. I discovered that, when I bought the TV, Currys gave me a 5 year Knowledge Base warranty.
So, off I went to the shop (low expectations) and argued my case. I was told by the guy behind the desk that “abuse” of the TV was not covered. I reassured him that the TV developed burn-in despite modest use and asked him to make the call. At least 3 employees in the shop shrugged and told me I was wasting my time. A manager type guy appeared and suggested that that they should take the TV and look at it.
TV was picked up from the house and returned 10 days later with a NEW SCREEN. So, fair dues to Currys/Knowledge Base, clearly their warranty is worth the money (and the pick up and delivery guys were very polite and accomodating).