It's been swapped out multiple times while I reviewed other Atmos-compliant soundbars, and some of these were mighty impressive. But none could match the complete package that the Arc offered, including great audiophile sonics, compatibility with Sonos's superb wireless Sub and rear surround options, and what is arguably the best multiroom platform on the planet, with an easy-to-use app and the widest range of music streaming options you'll find in one place. I'll share a few tech basics on the Arc below, but for more details you can find my original review on soundandvision.com.
That said, my deepest yearning for my Arc system has always been for it to deliver a full-field Dolby Atmos experience. I run an AV receiver-based 5.1.4 Atmos/DTS:X system in my basement theater with ceiling-mounted height speakers. So, I know what the full Atmos treatment can do for a good movie or well-mixed spatial music track. However, the Arc system, even with a Sub and a pair of conventional Play:1 bookshelf speakers as surrounds, only delivered a 5.1.2 Atmos configuration, falling short of a full-field Dolby Atmos experience; there's a noticeable collapse of the height bubble near the front of the room.
Sonos has long lacked an Atmos-compliant rear-surround option to complete the front-toback soundfield. That limitation was rectified earlier this year with the new Era 300. I'll discuss my experiences using a pair as rear surrounds for the Arc in this review.
Priced at $449, the ERA 300 is primarily intended for enjoying the growing library of Atmos-encoded "spatial audio" music. You'll find my review of the Era 300-as a single speaker, a stereo pair, and a pair mated with the Sub-in a separate article alongside this one. Suffice to say it exceeded expectations as a music system. But I could barely wait to try the Era 300s as rear surrounds for the Arc.
ARC OF AGES
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Denne historien er fra August - September 2023-utgaven av Sound & Vision.
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The Big Clean
Chances are you probably do not think about the state of your electronic devices too often. Oh, you might think about all the upgrades you would like to make; where you would put those new tower speakers, or how a second or third subwoofer would really tame those bass modes in your room, or how much more cinematic a larger screen would be. Sure, you think about that part of your system. But how often do you think about the well-being of your system?
Planar-Magnetic Attraction
THE DIPTYQUE DP 115 speakers are a new model 2-way, ribbon, and planar magnetic driver dipole \"isodynamic\" speaker system designed and built in France.
Full-Featured 4K
THE QN95D is one of two televisions we went hands-on with on a recent trip to Samsung's New Jersey QA Lab, the other being the S95D quantum-dot OLED.
Party Animal
FOR ANY party, the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Bass Bluetooth Speaker is an essential invite.
It's the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?
Attention all preppers! Today's column is right up your alley-or, more precisely-your tunnel to your underground bunker.
Bridging the Analog-Digital Gap on a Recliner
When I shopped for a motorized recliner, I rejected models with their own Internet Protocol address and built-in speakers. No need. I had already placed a smart speaker on an étagère beside the space where I had planned to put the chair. I'd have a smartphone in my hand and the room would be bathed in Wi-Fi.
BACK TO THE GARDEN
AN AQUARIAN EXPOSITION in WHITE LAKE, N.Y.
Big Sound, Small Price
DOLBY ATMOS, once a costly premium, is enjoying a surge of popularity across a range of new audio gear.
Classic Sound with Streaming Smarts
THE TWENTIETH century had its Roaring Twenties; welcome to the twenty-first's Streaming Twenties.
Stand and Deliver
IT DOESN'T seem all that long ago that SVS first entered the audio scene.
