20 things Sonos didn't tell you about the Arc Ultra

[@PedroRodriguez-fg3zn]

My Sonos Arc Ultra arrived two days ago, and during this time, I’ve been testing its sound quality. I must say the difference is remarkable. Although I’ve read that the improvement is not so noticeable when paired with a subwoofer, I can confidently say that, for me, the upgrade is already significant. The sound is much clearer, and the separation between audio elements is greatly enhanced. I truly enjoy watching live concerts, and with this soundbar, the instruments sound much sharper, and the audio reaches exactly where it needs to. It doesn’t feel as flat as the previous Arc model. For these reasons, I’m extremely happy with my decision to upgrade.

[@alex-ug7xc]

Thanks for that personal view. I'm planning to purchase one and it's always good to read something like this to validate my decision! :D

[@padgettga]

Recommended settings

[@param5756]

Lol.. dude just called the arc .. flat .. :)

[@richyeo4255]

Great video Peter. Do you know when you will give us all your full sound settings. Thanks for all your content.😊

[@PeterPee]

I need to get familiar with the sound first. Settings video take a long time cos it usually entails many hours of testing and measurements. Sorry but give me a while!

[@DonavanAja]

Love your videos on Sonos after having them for 10 years or so and now have 2 arc's ,2 sub gen 3,2 era 300,4 era 100,1 beam,1 sub mini, and two older play 5's as well so thus have spent my share of money on Sonos .I get all my info on them from YOU and only YOU!And when Sonos screwed up app wise this year I relied on you for all the info on what was going on as Sonos unfortunately was Horrible on info or non existence on what was happening !Thanks for your helpful videos

[@GenRicOpekc]

Wow. The most comprehensive breakdown of the the Arc ultra. Thank you.

[@LawinReborn]

I get like 60 SNR Wifi connection now with my Ultra on 5ghz. No issues at all with app or connection and its amazing.

[@kobetext1758]

Thanks again Peter, I tested my Ultra and I feel that its sound more bright compared with the Arc. Of course the bass is better with the sound motion module. I have to reduce my treble to 0 on my Ultra. No sure do you have the same issue or not. Thanks again!

[@martar3392]

I have been using Play:1 surrounds without any problem - I know they said it's not supported, but seems to work fine.

[@johnwandle]

So have I

[@kenp14]

Peter, do you know about the ultra surround bug where if you use rear speakers the rear surround sound gets mostly routed to the arc Ultra side speakers instead? I'm surprised you have not mentioned this. I upgraded from ark to Arc Ultra, but returned it because of this bug. There's discussions about it on Reddit, seems to be affecting a lot of people.

[@90080603]

Regarding the crossover frequency, it seems that after some reading, it was adjusted to either 70 or 80 Hz, possibly starting at 70 and then updated to 80 Hz. The issue is that the subwoofer produces less sound now compared to when it was connected to a regular Arc. I've seen multiple posts from disappointed users stating that they now have to turn the sub up almost to maximum to achieve the same output as before with the Arc. Another complaint from many users is that the center speaker is significantly out of balance compared to the other speakers. I came across a post from someone who measured it to be 8 dB too loud, which is quite a lot. While it may enhance dialogue clarity, I don’t have hearing issues, and I prefer a balanced sound. I find it puzzling that Sonos doesn’t allow for adjustments in this regard. As it stands, I'm not planning to make any changes. Hopefully, they will address these issues in a future firmware update.

[@Paul-if1jq]

I upgraded last week, bass was the first thing I noticed, then clarity and loudness...

[@dwightbaldwin5500]

Great video as always Peter. Have you been in contact with Sonos about getting on that advisory board with consumers? You’d be perfect for it.

[@keyoke]

Great video Peter! Keep it up!

[@Chili908]

great video, best regards Peter!

[@PeterPee]

Thanks!

[@Mseabra75]

@PeterPee I have the Arc Gen 1 with ERA 300 and Sub Gen 3. If I have to upgrade 1 item, which one would be the best? Upgrade to Arc Ultra or Sub Gen 4?

[@tracer073]

Arc ultra

[@testieeklees584]

Great vid as always! Got the Ultra (had the Beam2) and all i can say (safely on YT lol) is WOW... just wow! What a difference in sound quality! When I compare the two, the Ultra is far more well rounded BUT also so much more focused than before even when compared to my friends orig ARC. Any dialog issues from before with it being quiet or sounding a bit muddy, is gone. GONE! I also have a pair of era300's and the immersion is incredible. Quick question tho, IF i want to add a 2nd sub will the SUB4 be compatible with my gen3? Or will it be better to just stick with another gen3 so the sub sound is consistent? Cheers!

[@kabes-us]

Love your videos Pete. I have to return my Ultra though. The highs and treble are just too harsh for my ears.

[@HelveticaBold1]

I just purchased the Arc Ultra and love it. First Sonos as well. I don’t have the room to place the 300s behind MLP so I’m considering Era 100s for surrounds place next to couch, that’s fine correct?

[@waltergraf3977]

Could you test the Arc Ultra with Era 100 rears? In my case especially 5.1 soundtracks doesn‘t come correctly from the rears, the rear sound get mixed to the front. There are many more people with the same issue in the forums.

[@myatix1]

Great review Peter! A quick question! Do you think the new ARC is good for a large room with a 4 metre ceiling? I am a little worried as they have dropped the size of the midrange drivers

[@MohsinWadee]

I'd like you to test the 'quick' Trueplay vs the 'full' Trueplay, if you can :)

[@laurentsaurel1]

Awesome content Peter! I have the Arc Ultra, Sub 3 and good old One SLs for surrounds. I wonder if now is the time to upgrade the Ones to Era 100s. I do not have room for the 300s unfortunately. Is the upgrade from Ones to Era 100s a good option?

[@davidleingang5591]

Hello. Guessing you had Arc before the Ultra? If so then you had same setup as me: Arc, Sub 3 and 2x One SLs. Are you pleased with ultra now? Notice enough positive difference to justify your ultra purchase? I’m still on fence whether to upgrade. Thank you.

[@laurentsaurel1]

@ that’s right, I had that set up. I’m happy with the Ultra. Not night and day difference but more subtle improvements across the board. I like the improvement in dialogue in particular, as well as clarity in sounds. So I’m wondering about the Ones and swapping with Era 100.

[@djt6546]

I wonder if the ones will actually be better for surround duty than era100’s. I say this because when I bought a pair of era100’s to compare with one’s, I found the era100’s to have a thicker mid range. They had more authority, while the one’s sound profile sounded more scooped to me. So in some (perhaps smaller) environments the one’s may be preferred to the era100’s. If you buy direct from Sonos and don’t like them or find no difference, then you can of course return them.

[@laurentsaurel1]

@@djt6546 that’s interesting. Thanks.

[@bcampbell0011]

Musically: what about power output? The Playbar exceeded the Arc in dbs...any measurements to share with the Ultra?

[@moltenbullet]

I said it in one of the earlier videos: this is a device for those who want to buy sonos, but want a middle of the road investment without including a sub and/or rears. Anyone who already has at least a sub mini and/or era 300s, probably will have no use for this, at all. The difference would be imperceptible.

[@darrenhines7347]

Whoops line was classic 😂

[@cresperion]

Peter, how would you recommend to start building a full surround system: 1. Arc ultra + Sub4 first (2x Era300 later), or 2. Arc ultra + 2x Era300 first (Sub4 later)? Many thanks for your input!

[@jaytclark13]

300’s! The ultra does a great job with bass. I toggled off the sub to see what the ultra and 300’s sound like without, and was impressed at the bass it produced without the sub.

[@PeterPee]

With the arc, I would have recommended going with the sub first. With the arc ultra, it’s not so clear anymore. I’m in a dilemma.

[@cresperion]

​@@PeterPeethat's exactly my dilemma as well! 😅 Maybe you could address that in a future video please! (ideally before Black Friday 😁). Thank you!

[@bigshot562]

My question is is it louder than the original arc? I switched over to the nakamichi dragon and haven’t used the arc for 5 months. I finally moved it into the bedroom and I noticed it being very low in volume.

[@angrymarsian5247]

Again really good info on the ultra, but 1 thing where no one is talking about, is sonos implementing a real deep sleep mode or standby with a minimum usage of power Sonos wants to go more green with there products for a couple of years. Did they deliver on that with the ultra?

[@sid_snow]

Really disappointed that Sonos removed dual subs with gen 1 and gen 2 subs

[@bradrowland5432]

It was very hidden on the website too

[@B.Ch3rry]

1GB of RAM to 2GB… How come people were posting/sharing a spec sheet claiming it was 16GB of RAM?!?

[@06dame27]

TruePlay with Speech enhancement enabled don't seem to play well with each other with Dolby Atmos content. Low setting or Off makes the vocals better/clearer.

[@ChrisPagliuca]

Hey Peter, will Play 5 Gen 2 work as surrounds? Is it just the Gen 1s of the Play series that dont work?

[@finantra4511]

Hey Peter, your explanations are always a thing to look for. Few queries, how is the Atmos upward firing effect on this new bar, and do you feel that sonos should have included an HDMI pass through which they skipped again while eliminating optical port.

[@PeterPee]

The Atmos upward firing effect seems relatively unchanged. The pass through is something I think a lot of people want. But I do think there could be a possibility of making it more difficult to set up for others.

[@adrianssz4582]

Is it compatible with a a gen 1 Sonos amp, the one that works on s2 app? I have my ceiling speakers wired to this amp.

[@dharmasx2]

Hello Peter, thanks this useful video. One question ¿Why - in some TVs - the volume level does not appear on tv when level up or down with the Arc? Is this a problem with the Arc?Has a fix? Thanks

[@shimonleonov]

Hi , i have a old sonos playbase + 2 rear sonos play 1 for Surround . the arc ultra dosent work with rear play 1, so is it worth to buy sonos ultra arc and And give up with the rear speakers for now and buy only the ultra arc at this moment or to stay with the old Surround system ?

[@brandonfrost9801]

How does it sound paired with the sub mini?

[@ionutmuntianu6049]

Hello, i have a sonos arc and i got a sonos arc ultra, my onest opinion is that the ultra is just a little diferent, the sound is different but non in the good sens or bad. just diferent. so for the money just get the arc ! I don't understand this people that say is way better cuz it's not. and all the tech youtubers that get their ultra for free, of corse they say that is a game changer.. THE ONLY thing that is better is tha base BUT if you have a sub that thing is gone..People that show you charts to convince you that is better have something to gain from that..

[@eXoticon]

Repectfully disagree.

[@alexs7860]

@@eXoticonI have also have an Arc and am contemplating an upgrade, what are the biggest differences in your case?

[@ionutmuntianu6049]

@@alexs7860 save your money, or buy the era300 as surrounds, or a sub if you dont't have one.. on the ultra i can tell you that the dialog sounds louder but i think it's just software, if you increase the treble you're fine. after 4 years i expected more, design wise and sound, thei aded a 'sub' and they call it a revolution, what a joke..

[@chrisowens1325]

@@alexs7860 if you use the Arc stand-alone it may be worth considering. But even then I’d suggest just get a sub. The difference in sound is not the night and day difference many are making it out to be. Like @ionutmuntianu6049 said it is a different sound but I wouldn’t necessarily call it better

[@eXoticon]

@@alexs7860 do you have a sub?

[@pokibanana]

Is the trueplay issue fixed with the latest update?

[@DaveNichols-fh1uv]

I got the arc ultra with the 300s and gen 3 sub but notice the sub barely kicking in amymore

[@PeterPee]

Oh wow. No la. You will still feel it at the bass heavy sections.

[@willramz]

This was a problem that was popping up for alot of people on the subreddit(myself included). They have put out a couple of app updates since then that should fix it. Try updating the app/system and running Trueplay again.

[@prtbone78]

Raise the volume you'll feel it.. even at sub level 0 .... check settings

[@fazk-e2m]

I was hoping to see that last graph but with a full setup

[@wim040358]

Did the ultra support Sonosnet like the ARC1?

[@profoto3135]

Thanks for video 😀

[@crickc865]

Great video. Are you that you cannot connect a sub gen 2 and a sub gen 4? I’ve got an arc ultra with a sub gen 2 and the apps propose me to join another sub but only a gen 4 sub. Thx

[@PeterPee]

That's strange. I have not tried to unpair my sub gen 2 from another system to test this out. Will try it out. I got this by going through the Sonos FAQ.

[@crickc865]

@ . Thank you. Please let me know. I don’t want to buy a new sub gen 4 if I can’t connect as a second sub on my ultra. 🙏

[@julioirizarry4262]

Does it work with two sub gen 3’s I wonder…

[@WRX2001]

it's $400 more in Australia

[@lexng1632]

Peter what’s your Sonos arc ultra sound setting?

[@PeterPee]

I have been using everything at stock setting. Nothing changed. I need to get used to it before I start with the best settings.

[@lexng1632]

Noted with thanks

[@tel7625]

Just so you know I used nfc to set up my gen 3 sub.

[@MPelowski-x2g]

In my opinion Sonos Arc Ultra doesnt have as big bass as Sonos Five. Yes, it is better than Arc , but still not as big as 5. Soundstage is bigger too, but there are some others brands with bigger soundstage. Ultra is a good standalone soundbar, but It does not satisfy me fully and I will choose the competition this time.

[@tracer073]

Which is what, what other system you choosing?

[@samuelmsullivan]

Do you think we will be able to use 4 era 300 instead of 2 as just surround speakers ....the sound of 4 era in a room has to be amazing

[@tracer073]

Sonos is retarded for not allowing this

[@actionjackson1256]

Also ich merke bei den Einstellungen für die Sprache keinen unterschied zwischen low und high

[@ישראלאבייב-ק9כ]

Peter, as always, a really nice and well thought out video... If I have beam 2 + sub mini + era100 do you still recommend me to upgrade are ultra or is it good enough like this?

[@jacobzornu4273]

Peter does it just better!🔥

[@PeterPee]

Thank you Jacob!

[@tuneyouup]

Snake oil

[@MeLucky-KuNGPaO]

Who’s this robot Ming LAou

[@MeLucky-KuNGPaO]

SpeKA

[@MeLucky-KuNGPaO]

Rite He A r

[@MeLucky-KuNGPaO]

moO PoWA. mO MoneY 💰. No paY No eaTz You no lunch special