Sonos Arc Ultra + Era 300 + Sub Gen 4 VS Sono Arc + Era 300 + Sub Gen 3 - Movie Test

[@MrNikugu]

I absolutely loved it ❤️😍❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, im glad you did. Any thoughts about the new Arc Ultra?

[@MrNikugu]

@thisishazno8536 just one. It's a good buy for someone who doesn't want to get the sub or additional components. Perhaps the first attempt of the company trying to innovate.

[@thisishazno8536]

Yeah i would say if you dont have any other Sonos speakers this is definitley a really good start to get into the Sonos system. The old Arc is on sale aswell you can find that one on really good deals now a days. Old Arc is still a beast

[@MrNikugu]

@@thisishazno8536 I already have a sonos multi room set-up. With a couple of ones in the study, the five in the bedroom, era 500 in the living room and a couple of roams in the shower. But I'm seeing better value in going samsung for my TV audio.

[@MrNikugu]

I'm also contemplating changing the five for the evo one from Cambridge audio. At which time I could trial it as the soundbar for a little while

[@walkergilmer3122]

Looking forward to the fives video. I'd like to hear some comparisons to the era 300s.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah Fives are still up there as the best sounding surround speakers. I love my Fives and still switch between them and the era 300s. But i will make a Five video in the next couple of days.

[@julioirizarry4262]

Appreciate your honesty and in-depth reviews. Quite frankly what I was expecting from Sonos after years of the generation one arc was a heck of a lot more and a significant noticeable difference! When I switched from my eras 100's to the 300's it was very noticeable (Atmos speakers!) worth the truly upgrade price. I was hoping for something similar with the arc ultra, not negligible differences in both sound and looks. Couple that with the horrible application issues and terrible customer service, and I am seriously considering saying bye bye Sonos.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yes totally agree i thought we were gonna see upgrade like you mentioned but no. Like i said in my first video i think Sonos just wanted to fix the issue they caused for the old Arc and they did that by releasing the same soundbar with minimal changes. Im a sonos fanboy but there is some out there that dislike what i say. This is why i buy products with my own money so i can be brutally honest even if it hurts someones feelings 😂

[@rayjay123100]

Right now I have the arc Sonos ones as surrounds and sub gen 3 I think I’m just going to upgrade to the era 300 instead of buying the ultra .But I don’t know what to do with my ones I only use my setup to watch movies/shows .Is it possible to have Sonos ones at the front of the room and 300s at the back ? 😂

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, i was gonna write that you should have sonos ones in the front and group them in with the rest of the speakers. I will tell you that that will make your front speakers sound louder. So with that you will not need an Arc ultra 😂 try it out and get back to me if you like it or not!

[@mrgold3591]

I did the same with some extra Symfonisk bookshelf speakers and added to my Arc, sub, and Fives. You can't add the One SLs into the theater group and Trueplay them together working with the soundbar. You would add in the One SLs in the smartphone app like you would for whole house audio; but, have the extra speakers in the same room. Your TV remote will not control the One SLs volume and you have to use the app. I had a hard time getting the extra stereo pair speakers to sound just right with the Arc system. I needed to adjust the Symfonisk with every volume change and the sound was a little off being stereo out with Arc Atmos/5.1 audio. I upgraded a Beam Gen 1 (sub/One SLs) to a Beam Gen 2. Move the Beam Gen 1 to a spare TV with no soundbar and added the extra Symfonisk speakers as surrounds. You could do the same or have the One SLs in stand alone whole house audio mode. I have a Roam speaker next to the coffee table on the sofa I and add in and mute the Arc so I don't wake up the entire house at night. I have a single Era 100 in the kitchen I can add/remove with a press/hold of the play/pause button for hearing sports/news better without cranking up the Arc on the far side of the room.

[@rayjay123100]

@ okay cool yeah I might just put one in my kitchen and one in bathroom and call it a day I’m waiting to see if there’s Black Friday deals before I buy my 300s

[@tel7625]

Hi What speech enhancement setting are you using, I noticed on your app "now playing" it just says ON, looking on mine, the now playing screen says "ON medium" perhaps thats an app thing i'm on iOS.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, thats how it looks on the old Arc. Low medium high is on the new Arc ultra. If you watch the first test video you will see it says medium and high aswell

[@catheryndavis8991]

Thank you for the reviews

[@sebastgo2065]

Great and very useful video Hazno :) If I may ask, I'm about to be a new Sonos customer by getting the new Arc Ultra, as the standalone bar seems enough for my apartment living situation (I have people living below me, and a dedicated sub is a no-no; I've tried it). So the only remaining question I can't figure out is whether I should get the Era 100 or the Era 300 as surrounds. Keeping in mind that I will not push the volume on the Arc more than 25, do you think the Era 300 would be overkill since the dedicated height channel would not be heard? (They might not be able to bounce back from the ceiling at that volume) If that’s the case, maybe the cheaper 100 would do the same job... Any advice would be immensely helpful. Thanks!

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching and the positive feedback. If you cant really use the Era 300s with their channels on high i would try out the era 100s. They sound really good and have good enough surround sound and good bass in them. But i would say it like this. Order the era 100s from sonos they offer 60 days free return, try them out and see what you feel about them. Return them if you are not happy with them. I even think that Sonos one SL are good surround speakers. They sound as good as the era 100s. The only difference i would say is that era 100s has a little bit better bass. I made a video of these two and compared them.

[@sebastgo2065]

@@thisishazno8536 Thanks for the advice :) I was thinking of buying both the 100s and the 300s at BB since it's easy to returned the ones I don't like. One more question that I can't find the answer anywhere. When used as surrounds, it there some bass coming out of the 300s ? I ask because I know they disable the front firing speaker, was just wondering if the side and upward firings speaker add some bass to the experience. Thanks!

[@thisishazno8536]

Sorry for the late reply, i will say that Era 300s have good bass for music and stere pair for music even as tv speakers. But when it comes to surround they dont push out much power on the bass its more focus on the dolby atmos effect then anything else. If the whole speaker wouldve been turned on then i think we would love the Era 300s and we would feel them even more. Did you get the speakers?

[@raykerstetter4928]

Hey trust me,try out a pair of era 100's under or besides the Arc and put them in a different group . Then play all.the groups together and its mind blowing. I have no delays at all. And like I said by adding the era 100's to the Arc its alot cheaper than buying the ultra,and you add 4 angled tweeters and 2 mid-woofers. I did test after test,by turning off the era 100's and turning them back on,and its a big difference. Also I could turn the speech enhancement on for the era 100's. Just something to think about. Im Constantly moving both my subs and trying things with my system. Next Im thinkimg about adding a 3rd gen 3 sub and adding it to the era 100's.

[@keith692]

I did something similar. Got arc with 2 rear Era 300 with gen3 sub, grouped to a pair of era 300 in the front on both sides of the arc with gen3 sub… the sound is as close to a dedicated system as a soundbar can get

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah i have made a video of me grouping my Sonos Fives with Arc+dual sub+Er300s. I totally agree grouping speakers in like that is making a whole difference in the sound. That is gonna be a video aswell, cause i do use that group setup alot and that is also one of the reasons why i dont think i need the Arc ultra. Exactly no delays at all in sound, there is some people that hate grouping speakers like that and say it sounds shit but i dont agree at all. Im with you on that, imagine yourself you think era100s sound amazing. Then imagine what grouping Sonos Fives sounds like or sometimes i mix it and use Fives as surround and add era300s in the group 😂

[@keith692]

@ just like you I am more than happy with the sound!

[@thisishazno8536]

Yeah your setup is amazing my friend. Era 300s as surround and grouping in era 300s haha amazing 😂. Love it when people go ”overkill”

[@TheCdM1981]

Era300 are the only speakers worth pairing with the arc or ultra as rears.

[@GarettHarrison-jf3oz]

Great video hazno wanna see the dual sub video of sub gen 3 and sub gen 4 🙂

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah stay tuned gonna make that video tomorrow 🙏🏼

[@Brycen29]

I have it set up that way sounds incredible

[@3nder3]

Still debating Arc ulra full setup or Sony Theatre Quad ?!

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, i have not tried out any other brands when it comes to full setup like this. All i can say is that i love my setup with arc+era300s+2 sub gen 3s. Sony and Bose are brands i want to try out in the future and compare to Sonos

[@Mike71712]

Strongly agree w/ you! I have been testing the Ultra for five days now and I can say after waiting four and a half years for a new arc that I am disappointed in the ultra. To me it’s more like an update, something you expect from a year upgrade, NOT almost FIVE years! If you have the arc and are happy, keep the arc. If you are not happy and you can sell your arc or like myself that always try’s to get the latest and greatest I would say get the ultra. Otherwise unless Sonos comes out with some updates like you said I don’t get that “wow” factor. The center channel is louder than the rest of the audio. The 300's are also louder than the Ultra. But not by much. The high channels are done by tweeters. The Atmos effect is minimum, even if you put there level up which I recommend at at least +5. I’m using a Gen 3 sub which sounds perfect with the era 300’s and ultra I have and would not upgrade to the gen 4 as I haven’t heard one review including yours saying any difference besides the matte to the glossy. I posted three shorts (nothing like these videos 😂) overall I wish you could pair four era 300’s and hoping by the time they come out w/ era 500’s they will let you do that as I believe getting that separation including the sound of the 300’s would give a better overall experience then with the arc or the ultra. Great job w/ the videos so far!Appreciate them! 👍🏽👍🏽

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah thats exactly how i feel about the Arc ultra well put. They had almost 5 years to make a Arc gen 2 but they instead did a what apple to every year with Iphones 😂. That wouldve been aswesome if they did that so we could add more surround speakers totally agree.

[@Malvin00]

When you mentioned +5 I was like damn…. I’m doing exactly the same thing, It’s very noticiable when you listen to it. I put almost everything at +5 specifically the Era300. These are my settings: Surround Audio for Era300: -TV: +5 -Music Level: +5 -Music Playback: Full EQ Bass: +5 Treble: +5 ------------ SUB 4 Sub Level: +10 (if my family is complaining +5 but I try to keep it +10 love that Sub 4, I never tried the sub3 before) I have the ARC Ultra that’s why I put those settings. I also have the first version of the ARC and after listening to the ARC ultra for a week I’m like maaan this is of course louder and love the tweeters the clear voice and everything, but at the same time I’m like listen maaaan you already have the first version of the ARC what are you doing? It’s like talking to my brain 🧠. I don’t know if I’m the only one talking to myself like that. I thought this was going to be like a 60 or 70% upgrade. Now I don’t know what should I do to keep it or send the back. But I love the ULTRA to be honest.

[@thisishazno8536]

DAAAAMN hahaha +10 on the subs and people said i used overkill settings on mine with +6. That whole house must shake from that sub. Have you ever thought about getting dual subs? Those are some good settings you are using my friend

[@Malvin00]

@@thisishazno8536I would love to buy a second sub but right now I can’t. I love music you already know mate 😎🔥

[@thisishazno8536]

I have never tried my subs on +10, will definitley do that. I have only pushed it up to +7 at most. Any good bass heavy songs you can suggest? Wanna freak my neighbours out a little 😂

[@catheryndavis8991]

I think I will keep my setup I have. Not enough of a difference to upgrade from the regular arc , 2 era 300’s , and 1 sub gen 3.

[@jb7753]

That's my set up also..... I'm fortunate enough to need to relocate my Arc to a new space in the house so upgrading to the Ultra, it arrives Thursday.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah if you already have the Arc and are satisfied with that i would just keep it. Im probably gonna keep the old one myself and send back the Arc ultra.

[@AlbertJohnson-t1z]

Good video and thank you for your honesty i think i will take that money and buy another sub instead

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah i would do that aswell. Dual subs with old arc and surround speakers is a really good Sonos system.

[@walkertodd21]

I'm definitely upgrading to the ultra debating if i should upgrade from sub 3 to sub 4, i have the era 300s also. Hopefully they have it on sale for black fri

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah wait a little bit and you will probably find a good deal on sub gen 3s. When it comes to choosing between the sub gen 3 and 4 i would say it all comes down to if you like glossy or matte finish. Its pretty much the same sub

[@walkertodd21]

@@thisishazno8536 I already have the sub 3 was debating if I should upgrade to the 4. If they have a good deal for black fri I might if not I'll just upgrade to the ultra and put the original arc in my bedroom.

[@mrgold3591]

@@walkertodd21 You could "add" the Gen 4 sub with the Gen 3 sub to have dual subs? I have dual Gen 3 subs with my Arc Ultra and fives. The extra sub really helps even out the bass to fill the room and makes it feel non-directional.

[@walkertodd21]

@@mrgold3591 I’m debating if I should keep the sub 3 and use dual subs. Does it make it sound better I’ve only used one sub at a time

[@mrgold3591]

@@walkertodd21 You have a 30 day return on the Gen 4 sub. I would try it out and have that option to return. I also have a Beam Gen 2, Gen 3 sub, and One SLs in a home office and dual subs would be overkill. I tried adding a sub mini to Beam Gen 1 and Symfonisk rear in master bedroom is the mini didn't fill the room like the Gen 3 Sub (both office & master are similar sizes). I was able to send back the mini and re-order the Gen 3 sub for bedroom.

[@giacintorenta7579]

Great video and thank you - I have Arc + Era 300 surrounds + dual sub Gen 3 + 2, from you video upgrading from Arc to Ultra is incremental but in my case will mean losing the Sub Gen 2. In that case it might not be worth upgrading for now. I will reconsider if in a future firmware update, Ultra will allow dual sub with Gen 3 + Gen 2. Regarding the voice clarity, can the same clarity as Ultra be achieve in Apple TV 4K TVos 18 by cranking to higher the enhance dialogue feature? Maybe an idea for a future test!

[@504cool]

I’ve got that same setup. I doubt Sonos will make the Gen 2 w Gen 3 or 4 compatible for a Dual Sub setup at this point. I’ve already made peace with the idea of buying a new sub when I buy the Arc Ultra.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, i dont think that sonos will do that were they push out an firmware update for dual sub gen 2+3. If you really want the Arc ultra i think you have to buy the new Sub gen 4 with the old sub gen 3 you already have if you want dual sub.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah my thoughts exactly. Sonos is trying to make a sale now before 2024 ends aswell to push up their number 😂

[@georgevillalvazo9154]

Don’t forget the Sonos five! You know I would like to see the emblem that says Dolby Atmos much bigger than the tiny Signia on the phone. I don’t know if that’s an iPhone thing or is that a Sonos thing??🤨

[@georgevillalvazo9154]

Also, I wanted to say that I received my Fouquet Blu-ray DVD of pray, and there was an issue on the 4K but the Blu-ray was good to watch! I was surprised that the Blu-ray was very sharp and clean, but it came with a Dolby 5.1 I believe?

[@georgevillalvazo9154]

I was also wondering, do you know what the warty is on a Sonos arc??

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yes of course will make that video as soon as im done testing the Era 300s. Hahaha yeah i know that little dolby atmos text is to small. Its just a Sonos thing. You mean the warranty? If so its 6 years

[@VictorAvilax]

I watch movies on my Xbox Series X and the dialogue on the regular Arc is much better, even more than Apple TV.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah i heard that and will try out my xbox later on tonight to see if there is any difference in sound. I think that apple tv through hdmi gives really good audio.

[@catheryndavis8991]

My brother has the Sonos 5’s thanks.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah thats why i wanna do the Fives video aswell many people are still using their Fives as surround.

[@mrgold3591]

I have Fives as my rear surround with dual Gen 3 subs with my v1 Arc. Noticed only about 25%-30% of the content I watch/listen to is in Atmos/Spatial audio (limited to mostly action and Sci-fi flicks, no Atmos on cable TV or drama shows). I really don't think the Era 300 are better than the Fives in stereo/Dolby 5.1 content in surround duties? Planning to upgrade to Arc Ultra to help with Atmos content and that is good enough for me. Probably won't upgrade the Fives until Sonos make the Era 500s.

[@oz8753]

I have Sub gen 2 . Should I update to gen 4 ? Will it make a significant difference?

[@stepalex]

No, the sound has remained the same since Gen 2, only WiFi and processors have changed. Upgrade only if you need to, eg you’re getting Arc Ultra

[@oz8753]

I have arc ultra and era’s 300. Thank you for responding

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, are you planing on doing dual subs, then yes you have to buy the sub gen 4. If not then keep your sub gen 2 its pretty much the same sub.

[@oz8753]

⁠thank you!

[@TheCdM1981]

Sounds like I was right. Sub gen4 was solely for aesthetic purpose and WiFi chip upgrade which will do nothing for just about everyone.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah agree totally is. I would say its a chance for Sonos to do a fast and grab of peoples money to make a sale before 2024 ends to push up their numbers 😂

[@prtbone78]

I knew i should have just waited for 990d and not get this damn expensive low dialogue sonos lol but the sub though omg lol and 2 at that

[@Wankidy]

The Sub gen 2 was released in 2016 dude. Be realistic

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah released in 2016 and still has the same amount of power and punch as sub gen 3 and 4. Realistic or not it should still be able to pair dual with Arc ultra. Like why can you pair one but not two, but it seems you guys love throwing your money at Sonos. 😂

[@crowas89]

when the sonos five

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, tuesday or wednesday have 1-2 videos more of the Era 300s with the setup. Then im gonna do a video of the Fives as surround with the same setup

[@TheCdM1981]

Height should always be to 10.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah i will try that in todays video but my ceiling isnt that high.

[@kenyonsinclair702]

My kid would need therapy over 40 volume.

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, hahahahaha yeah. My kids love watching movies at 50% they even forced me to push it to 60% when we watched the latest deadpool last week. 😂

[@augustusx82]

Gaming test

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yes for sure gonna do gaming test in the next couple of days with the same setup as in the video.

[@enjoyeverymomentvideos2687]

Really strange decisions , make matte colour sub and call it gen 4… and make arc ultra with barely any difference as well… I will keep my old system still and won’t be buying arc ultra … disappointed as I really thought that it will be a lot better and I will swap it solely for the better music performance as I use it for that as well with era 300 and sub3 , Arc is lacking in the music department… Oh well will have to wait few more years to upgrade or sell and get something else

[@thisishazno8536]

Thanks for watching, yeah i think Sonos right now us just trying to increase their sale numbers before 2024 ends 😂. I totally understand you cause i will be doing the same i will send back the Arc ultra and sub gen 4 once im done with my tests. I will wait for Arc gen 2 even if its 2-3 years from now until that comes. I think i will do a music tests with Arc ultra there has been many people asking about that so i will do a music test.

[@mrgold3591]

I think you just hit the nail directly on the head. I had a Nakamichi 7.2.4 and couldn't do any upgrades of components, needed the soundbar remote to constantly change the audio profile depending on stereo/5.1/Atmos/music, and had to use a USB stick for firmware upgrades. Sonos's advantage of being able to mix, match, upgrade speakers, and reuse individual speaker alone or with another soundbar depending on needs/budget was a huge selling point for me. I'm waiting to see if Sonos brings out Era 500 in a few years or lets you add up to 4-6 Era 100/300 to an Arc/sub(s) group and Trueplay together to compete against the 11.4.6 Nakamichi Dragon.

[@thisishazno8536]

i wanna try out the Bose 900 on my channel to compare it with the Arc, wanna make some comparison with other brands. How do you like the bose 900?