Sonos Arc Review: One of the Best Dolby Atmos Soundbars in the Market

Replacing my Polk MagniFi Mini has been a task and then some. Over the years, I’ve been accustomed to how great it sounds during my movie nights (yes, I’ve hosted my fair share) and immediately dismissed any other suggestion that comes my way. As a consumer technology journalist (as many of you probably know already) I get to test a lot of gadgets, and in this case, soundbars. 

I’ve probably tested over a dozen and even some way over my budget over the last couple of years. It wasn’t until August of 2024 that I truly fell in love with another soundbar. You may think I’m being a bit overdramatic here, but if you come over to my house, you’ll realise why I’m saying so. 

Okay, enough of an introduction. Let me reveal the product to everyone who has gotten this far. Yes, it’s none other than the Sonos Arc. It’s the only soundbar that has seriously tempted me to make the switch in all these years. 

The Sonos Arc, priced at Rs 99,999, is by no means cheap. And it also has its own set of issues (read: Wi-Fi and app connectivity). Once you’re past the price point and the Wi-Fi/app issues, you get a soundbar wherein you can be immersed, for hours on end. 

What is the Sonos Arc? 

Well, I’m glad you asked. Sonos Arc is the company’s biggest, priceless, and best soundbar ever. They are perfect for Sonos loyalists and equally good for those looking in from the outside. The company’s Beam soundbar might be half the price, but the sound quality of the Arc will blow you away. The Sonos Arc may be directed toward audiophiles, but it’s also for those who just want to expand their setup at home and have a better overall listening experience. 

The Arc is a Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbar, built on the 5.0.2 channel system, with almost a dozen speakers packed inside. The Arc has 11 speakers - three tweeters and eight mids across the soundbars’ length. Aligned to face in various directions, the speakers create virtual surround sound with two dedicated height channels. The Arc can tailor itself to the room it's in, and that’s the best possible tuning, you can ask for. The Arc doesn’t come with an additional subwoofer, but it doesn’t even need one. You get the performance and bass (and there is an EQ setting in the Sonos app) from the Arc itself. 

I went about my testing period as I would normally have without the Sonos Arc. I watched some movies and a lot of reality television, binged on the Olympics and Paralympics and watched some of the latest music videos. The Arc isn’t a surround sound speaker, as it sits below your television, so if you’re expecting that level, please look elsewhere. Still, the Arc is the closest you’ll come to feeling like it’s a complete home theatre experience. The dynamic range is excellent, the sound is incredibly detailed, and the instrument separation and voice clarity make the sound experience almost a ten on ten. There’s a fullness to the sound that I liked. It’s as if you’re in the scene of the movie or front and centre at a head-banging concert. The overall bass response isn’t overpowering. The Arc makes great use of Dolby Atmos and you can quickly tell why. 

Just get the Arc tuned to the room and wait for the magic to unfold.  

A multi-speaker setup would be preferred to the Arc but that doesn’t mean the soundbar is a slouch. The Arc punches above its weight. It can always be paired with another Sonos speaker.  

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my time using the Sonos Arc to binge on a variety of content. The punchy audio that works across different types of rooms and varied setups, makes it one of the best soundbars out there. Consuming Dolby Atmos content with the Sonos Arc elevates the experience to the next level. 

Just like with every product, the Arc isn’t perfect. There are a few teething problems here and there and I’ll get to them in just a bit. 

For now, let’s talk about some of the features. The Arc misses out on Bluetooth connectivity but does have AirPlay support for wireless music listening. Furthermore, it comes with Sonos Trueplay tuning capabilities. As mentioned above, it can analyse the room and balance the output accordingly. For now, this is limited to iOS devices only. 

The unit has just a power cable input and an HDMI in. There’s an Ethernet socket and a Digital Optical to HDMI adapter, but you won’t be using those. The Arc doesn’t come with a remote. But once you connect the soundbar to your TV via ARC (Audio Return Channel), you can use your TV remote (in my case, I just used the Amazon FireTV remote). You can control the Arc through the Sonos S2 smartphone app if not the remote. The Arc comes in just black or white and can be paired, as mentioned above, with other Sonos speakers for a more true surround sound experience. 

What I didn’t like about the Sonos Arc 

Let’s run down a list of things I didn’t like about this soundbar. 

- When you start your TV, the Arc takes about 5-10 seconds to power on and adjust the volume. 

- The Arc lacks Bluetooth connectivity. This means that connecting to the Arc, just to play music, will be a hassle. 

- Teething app problems. It took me a few tries, and many resets to get the Arc to pair with my Wi-Fi network and TV. 

- The price. Well, let me just say that this isn’t a cheap soundbar. It costs a whopping Rs 89,999. 

- No support for Aux input.  

- Trueplay tuning isn’t supported by Android devices. 

To buy or not to buy 

If you’ve ever used an all-in-one PC then you’d know what I’m talking about here. The Sonos Arc is the best all-in-one home theatre system and it really is an incredible device. It’s the best Dolby Atmos soundbar I’ve tested. 

But yes, it comes at a hefty cost. A retail price of Rs 89,999. If you’re truly invested in your home theatre setup, but don’t want to go the full surround sound experience, then the Sonos Arc needs to be near the top of your shopping list. 

If you own an iPhone/iPad, then there is even more of a reason to get the Sonos Arc. At this price point, it’s hard to find a Dolby Atmos soundbar that is this good. On the Android side of things, it might be better to wait for Sonos Arc Gen 2 and for all the ‘extra, mouthwatering’ features to be supported. 

If you’re on a tight budget, then yes, there are other options out there. But, once you get immersed in Dune 2 with the Sonos Arc, you’d want to start saving up money immediately.