Testing EVERY Sonos Arc Surround Sound Setup
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
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Got a Sonos Arc and want to add to your setup? In this video, we outline and test all of the current subwoofer and rear surround options you can pair with the Sonos Arc to help you choose the correct setup for your space and budget.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:42 Need to Knows
1:54 Arc Lowdown
4:52 Rears or Sub?
5:17 Sub Options
5:43 Sub Mini
6:17 Sub Gen 3
7:23 Sub Sound Test
9:27 Rear Options
9:48 One SLs
10:20 Era 100s
10:47 Era 300s
11:24 Fives
11:53 Rear sound Test
14:52 Verdict
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Upgraded my Bean2 to Arc with sun mini and two ones. And it makes a noticeable difference. Next upgrade is to two era300’s and then sun gen 3 later. Great that you can move towards the setup you want slowly since the existing hardware can be used elsewhere.
Your reviews are excellent. Tight script, simple video effects, well-structured with chapter breaks. Keep up the great work.
An extremely thorough and helpful video. Thank you!
Having an Arc,Two Era 300 and a sub ( gen 2 ) I’m just saving for another sub.. gen 3.. the sound of the set is mindblowing and CZcams does not give any credit to the real experience. Highly immersive set the recommendation of this video.
awesome job explaining the difference in the set ups !
Got the arc and sub gen 3 from these guys and can’t fault it. Will be getting the era 300s soon. Hopefully if price of them drops.
I have the exact 7.1.4 setup as mentioned in the video. Movie experience is amazing, and music experience is even more next level if you have atmos music app like Apple Music. Not all atmos songs come with good audio engineering but once you find a good one, it’s like putting on a 3d glasses for your ear for the first time.
I have a pair of 300's on order to pair with my Arc, which songs would you recommend listening to?
@@TheSpacemanSpliff maybe try golden hour (atmos version)
Fantastic video
I had ARC, Sub Gen 3 and two One SLs. I pre-ordered a pair of ERA 300s. Wow! What an upgrade!
I had some friends from the UK visit on Saturday (I now live in FL) and demonstrated the setup with the opening scene of John Wick 4 on 4K Blu-Ray. They were totally blown away and said it was like being in the Cinema.
I totally agree with your recommendations. Having the One SLs as the rear surrounds is great. If you can afford to upgrade to the ERA 300s, you will have a stunning system that will not disappoint.
Can you just come home and connect your phone via BT to this same setup and play music (or anything else) or its only working via HDMI-Arc?
Try setting the One SL’s or 100’s in front as a stereo pair then add to the cinema group
I have an Arc with a sub mini in a fairly small room and the sub mini is more than enough. It really rumbles the room so I can’t imagine a Sub3! I just got 2 Era 100’s last week and it’s a game changer. Playing Helldivers 2 or MW3 on PS5 is incredible. I didn’t realize how much the two rears can change everything. Sonos really makes some great products especially with the big sale they have going on now.
Ended going with the Arc, dual Gen 3 subs, and Fives as rear just after X-mas. Purchased everything before I knew the release dates of the Era 100/300. This set-up sound fantastic and noticeably better by several levels compared to my Nakamichi 7.2.4. My cable provider only has Dolby 5.1, don't listen to spatial audio, and probably about 30%-35% of the steaming shows I watch is in Atmos. I can wait to see if Sonos comes out with an Arc Gen 2, Era 500 speakers, or update the app to add more speakers to the home theater group to compete with the Nakamichi Dragon 11.4.6 system.
Great video. Would you be able to comment on adding a second gen 3 sub to an existing Sonos Arc, a pair of rear Era 300s, and gen 3 sub? In your opinion, is the second sub worth the cost? Does it drastically improve the performance of the system? Thank you.
Defo going to add two era 300’s to my ARC setup. Can’t wait 👌
Update. Bough two Era 300’s as surround rears. Blown away. It’s literally like being in a cinema. 🔥
Very interested in the ultimate set up with the era 300s but I don't have a typical square room and flat ceiling layout. I would be very interested to see how performance drops with awkward roo shapes and curtains etc
Did you try it? I have a mediumish rectangle room that is 3m in width and 4.25m in length. Not sure if a soundbar alone is enough. Don't want to overkill if additional speakers are needed.
Great channel and content
Much appreciated
I would like to know what you this about using the Sonos amp, sub gen 3 with 2 Sonos architectural ceiling speakers as rears.
Hi guys if anyone doesn't know you can add an EXTRA pair of sonos speakers for left and right channels with your arc in your home theater setup, make it a stereo pair and then group them together with your home theater setup. I have the arc, 2 fives (left and right), 2 sub gen 3, and 2 era 300 for rears... it makes the front stage come alive with crisp dialogue and you can hear every single action clearly.... enjoy!!!!
never knew about this
@bentleyspotter I'm happy to help the sonos community I'm surprised not a lot of sonos influences talk about this . If you try this just make sure your overall volume is the same as the rest of the speakers to keep the balance
I have the same setup except I have two Sonos one sl instead of fives. Do you get atmos with this setup?
@@mustafahussain3972 so you can't actually connect it to the soundbar you have to have them setup separately? How do you connect tv audio to the extra front speakers? Sonos website says you cannot add left and right channels to arc. Just confused on how to do this
@bentleyspotter correct...set them up separately as a stereo pair then group them with your other set up
Great video as always!! I just bought my setup....LG G3 65", Sonos ARC, SONOS SUB Gen3 "also have gen1 which will be added" , Sonos ERA 300's. My question is I'm not a lover of floor stands and would rather mount the 300's on the wall just beyond my sitting position about 3' down from the ceiling. In your professional opinion what are your thoughts in mounting the 300's all the wall instead of stands?? Thanks and hope to hear back from you!!
Okay. maybe I will add one😊
Have the arc, 2 era 300s and sub gen 2. My living room is connected to the kitchen (open) and the left side of my era 300s ( basically in between the living and kitchen) sound seems to get lost. Its kinda annoying cause you can hear the right back but not really left back and im sitting right next to it. I had to adjust the “far” meter to kinda balance them out
Hi
Have you tested arc +sub gen 3+two era 100's surrounds and an era 300 in the middle at the back?
I have Arc and Era100. I’m very happy with it. I just don’t think I need the sub. I live in a townhouse and worry about the neighbors.
But over all it sounds wonderful.
I just don’t notice the Atmos when listening. I’m sure it’s there but hard for me to notice.
I have bean and sub gen 3 and SL rears and it’s amazing! My opinion is the beam gen2 is just as good as the arc
I have a Sony HT-ST5000, apple 4K TV. I am looking to add 2 Sonos E300 for rears connected via the Apple TV. My room has the sofa against the rear wall, vaulted ceiling at about 12 feet above me, a wall on the left and it’s open to the kitchen from the right. The wall the TV is on is about 18 feet from the sofa.
How would the E300 sound if they were on end tables on each side of the sofa?
Well i took the leap an got the arc 2x gen3 subs an 2x era 300’s for rears…& all i can say is..wow what a system. The in-store set up with the just the arc and a single sub does not justify an actual dual sub set up with 300s for rears like this nice review 👍
What would be the comparison in adding SONOS architectural in-ceiling or in-wall speakers instead of Era 300?
I have 1 arc, sub gen 1 and 2 play 1 as surroundspeakers. Will it be a huge difference to upgrade the sub to gen 2 or gen 3? And the system says its dolby atmos when I play that content.
i wsa quite happy with the sound from my SONY 21" Trinton tv with its mono seaker
I have a Sonos playbar and 2 Sonos ones. What do you recommend for an upgrade or what Sonos speakers to add to make an even better experience?
I have the ARC and sub gen 3. My next add will be the era 100’s. Would love the era 300’s but it’s a bit out of my budget.
I think I have to use the 100’s as rears because the 300’s are kind of huge and would get in the way of my front walkway, behind the couch
@@robertweekes5783 I bought the 100’s and they complete my system. Definitely grab them. They were on sale from Best Buy for Black Friday but not sure if the sale is still going on
Great video, but I would have liked to see a setup with the arc, sub gen 3, and ceiling speakers via the Sonos amp
I would love to upgrade my surrounds from One SLs to Era 300's. However my space is probably not the best or big enough for the Era 300's to fulfil their potential so the £900 price tag (even using a 15% discount) just seems too much at the moment.
I am suffering from FOMO though. Perhaps I need to move to a bigger place :). Thanks for the video though, very useful.
I’m considering getting Era 100’s as rears because they take up less of my limited space behind the couch and are less likely to piss of my gf / neighbors
Can you tell me where I can find the stands you use for the ARC 300s in this video?
Wondering if this Sonos sound bar has skipping sound when paired with rear speakers? Like in middle of movie from time to time.
I personally find that the sound is much cleaner with just the Sub Mini. It gives you that extra lower end you’re missing with the Arc alone but when the Sub Mini was added it doesn’t drown out the lows and mids. I’m getting the mini to add to my Arc and One SLs in a small to medium living room!
Sounds like the perfect setup for your space!
@@smarthomesounds thanks, awesome review by the way
@@smarthomesoundsis it possible to add a pair of the Sonos fives as 2 front speakers?
Hi, off topic I know but where did you purchase the strips of timber behind your tv please?
killer deal by Sonos right now. I just picked up the arc with a pair of ERA 300s and their GEN three sub shipped for $2100 after taxes. Can’t wait to set it up with my 100” Hisense U8K!
Did you try ARC and single ERA300 ? (I've got a 300 as music speaker)
Kudos for this video and testing each setup. I have my eye on one of setup for quite some time and this helps having more knowledge. One question tho: Can you just come home and connect your phone via BT to this same setup and play music (or anything else) or its only working via HDMI-Arc?
I heard it’s no on blutooth if the rears are paired with the Arc bar. But you can easily cast audio / video to your TV from your smart phone 📱
What about the settings for the bass treble and height audio?
So if i get the era 100s and a second gen3 subwoofer with my sonos arc would that sound pretty good
I have the arc with 2 subs and the Sonos five
Thinking of going for the era 300 but maybe just wait for a era 500 something must be coming soon 2024 right ?
Hello - I noticed at 8:15 the two subs were perpendicular to the wall. I always assumed they should be parallel, with the opening facing the wall/room. Is parallel better? I guess I will have to try it. :)
Can we run a sonos gen3 sub at the back of the room and lets say a sonos amp and RCA to a front high end 3rd party sub?
Would you be able to control both independently?
Thank you!
I have an arc, sub gen 3, and 2 SLs. Are the era 300s that much better? I currently live in an apt
I just upgraded to the arc with two era 100s and the new LG G3 tv from a 10 year old system and it’s incredible I can’t believe I waited so long to upgrade.
Great choice! This is the same set up I'm going for, how you finding it so far? What size G3 did you go for by the way?
I got the 55” tv it looks amazing it also links to the Sonos sound every time I use it, but I don’t really like the mount it comes with because you have to have really flat walls, mine seems to tilt up. The Sonos is amazing for music but for movies it needs the subwoofer that will be my next purchase early next year.
@@fearofwar Thanks! Yeah I've heard great things about the G3, especially the higher brightness levels in comparison to the C2/3. I'm planning on getting a stand for it as I have a TV unit it's going to sit on, bizarre it doesn't come with a stand! Re: Sonos, I've gone for the arc, two era 100s and a sub gen 3 so hoping this sounds great for music and movies. Do you find the 100s sufficient as surrounds? I was thinking about the 300s as an alternative but they seem overkill unless all you're watching is Atmos content. Black Friday coming up soon so you could always to treat yourself to a sub 😉
@@ab_mus1c yes the tv is super bright, I have it right across from a sliding door with lots of sunlight. For my living room is only 300sq feet so the 300 would be over kill for me and would look way too big in my condo. Overall I’m very happy with it. I was just playing a video game on game mode and had to turn the brightness down.
I had serious issues with 300’s as rears. Seems a second pair as just a stereo pair in another room was something they didn’t test well. I had to remove the rears and go back to ones. The 2 sets of 300 work perfect now.
I have 5 era 300s setup with a unique piece of ip tech so it places every individual sound whilst sonos beautifully postions & controls via the app & true play. There is no better set up out there!
how did you do this? ... by the way , im in dubai too :)
I'm using an arc, gen 2 & 3 subs with a pair of fives for surround. What is the ideal format for the fives as surrounds, horizontal or vertical ?
What is the video you use for demoing the options?
Is getting the arc, two sub-woofer (gen 2), and two era 300 or 100 too much for a studio apartment?
I have the Arc, Sub Gen3, and 2 One SL. Love it. But after watching ur recommendations i might get 2 Era 300s
Can I use the whole set up eg era 300s and the sub by using a ethernet cable to the arc my space is down the bottom of thw garden so wifi is a no go
I live in the small apartment. Should I get era100 or 300 for surround with arc and sub?
I can watch your demo all day, man. but would have been lovelier if there was a demo with the rear and subwoofer altogether.
Please cand you give me some advice in buying a surround wireless setup for my apartment. I want to place them in a 20m2 room(64m2 all apartment). I watch a lot of movie from netflix,hbo, and music from spotify premium, youtube. I dont want an overkill bass, or watt power just dolby atmos when i watch music or movies and good sound
arc+2 x era 300= 1600Euro in Romania
arc+ mini sub+ 2 x era 100 almost same price.1540E or
beam2+mini sub+2x era 300 for 1600e?
What do you recomend? Thanks a lot
Hello
I buy before month a set sonos with arc sub 3gen 2 era 100
Know I understand no atmos for era 100 per in with all
I don’t buy the era 300 because sonos say something about big room and i need for abed room but i think because of this i get a loose best preference
What do you think special about get full atmos experience? May be if i get for the set system sonos a five speaker?
Looking forward for your response
Thanks!
Cavity on the Sub Gen 3 should be facing outwards, not side to side, specifically for 2 sub setup. In the 2 sub config you have, likely a lot of sub frequency will be getting cancelled out between the 2 subs leading to sub-standard (no pun intended) performance. Re-orient the subs so the cavities are parallel (or both at the rear again with both cavities parallel).
I have arc sub and 2 era 300s
For surround sound the era 300s don’t really sound like they’re even on
Are there any recommended settings you have?
Wooowwwww I love it..
Nice video. I am between the Sonos arc, sub Gen 3, era 300 combo and Samsung q series.
Got the q990c, love the system only thing I hate the most is the subwoofer no bass, sonos sub 10/10
@holy__water5934 I ended up purchasing the Sonos system. The only issue is that Sonos doesn't work with all routers. They have issues with spectrum routers. Other that the system sounds great. Thanks for the reply.
I am inlove ❤ with your voice🥰
Is the sweet spot derived from your studio setting or elsewhere?
If from your studio what size is that ?
Thanks for the video very helpful.
What is the demo video content you are running in this video?
Informative video. Where, at all, does the So os Amp fit in, if it does?
You only need the amo if you are using im ceiling/in wall speakers (from Sonos)
I've got a Sonos Arc full setup in my gaming room and it's great, Full Klipsch Atmos system (5.2.4 stylishly done else the wife would be mad) in de living room though. Esp for music the arc falls short I like to listen in 2.1 stereo most of the time. But for everything else it's great.
Ow and nice review though
I have never seen such informative video before.. very well done keep it up 👍
Glad you liked it!
Hello, thank you very much for your information, you are doing a good job, Which is better Sonos arc or Samsung q990c? thank you
If you like action movies the hit hard theater like go with Sonos. Q990c is good on clean clear voice dialog, sub bass is really low.
Ordered new Sonos era 300 (pair) but somehow ordered the play fives, yesterday?!?!?!?! Immediately ordered the era 300s. Hopefully Sonos is kind to me.
Are the fives the best choice if you also love to play your music over the system? And do you place them vertically or horizontal?
Do the E300s have to be pointing to the front? Or inwards to the listener?
How about the arc + sub + rear sonance in ceiling speakers? That’s actually the most normal looking setup
Hi SHS ,
Just put my SONOS ONE'S SL up for sale on social media, Meaning I will hopefully need new rear speakers for my SONOS home cinema [Ark, Sub,] I have said on here in the past I am going for the ERA 300;S for rears. - Just a quick question ? on the SONOS website if you buy a pair of ERA 300s your able to save £45 & if you buy a pair of stands you save further £21 - Just wondering if I purchase from you are you able to match the price ?
Thanks for your help. Stuart.
What about people who have no way to add rear speakers due to no sockets? Will adding them or anything else to the front do any good?😢
Are the 300s worth it when paired with a Beam2??
Thanks mate great video.
Hello, I have the original Sonos Sound Bar. Paired with the first gen sub and 2 new 5’s for the rear. Would you suggest “upgrading” to the ARC.
It’s the Playbar… not Sound bar.
I have the arc , 2 era 300s and 2 gen 3 subs it’s the ultimate I have it paired with a Hisense 100 inch laser projector. It’s in my office. I call it the ultimate micro home theatre. I’ve had many home theater set ups over the last 25 years always changing them as technology has improved i am 60 yo I love audio / visual tech. This super sonos ultimate system is just awesome flawless. It replaced a hard wired 7.2 system which was great but this Sonos system once set up is simple and sounds killer you’d be surprised how it sounds in this small space
DAD REVIEW:
Best overall- SONOS ARC+Sub Gen3+Era300.
Young Children- ARC+Sub Mini.
Great, full-bodied sound- ARC+Sub Mini+Era 300.
I have all options above, but find the B option best until my youngest is sleeping better in thier room farther away from our living room.
Currently running arc + sub gen 3. In the future im gonna add a pair of era 300 to complete the setup. Would you say its ok to have the 300 2-3 meters behind from where you sit?
Great next step :-)
@@smarthomesounds Thx, so having the era 300:s a bit back (2-4m) from listening position is ok in ur opinion? Or do you think the sound would be weird?
What about beam gen 2, era300s and sub gen3?
Just got my first arc I’m already saving to either get the arc 300s or the sub first . Still unsure
get a sub first - thats your biggest sound improvement per money spent possible. After that add surrounds
Can you connect five Arcs together?
Love to have a sonos, only thing keeping me away is that it just have one hdmi port, i need to connect apple tv directly to the soundbar as my tv is not very high end one, so my tv wont give out atmos output. So if i buy sonos would have to upgrade my tv too, which will go out of my budget, if only they gave one more hdmi port, it would have been perfect.
Have anyone tried an arc with one era 300 for rear?
I need help. I have deteriorated hearing and we use the Sonos Arc, sub and era300 with Samsung tv and would like my family to have that while I’d like to integrate headphones just for me - how can I do this?
Great question! We're sorry to hear that though! We've had a collective head scratch here at HQ and the only workaround we could find would be to hook up your Arc to your TV via optical, then you would be able to plug headphones in to your TV's 3.5mm jack. However, this would disable all Dolby Atmos content through your sonos setup. However, there's no guarantee that this will work on your model of TV. There have been rumours of Sonos Headphones for a few years now so that could be the answer to your problem if they ever release. Sorry we couldn't be more help, but let us know if you find a work around!
@@smarthomesounds I tried connecting the sound bar using optical but I didn’t get any sound so I removed the optical adaptor to the hdmi and just used the Arc port. Still not sure what to do but thanks for checking for me. Cheers.
This video and channel deserves more views.. You need to rework your SEO
can we do a Arc 2 Sub gen 3 with 2 sl and 2 era 300? would that work or do you have to add extra groups
You can only add two similar speakers for rear surrounds into the Arc+Sub home theater group. You can group together up to 32 speakers; but, they will not be part of the Arc/sub/surround pairing and can't do IOS trueplay tuning outside that group. You would be adding additional speakers the exact same way you would add speaker(s) in Mono or stereo pairs when doing whole house audio. You might get some echo/reverb depending on the added speakers and placement in the same room.
@@mrgold3591 thank you I was always wondering
i'd start with the arc and 2 era 100, then later add a gen 3 sub, then 2 era 300 and finally an extra sub ...the era100 will then function as a mid left and right speakers
Now, all you need is a bigger TV! 🍿
Just bought sonos gen 3 and the arc, but my problem is that it doesn't uses Bluetooth. the app needs to be upgraded so that customers can be able to enjoy the Bluetooth.
Arc, Era 300, and 2 subs is only 7.1.4, not 7.2.4. The subs have the same crossover point to the Arc so they are both playing the same sound channel therefore it doesn't count toward the number of
channels. 😢
Anyone else have the arc, 2 era 300s and the sub mini?
If I have full set app with an Arc, sub and 2 era 300.
Can I use the era 300 for stereo music while they are part of the full setup?
What will be my options for music?
While they are part of the home cinema group you cant send music to the era 300 as a stereo pair. BUT ..... 1. you wouldn't need to. Once you experience your music on the whole setup you wouldn't go back ... or 2. its literally 60 seconds in the app to remove the surrounds from the home theater and then pair them as a stereo pair again.
Is it worth paying Arc money today considering its age, thinking ahead to 2024 where it’ll be oldish 😃 just a thought
Missing the Amp + Sonos Architectural speakers for surround.
I have a question, I took the leap and got the Arc + 2x Era 300s + 2x Sub Gen 3s… cool $3700 but I swear watching movies and listening to music (atmos on Apple Music specifically) for the first time with this setup was like seeing for the first time time. Any time I have people over now, the first thing I do is plop them on the couch and play Save Your Tears in atmos and it BLOWS THIER MINDS… if you’re debating I promise it is well worth it. May be my single best purchase in years. But, I want to know whether or not I can get a pair of Era 100s, Fives, or One SLs and place them in the front left and right next to my Arc… I know they won’t be linked for surround but I would probably only use them for music anyway. Has anyone tried this?
Raise your hands if you have your couch in the middle of the room. I'm guessing over 90% have it against the back wall. For rears therefore I would imagine the era 100's to be the the best compromise given that the speakers will be max 30cm away from your head.
I've heard that the sonos app only works on apple phones. Why no mention of this?
Because this is not true.
There is two types of Trueplay 1) at the speaker location only and that works with any smartphone. 2) Room Trueplay for Arc or Beam home theater system (with or without sub and/or surrounds). The 2nd Trueplay tunes the sound for the space, primary listening position, and speaker placement using an IOS device. Can't use the #2 tuning with Android device because there are too many Android devices with different mics on open source Android software.
Can clearly see the black colour is a fingerprint magnet