Perhaps this will be addressed in the inevitable Arc 2, though it seems like Sonos is taking the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach with the original Arc.īut hardware complaints aside, how do these beauties perform? Amazingly well, I’d argue.

So yeah, for gaming, a single eARC HDMI port is a major bummer.

Even in my own case, I liked having my older consoles hooked up to the HDMI ports on my Polk soundbar, which sort of served as a convenient retro switch, while the modern machines stayed directly connected to the TV itself. Does this make for a cleaner setup, especially if your TV has four built-in HDMI 2.1 ports like my LG G3 does? Sure, but it limits the functionality for other users. I suppose this falls in line with Sonos’ overall minimalistic approach, as the Arc only has a handful of single ports in general: HDMI, optical audio, ethernet and power. That, or keep unplugging and re-plugging devices. You’d have to buy a separate HDMI switcher to accommodate everything while using the Arc. If your TV has only, say, one extra HDMI port, and you have an Xbox Series X, a PS5 and a Nintendo Switch dock, then you’re out of luck. This egregious offense occurs in the year of our Lord, 2023. This means there’s no additional HDMI ports for connecting other consoles or devices. If you already know anything about the Arc, you’re probably familiar with the fact that this soundbar has only one HDMI 2.1 port, and it’s an eARC slot that connects directly to your TV. I’ve read that this is an issue with LG TVs specifically, but I’m disappoited that this hasn’t been updated via firmware on either LG’s or Sonos’ side.īesides the app tuning and lack of hardware volume indicator, getting everything hooked into the Arc is another one of Sonos’ few falters. And since the Arc doesn’t have any kind of on-board LED display to show volume levels, I was just guessing at where I should keep the sound. I had to boot up my dusty iPad to calibrate the system to my room, and if I didn’t have an iPad, then I would have been out of luck.Īlso, once I got everything hooked up, I noticed that my LG TV doesn’t display any kind of volume gauge with numbers. The only thing I didn’t like about the app was lack of Trueplay tuning support for Android devices. It’s like a choose-your-own-adventure novel! This is where you can choose what speaker combination you want for your gaming setup. Every time you power up one of the speakers, the app notices and seamlessly takes you through the pairing/update process. Setup was a total breeze through the Sonos app. I hate that it has a piano black finish, as it’s already covered in micro-scratches from being pushed around on carpet, but the design is striking. The 300s have this strange sort of inhalation shape to them, kind of like an original Xbox 360, while the Sub is a modernistic wedge that looks more like a time machine than a speaker. The Era 100s are like little space capsules, but the Era 300s and the Sub take the cake in terms of aesthetics. The bar is also not too tall, so it doesn’t block my TV’s IR receiver, an issue I’ve run into with other soundbars. Oddly, it doesn’t come with its own remote, instead relying on your TV’s remote control to adjust sound through eARC. The Arc looks like a futuristic wedge of space aluminum and blends in well underneath my LG G3. Each unit was quite heavy and felt well-constructed, communicating a level of quality that I haven’t observed on competing soundbars and their accompanying speakers, at least until maybe I eventually get my hands on the Nakamichi Dragon. The plastic-locked packaging was sleek and totally recyclable, which fittingly matched the minimalistic flair of the products themselves. But as you’ll read, I think it might be worth it. If you’re wanting the full surround sound experience, you’re looking to spend at least $2,200, moreso if you swap the Era 100s for Era 300s to enhance the effectiveness of Dolby Atmos. One Sonos Sub (Gen3) costs around $800, while a pair of Era 100s is $500, and a pair of Era 300s will set you back an eyewatering $1,000. If you get sick of the home theater/gaming setup, you can easily piece the devices out to have full-house music playback ( whatever happened to predictability-if you know, you know). You can also use each of those surround speakers individually in different rooms of your house, so that’s cool. That last one sounds like quitter talk to me, but if you’re in a confined space and don’t need all the extra horsepower, then the beauty of Sonos’ modular approach shines through.

Furthermore, you could simply use the Arc by itself with no additional surround speakers or subwoofers. Or really go nuts and use two Subs and two Era 300s with the Arc, which is a mix I call the Neighbor Nuisance. So basically, you can pair the Arc with say, the Sub and two Era 100s.

Sam says sweet sounds review