As usual great review and analysis, today i got my sonos sub gen 3 and paired with a beam and two fives (arc will arrive by friday), i put saint-saëns symphony no. 3 in c minor op. 78 organ maestoso allegro, and it blew my mind. Regards.
That combination is potent. Fives and subs are at the top of the product shelf. When you get your arc, your spatial stage will improve tremendously over the Beam.
Hi Peter, Unbelievable the difference that one sub makes but 2 blows it out of the park! For anyone watching this I suggest you listen to the sound demos with a headset to get the best experience possible. Would really have liked to hear the fives with this and see how they compare to the play1’s sound curves. Great work and thanks for sharing! :)
Peter, thanks for another very informative video. I watched on my iPhone 11 with a pair of air pods and the bass with the two subs was impressive. However, the big takeaway message for me was to get the Sonos ones as surrounds ASAP. The difference in stereo separation was huge compared with the arc on its own. Don’t get me wrong, the sub adds a lot too (I’ve just added a gen 3 myself) but if I had to choose between the sub or the surrounds, I’d definitely get the surrounds first.
I invested in sub no2 this week (thanks to your review) all I can say is that movies and atmos enabled shows are amazing, though I've noticed very little difference in the music I've listened to. Thank you Peter your work is appreciated
Hey Marcus, all in all you are pleased with the upgrade? Do you hear a real difference (1 vs 2 subs) while watching 4K Atmos movies? More punch or just bit more balanced in distribution? I am on the verge of buying my second sub but I would love to hear from someone like you who made the jump :) thanks in advanced
@@elcordinho2202 yes I am very pleased with adding sub no2. It's hard to explain but its a lot more balanced and warmer bass now, it has punch yes but doesn't over power the rest of the system. Atmos is where it shines, but I still notice very little difference in the music I listen to. Is it worth another 699 to me yes I love the immersion and the evenness of the bass without overpowering the rest of the speakers. Hope this helps
First off, love your videos and have turned several friends onto them. My question pertains to mounting height for Sonos one rear surround speakers. They will be mounted to wall with brackets that angle downwards and sideways. The arc sits at about 30 inches high and ceiling is 9 ft. I want to mount the rears at roughly 6 feet high and angle downward, thoughts? My mop will be roughly 3 feet in front of speakers. Thanks in advance!
so how would this set up compare to two Devialet Phantom Reactors ? 600 and 900? Also near prices of two Sonos FIVES with the Sonos sub vs two reactors?
If you are into music, get the Sonos Fives with sub. If you are into movies, Arc with dual subs with ones. The reactor is like the lifestyle choice and performs in between.
What is the best surround sound system Sonos offers for both movies and music (I like to listen to music videos on TH-cam). How would you place each speaker? Thank you.
Hi Peter, a big fan of your channel. Here are the Sonos products for my home theater: Arc, dual sub, dual Five, dual play one. I have tried two configurations: (1) Dual five as surround, paired play one as additional front speaker to enhance voice; (2) dual play one as surround, paired Five as additional front speakers. I can tell there are some differences in terms of surrounding sound effect and dialogue. Can you do a frequency sweeping test and let me know your suggestion for best movie watching experience? Thanks.
What you are doing is to play two 'rooms' or setup at once. The timing issue causes frequency sweeps to be misaligned so it doesn't return very good results. It fluctuates wildly.
Peter, your expertise is outstanding. I have the Playbar, Sub gen 3 and 2 x Ones 2nd gen. I’m stuck deciding whether to change Playbar to the Arc, or add second sub. What would you advise would be better alteration please? My room size is 4 and a half meters by 3 and a half meters with the tv on the widest part and the sub diagonal to the tv. Any help would be great 👍
Hey Jeff, very kind words and thank you. If you find that your Playbar still has legs to run, I'd say go for the second sub. The improvement in sound will be much bigger than if you were to swap out the playbar for the arc. The other parameter you need to consider if your TV. If you TV is not capable of Atmos or doesn't have an E-ARC port now, then there is one less reason to upgrade to the Arc.
Great Video's Peter! I'm looking at upgrading my Playbar to the Arc for the Dolby Atmos. I currently have the Sony A8H OLED 65" with the 4K x800m2 DVD player and enjoy watching movies. Since the Arc doesn't have DTS-X and there are quite a bit of 4K titles in DTS-X what signal passes through the Arc? Thanks and keep the video's coming!
Hello Guys, do you know how can I connect my Sonos Beam, sub and a pair of One SL to my Macbook Pro M1 to get losless audio quality? I guess AirPlay must be using some sorts of compression. I dont have a TV to run through all the connections but I still would like to enjoy the full sound experience. Nobody talks about it really. Thank you for your comments, Gary
Thanks Peter... ... when I get this setup in our new house, I know there will times I DO NOT want all the speakers on... I’m thinking about early morning where I just want to hear the Arc output at a low volume. Can I easily change the setup?
For volume, you can get more by doing just that. But it is not just about the volume, having two separate subs gives the opportunity for you to spread the bass out and even the response throughout the whole room.
Could I have the two surround Sonos One SL as part of two virtual rooms from the app? This is to easily switch from Movie (with Arc and Sub) to Music (just the Sonos Ones) having all speakers in the same room. Thx
The difference is marginal really. You are going to have to spend a lot more to get the fives as surround. Sure the sound is definitely better and louder but it’s too much money.
Technically, you can play 7.1 sound, but it will be decoded and played as 5.1. Atmos or DTS:X has a more accurate term of 5.1.2 sounds, which the .2 at the back means height channel. The 7 in 7.1 includes width channel, which has since been deprecated a few years back.
is it possible to add 2 more sonos play 1s for more front surround? or for overhead surround.....? i have a extra old set and just wondering if it was possible to add them to the system...
@@PeterPee There was a TH-cam video recently posted explaining that this was possible via 2 in wall sonance speakers powered with a sonos amp. All he did was group the 2 additional fronts with the 5.1 system in the app and retuned via trueplay, he states that though it's not a true 7.1 it sounds better then a actual 7.1 setup. Is this a actual thing?
WOW 😳
That last setup (Arc, Dual Subs, and Plays) was absolutely stunning.
Time to go get that 2nd Sub.
Thank You!!!
As usual great review and analysis, today i got my sonos sub gen 3 and paired with a beam and two fives (arc will arrive by friday), i put saint-saëns symphony no. 3 in c minor op. 78 organ maestoso allegro, and it blew my mind. Regards.
That combination is potent. Fives and subs are at the top of the product shelf. When you get your arc, your spatial stage will improve tremendously over the Beam.
Hi Peter, Unbelievable the difference that one sub makes but 2 blows it out of the park! For anyone watching this I suggest you listen to the sound demos with a headset to get the best experience possible. Would really have liked to hear the fives with this and see how they compare to the play1’s sound curves. Great work and thanks for sharing! :)
Yeah, maybe at some point of time in the future I will do one with the Fives. Just very tiring to keep moving all the speakers around.
Peter, thanks for another very informative video. I watched on my iPhone 11 with a pair of air pods and the bass with the two subs was impressive. However, the big takeaway message for me was to get the Sonos ones as surrounds ASAP. The difference in stereo separation was huge compared with the arc on its own. Don’t get me wrong, the sub adds a lot too (I’ve just added a gen 3 myself) but if I had to choose between the sub or the surrounds, I’d definitely get the surrounds first.
I am in agreement. I just gave that suggestion a few comments ago. Basically, if you are into movies and concerts, prioritise the surrounds.
I invested in sub no2 this week (thanks to your review) all I can say is that movies and atmos enabled shows are amazing, though I've noticed very little difference in the music I've listened to. Thank you Peter your work is appreciated
Hey Marcus, all in all you are pleased with the upgrade? Do you hear a real difference (1 vs 2 subs) while watching 4K Atmos movies? More punch or just bit more balanced in distribution?
I am on the verge of buying my second sub but I would love to hear from someone like you who made the jump :) thanks in advanced
@@elcordinho2202 yes I am very pleased with adding sub no2. It's hard to explain but its a lot more balanced and warmer bass now, it has punch yes but doesn't over power the rest of the system. Atmos is where it shines, but I still notice very little difference in the music I listen to. Is it worth another 699 to me yes I love the immersion and the evenness of the bass without overpowering the rest of the speakers. Hope this helps
@@msp5616 It helped tremendously. Thanks again!
Thanks for the kind words!
Awesome job! Would love to see more from you
Hello from Costa Rica 🇨🇷 Peter!!! Enjoy your channel 👌🏼, as new with sonos arc, what inicial configuration do you recommend me, two five or the sub ?
can you show us your settings on ur phone with surround audio, sub, EQ for sound bar please
First off, love your videos and have turned several friends onto them. My question pertains to mounting height for Sonos one rear surround speakers. They will be mounted to wall with brackets that angle downwards and sideways. The arc sits at about 30 inches high and ceiling is 9 ft. I want to mount the rears at roughly 6 feet high and angle downward, thoughts? My mop will be roughly 3 feet in front of speakers. Thanks in advance!
Hi peter!! How you have your sound round speakers positioning? Looking each other like in the video?? 🧐
How big of a room do you need to make good use of a dual sub setup? (measurement wise)
I'd say about 15 feet by 10 feet and a ceiling height of more than 9'.
@@PeterPee Thanks! ordered
@@PeterPee me too
so how would this set up compare to two Devialet Phantom Reactors ? 600 and 900? Also near prices of two Sonos FIVES with the Sonos sub vs two reactors?
If you are into music, get the Sonos Fives with sub. If you are into movies, Arc with dual subs with ones. The reactor is like the lifestyle choice and performs in between.
What is the best surround sound system Sonos offers for both movies and music (I like to listen to music videos on TH-cam). How would you place each speaker? Thank you.
how can I try this demo through the arc? using dolby atmos of course
thedigitaltheater.com/dolby-trailers/
Hi Peter, a big fan of your channel. Here are the Sonos products for my home theater: Arc, dual sub, dual Five, dual play one. I have tried two configurations: (1) Dual five as surround, paired play one as additional front speaker to enhance voice; (2) dual play one as surround, paired Five as additional front speakers. I can tell there are some differences in terms of surrounding sound effect and dialogue. Can you do a frequency sweeping test and let me know your suggestion for best movie watching experience? Thanks.
What you are doing is to play two 'rooms' or setup at once. The timing issue causes frequency sweeps to be misaligned so it doesn't return very good results. It fluctuates
wildly.
Peter, your expertise is outstanding. I have the Playbar, Sub gen 3 and 2 x Ones 2nd gen. I’m stuck deciding whether to change Playbar to the Arc, or add second sub. What would you advise would be better alteration please? My room size is 4 and a half meters by 3 and a half meters with the tv on the widest part and the sub diagonal to the tv. Any help would be great 👍
Hey Jeff, very kind words and thank you. If you find that your Playbar still has legs to run, I'd say go for the second sub. The improvement in sound will be much bigger than if you were to swap out the playbar for the arc.
The other parameter you need to consider if your TV. If you TV is not capable of Atmos or doesn't have an E-ARC port now, then there is one less reason to upgrade to the Arc.
Great Video's Peter! I'm looking at upgrading my Playbar to the Arc for the Dolby Atmos. I currently have the Sony A8H OLED 65" with the 4K x800m2 DVD player and enjoy watching movies. Since the Arc doesn't have DTS-X and there are quite a bit of 4K titles in DTS-X what signal passes through the Arc? Thanks and keep the video's coming!
You have to set the X800 player to output via multichannel PCM. But you will lose heights channel. No 3D effect. Just surround sound.
@@PeterPee Thanks Peter for the response.
Hello Guys, do you know how can I connect my Sonos Beam, sub and a pair of One SL to my Macbook Pro M1 to get losless audio quality? I guess AirPlay must be using some sorts of compression. I dont have a TV to run through all the connections but I still would like to enjoy the full sound experience. Nobody talks about it really.
Thank you for your comments,
Gary
Thanks Peter...
... when I get this setup in our new house, I know there will times I DO NOT want all the speakers on... I’m thinking about early morning where I just want to hear the Arc output at a low volume. Can I easily change the setup?
No, it's not easy to change the setup. You have to unpair, and then pair them back in again. This is one of the sore points I have raised before.
@@PeterPee if anyone of them is Alexa enabled, couldn’t you set up some rules, for instance “play arc only”?
Hi Peter, how does this compare to just one sub but bumping up the volume in the App for more bass, maybe a cheaper solution for more bass?
For volume, you can get more by doing just that. But it is not just about the volume, having two separate subs gives the opportunity for you to spread the bass out and even the response throughout the whole room.
This vs the play 5s as surrounds for specifically for music?
I say go for play 5s as surround if you are into music.
Would two sub gen 3s be better then one sub gen 3 and one sub gen 2 ?
Yes. It would provide more lower end response.
I really should get a second Sub Gen 3 and measure the performance difference between a Gen 2+3 setup vs a Gen 3+3 setup.
Could I have the two surround Sonos One SL as part of two virtual rooms from the app?
This is to easily switch from Movie (with Arc and Sub) to Music (just the Sonos Ones) having all speakers in the same room. Thx
No, that's not currently possible. I have been asking for that feature. Sonos has not implemented that. Yet.
@@PeterPee Ok! And thank you for asking them.
You Can try to make on video whit trueplay whit a iPhone 11 ore 12 mini or 6 for the setup whit one subwoofer 😉😉😀
@@wwertyuio1843 Can i borrow yours 😂😄👍
I'd probably have to redo the whole test again! Haha. But it's all relative. It'd be similar results.
Is there any comparison between ultimate 3.200$ graphic with this arc, play 1s and dual subs? Thank you sir.
The difference is marginal really. You are going to have to spend a lot more to get the fives as surround. Sure the sound is definitely better and louder but it’s too much money.
@@PeterPee thanks bro 🙏appreciates ur response
Hi Peter
I have one Arc , one sub3 , and two sl !
Can I play 7.1 sound ?
Thanks
Technically, you can play 7.1 sound, but it will be decoded and played as 5.1. Atmos or DTS:X has a more accurate term of 5.1.2 sounds, which the .2 at the back means height channel. The 7 in 7.1 includes width channel, which has since been deprecated a few years back.
is it possible to add 2 more sonos play 1s for more front surround? or for overhead surround.....? i have a extra old set and just wondering if it was possible to add them to the system...
No, unfortunately that is not possible.
@@PeterPee There was a TH-cam video recently posted explaining that this was possible via 2 in wall sonance speakers powered with a sonos amp. All he did was group the 2 additional fronts with the 5.1 system in the app and retuned via trueplay, he states that though it's not a true 7.1 it sounds better then a actual 7.1 setup. Is this a actual thing?
Hey, are you using arcana or something to play atmos?
No. I am just using the Nvidia Shield 2019 direct to the WeMax A300 short throw laser projector with a HDMI regular ARC port.
@@PeterPee so, is it safe to assume that you get compressed atmos as there is no earc ?