SONOS ARC
Tall and wide audio
sounds fantastic
Great with music
Good smart features
Just one HDMI port
GREATWith only a single HDMI
port, it’s impossible to
plug Atmos–enabled gear
direct into the Arc.suitably punchy — you’re not being let down
by the lack of separate sub. But it can’t quite
match the soft ambient rumble that a big
low–end unit can provide.
Oh, and let’s not forget Sonos’ other
speciality: music. The Arc is a full Sonos
speaker, including its very own streaming
system, plus Apple AirPlay 2. And it sounds
just as excellent for that, making full use of
all those speakers, plus Sonos’ renowned
knack for detailed presentation and finely
honed balance.
Our only gripe with the Arc is connectivity:
the Sonos Arc features a single eARC HDMI
connection, which is the way you should be
connecting it. It has optical too, but that’s
more limiting for soundtrack–type support,
and doesn’t enable handy control of the unit
from your TV’s remote.
Having just one HDMI limits which TVs the
bar can reach its full potential on, and can
just be downright inconvenient as it means
losing an HDMI port on your TV simply to
connect the bar, and you might not have that
port spare. If the Sonos had a single HDMI
passthrough, you could plug it in without
losing use of that port for other devices.
Also, if your TV doesn’t decode or
passthrough Dolby Atmos properly, Atmos
soundtracks won’t reach the soundbar at
their full quality. If the Arc had HDMI inputs,
you could plug Atmos–enabled gear directly
into it, so the Atmos sound signals get used
properly by the soundbar the before they
even hit the TV — ideal for older TV sets.
THE BOTTOM LINE. A phenomenal-
sounding bar, with just some small
complaints. MATT BOLTONTough testing, trusted ratings
maclife.com SEP 2020 49