TechHive Executive Editor Michael Brown was capable of check just about every feature of the new Sonos Arc soundbar save one: its Dolby Atmos efficiency.
Mike confronted a few key obstacles on that rating. For starters, the 2017 Samsung Q7-series 4K QLED TV he used throughout his evaluate doesn’t help eARC, a more recent HDMI function that may deal with (amongst different issues) the transmission of lossless audio from a TV to a soundbar. Because the Dolby Atmos metadata on a Blu-ray disc resides on the disc’s lossless Dolby TrueHD monitor, Mike wasn’t capable of check Atmos on the Arc—which has only one HDMI port—utilizing his 4K UHD Blu-ray participant. (You can read more about ARC and eARC here.)
The different solution to take pleasure in motion pictures and TV exhibits with Dolby Atmos sound is by way of streaming video providers, akin to Amazon Prime Video, Apple iTunes, or Netflix. Such providers transmit Dolby Atmos by way of Dolby Digital Plus, a lossy format that the unique ARC can deal with.
Problem solved, proper? Not so quick. Mike lives in an space of rural Northern California that lacks high-speed web; the quickest DSL service he can get isn’t fairly quick sufficient to stream Netflix at 4K, which is a requirement for Dolby Atmos sound on that service.
So, Mike shipped the Sonos Arc to my Brooklyn residence, the place I’ve a 2019 LG C9 4K OLED TV that does help eARC, plus a speedy web connection (about 200Mbps downstream). That meant I might check the Arc’s Dolby Atmos utilizing each my Sony 4K UHD Blu-ray participant and my Apple TV 4K streaming set-top field.
Subtle, real looking Dolby Atmos efficiency
The outcomes: fairly good, if a tad delicate. (To be truthful, the Arc’s efficiency would possible be extra thrilling when linked to elective wi-fi encompass audio system and a devoted subwoofer, however that will drive the value of the bundle method up.) While the Arc’s Atmos efficiency didn’t blow me away (though in-your-face top cues aren’t perfect, both), I used to be nonetheless impressed with the depth and realism of the Arc’s Atmos-enabled soundstage.
I began with considered one of our go-to Dolby Atmos demo reels: the scene in X-Men: Apocalypse the place a younger Scott Summers wreaks havoc in a rest room stall as he makes use of his laser-beam eyes for the primary time. What makes the scene fascinating from an Atmos standpoint isn’t a lot the preliminary mayhem, it’s the sound of the particles of plaster falling from the ceiling, and the Arc delivered the aural expertise convincingly.
Next, I spun up the 4K UHD Blu-ray of Blade Runner: 2048 and queued up the scene the place Ok pilots his spinner to the ruined orphanage within the outskirts of San Diego. I used to be impressed by the patter of rain towards the windshield and the sudden, scary “pop” of incoming hearth from attackers far under. It’s a vertiginous sequence that depends on 3D audio cues for a lot of its impact, and the Arc the soundtrack of this arresting scene with aplomb.
I additionally tried the opening titles of Superman, a famously thrilling title sequence that acquired the Dolby Atmos therapy just a few years again. Accompanied by John Williams’s Oscar-nominated rating, the titles swoosh up, down, and throughout the display screen, and there was a palpable sense of top as Marlon Brando’s title soared over my head (or no less than, so it felt).
I rounded out my Atmos testing on the Arc with the Dolby’s Atmos-enabled “Leaf” trailer, with the Arc deftly dealing with the sound of a seedpod twirling within the air amid crackling branches in a dense forest. The spacious audio on this delicate Dolby trailer requires a lightweight contact, and the Arc didn’t disappoint.
While I used to be largely happy with the Sonos Arc’s Dolby Atmos efficiency, I had quibbles (properly, one quibble and one outright grievance) about a few non-Atmos audio points.
Bright sound signature
First, I felt that the Arc’s general sound was considerably vivid—that’s, extra closely weighted towards the upper audio frequencies, favoring treble greater than bass. I observed this whereas watching and listening to a wide range of motion pictures and TV exhibits, in addition to whereas cranking some tunes.
There’s nothing essentially unhealthy about “bright” audio; ultimately, it’s all about style, with some listeners preferring a “warmer” sound that tilts extra towards decrease frequencies (that’s me), whereas most audiophiles search a “flat” sound that performs it proper down the center. Simply bear in mind that the Arc’s audio signature is (to my ears, anyway) crisp fairly than deep. That’s not my cup of tea, but it surely could be yours.
Low-frequency hiccups
My second remark is a criticism: specifically, that the Sonos Arc’s built-in woofers typically appeared like they have been straining—and even popping—throughout moments of intense bass.
What’s fascinating about this challenge is that it may be difficult to breed, and customarily talking, the Arc’s woofers dealt with most low-frequency results with out skipping a beat. For instance, the Arc easily cornered the bassy turns throughout 2 Fast 2 Furious’s frantic opening road race.
Unfortunately for the Arc, the soundbar faltered throughout considered one of my favourite film sequences of all time: the chase by the asteroid subject in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (the brand new UHD Blu-ray model). The roar of the Millennium Falcon’s engine because the freighter swerved, banked, and corkscrewed throughout the display screen made the Arc’s woofers emit an odd, worrisome shudder. Dialing down the Arc’s bass EQ degree and toggling off the Loudness setting made the Falcon’s booming engine sound a tad smoother, however the soundbar’s stumble throughout this key scene stays a disappointing and distracting fail.
Other users on Sonos’s community board have additionally reported bass hiccups with the Arc, however there’s additionally some excellent news. Replying to one of the complaints, a Sonos rep mentioned that firm engineers have been “able to reproduce” the problem and are “working on a fix for it now,” so fingers crossed. I’ve reached out to Sonos individually concerning the potential software program repair and can replace this text after I hear again.