Review on 🔊 Sonos Arc - The Ultimate Smart Soundbar for TV, Movies, Music, Gaming, and More - White by Chris Peck

Introduction: I connected my Sonos Arc to a 2019 65" Samsung The Frame and an NVIDIA 1050ti PC media server using an HDMI cable to the Samsung OneConnect box. I watch my media using VLC media player. The operating system is Windows 10 and I have the Dolby Access app. My rating and experience is based on using it as part of a PC based home media Centers. I won't go into the nuances of Dolby and Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) here, other than how I got them to work in my setup IMPORTANT SETUP INFO: 1. Sonos Arc will only work if you have your Set the modem/router to the 2.4GHz band I had mine running at 5GHz and was confused as to why Arc wasn't working on my network I also have the Arc with an Ethernet Ka permanently connected to my router for redundancy. you need a newer TV with eARC support to get the most out of it. YOU NEED A SMARTPHONE TO SET UP THE ARC. 3. When streaming media, you can automatically receive Dolby and DD+ if you have a newer TV. If you use a home media PC like me, you'll need Windows 10's Dolby Access app (on sale for $11.99). Windows has a free Movies & TV app that supports Dolby and DD+ but cannot play many file formats and does not work with games. Like me, you will probably use VLC Media Player. There are many guides on how to get the player to output Dolby Surround sound in native mode. You may also need to right click on the media and select the correct audio track as some media contain a stereo track and a DD+ track. I have confirmed that I am getting DD+ on my 4k media files by checking the Samsung sound menu as well as the VLC app. I also found that right-clicking the audio settings icon in the Windows taskbar and setting the audio output to Dolby Atmos headphones helped VLC 'find' the correct audio settings for high quality. To set up Google Assistant (or Alexa), you'll need to give Sonos permission to remember any media played through it. I am sorry. hard pass. I already have a Nest Mini and keep it separate. Putting these amazing facts aside, most people will be able to just hook up Arc in 15 minutes and start streaming videos from Netflix etc without any issues. The software automatically connected to my Samsung remote control. I figured out how to get optimized sound from my home media pc after a few hours of surfing an internet forum and I am very happy with the performance of this soundbar for video, music and gaming. You should be able to easily transfer music to Sonos via your iPhone. There are many guides on this as well. WHERE TO FIND: Honestly, these things are harder to find than an honest politician. I ordered mine from Revain in June but global supply chains have been disrupted due to Covid and the trade war. I was finally able to find it at Best Buy in early August and received it within three days. Just finding it will probably be the most time-consuming aspect. Great: Seamless integration into almost any home, provided you have the right TV and a bit of tech experience. Attractive minimalist design. Big performance and great sound in a small package. You probably don't need a subwoofer or satellite speaker unless your room is larger than 20 feet. Hard to find. Minimal inputs means limited connectivity to devices other than Wi-Fi (or, in my case, a multimedia PC). The Bad: The setup is so foolproof that it doesn't come with a manual. That means half-idiots like me who use it for applications other than connecting to a streaming media service actually have some work to do. GENERAL: I recommend it if you need an attractive all-in-one compact audio solution for your home. As you can see from my photos it works very well and does not stand out. I will probably not mount the device on the wall.