Sound bar

I recently purchased a Sonos ARC sound bar and it's anything but a stupid idea, particularly in light of room variations and seating positions. In fact just the opposite!

With 21 speakers and 11 onboard class D amps this sound bar will fill a room with a quality audio experience and do so from any location in the room. Voices are crystal clear for both tv shows and movies and it has the capability to play music directly from the Spotify phone app without turning on the tv.

Based on my experience I highly recommend the Sonos ARC sound bar.

wrm57 I'm a picky audiophile as well. I suspect those criticizing sound bars have not heard a Sonos ARC!

In my media room I have a traditional 7.1 set-up with audiophile center speaker, two towers, 2 15" subs and 2 surrounds. In my den I only have the Sonos ARC and the Gen 3 subwoofer. Our den is part of an open floor plan, so I don't have the luxury of 4 contained walls. The Sonos ARC fills the entire space, including the kitchen was excellent quality sound. This generation of Sonos speakers has vastly improved over Gen 1. I know, because I have both.

I'm so impressed with the Sonos ARC I'm thinking about replacing my Center Channel speaker in my media room later this month when I purchase a 85" OLED tv.

After watching the video I'm drawing three conclusions.

1. Two distinct design applications that happen to overlap. Sound bars are designed primarily to provide higher quality audio and improve voicing in comparison to television speakers. No question sound bars are an improvement there. Audiophile separates are designed to provide the highest quality music playback and immersive movie experiences.

2. Sound bar drivers cannot yet match audiophile towers or mini's.

3. Your type of application is important. If you want a non-intrusive solution (no box speakers in the room) to improve television audio without the expense of a full home theatre set-up, the Sonos ARC is a very good alternative. Additionally, the Sonos ARC fills a room and or rooms with good music quality when entertaining guests.