- The cinemas reopened on June 22 after 100 days of confinement.
- Film buffs who are still cautious about locking themselves in a dark room can already take advantage of the power and sound quality of the new Sonos Arc bar.
- Launched at 899 euros, the device is to be reserved for screens of at least 55 inches and its purchase must be considered as part of a scalable installation.
Be careful, chills. The new Arc de Sonos sound bar may blow your ears. Launched in full containment, the device, still sold 899 euros, is dedicated to those who are eyeing a home theater system both powerful and up-to-date.
If a return to the cinemas does not tempt you yet… immediately, this soundbar can constitute the instrument of a good distanced cinephilia.
For TVs at least 55 inches
The Sonos Arc is not the first soundbar from the American manufacturer. Exit the PlayBar or the PlayBase that preceded it in the cottages. Sonos still keeps the Sonos Beam soundbar in its catalog, but it is rather to be reserved for small TVs in small interiors.
With its dimension of 1.14 meters long, the Arc, sold 899 euros, thinks big. For our tests, we placed it at the foot of a 49 '' / 124 cm TV. The ace ! The Arc "protrudes" from the sides ... and slightly hides the bottom of the screen with its 9 cm height. In fact, its use will rather adapt to screens of at least 55 '' / 140 cm. Note that it is also possible to hang it on the wall. Connections take 5 minutes. Having only a power outlet, an HDMI eARC port and an Ethernet port, the soundbar nevertheless requires the use of the manufacturer's new application (Sonos S2) to be installed.
For a better sound rendering, the Sonos calibration system called TruePlay is called: before a first use, it is thus necessary to walk for a minute with your smartphone at arm's length in the room where the bar is installed. It emits sounds, the microphone of the smartphone analyzes them and thus makes it possible to better gauge the space to be sounded. Flat: this refined setting is only possible for iOS users, TruePlay not being part of the Android world…
Google Assistant and Alexa play remotes
No remote control on board. In addition to three touch keys on the top of the device (Play / Pause and Volume +/-), it is the user's smartphone that controls the machinery. The new Sonos S2 app looks like the previous version, and looks nicer. But no fundamental change to report. When you watch television, the sound goes instantly through the Arc and you can modulate the volume, but also reinforce the voices or enter Night mode. This function has the effect of attenuating the mass of the bass and clarifying the dialogues so as not to inconvenience the neighbors. Practical in apartment…
On TVs with an HDMI Arc socket, the volume control is automatically integrated into the functions of the classic screen remote control. Alternative: voice control, using Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. You have to delve a little into the application to access this type of setting. Please note, the voice command functions remain limited (switch on the television, raise and lower the sound, etc.). To call a specific program, a Google Chromecast key or Amazon Fire Stick TV must be installed in addition.
A subwoofer to add to the credits
Compatible with Dolby streams (including Dolby Atmos if you have a TV with eARC connectivity), the Sonos Arc literally fills the space. Tested for 15 days with films and series, the soundbar takes part in the show. Nothing to do, obviously, with the communion offered by a cinema. The sound image of the Arc is wide, of course, but remains fairly frontal. Equipped with three tweeters on the front and eight speakers (including two on the sides and two oriented upwards for the Dolby Atmos), the Arc does not disappoint.
The sound produced necessarily lacks enveloping sensations that only rear speakers could bring. Likewise, we found that even if the sound balance of the soundbar was fair and well balanced, bass was sometimes missing. A subwoofer will therefore also be necessary for the most demanding moviegoers. That's good, the panoply of Sonos speakers allows the Arc to be scalable and launch its arrows to the home subwoofer (the Sub, sold 799 euros) or a pack of two speakers that the we can place at the back of the sofa (the One, sold for 229 euros each). Still, in the end, the note can increase considerably: 899 + 799 + 229 + 229 = 2.156 euros for a complete set!
No Bluetooth for music
With the TV off, we have finally taken advantage of the Sonos Arc to listen to music. Always closed to the idea of integrating Bluetooth in its products (apart from its portable speaker Move), Sonos therefore requires the passage by Wifi and its Sonos S2 application to play songs. Through Sonos S2, it is possible to access all the streaming platforms, TuneIn for the radios, but also the new Sonos radio offer (free and appeared during confinement).
It offers thematic stations and access to webradios. The main card of Sonos remains nevertheless the multiroom: according to its equipment, it is possible to listen to such playlist in such room, such radio in such other, etc. It is even possible to send the Sonos Arc soundtrack to another room (to “listen” to the 8 pm newspaper in the bathroom, if necessary…). And new to the application: the creation of groups of rooms, as if to only sound a part of its castle (west wing; dungeon ...), or, more seriously, a floor or another in a house.
An anchor for a Sonos installation at home or an additional brick for building a scalable installation, the Sonos Arc is undoubtedly a good product, but a product that, on its own, does not offer its full potential.
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