Sonos continues to expand its home theater speaker selection with the Arc soundbar. The Arc combines the voice assistant support of the $399 Sonos Beam with the power of the $599 Sonos Playbar in a single $799 package, adding Dolby Atmos compatibility with directional tweeters in the process. It’s an impressive soundbar on its own, and you can easily integrate it in an existing Sonos multi-room system or pair it with other other Sonos speakers for a truly impressive surround sound setup. Its terrific audio performance and flexibility earn it our Editors' Choice for high-end soundbars.

Design and Features

The Arc features sleek curves for a more modern look than the angular Playbar. Available in black or white, it’s a 45-inch-long oval cylinder measuring 4.3 inches wide and 3.5 inches tall, with a rounded metal grille that runs around the entire front and top. The only flat surfaces are the back panel, so the soundbar can be mounted on a wall, and the bottom, which holds a wide rubber foot to keep it in place. A Sonos logo sits on the front.

The top panel holds three touch-sensitive buttons for volume down, volume up, and play/pause. These controls sit in the center of the soundbar, near the back, while the microphone indicator sits far off in the back right corner. An additional indicator, which lights up when you use a voice assistant, sits front and center.

All ports on the speaker can be found in a rectangular recess on the back. They include an HDMI port for connecting to your TV over ARC or eARC, an Ethernet port, and a power connector. A pairing button used for the setup process also sits here. There is no optical input, but Sonos includes an optical audio adapter if you want to use that instead of HDMI.

The Arc doesn’t have a remote, though it features an infrared sensor and repeater so it can take commands from your TV remote. It works directly with your TV over eARC to seamlessly accept the volume commands sent from your TV’s remote. You can also use the app to control volume if you'd like.

On the audio front, the Arc features eight elliptical woofers and three angled silk-dome tweeters, powered by 11 class-D amplifiers. The drivers are arranged to provide a 5.0-channel sound field, adjusting to the acoustics of the room you place it in by using the speaker's built-in microphone and Sonos' Trueplay tuning feature.

App and Setup

As mentioned, the Arc connects to the new Sonos S2 app for Android and iOS. Sonos directly supports dozens of different streaming audio services, including all major ones like Amazon Music, Apple Music, Google Play Music, SiriusXM, Spotify, and Tidal. The soundbar also works with Apple AirPlay 2, so you can stream music straight from your iOS device. And you can choose between hands-free Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice assistance, but you can only use one at a time.

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You need the app to set up soundbar and toggle specific features like Night Mode and Voice Enhancement. It also provides access to bass and treble adjustments, though there's no multi-band EQ.

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As with all Sonos products, setting up the Arc is easy. Simply download the Sonos app, enter your account information (or create a new account), select the Arc in the list of devices to configure, and follow the instructions. The app walks you through pressing the pairing button on the back of the soundbar, connecting it to your Wi-Fi network if you don’t want to use Ethernet, and adding it to a room. Configuring your voice assistant of choice adds an extra step that opens the Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant app, but it's still a quick and easy process.

Of course, can also pair the Arc with a Sonos Sub subwoofer and/or with two Sonos One speakers for dedicated rear satellites. You’re limited to Sonos speakers for expansion, though; there’s no conventional subwoofer output for other subs. On the plus side, the app makes the pairing process incredibly easy—there's no easier way to set up a full home theater than this.

Performance

For a one-piece soundbar, the Arc has a surprising amount of power. While it doesn’t quite reach into the thunderous sub-bass range it can if paired with a Sonos Sub, the speaker can still shake the walls a bit at maximum volumes. The kick drum hits in our bass test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” are powerful and weighty at high volumes, without any noticeable distortion.

Yes’ “Roundabout” sounds full and detailed on the Arc. The opening acoustic guitar plucks get plenty of resonance and string texture. When the track really kicks in, the electric bass sounds punchy and stands out, while the other elements in the busy mix like the guitar strums, drums, and vocals can all be distinctly heard. It’s a strong, room-filling sound with nice balance.

The Crystal Method’s “Born Too Slow” shows off the Arc’s impressive bass response even without a subwoofer. The driving backbeat gets palpable force that sounds properly ominous, while still giving the strong high-mids in the rest of the track plenty of room for balance. The snares, guitar riffs, and shrieking vocals all stand out against the thumping beat for an exciting, energetic sound.

The climactic battle in Avengers: Endgame is powerful and engaging on the Arc. The rumble of ships swooping around and the swell of the soundtrack get lots of rumbling low-end presence. Sound effects like the crackle of portals receive accurate placement thanks to the directional tweeters, providing a sense of height in the front-facing sound field. That said, in my apartment I didn’t pick up much reflective audio from the sides. Pairing the Arc with two Sonos One speakers for true surround is a very good idea if you want truly immersive audio.

The remastered version of Phantasm also sounds very good on the Arc. The growling and snarling of the hooded monsters can be heard clearly, and the gunshots that fend them off are punchy and powerful. In the scene near the end in the portal room, the high-pitched whining and low, eerie thrumming of the portal sounds overwhelming and creepy, evoking a sense of dread. Dialogue can be clearly heard through all of this, with strong directionality and stereo panning.

One-Piece Sound With a Punch

The Sonos Arc is an admirable step up from the Beam and Playbar, combining Dolby Atmos-compatible audio, directional tweeters, strong standalone bass, and voice assistant support. It costs twice as much as the Beam, but it packs in more features and a lot more power, justifying the expense. Add excellent music performance and extensive support for streaming audio services (along with AirPlay 2), and you have an excellent all-in-one sound system.

If you don’t mind giving up voice assistant support, the LG SL10YG soundbar offers impressive power and includes a wireless subwoofer for about $200 less than the Arc. And for even less, the Roku Smart Soundbar can be combined with the Roku Wireless Speakers and Roku Wireless Subwoofer for a genuine surround experience for under $500. If you want the best blend of power, features, and functionality, though, the Sonos Arc is your best bet and our Editors’ Choice.