I’ve been testing soundbars (and a lot more besides) for over 16 years now, and there’s simply no denying that the Sonos Arc is my absolute favourite.
There are soundbars that sound even better (the Sony HT-A7000 and Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max), but they cost significantly more and don’t, to my mind, offer quite the same ownership experience. Not only does the Arc sound great for its price, but it also boasts superior streaming smarts, excellent usability and options to upgrade through the addition of wireless surround speakers and/or a subwoofer. As a complete package, it’s irresistible.
It became extra irresistible during Black Friday, when the price dropped to £683, but that price has now dropped even further ahead of Cyber Monday, and right now you can pick up the white version of the Sonos Arc for just £668 at Amazon.
This is a really good price for the Sonos Arc, which is officially priced at £899, but you might be wondering if it will get even cheaper during Cyber Monday itself, which is tomorrow.
My feeling is that if it does, it will only be by a few pounds, and there’s every chance the price will go the other way. The very cheapest I’ve ever seen the Sonos Arc is £649, and that was in a blink-and-you-missed-it deal that appeared in May this year. It might get that cheap again for Cyber Monday, but I personally doubt it.
I could be wrong about that but if it was me, I think I would take the plunge now – though everyone should make their own risk vs reward assessment when it comes to deals.
The Arc sits above the Beam (Gen 2) in Sonos’s range, using 11 speakers to deliver one of the most convincing Atmos performances around. Features include Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect for easy streaming, and a choice of voice assistants, with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa both built-in. It’s simple to set up, slots into the Sonos ecosystem, and has earned What Hi-Fi? Awards in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
I’ve personally been involved in various Sonos Arc tests over the years, including its first What Hi-Fi? review and various comparisons since, and it’s still without a doubt the Dolby Atmos soundbar I would choose. In fact, it’s the Dolby Atmos soundbar I did choose – I’ve been using one at home for about a year, a brief flirtation with a pair of HomePod Gen 2’s notwithstanding.
If you want to go the whole hog and add true surround (one of the best things about going with a Sonos is that you can expand your system over time), you could add a pair of the new Era 300 or Era 100 speakers, which we’ve recently reviewed and are superb, but I think they’re probably overkill for pure surround duties, so I’d go for a pair of cheaper One SL speakers myself. They’re currently available for £132 each at Amazon in another cracking Black Friday deal.
You can also add a subwoofer to the Arc. There are now two – the huge and expensive Sub and the smaller and more affordable Sub Mini. Personally, I don’t think the Arc needs an additional subwoofer, so I’d suggest living with the soundbar itself at first and only adding one at a later date if you’re really craving more bass.
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