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RE: Best soundbars you've heard.

Sonos ARC is always one of the top rated. It's a bit different than some in how you set it up. Needs AC power, HDMI to TV, and Wifi or Ethernet. You walk your iPhone around the room with the Sonos App running and it maps out your room acoustics to dial it in. That's it. You can optionally use the App to manually tweak bass/treble/dialogue enhancement/limit dynamics for quieter night time use, etc. I don't mess with mine. I set it up once and that's it.

You can start with the Sonos ARC (which sounds excellent on its own BTW) then add the sub and satellites later. While these additional speakers require AC power (of course!) they are wireless over Wifi.... so no speaker wire cabling necessary. The soundbar alone is great. Adding the other speakers later makes the system even better. I have the Sonos ARC under our 75" TV in the basement. The soundbar based HT setup is 100% separate from the 2-channel stereo.

Sonos ARC soundbar under Samsung 75" TV in the basement setup

Not shown is the square donut shaped Sonos sub and the two satellite speakers in the back of the room.

Album art on the TV via Roon. Sonos ARC soundbar below the TV.

Control Roon using iPad touchscreen with Roon Remote App.

The Sonos ARC soundbar alone is $899 in black or white

They just released the Sonos ARC "Ultra" which I believe will replace the original Sonos ARC. These new "Ultras" might still be in transit to their retailers. The ARC soundbars are not light so be prepared to drill into 2x4 behind your drywall to install their optional mounting system. I just used a couple generic soundbar L-bracket mounts for mine purchased off Amazon. Or you can place the soundbar on a shelf under the TV.


Even the Sonos Beam is better than most speakers inside a flat screen TV but it is no match for the Sonos ARC which is significantly better. We have the Sonos Beam under the smaller 55-inch TV in the family room. Thinking about eventually replacing it with a Sonos ARC.




Edits: 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24 11/14/24
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