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Sonos Arc vs Integrated Amp/Dac/Speaker set up

Mr.Nic

Mr.Nic

pfm Member
I've been running my TV audio via my hifi for years - it's currently set up with the TV optical out to Rega DAC-R > Aethos > ProAc D20Rs.

It sounds good to me & the wife's ears, however for ease of use and simplicity (and probably less power consumption), I've been considering getting a Sonos Arc for the TV audio. I'm also thinking that by separating my hifi system from the TV, I can listen to music via headphones without tying up the TV audio, leaving the wife to watch what she wants.

What I don't want to do is downgrade the sound from what I'm currently hearing, so I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has an Arc or who's moved from a typical 2:1 set up to an Arc or similar.

Pros / Cons / Whatever... Thank you!
 
You’re comparing apples with combined harvesters. Two totally different animals.
The Aethos & D20’s is about £5k I think?
And you’re hoping an £800 soundbar won’t be much of a step down?
Don’t get me wrong, the Arc is a great soundbar, easily good enough for the vast majority. Sounds great with tv, easy to set up & use, minimal cables, controlled with just the tv remote control & It gives a Pseudo-surround sound & atmos; add a couple of sonos 1’s for rear speakers will give you a decent surround sound effect, etc etc. Very respectable for a convenience-based, simple soundbar set up.
But hoping it’s not going to be a noticeable downgrade from a £5k amp/ speaker set up is a bit barmy.
 
manicatel said:
You’re comparing apples with combined harvesters. Two totally different animals.
The Aethos & D20’s is about £5k I think?
And you’re hoping an £800 soundbar won’t be much of a step down?
Don’t get me wrong, the Arc is a great soundbar, easily good enough for the vast majority. Sounds great with tv, easy to set up & use, minimal cables, controlled with just the tv remote control & It gives a Pseudo-surround sound & atmos; add a couple of sonos 1’s for rear speakers will give you a decent surround sound effect, etc etc. Very respectable for a convenience-based, simple soundbar set up.
But hoping it’s not going to be a noticeable downgrade from a £5k amp/ speaker set up is a bit barmy.
Click to expand...

I know you’re right and I’m being a tad unrealistic. In some ways I’m probably looking for a reason NOT to get the soundbar (despite my Mrs moaning about the hassle of the amp/dac combo…).

My own selfish reasons are more to do with keeping my current set up for music only while not compromising too much on good TV audio.
 
Depends on how much priority you want to give for the tv aspect, vs how much priority for 2channel listening.
For me, I’m not really into AV that much, so a Sonos set up is absolutely fine. Reliable, easy to use for the whole family & sounds decent.
I’d rather prioritise my 2 channel set up & settle for a Sonos set up for family entertainment. It’s great for what it is, & I can’t see me swapping it for anything else.
But with all the will in the world, you can’t compare the two.
 
The requirements of TV sound are different, I have a Sonos Beam & think it is great. I have a separate set up for music in another room which is far more compelling but so it should be.
 
Agreed.
Putting tv through a decent 2 channel system like the OP’s will sound great.
Sonos will be very good, convenient, easy to use for the whole family, it’ll ping the sound about to envelop you in a pseudo-surround sound, especially if you add rear speakers ( & maybe even the sub) into the package.
So it’ll come down to how much “purity” of a high quality 2 channel system you are willing to lose, in order to gain a simpler but “good enough” family friendly set up with Sonos.
 
I have a Sonos play bar, play 1 rears and sub for the TV and my Naim/Innuos/LP12 Hifi for my 2 channel listening. No the sound from the Sonos is not as good as my Naim set up, but for Tv and films it’s great. The ARC is an upgrade on mine but all the same like you I don’t worry too much about video. I say that but still have a £1500 tv surround system . The Sonos is not bad at all with music, just sounds different, not as detailed etc but does give a surround effect which is good with live recordings. For me one benefit with Sonos is that it streams just about everything, Apple Music, Spotify, mix cloud music from my Innuos etc etc so good for music podcasts and radio shows. If it allows you to enjoy your music on headphones while you wife enjoys the TV then that is a benefit. A happy wife is a happy life.
Mind you I am just divorced for the second time so can now play what I want as loud as I want, though this wasn’t the cause of it all.
 
I tried this, the sound bar sounded rubbish with music, no comparison. I have my tv going through a quad vena / ruark sabres, sounds great!
 
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