Arc — Sonos's first Dolby Atmos-capable sound bar — sounds really great on its own, with precisely angled side-firing and up-firing speakers that create a multi-dimensional soundstage full of depth and detail. That's pretty hard to improve upon, but we did it by bundling it with a perfect partner: the new third-generation Sonos Sub. I was very impressed with this duo when I got my hands on them recently.

Adding the Sonos Sub really brings more to the table than just booming bass. When the Sub is added, it takes on the lowest frequencies — leaving Arc's amplifiers free to drive the high and midrange frequencies. 

Plus the Sub is wireless, so it's easy to tuck neatly almost anywhere in the room. You can even place it flat on its back under the couch. You just need to be within reach of an AC outlet. Pairing it with Arc is easily done in the Sonos app.

Voice control options

Arc has both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant built in, so when you want to play your favorite tunes, all you have to do is ask. And your assistant of choice can do more than just play music. You can ask for weather and traffic updates, create a shopping list, set reminders or alarms, and control connected smart home devices like lights and thermostats — all with your voice.

Don't miss a word

Many of us struggle to hear dialogue over the background noise in our favorite shows and movies. Arc can help with that. In addition to a dedicated center channel, it has a Speech Enhancement option that can help make dialogue more intelligible, so you don't have to turn on subtitles to keep up with the plot. This feature is accessed in the Sonos app.

Calibrated for your home

If you use the Sonos app on an iOS® device, you can use that iPhone® or iPad® to optimize your system's sound quality for the unique acoustics of your room. This feature — called Trueplay — uses the mic built into your iOS device to measure how the sound from Arc and the Sub reflects off your walls and furnishings, and it adjusts the system's settings accordingly. It even calibrates the height channels.

Expand your system

If you want to go for full-on surround sound, add a pair of Sonos One SL speakers for the rear channels. Or for even more bass, add a second a Sub. You can also expand into other areas of your home by adding a Sonos One or the larger Five, in every room where you want to listen to music. Or, you can even go portable with the more rugged, battery-powered Move.

Compatibility notes

This system is very easy to get up and running. Arc has a single HDMI eARC port for connecting it to your TV. If your TV has eARC, you are all set to pass an Atmos signal through to your bar from either a connected Blu-ray player or your device's streaming services.

If your TV doesn't have eARC, you can still get great audio quality, but there are limitations on the types of signals that can pass through to Arc. If your TV is fairly new, there is a good chance that a simple ARC connection will pass the Dolby Digital Plus format that is used by streaming services to deliver an Atmos signal. If you're unsure what formats your TV can pass, check the owner's manual.

Arc will also work with TVs that don't have HDMI thanks to the included HDMI to optical adapter. It will still sound a lot better than your TV, but you will not be able to pass an Atmos signal this way.