Sonos Arc

Superbly composed and balanced sound but the Arc is hamstrung by its lack of inputs.

It’s not an incredibly steep price for a Dolby Atmos bar with built-in surround sound, but a good bare-bones soundbar with a sub can cost as little as $150. The extra $550 you pay for the Arc affords you a premium audio experience, entrance into Sonos' seamless streaming ecosystem, and all that smart speaker functionality baked in. Still, it's a hefty price, especially without an included subwoofer. But the Arc really is an outstanding speaker, and a wonderful way to turn a simple TV into a full-on home theater.

Despite a few issues with the sound, the Arc has plenty to recommend with its large soundstage and well-defined sound. If you're already in the Sonos system, there's little reason to look for any other Dolby Atmos alternatives.

The Sonos Arc is a great soundbar, but it would be even better if it had two HDMI ports to get around the limitations of TVs that lack eARC support.

Sonos has finally given us an upgrade to the Playbar, and it’s impressive. The Arc has an improved design, modern features and stellar sound. Like the Beam, it only has one HDMI port, which will be an issue for some. However, if you have a TV that supports eARC passthrough, you’ll be able to enjoy the Dolby Atmos audio here. Plus, Arc automatically adjusts if you choose to expand your system.

If you’ve got a TV that supports Atmos over HDMI ARC — and if that TV is in a conventionally shaped room — the Arc delivers immersive sound that will help enhance your favorite movies and TV shows far beyond the lower-priced Beam. It’s the Atmos soundbar to beat if you’re invested in the Sonos ecosystem. And even for those who aren’t yet, the Arc is still easy to recommend as a starting point.

Unlike the Beam, you don't need to add the new Sonos sub (which then makes that collective kit around $1,100) and that makes the Arc better value overall. Sure, you can buy soundbars that offer separate subs and a glut of features but none ooze the sophistication or the sonic clarity of the Sonos Arc. If your shoplist includes a single "smart" sound bar that does Dolby Atmos, then the Sonos Arc is the model to beat.