Sonos Arc review (2022): Watching television has never sounded so good

Just like the more affordable Sonos Beam (Gen 2), clever software fearers like Speech Enhancement and Night Sound mean that you can fine-tune the audio to suit your needs and enjoy an explosive blockbuster late at night without waking everyone else home. Sonos lets you tweak the treble and bass in the mix to your tastes too, which is sure to please audiophiles.

Of course, the phenomenal sound quality of the Sonos Arc carries over to music too. Whatever the genre, Sonos Arc handles songs with aplomb and easily fills the room with sound – handy if you have a combined dining and living room and don’t fancy filling the space with speakers. From playlists to podcasts, the Sonos Arc is compatible with a dizzying number of music streaming platforms, audiobooks and podcast services, radio stations and more.

Everything can be controlled with the sleek Sonos app, which is available on iOS and Android. iPhone owners can also use the AirPlay 2 standard, which allows you to pair this impressive Dolby Atmos soundbar with other similarly equipped audio kit – even if it’s designed by a rival brand, like Bose.

For those with video doorbells, smart thermostats, and smart speakers fitted at home, Sonos Arc arrives with support for both Alexa and Google Assistant. The far-field microphone array fitted to this soundbar means you can request songs, playlists, podcasts, and radio stations with a voice command rather than reaching for your smartphone each time. Since it supports both of the most popular AI assistants, Sonos Arc will integrate seamlessly with all of your smart home kit. And it will continue to work if you decide to make the switch from Google Assistant to Alexa or vice versa in years to come.

Yes, it’s ludicrously expensive. Yes, it measures 45-inches wide – so looks ridiculous if you have anything less than a 50-inch television at home. And yes, the design won’t suit everyone.

However, none of these nitpicks can dissuade us that this is the ultimate Dolby Atmos soundbar. If you’re a Sonos fan and want to add some serious oomph to your flatscreen TV’s mediocre built-in speakers, you won’t find much better than the Sonos Arc. And if you can secure a discount, in our best Sonos speaker deals guide, for example, this is a must-buy soundbar.