SONOS SURROUND SET
As we’ve mentioned before, the Sonos Arc is one of the best (and biggest) soundbars you can buy. Its sound is punchy, distinct and detailed, it creates a wide soundstage and it does good work with the ‘height’ that’s such a crucial part of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. So why not just buy an Arc?
Well, because by going for the Surround Set – adding a couple of Sonos One SL speakers to act as satellites and a Sonos Sub – it’s possible to create a Dolby Atmos surround-sound system that’s painless to set up, discreet in situ and capable of engaging in a wider Sonos ecosystem with no hassle whatsoever… and that, most importantly of all, sounds big and bold enough to do proper justice to a modern soundtrack.
You’ll need to make sure you’ve the space to accommodate the Arc beneath your TV (and check that TV is big enough to not look a bit daft perched above its 114cm width). But those One SL rear speakers are very handily sized; and although the Sub can be stashed out of sight it’s actually one of the more decorative subwoofers you can buy, so you might want to give it pride of place. Once you’ve positioned everything correctly, the Sonos app makes creating the system simple… and then you can sit back and wallow.
Where dynamics, detail, bass wallop and effects steering are concerned, the Sonos is the best ‘active’ surround-sound system going. And give it a Dolby Atmos soundtrack to deal with and there’s real height (if not quite a true ‘overhead’ sensation) to the sound too. Dialogue is well defined, low-frequency stuff is deep and properly controlled. If you want to get fully immersed in your movie soundtracks without covering your room in wiring, you really need to hear this setup. £1856 / stuff.tv/surroundset
Key specs (Arc)
● Wattage not stated
● 8x elliptical woofers, 3x tweeters ● HDMI ARC, Ethernet, optical
● 1142x116x87mm, 6.3kg