So that you’re able to step into the world of Dolby Atmos, however you even have some limitations. You want one thing fashionable and easy that gained’t require operating cables in every single place—and also you’re equally concerned about immersive, highly effective, and detailed sound.
A single-piece Dolby Atmos soundbar from Sonos or Bose may very well be the right answer. Each the Sonos Arc and Bose Good Soundbar 900 provide a luscious style of cinematic brilliance in a succinct bundle, alongside loads of extras like sensible assistant help, multi-room audio, and even the flexibility to increase your system down the road. However which is best for you? Beneath, we’ll dissect these two slabs of sound in a lot of classes so you could find the right alternative.
Purchase the Sonos Arc from Finest Purchase now
Purchase the Bose Good Soundbar 900 from Amazon now
Worth
That is a simple one. On the earth of tight provide chains and restricted chips, each of those bars will run you a cool $900 (or simply wanting it). What’s extra, you’ll hardly ever discover both of those methods on sale, so this part is a cut-and-dry, even warmth.
Our choose: Draw
Design and controls
Credit score: Reviewed/Betsey Goldwasser
The Soundbar 900 comes with every thing you want for a comparatively easy setup course of.
Each of those bars provide slick model with minimalism up entrance, however it must be stated proper off the bat: Bose’s Good Soundbar 900 is extra pretty to take a look at. Together with the strikingly related Bose Good Soundbar 700, the 900 is among the many most fashionable soundbars I’ve come throughout. For an Atmos bar, it’s extraordinarily slim at simply over two inches tall and just below 42 inches throughout. A metallic grill on the entrance meets a shiny glass plate throughout the highest for an understated, stylish aesthetic.
As talked about in our overview (linked above), the 900 is minimalist to a fault in some instances, most notably its onboard digital show, which is little greater than a flashing white LED sample. Nevertheless it does provide a number of controls on high to associate with a totally outfitted app for management over issues like primary EQ, sensible assistants, grouping with different Bose audio system to create a multi-room sound system, and extra. In contrast to Sonos, it additionally comes with a separate distant. In the event you join through the HDMI ARC/eARC enter you’ll largely be utilizing your TV’s distant as a substitute, however it’s a useful backup.
Credit score: Reviewed/Jackson Ruckar
The Sonos Arc can be a easy and unified bundle, however an even bigger and bolder one.
The Sonos Arc can be enticing in its minimalist design. It has a sure je ne sais quoi, and it seems to be good in your TV stand, however at effectively over three inches excessive and 45 inches throughout, it’s extra log than bar. That pays off in terms of efficiency, but when we’re judging on seems to be alone, the Arc defers to its rival right here. Just like the Bose bar, its visible interface is wanting, with solely a coloured LED sample to hint what’s occurring.
As for controls, the Sonos app is arguably much more richly full of performance than Bose’s, and the Arc is equally simple to regulate along with your TV distant for the fundamentals like energy and quantity. Each soundbars additionally help management with voice instructions through a number of sensible assistants.
As we’ll contact on all through, there are extra similarities than variations, however with an edge in analog controls and a classier design, Bose’s Good Soundbar 900 takes this spherical.
Our choose: Bose Good Soundbar 900
Options and connection
Credit score: Reviewed/Jackson Ruckar
One characteristic neither bar gives is a spare HDMI enter for outboard elements.
Boy oh boy, for those who’re new to the world of Dolby Atmos soundbars, you’ll have a lot to discover in both of those choices. With so many similarities, it’s most likely simpler to debate what each bars provide earlier than we get into the variations. Right here’s a fast have a look at the similarities:
- Colours: Black, White
- Wi-Fi choices: Spotify Join, Apple AirPlay 2, multi-room audio
- Wired connection: Ethernet, HDMI ARC/eARC, optical enter (Sonos requires adapter)
- Good options: Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant built-in
- Dolby Audio decoding:Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos
As you’ll be able to see, each provide loads of choices for community connection and streaming, and there are extra suitable streaming companies inside their respective apps. As famous, the app additionally gives simple management of sound settings, together with channel ranges for the upfiring audio system that assist create the immersion of Dolby Atmos. The apps additionally enable for management over any wi-fi audio system from throughout the Bose or Sonos ecosystems respectively.
Each bars assist you to add audio system all through the house and sync or group them along with your bar, and even add them as satellite tv for pc audio system to create a full encompass setup. However here is the place issues start to vary a bit. Whereas Sonos has a comparatively big selection of audio system to connect with the bar, together with Ikea Symfonisk bookshelf audio system for reasonably priced surrounds, Bose restricts your alternative of encompass audio system that begin at $349 a pair.
Credit score: Reviewed/Jackson Ruckar
Base controls set atop the minimalist Sonos Arc.
One characteristic Bose’s Good Soundbar 900 gives that Sonos doesn’t is Bluetooth connection. In the event you’re streaming over Spotify Join or Airplay 2 for Apple Music, this most likely gained’t have an effect on you a lot as Wi-Fi is the easiest way to stream for audio high quality anyway. Plus, Sonos’ app gives loads of help for different companies like Deezer, Tidal, and Amazon Music, so most folk shouldn’t be overlooked of luck with out Bluetooth, however it’s one thing to bear in mind.
Neither bar gives any further HDMI inputs. That makes them finest suited for individuals who stream most of their content material on-line, as you’ll want to attach Blu-ray gamers, gaming consoles, or different elements to your TV straight, utilizing up treasured inputs. Relying on how previous your TV is, this additionally could restrict your capability to supply uncompressed audio from these units, although anybody with a primary HDMI ARC enter can stream Dolby Atmos. You may study extra about these choices in our HDMI eARC/ARC information.
Credit score: Reviewed/Betsey Goldwasser
With a effectively appointed app and a distant, the Good Soundbar 900 is simple to regulate.
Talking of Blu-rays, Sonos’ Arc soundbar gives primary decoding for DTS (as much as 5.1) whereas Bose’s bar doesn’t. This will have an effect on your resolution you probably have a variety of older media round the home combined in 5.1, however your TV additionally performs a job in compatibility there since you’ll be able to’t plug in bodily media to the bar straight. Furthermore, neither bar gives DTS:X, Dolby Atmos’ largest rival.
This one’s too near name. The Arc gives extra methods to sync up with different audio system and extra methods to decode your bodily media, whereas Bose’s bar brings Bluetooth to the desk and a built-in optical connection. We’ll name it one other tie.
Our choose: Draw
Efficiency
Credit score: Reviewed/Betsey Goldwasser
The slick glass plate on the highest reveals oval-shaped cuts for the upward-firing drivers.
That is actually the place the rubber hits the highway, so to talk. There’s little doubt that Bose’s bar is a formidable performer, particularly given its smaller measurement and the truth that it has fewer drivers than Sonos’ system. It gives really premium sound high quality, presenting element and dimension that elevates every thing from brass devices to gunshots to dialogue. It’s an instantaneous improve out of your TV audio system and plenty of lower-quality outboard audio options as effectively.
The Good Soundbar 900’s smaller upfiring drivers typically battle to create highly effective overhead results, however the system does a splendid job of bouncing digital results across the room, creating impressively enveloping sound for its measurement. That’s aided by the included microphone headset, which calibrates the sound to your room—Sonos’ system requires an iOS machine to take action.
Credit score: Reviewed/Jackson Ruckar
With a better variety of bigger drivers, the Sonos Arc gives extra punch.
Nevertheless it’s telling that I preserve referring to the 900’s measurement on this comparability. Merely put, it will possibly’t sustain with the Arc for general energy or sonic enlargement. For its half, the Arc additionally shows loads of element and premium sound for all of your cinematic and musical adventures, together with the current addition of Dolby Atmos music streaming through Amazon Music Limitless. Nevertheless it goes farther with surprisingly potent bass for a bar of its measurement, and extra distinctive overhead sound from the bar’s upfiring drivers, to create a convincing, hemispheric soundstage when sourcing Dolby Atmos content material.
When you can improve both bar with a subwoofer for a richer cinematic expertise, the underside line is that the Sonos Arc fares higher as an all-in-one sound answer because of its further drivers (4 greater than Bose’s bar), greater bass, and general extra putting Dolby Atmos immersion. It’s why we named the Arc our favourite soundbar.
Our Choose: Sonos Arc
And the winner is …
Credit score: Reviewed/Jackson Ruckar
This one is shut by the numbers, however there can solely be one winner. Due to its edge in efficiency, the Sonos Arc takes gold.
Whereas each bars are glorious premium sound options, the Arc is the default alternative for individuals who need one bar to rule all of them. It’s simple to make use of, it incorporates brilliantly with further audio system (grouped or in a encompass setup), it has tons of nice options and a complete app to regulate them. Most notably, it gives the sonic punch you need from a single bar, even and not using a wi-fi subwoofer.
For its half, Bose’s Good Soundbar 900 can be a potent system, providing nearly all of the options listed above, in addition to extra methods to attach and a sleeker, extra fashionable design that’s a lot simpler to suit beneath your TV and in your console. Its solely actual disadvantage is that it is not fairly as cinematic or highly effective by itself. That stated, on the time of writing, it is loads cheaper so as to add a subwoofer to Bose’s possibility than Sonos’ Arc, which is one thing to think about.
You’ll probably be pleased with both possibility, relying in your wants and use case. However for those who’re on the lookout for the very best standalone Dolby Atmos soundbar to your cash, the Sonos Arc is it.
Purchase the Sonos Arc from Finest Purchase now
Purchase the Bose Good Soundbar 900 from Amazon now
