We're in the twilight hours of the Sonos Arc's lifespan, as this Award-winning Dolby Atmos soundbar is slowly being phased out in favour of its successor. The Sonos Arc Ultra is a truly epic soundbar, but it's a bittersweet farewell for the Arc which has been our go-to recommendation for many years now.
It's been branded with a "last chance" marker on Sonos' official website, and it's sold out there too; so we're inclined to believe that the Arc's days are truly numbered. Stock is also dwindling at John Lewis and Currys too.
The good news is that the price of the soundbar has dropped drastically from £899 to £597 at Amazon, as retailers attempt to shift the remaining units. That's a tasty saving of £304; while that's a very solid saving, we have seen it drop to £499 over the festive period.
Therefore, this isn't the cheapest price we've seen the Arc drop to; but that shouldn't put you off completely. This is a fantastic soundbar at a great discount, and while it might be tempting to wait for an Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday discount, we wouldn't bet on stock lasting that long.
In our Sonos Arc review, we said the soundbar was the best in class for versatility, which is why it makes our list of 2024’s best Dolby Atmos soundbars. The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 might be knocking on the door, but the Sonos Arc delivers equally competitive quality at a smaller price.
In our review, we concluded: "The Sonos Arc delivers one of the most convincing Atmos presentations of any soundbar we've heard. Height junkies can turn up the volume of the Arc's upward-firing drivers using a separate control, but we don't find it necessary to overly boost the vertical channel to enjoy the Arc's immersive delivery."
The Arc supports HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel), meaning it can handle higher-quality Dolby Atmos signals from TVs that can output them. Other features worth mentioning include compatibility with more than 25 streaming apps: we're talking Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV, to name but a few. And, of course, there is an impressive soundfield generated by 11 Class D digital amplifiers that power 11 custom drivers, resulting in a powerful sound.
While the soundbar's replacement model, the Sonos Arc Ultra, has just hit the shops, there are plenty of reasons the older Arc is a competitive choice, and that doesn't come down simply to this bargain price. Don't forget that you can pair up the Arc with other Sonos speakers to create a complete surround sound arrangement, and include it, if you wish, in a multi-room system.
Ultimately, the Arc's days are numbered, so if you have your heart set on this soundbar, then we'd recommend not waiting around for too long. There is every chance it could drop in price again, but there's an equal chance that stock could dry up completely.
MORE:
These are the best soundbars we have reviewed
We rate the best surround sound systems
Also consider the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9
