{"video_id":"VJYmnmCDGgc","title":"I waited 5 years for this upgrade - Sonos Arc Ultra","channel":"ShortCircuit","show":"ShortCircuit","published_at":"2025-08-07T14:58:16Z","duration_s":808,"segments":[{"start_s":0.16,"end_s":7.839,"text":"5 years ago, I was floored to discover that the original Sonos Arc is a pretty","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":5.279,"end_s":12.559,"text":"competent home theater audio solution, which when you consider that it's a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":9.599,"end_s":17.119,"text":"soundbar, is pretty high praise. I liked it so much that I am still using it in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":15.28,"end_s":20.24,"text":"my downstairs recck room to this day, where it has served everything from","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":18.56,"end_s":25.119,"text":"impromptu movie nights for my son and his friends to massive land parties with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":22.96,"end_s":30.64,"text":"like a third of the company packed into my house. which is why I am really","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":27.359,"end_s":32.8,"text":"excited to check out the Sonos Arc Ultra","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":30.64,"end_s":37.04,"text":"along with the Sub4.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":34.96,"end_s":42.079,"text":"Making a triumphant return is Sonus' ever adorable locking packaging. Ooh,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":40.239,"end_s":45.6,"text":"and aside from the little bits of plastic on the lock, a mostly","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":43.76,"end_s":51.12,"text":"eco-friendly solution that can be thrown in the recycling. Love to see as much of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":47.6,"end_s":53.68,"text":"that as possible. Wow, it looks very","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":51.12,"end_s":57.92,"text":"similar. I don't know what I was expecting. similar in some ways that I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":55.76,"end_s":65.68,"text":"would prefer it wasn't. On the back, you have a very Spartan IO. And I don't mean","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":61.44,"end_s":68.08,"text":"this is Sparta. I mean like this is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":65.68,"end_s":72.56,"text":"Sparta. There's nothing back here. We got our power input. We've got a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":70.32,"end_s":76.96,"text":"microphone switch. I do like to see that. A hard switch for the built-in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":74.24,"end_s":82.4,"text":"mic. An RJ45 Ethernet jack. Bluetooth pairing button. And one, and only one,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":80.24,"end_s":88.88,"text":"HDMI port. That's right, my friends. While the Sonos Arc does use EERC,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":86.24,"end_s":94.0,"text":"what it doesn't have is any kind of HDMI pass through. So, it will take up the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":91.2,"end_s":97.52,"text":"EER port on your TV, which on some TVs can be one of the more fully featured","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":95.92,"end_s":102.88,"text":"one with support for higher refresh rates and resolutions and not give you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":100.64,"end_s":108.079,"text":"any additional ports to plug your devices into. Maybe they'll make up for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":104.799,"end_s":109.439,"text":"it with the accessories.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":108.079,"end_s":115.84,"text":"Sorry, I couldn't even say that with a straight face. You get one power cable,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":113.2,"end_s":119.68,"text":"one HDMI cobler. Not too long of one, mind you. You wouldn't want to spoil the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":117.6,"end_s":124.399,"text":"kids. That ain't 5 ft, brother. Oh, okay.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":122.96,"end_s":126.719,"text":"Damn it. Clearly a 3ft cable.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":126.0,"end_s":132.72,"text":"Oh, yeah. I'm 3 and 1/2 ft tall. So, yeah. No, I thought you were 5' one, so","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":130.16,"end_s":135.52,"text":"it's like four, four and 1/2 ft. It's a 5ft cable. Before we fire it up,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":134.48,"end_s":140.56,"text":"I feel like we should have a quick listen to something for a before and after since I conveniently have an arc","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":138.959,"end_s":146.68,"text":"installed already. It's still a soundbar, but man,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":143.12,"end_s":146.68,"text":"it's pretty dec.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":148.64,"end_s":156.7,"text":"But when you consider how big this room is,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":153.519,"end_s":159.12,"text":"it does pretty okay.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":159.12,"end_s":164.64,"text":"God, this movie is so good.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":164.64,"end_s":171.04,"text":"The main benefit that Sonos is touting for the new Arc Ultra is their new sound","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":168.56,"end_s":175.68,"text":"motion speaker design. It's supposed to both sound better with reduced","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":172.959,"end_s":181.76,"text":"distortion and be smaller, allowing them to pack more channels into the new","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":177.36,"end_s":183.68,"text":"soundbar. So, they're advertising 9.1.4.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":181.76,"end_s":187.04,"text":"So, that's nine surround channels, some of them direct, some of them bouncing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":185.84,"end_s":194.0,"text":"off of stuff, though I don't know what they're planning to bounce it off of in that direction, as well as one sub","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":190.879,"end_s":197.28,"text":"channel. and then four height channels.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":194.0,"end_s":199.36,"text":"Now, does it have a 0.1 even if you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":197.28,"end_s":203.36,"text":"don't have a sub? Really? Like, is that what they advertise? They do say that a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":201.519,"end_s":207.92,"text":"major benefit of the new design is dramatically improved bass. But of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":205.28,"end_s":211.92,"text":"course, as always, Sonos can't decide whether they would rather sell you on","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":209.599,"end_s":216.64,"text":"the out of the box base of the soundbar itself or if they would rather sell you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":214.08,"end_s":220.48,"text":"on well, but if you wanted the best experience, you'd probably have one of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":218.72,"end_s":224.08,"text":"these. So, I kind of feel like we should try it both ways. It's funny. My notes","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":222.56,"end_s":230.239,"text":"say that it's smaller, but the first thing that I noticed is that it's actually wider. So, it's the height that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":228.56,"end_s":235.28,"text":"I mean, yeah, I guess it's a little bit shorter. You know what, Sonos? Sure.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":233.12,"end_s":239.28,"text":"Here's a plus. Regardless of the small differences in size, Sonos has","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":237.12,"end_s":243.439,"text":"apparently made the new one compatible with the existing wall mount. If you're","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":241.2,"end_s":246.879,"text":"going for just a quick and easy upgrade here, you'll love to see that. It should","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":245.04,"end_s":251.28,"text":"be noted, however, that because the new one is slightly lower profile, you may","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":249.439,"end_s":253.84,"text":"see the wall mount if you use the existing one. I'm sure there's a lot of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":252.56,"end_s":257.759,"text":"you out there going, \"Well, that's that's a very champagne problem.\" And","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":255.76,"end_s":262.4,"text":"you're right. But if you're the kind of person who spends the extra on Sonos for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":260.0,"end_s":265.919,"text":"the aesthetic along with, you know, decent performance, it might be the sort","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":264.24,"end_s":270.88,"text":"of thing that you care about. Man, there's something to be said for the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":268.08,"end_s":276.24,"text":"simplicity of this installation. You know, hate on sound bars all you want.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":272.96,"end_s":279.68,"text":"Lord knows I've done it, but I have","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":276.24,"end_s":281.6,"text":"upgraded my sound system,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":279.68,"end_s":284.56,"text":"albeit for a lot more money than I would have spent if I just went scrging for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":283.12,"end_s":288.16,"text":"things on Facebook Marketplace, which by the way, we did a great video over on LT","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":286.56,"end_s":293.84,"text":"about. What are the odds this is just immediately working? I'm thinking zero.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":290.88,"end_s":297.919,"text":"Cool. Let's fire up the app. Okay, I'm not quite upgraded yet. Hey, look at","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":295.36,"end_s":301.759,"text":"that, though. Pops right up. Let's go ahead and add it. This is super painless","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":299.84,"end_s":306.88,"text":"so far. Plays a little chime. uses the microphone to decode the pin to connect.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":303.919,"end_s":312.24,"text":"And now it's connecting to my IoT Wi-Fi. I'm putting it in the recck room.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":309.52,"end_s":319.199,"text":"Oh, shoot. Oh crap, I pressed the wrong thing. Oh, okay.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":314.88,"end_s":321.84,"text":"Recruit is the in ceiling. Sonos um VR","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":319.199,"end_s":324.8,"text":"setup is the Darn it. There's an update. Several minutes. Okay, while we wait for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":323.52,"end_s":329.52,"text":"this is a perfect time to tell you about our sponsor. Thanks to Plaude for sponsoring this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":327.199,"end_s":332.56,"text":"video. Their note pin acts as your own personal executive assistant. helping","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":331.199,"end_s":337.6,"text":"you take notes during meetings, lectures, and other things you might be falling asleep listening to. It then","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":335.919,"end_s":341.44,"text":"uses their plot intelligence, which is built on a whole slew of AI models to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":339.759,"end_s":345.199,"text":"summarize and highlight important points, which you can easily go find in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":343.36,"end_s":348.96,"text":"their app by searching for keywords. Thumb sized, ultra light, and wearable","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":347.36,"end_s":352.24,"text":"in a bunch of different ways. The Note Pins presstoart design makes it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":350.72,"end_s":356.32,"text":"convenient to get up and running. And running is what it'll keep doing with up","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":353.919,"end_s":359.28,"text":"to 20 hours of continuous recording. So, head to our links in the description and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":357.68,"end_s":365.36,"text":"use code circuit for a Prime Day exclusive 22% off sitewide.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":362.0,"end_s":367.36,"text":"Oh, it's done. Your Arc Ultra has been","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":365.36,"end_s":371.6,"text":"added. You can personalize it in system settings. Okay, I will start by putting","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":369.52,"end_s":378.24,"text":"it in the correct room. Did I put it? Oh, w room 4. Perfect. Okay, room VR.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":375.759,"end_s":382.479,"text":"Okay, that was painless. Connect to TV. Nice. It's now connected to TV. Would","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":380.24,"end_s":385.36,"text":"you like to true play your Arc Ultra? So, this is supposed to do some room","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":384.08,"end_s":392.919,"text":"correction and tuning. Sure. I'm going to go stand over here, though. Make sure your room is quiet and your arc is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":388.319,"end_s":392.919,"text":"placed where you want it. Begin tuning.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":404.56,"end_s":412.479,"text":"It's actually a pretty impressive amount of surround that they get. It's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":408.24,"end_s":413.84,"text":"obviously not real surround, but it kind","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":412.479,"end_s":418.8,"text":"of sounded like some stuff was behind me. Did you pick that up? Yeah. More","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":416.96,"end_s":423.84,"text":"impressively though, it was about the same effect on both sides, which given","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":421.759,"end_s":428.24,"text":"the difficulty of bouncing anything off of over there.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":426.56,"end_s":431.88,"text":"All right. Oh, yeah. There we go.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":434.88,"end_s":441.919,"text":"I don't have a sub connected, though. It's not going to completely change your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":439.199,"end_s":446.56,"text":"world if you already have a Sonos arc. And I think Sonos clearly knows that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":443.84,"end_s":451.759,"text":"given the replacement pricing. Both are at $9.99. But I am very impressed by","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":449.759,"end_s":457.199,"text":"what this thing can do without a subwoofer connected to it, which really","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":453.759,"end_s":458.96,"text":"makes me wonder if the $800","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":457.199,"end_s":463.84,"text":"for the sub 4 is going to somehow justify itself. Let's have a look at","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":461.039,"end_s":468.16,"text":"this bad boy. Sorry, I was just doubting myself cuz I'm like, that's it's a lot","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":466.0,"end_s":473.199,"text":"of bass for just a soundbar. And no, this is not activated. It's not on.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":471.039,"end_s":477.84,"text":"That's pretty cool. In summary, the noticeable improvements would be to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":474.8,"end_s":482.16,"text":"dialogue clarity and then especially to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":477.84,"end_s":484.4,"text":"both the control and the depth of the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":482.16,"end_s":490.16,"text":"bass out of just the soundbar. The question for me now though is with such","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":487.36,"end_s":496.96,"text":"strong bass experience, how can they possibly justify telling me, \"Okay, I'm","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":493.28,"end_s":499.599,"text":"going to spend another $800","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":496.96,"end_s":503.199,"text":"on a sub4 here.\" To be clear, I'm not saying the Sub4 is bad. I haven't even","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":501.44,"end_s":509.199,"text":"listened to it yet. I'm just saying that for your typical Arc Ultra install where","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":506.96,"end_s":514.32,"text":"I imagine it's, you know, probably in a TV room or like in a an apartment or","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":512.32,"end_s":517.68,"text":"something like that. I just wonder if you're going to need it. That's all. I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":516.159,"end_s":522.959,"text":"like the new matte finish. I'll tell you that much. Gloss. I mean, in theory,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":520.719,"end_s":526.0,"text":"it's great. And then, look at it. Another key benefit is that it's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":524.399,"end_s":529.36,"text":"supposed to be well, whatever generation we're comparing to, a key benefit is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":527.6,"end_s":532.72,"text":"that this one's supposed to be smaller. I think Belle, is that right?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":531.68,"end_s":539.2,"text":"Lighter. Lighter. Okay. Cuz it's not smaller. Oh,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":536.48,"end_s":544.24,"text":"seriously? Their old power plug is not compatible.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":542.72,"end_s":547.68,"text":"There's not enough clearance for it to go in. It's fine. It's not like it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":545.839,"end_s":551.92,"text":"doesn't come with a new power cable. Just thought I might be able to drop it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":549.04,"end_s":556.56,"text":"in. You guys ready to be impressed? It's funny because in the early days of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":554.32,"end_s":560.48,"text":"Sonos, I really did not much care for their sound quality. I really liked the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":558.64,"end_s":563.839,"text":"app. Or rather, I never liked the app. What I liked was the seamless","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":562.08,"end_s":567.519,"text":"integration with Google Play Music. Since then, it feels like they've done a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":565.36,"end_s":571.04,"text":"complete 180 on both of those things. Now, I really appreciate the sound","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":569.44,"end_s":578.16,"text":"quality of their first party speakers and uh absolutely hate the control","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":574.08,"end_s":579.76,"text":"experience. It used to be so","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":578.16,"end_s":582.64,"text":"awesome. me. Sub best placement is not in corner.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":582.0,"end_s":588.56,"text":"Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me. That's where the wife wants it. So","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":586.08,"end_s":593.36,"text":"with that said, a key selling point of the new sub 4 is that you can put it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":590.8,"end_s":597.519,"text":"anywhere. They literally advertise laying it down flat and like putting it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":595.92,"end_s":602.24,"text":"under your couch as a use case. And they're like, \"Yeah, yeah, it'll like correct for everything.\" Touch your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":600.16,"end_s":606.0,"text":"mobile device on your Sub 4 with the flashing green and white light. Yep,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":603.839,"end_s":610.519,"text":"sure. Touch your mobile device exactly as shown. This seems unnecessary.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":610.56,"end_s":616.079,"text":"Nice. Oh, it that's weird. It didn't ask me to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":614.48,"end_s":619.56,"text":"tune the room again. I feel like I should, though. Hey,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":620.56,"end_s":627.04,"text":"this is the world's worst progress bar. Check this out. It just starts over and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":625.279,"end_s":632.56,"text":"over and over again. It just goes to completion and then just starts over.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":628.88,"end_s":634.32,"text":"That Sonos is not how progress bars","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":632.56,"end_s":638.64,"text":"work. There's a few key app controls. There's bass and treble adjustments for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":635.839,"end_s":643.839,"text":"the Arc Ultra along with the loudness toggle that is just um I don't know, not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":642.0,"end_s":648.48,"text":"working right now. Height audio, you can change the height. Sub audio, you can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":646.079,"end_s":651.6,"text":"turn up and down and change the phase. Volume limiting in case your kids, you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":650.399,"end_s":656.8,"text":"know, are going to turn it up or whatever and your neighbors might complain while you're not home. Speech","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":654.24,"end_s":660.48,"text":"enhancement is off by default, actually. Wow, there's a lot more settings in here","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":658.64,"end_s":665.2,"text":"since the last time that I played around with this. Got a nice little audio delay","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":662.88,"end_s":669.12,"text":"for TV dialogue sync. I wish they explained what some of the stuff was. TV","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":667.6,"end_s":672.32,"text":"autoplay, but Bluetooth is new. I'm not sure that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":670.959,"end_s":677.519,"text":"I would ever use that if I have the option to stream via Wi-Fi, which I do.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":674.399,"end_s":678.8,"text":"Um, but that's there. And also, you can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":677.519,"end_s":682.399,"text":"add a voice assistant since it does have the built-in mic. Personally, I might","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":680.959,"end_s":685.92,"text":"just leave it off, but hey, there you go. Amazon Alexa and Sonus voice","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":684.56,"end_s":690.32,"text":"control. All right, let's finally listen to this thing.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":688.72,"end_s":693.409,"text":"Impressively,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":693.44,"end_s":701.92,"text":"even with the sub absolutely cranked, like all the way to plus 15, it's not","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":698.8,"end_s":704.24,"text":"overwhelming or boommy or muddy. It's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":701.92,"end_s":709.36,"text":"sounds great. The only question in my mind is, do I need it? I can't say that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":707.12,"end_s":714.079,"text":"for casually watching movies in the TV room that I would probably spend the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":711.2,"end_s":718.959,"text":"extra $800 versus just having the soundbar itself. Of course, from what","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":716.399,"end_s":723.839,"text":"I've seen online, people who are really loving the Arc Ultra are mostly loving","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":721.279,"end_s":727.72,"text":"its performance in music. So, why don't we listen to my favorite song?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":731.68,"end_s":740.32,"text":"Okay, here we managed to make it sound a little boommy and unpleasant, but I feel","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":737.76,"end_s":744.079,"text":"like I had to really try to get it to do that. In short, if you're looking for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":742.079,"end_s":749.2,"text":"basically the original Ark, but a little bit better, the Ark Ultra looks like a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":746.399,"end_s":753.36,"text":"pretty great choice. It rounds out the performance, especially in the low end","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":751.2,"end_s":759.04,"text":"compared to the original Ark. And the setup is as simple as it's ever been. I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":755.76,"end_s":761.92,"text":"mean, we got the whole thing done in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":759.04,"end_s":765.68,"text":"10 minutes, including firmware updates. You can't really complain about that.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":763.519,"end_s":770.16,"text":"Well, you can if you don't like spending $1,000. that video that I alluded to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":768.0,"end_s":775.36,"text":"before that we did on LT, I'd say we ended up with in some ways even higher","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":773.44,"end_s":779.6,"text":"performance, especially when it comes to surround performance. And we spent about","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":777.44,"end_s":783.68,"text":"a quarter of the price and that included a subwoofer. But of course, there was a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":782.0,"end_s":787.2,"text":"fair bit of hassle and some extra remotes. And it didn't have any of the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":785.2,"end_s":791.519,"text":"modern creature comforts like Bluetooth connectivity or voice assistant","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":788.959,"end_s":796.8,"text":"connectivity or I don't even think it had ARC. I think we had to use like an","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":794.079,"end_s":801.1,"text":"optical cable old school style. Anyway, that's besides the point. The point is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":798.399,"end_s":809.559,"text":"subscribe to ShortCircuit.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1}],"full_text":"5 years ago, I was floored to discover that the original Sonos Arc is a pretty competent home theater audio solution, which when you consider that it's a soundbar, is pretty high praise. I liked it so much that I am still using it in my downstairs recck room to this day, where it has served everything from impromptu movie nights for my son and his friends to massive land parties with like a third of the company packed into my house. which is why I am really excited to check out the Sonos Arc Ultra along with the Sub4. Making a triumphant return is Sonus' ever adorable locking packaging. Ooh, and aside from the little bits of plastic on the lock, a mostly eco-friendly solution that can be thrown in the recycling. Love to see as much of that as possible. Wow, it looks very similar. I don't know what I was expecting. similar in some ways that I would prefer it wasn't. On the back, you have a very Spartan IO. And I don't mean this is Sparta. I mean like this is Sparta. There's nothing back here. We got our power input. We've got a microphone switch. I do like to see that. A hard switch for the built-in mic. An RJ45 Ethernet jack. Bluetooth pairing button. And one, and only one, HDMI port. That's right, my friends. While the Sonos Arc does use EERC, what it doesn't have is any kind of HDMI pass through. So, it will take up the EER port on your TV, which on some TVs can be one of the more fully featured one with support for higher refresh rates and resolutions and not give you any additional ports to plug your devices into. Maybe they'll make up for it with the accessories. Sorry, I couldn't even say that with a straight face. You get one power cable, one HDMI cobler. Not too long of one, mind you. You wouldn't want to spoil the kids. That ain't 5 ft, brother. Oh, okay. Damn it. Clearly a 3ft cable. Oh, yeah. I'm 3 and 1/2 ft tall. So, yeah. No, I thought you were 5' one, so it's like four, four and 1/2 ft. It's a 5ft cable. Before we fire it up, I feel like we should have a quick listen to something for a before and after since I conveniently have an arc installed already. It's still a soundbar, but man, it's pretty dec. But when you consider how big this room is, it does pretty okay. God, this movie is so good. The main benefit that Sonos is touting for the new Arc Ultra is their new sound motion speaker design. It's supposed to both sound better with reduced distortion and be smaller, allowing them to pack more channels into the new soundbar. So, they're advertising 9.1.4. So, that's nine surround channels, some of them direct, some of them bouncing off of stuff, though I don't know what they're planning to bounce it off of in that direction, as well as one sub channel. and then four height channels. Now, does it have a 0.1 even if you don't have a sub? Really? Like, is that what they advertise? They do say that a major benefit of the new design is dramatically improved bass. But of course, as always, Sonos can't decide whether they would rather sell you on the out of the box base of the soundbar itself or if they would rather sell you on well, but if you wanted the best experience, you'd probably have one of these. So, I kind of feel like we should try it both ways. It's funny. My notes say that it's smaller, but the first thing that I noticed is that it's actually wider. So, it's the height that I mean, yeah, I guess it's a little bit shorter. You know what, Sonos? Sure. Here's a plus. Regardless of the small differences in size, Sonos has apparently made the new one compatible with the existing wall mount. If you're going for just a quick and easy upgrade here, you'll love to see that. It should be noted, however, that because the new one is slightly lower profile, you may see the wall mount if you use the existing one. I'm sure there's a lot of you out there going, \"Well, that's that's a very champagne problem.\" And you're right. But if you're the kind of person who spends the extra on Sonos for the aesthetic along with, you know, decent performance, it might be the sort of thing that you care about. Man, there's something to be said for the simplicity of this installation. You know, hate on sound bars all you want. Lord knows I've done it, but I have upgraded my sound system, albeit for a lot more money than I would have spent if I just went scrging for things on Facebook Marketplace, which by the way, we did a great video over on LT about. What are the odds this is just immediately working? I'm thinking zero. Cool. Let's fire up the app. Okay, I'm not quite upgraded yet. Hey, look at that, though. Pops right up. Let's go ahead and add it. This is super painless so far. Plays a little chime. uses the microphone to decode the pin to connect. And now it's connecting to my IoT Wi-Fi. I'm putting it in the recck room. Oh, shoot. Oh crap, I pressed the wrong thing. Oh, okay. Recruit is the in ceiling. Sonos um VR setup is the Darn it. There's an update. Several minutes. Okay, while we wait for this is a perfect time to tell you about our sponsor. Thanks to Plaude for sponsoring this video. Their note pin acts as your own personal executive assistant. helping you take notes during meetings, lectures, and other things you might be falling asleep listening to. It then uses their plot intelligence, which is built on a whole slew of AI models to summarize and highlight important points, which you can easily go find in their app by searching for keywords. Thumb sized, ultra light, and wearable in a bunch of different ways. The Note Pins presstoart design makes it convenient to get up and running. And running is what it'll keep doing with up to 20 hours of continuous recording. So, head to our links in the description and use code circuit for a Prime Day exclusive 22% off sitewide. Oh, it's done. Your Arc Ultra has been added. You can personalize it in system settings. Okay, I will start by putting it in the correct room. Did I put it? Oh, w room 4. Perfect. Okay, room VR. Okay, that was painless. Connect to TV. Nice. It's now connected to TV. Would you like to true play your Arc Ultra? So, this is supposed to do some room correction and tuning. Sure. I'm going to go stand over here, though. Make sure your room is quiet and your arc is placed where you want it. Begin tuning. It's actually a pretty impressive amount of surround that they get. It's obviously not real surround, but it kind of sounded like some stuff was behind me. Did you pick that up? Yeah. More impressively though, it was about the same effect on both sides, which given the difficulty of bouncing anything off of over there. All right. Oh, yeah. There we go. I don't have a sub connected, though. It's not going to completely change your world if you already have a Sonos arc. And I think Sonos clearly knows that given the replacement pricing. Both are at $9.99. But I am very impressed by what this thing can do without a subwoofer connected to it, which really makes me wonder if the $800 for the sub 4 is going to somehow justify itself. Let's have a look at this bad boy. Sorry, I was just doubting myself cuz I'm like, that's it's a lot of bass for just a soundbar. And no, this is not activated. It's not on. That's pretty cool. In summary, the noticeable improvements would be to dialogue clarity and then especially to both the control and the depth of the bass out of just the soundbar. The question for me now though is with such strong bass experience, how can they possibly justify telling me, \"Okay, I'm going to spend another $800 on a sub4 here.\" To be clear, I'm not saying the Sub4 is bad. I haven't even listened to it yet. I'm just saying that for your typical Arc Ultra install where I imagine it's, you know, probably in a TV room or like in a an apartment or something like that. I just wonder if you're going to need it. That's all. I like the new matte finish. I'll tell you that much. Gloss. I mean, in theory, it's great. And then, look at it. Another key benefit is that it's supposed to be well, whatever generation we're comparing to, a key benefit is that this one's supposed to be smaller. I think Belle, is that right? Lighter. Lighter. Okay. Cuz it's not smaller. Oh, seriously? Their old power plug is not compatible. There's not enough clearance for it to go in. It's fine. It's not like it doesn't come with a new power cable. Just thought I might be able to drop it in. You guys ready to be impressed? It's funny because in the early days of Sonos, I really did not much care for their sound quality. I really liked the app. Or rather, I never liked the app. What I liked was the seamless integration with Google Play Music. Since then, it feels like they've done a complete 180 on both of those things. Now, I really appreciate the sound quality of their first party speakers and uh absolutely hate the control experience. It used to be so awesome. me. Sub best placement is not in corner. Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me. That's where the wife wants it. So with that said, a key selling point of the new sub 4 is that you can put it anywhere. They literally advertise laying it down flat and like putting it under your couch as a use case. And they're like, \"Yeah, yeah, it'll like correct for everything.\" Touch your mobile device on your Sub 4 with the flashing green and white light. Yep, sure. Touch your mobile device exactly as shown. This seems unnecessary. Nice. Oh, it that's weird. It didn't ask me to tune the room again. I feel like I should, though. Hey, this is the world's worst progress bar. Check this out. It just starts over and over and over again. It just goes to completion and then just starts over. That Sonos is not how progress bars work. There's a few key app controls. There's bass and treble adjustments for the Arc Ultra along with the loudness toggle that is just um I don't know, not working right now. Height audio, you can change the height. Sub audio, you can turn up and down and change the phase. Volume limiting in case your kids, you know, are going to turn it up or whatever and your neighbors might complain while you're not home. Speech enhancement is off by default, actually. Wow, there's a lot more settings in here since the last time that I played around with this. Got a nice little audio delay for TV dialogue sync. I wish they explained what some of the stuff was. TV autoplay, but Bluetooth is new. I'm not sure that I would ever use that if I have the option to stream via Wi-Fi, which I do. Um, but that's there. And also, you can add a voice assistant since it does have the built-in mic. Personally, I might just leave it off, but hey, there you go. Amazon Alexa and Sonus voice control. All right, let's finally listen to this thing. Impressively, even with the sub absolutely cranked, like all the way to plus 15, it's not overwhelming or boommy or muddy. It's sounds great. The only question in my mind is, do I need it? I can't say that for casually watching movies in the TV room that I would probably spend the extra $800 versus just having the soundbar itself. Of course, from what I've seen online, people who are really loving the Arc Ultra are mostly loving its performance in music. So, why don't we listen to my favorite song? Okay, here we managed to make it sound a little boommy and unpleasant, but I feel like I had to really try to get it to do that. In short, if you're looking for basically the original Ark, but a little bit better, the Ark Ultra looks like a pretty great choice. It rounds out the performance, especially in the low end compared to the original Ark. And the setup is as simple as it's ever been. I mean, we got the whole thing done in 10 minutes, including firmware updates. You can't really complain about that. Well, you can if you don't like spending $1,000. that video that I alluded to before that we did on LT, I'd say we ended up with in some ways even higher performance, especially when it comes to surround performance. And we spent about a quarter of the price and that included a subwoofer. But of course, there was a fair bit of hassle and some extra remotes. And it didn't have any of the modern creature comforts like Bluetooth connectivity or voice assistant connectivity or I don't even think it had ARC. I think we had to use like an optical cable old school style. Anyway, that's besides the point. The point is subscribe to ShortCircuit."}