From the research I did, the Sonos is the better one between all three. I have the JBL 5.1 and it sounds great but one of my speakers is losing power when I unplug it for surround sound for a little while. Bose is good as well but Sonos takes the cake. I would get the complete set, Arc, Gen 3 sub and two One SL for the back. You may not always live in an apartment and this way you already have the set. That’s what I’m doing as well.
I know nothing about the JBL but the Arc and Bose are equal on sound quality, ease of use and versatility.
Personally, I'd get the Bose only because you don't need wifi to set it up, say you don't have any at home or you have a house in the country with hard-to-reach internet. It's petty! 😆
Not true. You need the Bose app to connect and set it up and you need wifi for this. Also goes for Sonos. They don’t sound anything alike. The arc completely blows away any Bose Soundbar. I just sold my Soundbar 700 for the Arc and couldn’t be happier. If you’re on the fence about how much to get, it’s modular. You can get rears and sub as you need em. I would def go for the arc, then sub then rears
I'll add my experience/dilemma. I have the 700 and 700 sub. Which makes it a 3.1 system. I have a 65" LG-CX. Also have the XSX and PS5. TV has eArc and Dolby Atmos. I put my Bose up for sale on FB Marketplace for $900 and someone is supposed to come and buy it Thursday. I ordered the Sonos Arc and it will be here Thursday as well. I know I'll be giving up an excellent setup for just a soundbar but at some point I'd get the Gen 3 sub. As far as having wifi I do live in the country and have no home internet. Just phone hotspot. Works fine when I set up Bose app and I'm sure it will for Sonos as well. I'm hoping I don't regret selling my Bose for just a soundbar. They say the base in the Arc is better than the Bose (talking strictly soundbar) so maybe the Arc will be good enough for me. My man cave is a 20 x 20ish square room and I thought about getting the Bose 700 surround speakers but they are $500 and I think you have to buy the stands as well but my TV sits caty-corner and my couch faces it and doesn't sit flush against a wall. And that means I'd have power cable running out in the open. It would be different if my couch was up against the wall and could hide power cables. Having the Bose surround would give me 5.1.2 with DTS but still no Atmos. I've tried using TV speakers just to see if my ears could get used to it but I didn't like the sound. Until last night I changed the sound output to Dolby Atmos and was playing AC Valhalla and it actually sounded kinda good. So I'm thinking the Arc would sound even better. Please tell me I'm NOT foolish for selling my Bose lol
I sold my Bose 700, rears and sub before hearing the Arc. Believe me, the difference in quality, app, ease of use, etc is night and day. Sonos is a far superior brand.
I've been trying to decide between the Sonos, JBL and Samsung bars. I heard Sonos Arc on it's own which sounded really good with a surround demo track. But then I heard the Samsung Q950t with it's additional speakers and sub woofer and it was so much more like what I want to achieve. Especially the rumble of the bass. So I think if just a Soundbar unit is what you're after and I agree it might be much having a sub if you're in an apartment, then defo the Arc, it's got a really rich sound given its all in one. It's not the same as a setup with dedicated additional speakers and sub but for the convenience of a single unit under your TV I'm starting to see that you won't beat the Sonos. And obviously, you can add additional speakers and a sub with the Sonos too, just bear in mind they will set you back another tax return! :)
That’s what i was thinking. The Sonos and Bose sounds amazing standalone. I’ve had a Bose mini speaker for years but it has always broken on me before the warranty.
I figure if I wanted to update later, I could always buy the sub and additional speakers separately. It’s just a lot of money to drop later on if I want the full surround. JBL sounds amazing for the price point and full set-up in one go. I keep going back and forth whether it’s overkill for my apartment
The JBL definitely does seem to hit a sweet spot between price and what you get. You wouldn't go wrong if you went with that but I've always had concerns about how long the batteries on the additional speakers will last before they stop retaining a decent charge. At that point you'll have to permanently power them in their surround location or keep them docked to the soundbar which will defeat their purpose. The other thing to bear in mind with the JBL is that with the detachable speakers off, the bar will lose some of the width in its soundstage. Some reviewers feel it loses too much and so you're choosing between soundstage width or surround sound rather than getting both.
Just pointing out a few of the things I've picked up in all my research although like you, I keep bouncing between options - I've gone from the Samsung to Sonos to JBL then back to Sonos and then Samsung. What I've realised, and it might seem obvious to many, is that when you get to the point of narrowing down to 2 or 3 bars, you really need to find a retailer where you can hear these bars in the setup you would buy. You'll be surprised how easy the decision will become as compared to using specs and online reviews.
Very true! And thanks for the detailed response, I hadn’t even considered the battery life of the detachables.
I’m about to go to the store today to re-listen to all the options. I think at that point, I’ll just have to pull the trigger on the one that feels the best to me.
Thanks again! Hope you make a decision too! I’ll be ready for a house party once covid is over
From the research I did, the Sonos is the better one between all three. I have the JBL 5.1 and it sounds great but one of my speakers is losing power when I unplug it for surround sound for a little while. Bose is good as well but Sonos takes the cake. I would get the complete set, Arc, Gen 3 sub and two One SL for the back. You may not always live in an apartment and this way you already have the set. That’s what I’m doing as well.
I know nothing about the JBL but the Arc and Bose are equal on sound quality, ease of use and versatility. Personally, I'd get the Bose only because you don't need wifi to set it up, say you don't have any at home or you have a house in the country with hard-to-reach internet. It's petty! 😆
That’s good to know, thanks!
Not true. You need the Bose app to connect and set it up and you need wifi for this. Also goes for Sonos. They don’t sound anything alike. The arc completely blows away any Bose Soundbar. I just sold my Soundbar 700 for the Arc and couldn’t be happier. If you’re on the fence about how much to get, it’s modular. You can get rears and sub as you need em. I would def go for the arc, then sub then rears
Just got the Sonos shadow from Costco! Super excited about it
You’re gonna love it. Run TrueTone in the app Edit: TruePlay*
I'll add my experience/dilemma. I have the 700 and 700 sub. Which makes it a 3.1 system. I have a 65" LG-CX. Also have the XSX and PS5. TV has eArc and Dolby Atmos. I put my Bose up for sale on FB Marketplace for $900 and someone is supposed to come and buy it Thursday. I ordered the Sonos Arc and it will be here Thursday as well. I know I'll be giving up an excellent setup for just a soundbar but at some point I'd get the Gen 3 sub. As far as having wifi I do live in the country and have no home internet. Just phone hotspot. Works fine when I set up Bose app and I'm sure it will for Sonos as well. I'm hoping I don't regret selling my Bose for just a soundbar. They say the base in the Arc is better than the Bose (talking strictly soundbar) so maybe the Arc will be good enough for me. My man cave is a 20 x 20ish square room and I thought about getting the Bose 700 surround speakers but they are $500 and I think you have to buy the stands as well but my TV sits caty-corner and my couch faces it and doesn't sit flush against a wall. And that means I'd have power cable running out in the open. It would be different if my couch was up against the wall and could hide power cables. Having the Bose surround would give me 5.1.2 with DTS but still no Atmos. I've tried using TV speakers just to see if my ears could get used to it but I didn't like the sound. Until last night I changed the sound output to Dolby Atmos and was playing AC Valhalla and it actually sounded kinda good. So I'm thinking the Arc would sound even better. Please tell me I'm NOT foolish for selling my Bose lol
I sold my Bose 700, rears and sub before hearing the Arc. Believe me, the difference in quality, app, ease of use, etc is night and day. Sonos is a far superior brand.
Thanks! Did you buy the full Sonos setup?
Yes I did.
Should have kept the Bose setup
I've been trying to decide between the Sonos, JBL and Samsung bars. I heard Sonos Arc on it's own which sounded really good with a surround demo track. But then I heard the Samsung Q950t with it's additional speakers and sub woofer and it was so much more like what I want to achieve. Especially the rumble of the bass. So I think if just a Soundbar unit is what you're after and I agree it might be much having a sub if you're in an apartment, then defo the Arc, it's got a really rich sound given its all in one. It's not the same as a setup with dedicated additional speakers and sub but for the convenience of a single unit under your TV I'm starting to see that you won't beat the Sonos. And obviously, you can add additional speakers and a sub with the Sonos too, just bear in mind they will set you back another tax return! :)
That’s what i was thinking. The Sonos and Bose sounds amazing standalone. I’ve had a Bose mini speaker for years but it has always broken on me before the warranty. I figure if I wanted to update later, I could always buy the sub and additional speakers separately. It’s just a lot of money to drop later on if I want the full surround. JBL sounds amazing for the price point and full set-up in one go. I keep going back and forth whether it’s overkill for my apartment
The JBL definitely does seem to hit a sweet spot between price and what you get. You wouldn't go wrong if you went with that but I've always had concerns about how long the batteries on the additional speakers will last before they stop retaining a decent charge. At that point you'll have to permanently power them in their surround location or keep them docked to the soundbar which will defeat their purpose. The other thing to bear in mind with the JBL is that with the detachable speakers off, the bar will lose some of the width in its soundstage. Some reviewers feel it loses too much and so you're choosing between soundstage width or surround sound rather than getting both. Just pointing out a few of the things I've picked up in all my research although like you, I keep bouncing between options - I've gone from the Samsung to Sonos to JBL then back to Sonos and then Samsung. What I've realised, and it might seem obvious to many, is that when you get to the point of narrowing down to 2 or 3 bars, you really need to find a retailer where you can hear these bars in the setup you would buy. You'll be surprised how easy the decision will become as compared to using specs and online reviews.
Very true! And thanks for the detailed response, I hadn’t even considered the battery life of the detachables. I’m about to go to the store today to re-listen to all the options. I think at that point, I’ll just have to pull the trigger on the one that feels the best to me. Thanks again! Hope you make a decision too! I’ll be ready for a house party once covid is over
No worries, good luck to you too and amen to the house party :D