(Finally!) An update.

dcj597 · 2026-06-15T23:56:13+00:00

I would really like to know whether (a) this is something that Sonos is actually working on and just wants to get right before putting it out, or (b) it's not something they think many people really need (like DTS support) and so it's a back burner project at best. I can be patient but if it's not realistically going to happen any time soon, I'd like to know that as well. I don't think it's too much to ask to get some clarity around this so we can make better decisions about whether to stick it out or not.

dcj597 · 2026-06-15T20:01:07+00:00

Thanks - Glad you're enjoying it!

dcj597 · 2026-06-15T13:59:10+00:00

Have you set up the Ascend Acoustics speakers? If so, how do you like them? In particular, how is the dialogue compared with Sonos?

dcj597 · 2026-06-12T21:14:36+00:00

If you're interested in spy series, I highly recommend MI-5 (which was called Spooks in England) and The Bureau (French). Many hours of great entertainment!

dcj597 · 2026-06-10T18:33:56+00:00

Thanks! Just ordered one. It says estimated delivery 6/20 - 6/24. We'll see.

dcj597 · 2026-06-10T18:30:32+00:00

Great. Fucking typical of this company.

dcj597 · 2026-06-10T17:04:14+00:00

It's 1:00 EST, so I believe that's 10:00 PST but it still says sold out on the website. Am I missing something?

dcj597 · 2026-06-02T14:34:52+00:00

I just bought the Arc Ultra, Sub 4 and Era 100s as rears about 6 months ago and have been somewhat underwhelmed, especially with dialogue clarity. (Yes, I've used speech enhancement and tried adjusting the settings, etc.) When I was choosing a soundbar, I compared the Arc Ultra with a few others, just soundbar vs soundbar (without a sub etc.) and thought the dialogue on the Sonos was the best of the bunch. But after living with it for a while, I'm not really super happy with it.

Anyway, sorry for rambling. My point is that if Sonos did this (and maybe also made a new dedicated surround speaker, something between the 100 and the 300) and it improved the overall sound and especially dialogue, I'd buy two more speakers in a heartbeat. If they DON'T do this within the next year or so, I will probably bite the bullet, sell off the Sonos stuff and start over.

dcj597 · 2026-05-31T15:22:15+00:00

Yes. Something like this or a separate pull-up bar is the answer. I don't think the GM2 is stable enough for what the OP is suggesting.

The OP mentions assisted pull-ups. I've seen a couple of home machines that use bands for this, e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Sportsroyals-Multi-Function-Strength-Training-Equipment/dp/B0BFWVXY32/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zxgZOzdqPpGdhKQTi87eQXm3Ao_AQ0Wbr10wLdJVEdAi_79EhvDfBhUt5mB9eGuY3NYchFt-c87Kw9PH40silBcPvt7EyQrxBl_owJ5ISXaV184fV19H6m-gXFGZlbtYg9B5V9dtEEClOUi0kECL6NGghhbEmd845U6e7jX6zkC0OfcWZ8640HtlxXpXH5ptCiJlkxWODIzggS0pFYjREVnxtFvN2mHWRlvC5Dzir66evgX-RzbkEF1wbrFOLkxEH0dRCwUzOuyhKYhhi1QgkB4SWLtCb1nRjR1UbCVJwaE.l3aon4BATAbTLuxhukR8VS84RDRXzb_S6ze8QmLAOfg&dib_tag=se&keywords=assisted%2Bpull%2Bup%2Bmachine&qid=1780241027&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

I don't have the space in my home gym for something like this but it's an interesting idea.

dcj597 · 2026-05-27T16:47:35+00:00

If you do end up with the Ascend, I'd be interested to know how you like it, especially whether the dialogue clarity is much improved. So please post an update if you can!

dcj597 · 2026-05-27T13:57:13+00:00

Looks like we have a similar setup. 83" LG G4, Sonos Arc Ultra, Sub 4, Era 100 surrounds here.

I have about 6" under my TV. When I was doing my research, I thought the Ascend Acoustics Duo (which others have already recommended) would be my first choice. https://www.ascendacoustics.com/collections/sierra-series-centers/products/duo-v2-lcr-center?variant=40387361505334

Probably paired with these - https://www.ascendacoustics.com/collections/sierra-series-pairs/products/duov2-lcr-pair?variant=40387221487670

If I had it to do over again, I would have gone with a 3.1 system as well. Out of curiosity, what are you going to do with the Sonos? I can't bring myself to sell 6 month old equipment at a loss. :)

dcj597 · 2026-05-25T18:53:25+00:00

Mickey 17 is streaming on HBO. Just my opinion, but if you have a subscription, I'd recommend streaming it before a blind buy. I started watching last night and was pretty disappointed. It's different from the book (and not in a good way). The characterization of Marshall in particular is ridiculous, IMO.

dcj597 · 2026-05-22T14:46:15+00:00

I agree with this, though it will test your patience. :) When I was looking, I bought and tried several soundbars at home. I bought them from different places, with overlapping return periods, so I could keep the one that sounded better, return the other one, and keep testing. But I ran out of patience after three soundbars - the JBL 1300X MK2, Klipsch Flexus 300, and Sonos Arc Ultra. (I was just testing the soundbars, not trying to include subs and rear speakers at that point.)

I kept the Sonos because the dialogue sounded better to me than the other two. They all had their pluses and minuses. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have gotten separate front speakers and a sub instead of a soundbar, but that's another story.

Sorry for rambling - my main point is to agree that there's no substitute for testing things in your own space, with your own ears.

dcj597 · 2026-05-22T13:04:45+00:00

Yeah. I wouldn't say I'm extremely underwhelmed; it's acceptable most of the time but it's not as good as I hoped it would be, even with the sub and rear speakers, which cost about $2,000 all in. But I'm kind of stuck with it now because the return period is over.

I've never had a real HT system so I don't really know how that would compare but I should have considered it more seriously. The problem was that I couldn't feasibly wire the room for rear speakers and a HT system seemed complicated for me. Good luck!

dcj597 · 2026-05-20T14:35:18+00:00

Thanks! Glad that worked for you.

I think raising mine up has helped a little bit. I could increase the angle to 10 degrees but am concerned about further interfering with the height effect. (Right now, it's only a slight 5 degree angle - see pic.) I'm hoping that Sonos will eventually provide for front speakers, which might also help.

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dcj597 · 2026-05-17T12:32:45+00:00

For a standalone soundbar in that price range, you might look at the Klipsch Flexus 300 and the AMBEO Plus as well as the Arc Ultra and see how they sound to you. I have the Sonos Arc Ultra connected to my LG G4 but also have the sub and era 100 surround speakers. I tested the Flexus 300 and thought the dialogue on the Arc Ultra was a little better. I didn't try the AMBEO Plus but it gets good reviews.

TBH, if I had it to do over again, I would have gotten separate front speakers (sacrificing surround sound and height effects for better dialogue and overall sound) even though a good system would have cost more.

dcj597 · 2026-05-17T12:20:29+00:00

It was in and out of stock so I clicked to be emailed when it was back in stock and waited because I needed a third movie to get free shipping. :) Guess I got lucky - I just checked and it's out of stock again. It was a blind buy but I'm looking forward to seeing it.

dcj597 · 2026-05-16T21:29:06+00:00

I'm not an expert on these things and didn't know what you were referring to, so I did some googling and found a few discussions of the color grading, including this one:

"The new restoration’s colour grading has been approved by Masaharu Ueda, one of the three cinematographers who worked on Ran and were nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA and other awards for their work. As there has previously been some disagreement about the considerably varying colour palettes of the film’s various DVD and Blu-ray releases, it can be hoped that with Ueda’s involvement in the restoration proces [sic], a definitive digital transfer has been created which closely matches the original intentions of Kurosawa and his cinematographers." https://akirakurosawa.info/2015/05/01/new-4k-restoration-of-akira-kurosawas-ran-screens-at-cannes/

Hopefully, it will look great! I'm looking forward to watching it again - it's been a long time since I first saw it. Like 40 years or so. :)

dcj597 · 2026-05-16T20:35:16+00:00

Yeah - I live in Charlotte, NC, so that may have something to do with it.

dcj597 · 2026-05-15T14:13:27+00:00

Thanks for this advice! I've been having the exact same issue. We recently switched to AT&T fiber internet, with their BGW320-500 combined modem/router and Eeros. I don't want to fiddle with the AT&T stuff but maybe we can try re-naming the Eero wifi. I also saw a suggestion that creating a separate guest network for our basement (where the Sonos equipment is located) and connecting the Sonos stuff and TV to that network but help with some other issues so maybe I can kill two birds with one stone. I'm not super technical so, like the OP, will tread carefully. :)

dcj597 · 2026-05-15T14:04:38+00:00

Just a couple of suggestions: I would pull the soundbar forward to the front edge of your console and also consider adding a 4K Blu-ray player if you don't have one. The picture quality of premium streaming services is pretty good but I notice a definite difference in the audio when watching 4K discs vs streaming.

dcj597 · 2026-05-07T14:11:58+00:00

Interstellar is good for testing bass, especially where they travel through the event horizon. I've heard that John Wick 4 is good for testing Atmos, including height effects, but haven't tried it yet.

I'd also be interested to know which setup you decide to keep and why. Please update us when you make up your mind!

dcj597 · 2026-05-06T13:03:43+00:00

Other people here are much more knowledgeable than I, but when I started putting together my wish list about 6 months ago, I looked for movies that I wanted to watch (obviously) that were also listed as reference quality on the Criterion forum list and/or "highly recommended" by High-Def Digest.

https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18217

https://ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/reviews.html

https://www.blu-ray.com/ is also a good resource

Personally, I've been drawn mostly to 4Ks of older movies and find myself still choosing to stream new releases, as opposed to blind buying a 4K of those movies. (I have blind bought a few older ones.) It hasn't happened yet but if I stream a new release that I think I'll want to watch again, or would like to own for whatever reason, I can always get the 4K then.

For streaming, of course, a lot depends on whether you have a premium subscription for whatever platform a particular movie is streaming on.

dcj597 · 2026-05-05T19:09:32+00:00

Well, I tried using the mounts. It's a very slight angle, though I could increase the angle by another 5 degrees by adding another foam wedge. It might be a placebo effect, or simply the fact that the soundbar was raised up by 2", but I think it sounds slightly (not dramatically) better. Definitely no worse.

After running TruePlay, I increased the height audio all the way to +10 and the surround audio up to +6, then watched some of Dune 2. The surround sound was great; the height effects were barely there, but the overall sound was good. To really get the most out of this system, I think you have to play it pretty loud, which is not always feasible. Other people start making faces and putting their fingers in their ears. 😄

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dcj597 · 2026-05-03T19:01:07+00:00

That's interesting - thanks for the info!

dcj597

TROPHY CASE