A software update was made available by Sonos a few months ago. After installing it, some users discovered that the upgrade substantially impacted the performance of their Sonos Arc and Sub devices.
Customers have reported that after updating to version 14.12, the Sonos Arc not only became noticeably quieter across the board but also exhibited a different frequency response. Those that used the Arc in conjunction with a Sonos Sub and ran Truplay room calibration reported a significant bass reduction.
These changes were made to the Arc’s sound profile in the 14.12 release in order to improve dialogue clarity. Complaints from users claiming that the update had negatively impacted their sound system quickly flooded Reddit and the Sonos forum. Additionally, YouTube user Peter Pee has produced several informative videos detailing the issues.
Sonos has recently revealed that it has corrected these problems with its most recent software update, version 14.18, which was released on the 18th of October.
With the 14.18 software update, both of these issues have been addressed, and the Enhanced Clarity for Arc adjustments have been retained. A member of the Sonos staff explained the improvements that users can expect to see when they upgrade to the new firmware on the Sonos forum.
Our community expressed a resounding preference for the former volume settings, and as a result, these have been brought back into effect. This will become instantly obvious after updating to version 14.18.
The problem with Trueplay has been addressed. Customers who experienced a lower Sub level after performing Trueplay after updating to 14.12 will need to update their systems and then perform a new Trueplay tuning to address these improvements in their system.
Customers who did not experience this issue after updating to 14.12 do not need to take any action. Customers will see a more robust low-end response, meaning any adjustments to the sub-level that were made after 14.12 should no longer be required.
They went on to state that the issue did not affect systems that did not contain a full-size Sub, such as stand-alone Sonos soundbars or those that contained the Sub Mini.
Users’ initial reactions to the upgrade have been largely positive up to this point. After a number of reviews, including our own evaluation, discovered concerns with the low-end performance of the Sonos Ray earlier this year, Sonos made adjustments to the sound profile of the product.
The Sonos Arc is among the best-selling soundbars in the market together with some reputable brands and have sound quality that’s second to none. Solving such issues in a timely manner helps it stay on the top-notch soundbar companies worldwide for sure. We have also made a review article about two of the best-selling soundbars in the market Sonos Arc vs Bose 700 which you may consider reading.
Although problems caused by firmware can be extremely frustrating for customers who have already spent a significant amount of money on a product that was functioning properly in the past, it is heartening to see a company that is responsive to user feedback while attempting to improve the quality of its offerings.
I am a technology journalist with a passion for all things tech, writing about all the latest gadgets and gizmos. I love learning about new technology and sharing my knowledge with others.
