Listen: I’m not here to tell you how to spend your money, but if you don’t have a good music and home theater set-up at your place, you should consider prioritizing that. We’re living in the age of streaming and Spotify. Every year, a higher share of all the entertainment produced is designed to be consumed at home. Most people have responded by getting a nice television, but not nearly enough have responded by upgrading their sound system to match it. That’s a mistake.
Sound has always been an important part of the movie theater experience. In the early days of cinema, theaters had pianists and sometimes even full orchestras to set the mood. Now, most movies contain intricate scores and popular songs that are blared through state of the art speakers to create atmosphere and mood. All the best home set-ups try to recreate that, and thanks to Sonos, it’s never been easier to get studio-quality sound.
Once upon a time, soundbars and specialty speakers were for tech nerds and the super rich, but that’s not the case anymore. I got all the proof I needed of that when I went over to my parents’ place earlier this year and was rattled to discover they bought Sonos speakers and somehow even installed them without needing to Facetime me in to ask twenty-five questions. They sounded great. That was all I needed to get my home entertainment act together, and hopefully, this article is the push you need too.
Ahead of the holiday season, we’re partnering with Sonos to offer some simple recommendations to improve your sound experience. This guide should point you in the right direction, whether you’re looking to improve your television set-up or you’re looking for a way to make your music sound a little better. We’ve got you covered with the following options…
Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar
If you’ve never had a good soundbar before, you’re probably unaware of just how cinematic watching a movie at home can feel these days. Everyone focuses on the giant screen when you go to the theater, but the textured and layered sound that feels like it’s coming from all directions is a key part of why it’s so easy to get lost in the story. A good soundbar recreates that experience at home, and Arc Ultra is a really good soundbar.
Utilizing Sound Motion, a proprietary technology that helps balance the sound and make it feel deeper, Arc Ultra has 14 drivers and balances that with center channel performance. That means it fills the room with those driving, ancillary sounds but doesn’t overwhelm the clarity of the primary sound. Or, to make it even simpler, it means it gives you the booming soundtrack, but it still lets you hear the dialogue when characters are speaking to each other. If you’ve watched any big budget movie in the last 15 years, I don’t need to tell you how important that is, as it’s a special kind of infuriating when you miss key plot points because some random rock song that’s supposed to be background noise is screaming in both your ears.
If you’re looking to get into the soundbar game or to improve on a mediocre soundbar you have currently, Arc Ultra is a great option. It’s easy to set up (as I found out from my parents), and it can work as a standalone speaker to play music through. It can also pair well with a Sonos subwoofer and speakers to build out a whole system. The soundbar itself normally retails for $1,099 dollars, but there will be sales throughout the holiday season.
You can check out current pricing here.
Sub 4
Subwoofers haven’t always had the best reputations. In theory, they’re supposed to amplify the lower frequencies normal speakers have trouble producing, specifically the bass. Because the technology wasn’t there at the beginning, however, many people had negative experiences and have this memory in their head of an obnoxious rumbling and shaking sound that’s overwhelming everything else. If that’s still your impression, let me be the first to say times have changed.
Good subwoofers are a lot more harmonious now. They’re less intrusive and more in balance with sounds in the other registers. Think of it like a tuba in an orchestra. The point isn’t to hear the tuba over everything else. It’s to hear the tuba vividly during the unique moments in which the tuba is supposed to be heard.
At least that’s how a good subwoofer works, which brings me to the Sonos Sub 4. It’s made to be paired with the Arc Ultra soundbar or another Sonos speaker, and it’s there to generate those deep and dynamic low frequencies. All you have to do is plug it in and add it to the Sonos app. That’ll pair it with the rest of your set-up, and you’ll notice a huge difference with the low notes in a movie’s score and the thumping of the soundtrack. It’s also designed so you never get any of the rattling or buzzing you get with low quality subwoofers.
Sub 4 normally retails for $899, but you’ll see sales throughout the holiday season. It’s a great option to improve your experience at home or to improve a loved one’s set up as a holiday gift.
You can check out current pricing here.
Era 300
We’ve focused a lot on how to upgrade your home theater set-up, but if you’re on the lookout for a better way to listen to music, Era 300 has you covered. With six drivers placed all around the speaker, it helps project sound into all parts of the room equally, which lets the music fill the space, rather than sound like it’s coming from a specific direction. That makes for a more natural listening experience.
Era 300 also works well no matter how you listen to music. You can stream whatever you want or use whatever service you want over WiFi or you can connect it directly to Bluetooth. You can also connect it to your other Sonos devices, meaning if you walk into the kitchen to make a sandwich while the television is on, you can continue listening to the TV audio through Era 300.
You can also connect Era 300 to other speakers or other Era 300s. That means you can listen to music throughout the house across different rooms as you’re doing chores or just moving about your day. You don’t need to strain your ears to try and hear music from the other room. It’ll already be there.
Era 300 retails for $479, but that price will go even lower with specialty rates over the next month. So, if you’re looking for a better way to listen to music, this winter is a great time to buy.
You can check out current pricing here.
To Sum Up
Watching and listening to your favorite content at home has never been easier and more affordable than it is right now. You can create a fantastic home theater experience for a reasonable price, and you can listen to your favorite music with maximum clarity. You just need the right equipment. We’re partnering with Sonos to outline the best of those equipment options.
We recommend all three of the products above, but you can’t go wrong with anything Sonos is offering his holiday season. You can head over to their website to get all the options and pick one up for yourself or one for your loved ones.
