Sonos ARC VS Bose Soundbar 900 | Do They Live Up To The Hype? Sound Test Included. 

My brother has the Sonos, I have the Bose 900 with 700 bass module. You really can’t go wrong either way. I’m big on brand loyalty and have Bose in my car so I went with Bose.

I had the Arc but always found myself turning it up to hear the dialogue then turning it down when the action scenes kicked in. Tried trueplay, sub, surrounds etc and could never get it right. Sold it all for the Bose 900 and I’m much happier. Dialogue is much better on the Bose and being able to adjust the centre speaker volume was a big plus. Still own Sonos speakers but purely for music only.

I just bought the BOSE 900 bar...I like the clean deep rich sound...will be adding the base and surround speakers once I save up for those...

I have brought a Sonos arc 5.1, expensive, but just simply amazing.

One of the best comparison available, well done..

I already had two Sonos Beams/subs/rear surrounds in my office and master bedroom. Decided to stay with Sonos and upgraded my Nakamichi 7.2.4 for our main TV room with the Arc system. I don't have to "fiddle" with the settings with the Sonos systems and the TV/music sound, start up time, and ease of use is consistent between all zones. Added two Roams for easy whole house music inside and out with a touch of a button or on the go.

I had Bose SoundTouch 300 which is similar to Soundbar 700 with Base 700 and the sound speakers. And to enjoy Dolby Atmos, I bought Sonos Arc with Sub Gen3 and One SL. For movies Sonos ones are better because if the surround effect, but for music I prefer Bose ones. Both of them are good. So I regretted to have switched to the sound system by spending almost same the price of Bose set.

New subscriber. Powerful comparison video!!! Greatly appreciated. 👍🏾👍🏾

I had the Arc and Bose 700. Bose had better dialog. ARC more spacious. Returned the ARC, sold the 700 and bought the 900. I feel the 900 beats the ARC fully now.

We went with the Bose 900 and the 700 Base and the 700 Satellites. After the auto tuning process, I ended up increasing the satellites to +50 and they fit the room acoustics perfect. On the sub, I'm hardwire and run +10 to +20. The key feature for my needs was the Bose provided independent volume support for my Bose Q45 headphones (my hearing is not great) so that I can listen on the Q45 turned up and my wife listens on more normal volume from the 900 setup. The independent volume support for Bose headphones was the deal maker for me.

Great overview. Still trying to decide with option to purchase.

Thanks Josh, great video as always

I think that you can’t overlook physical beauty of a system. Bose is beautiful.

Wow. Simply wow. Thanks for the video josh. I returned bose 900 with sub 700 after using it for 45 days and bought sonos with sub. And I am very happy with sonos.

I love my Bose 900 Dolby Atmos! Amazing

Great video, I came across it surfing after my purchase of the Sonos Arc,sub and surround,now I have to shop around for a large tv preferably 83 or 85 “ any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I had the SoundTouch 300 with Acoustimass 300 and then upgraded to the 900! I liked the 900 a lot. But…i had an earc Problem and the Bass was great but in a strange way not that good 🤷🏻‍♂️ Switched to the Sonos Arc with Sub Gen 3. Definitly better bass in Movies and Games…way better!

Bought the 900. Liked it but it needed more. We added the smaller sub and what a difference! It unlocked the true sound. Very impressive

Bose 900 with bass module 700 is the best for my experienced. I enjoyed every day watching movies on it..sonos looks cheap & bulky.. bose always look elegant & classy 👍( plus points for its Bluetooth 👍)

i have 2 bass module 700 connected to my 900 bar. incredible sound

No doubt Sonos gives you a big bang for your bucks if you are into blasting neighbor-waking music. The quality of sound and presentation is top notch for Bose, it's design elegance mimicks Apple ideology of minimalist top quality features. if you keep iphone on top of it, seems like similar products. The Bose sound reproduction has been true to original and they always have vouched for it by not having sound enhancement buttons on their older products. But they sound great all the same viz the wave radio etc. They believe in true sound as played. This is the first for allowing you modulate frequencies. But if you are an audiophile you wont make a mistake picking the 900. Last month got the 900+700 base module and surrounds and although they feel small each has two speakers juxtaposed, and as intended add on rear sounds in a delicate manner. Of course you wont hear the helicopter flying over your head but a symphony orchestra is well recreated with this.

I would choose Bose! I heard both @ home. Bose in my opinion is the massiv better Choice!

I ummmmed and arrrrrrd. Sonos Arc won it for me. Loving ❤️ it.

i just bought the Sono's sound bar and I'm thinking of getting the surround speakers and the the sub woofer I'm watching a lot of reviews and they all go 4 a sound bar and a subwoofer and 2 surround speakers at the back of me. can i add two more surround speakers for the font surround speakers would it b worth it .

Bose all day!

Great video 🍻

I ordered the Sonos arc and the Bose Ultra. I have send the Sonos back and decided to keep the Bose. Better sound. Bluetooth. For my opinion better Design. And I like that it have a physical remote.

I got the Bose 900 with surround speakers and bass module. Why does the Bose Bass module make a little sound like the speaker is shaking or muffled when playing low from your TV

The answer to every question related to comparing a product to Sonos is; can the competing product offer whole home audio if the answer is no then Sonos wins. There are a lot of other great speakers, and a lot of great sound bars but none offer a good whole home audio experience.

I bought a pair of Apple HomePods gen 2 synced with Apple TV to replace an older Sony soundbar. They lack overall volume. I am returning them for the Sonos system. I feel Sonos offers more speaker options (thanks to the RU-vidrs) I appreciate this video.

Very good video.. I watched a few bose soundbar 700/900 and arc videos and always there is a focus only on how they sound but no other features.. I agree with you and I would choose bose just because I am an android user. And also bose 700 is thiner than arc if your tv is low.. I dont know whats the height of 900

Between Bose 900 surround and Sonos arc surround wich one has the best surround for movies?

Question.......I primarily listen to RU-vid music on my vizio Bluetooth soundbar system which works with my home wifi. Will the Sonos work in the same way? I don't want to attach it to a television. Thank you in advance for your replies.

Excellent review. I’m a long time Klipsch user and have the Cinema 600 with the wireless sub and surrounds in a large great room. That beast puts out massive sound. But wanted Atmos for our Sony A9G in a smaller living room. Started with just the Arc and loved the sound. But it went up another level once I added the sub. So I would always recommend the Arc with the sub. Yet to add the Sonos rear surrounds, guess I’m waiting for Sonos to have rears with upward firing speakers. Just a hope on my part, haven’t heard whether that is happening or not.

I own the Sonos Arc surround sound system with rear speakers and the subwoofer. It sounds GREAT for movies, music, and gaming. Bose makes good soundbars but they lack in bass and as a result their sound profile isn’t as full.

Very nice review. I have the Bose 900 but after hearing the Sonos Arc in comparison and thinking of returning it to her the Sonos Arc. Can you please tell me what soundtrack you used to compare the two? Also, are the Arc surround speakers wireless?

Terrific and balanced review of the two systems - I really like the way you were very clear (and fair) on what you did and didn't like and where the gaps might be. I think I'm leaning towards the Sonos - although I have heard the Bose in a store and really love the sound, especially with the bass. I can't believe how expensive the Bose rears are - absolutely ridiculous. Hope to be making a purchase fairly soon - I wish both of these would do discounts once in a while...

As a stand alone sound bar without sub & extra speakers , which is best out of Sony Ht a7000 vs Sonos arc vs bose 900 ???

Looks like I'm going with Bose due to it being more customizable and more friendly with Android. Thanks for helping me make the decision.

Hi, can you pair the Bose 500 home speaker with the bose 900 tv bar?

One plus for the Bose system is that you can wire the sub to the bar with a 3.5mm cable. That can help reduce single drops. If you get Y adapter, you can connect two subs.

For anyone buying the bose 900....a bass module is a must! With them both....its absolutely amazing!!!! Bose for movies and arc for music.

I bought the sonos arc mostly over a couple of bad experiences with durability with expensive Bose products. The arc was disappointing at first and about to be returned until I added a Gen 1 sub gifted to me by my brother who hated the deep base. The sub brought the arc to life so I quickly added the surrounds.

For what it’s worth, the high frequencies on the ARC sound a bit fatiguing and harsh. Too much sibilance for my ears. The Bose sounds a bit warmer and rounded. Definitely my preference on sound. Function and durability is another matter.

Bose 900 soundbar is giving lot of issue with e-arc and tv. Most of the time there is no sound coming through. Has anyone faced this issue with their bose 900 and if so how did you resolve it.

I now have the Sonos ARC surround setup w/ the sub and it is great. I bought the Bose 900 first but I was met with a glitchy system and getting stuck in a loop update which bricked the system. Customer service didn’t solve my issue so I returned the Bose 900 and got the ARC and never looked back. Sonos is much direct and easy to use and pairing/adding speakers was a breeze.

Good job.

Is there an issue with the Arc wall mounting if your TV sticks out a bit. Would it sound better with an alternative mounting that lets it come out from the wall a bit?

I own the Arc, Sub Gen 3, and ONE's for the surround. The Subwoofer is amazing and adds wonderful volume to the system. The app is pretty easy to use and personalize the sound to suit your preferences. The sound and looks are high-end for a WiFi system. I'm not an Apple user and find using an Andriod phone to be just fine for movies, music, and podcasts.

I used to sell both, and they (both of them) are very good systems. However, I found the Bose to be more musical and warm, Sonos is good for movies. If you sync the sound according to your room, either one will work fine.

I have the Sonos Arc system with sub and 2 wireless speakers. The sound is incredible! Easy to setup and use. The ONLY problem I've with the system is the arc has NO BLUETOOTH. I really didn't think about it when I purchased because everything over the last several years has bluetooth. I have a wireless bluetooth vinyl record player that I can't even use because of this. Sonos offers a device that'll allow you to connect your bluetooth devices for $450. I feel like the bluetooth should already be built in and asking for an extra $450 is robbery. Keep this in mind before purchasing

Good video on showing differences between the two. Only thing I would recommend is playing the demos separately instead of sweeping through and switching to get a clear difference in hearing the same audio. All of the bass heavy parts were on the Sonos. This way we get to hear everything on both.

Why does the bose sound so horrible in your test ?? I own the Bose 900 and it’s amazing. Did you calibrate it right or what did you have on the bass, treble, height, center dialed at ?

Base for the win- easily. I just demod both in person. No comparison really.

I like bose, there systmes my be compareable to the sonos ones, but what sonos cannot beet is bose's customer service (in the uk atleast) i have been in contact with them a couple times, they always fix my divices for a resonable fee and give me extended warrenty, the bose team are really proffesoanl and the who prossess is just smooth overall, gonna be purchasing the bose ultra soundbar, 700 surround sound speakers and a bass module 700 for my home thetere room, i know they will not disapoint

Thanks for the video ! Adding from the Bose soundbar alone, would you prioritize the Sub or the rear speakers ?

can you pleas Harman Kardon Citation 1100 vs Bose and Sonos

I prefer the Sonos but I'm a Android user.so I may have to go with the Bose.

I have them set up side by side, The Sonos is not capable of the same tonal reproduction, Lots of detail go missing, yes the Center (vocals ) are super pronounced but everything else just fades into mud. When listening to Gregory porter - Holding on, the finger clap goes missing on the sonos where it is clearly reproduced on the Bose, Also there is a dramatic volume difference between the Bose and the Sonos, The sonos does not equal the Bose in terms of SPL or listening experience, the Bose Soundstage is Wider, Now when adding the Bass module, The Sonos HAS nothing for the Bose, The Smallest Bose bass module outperforms the Sonos unit by a substantial margin, not to mention going bigger on the Bose. Furthermore, on the Bose you could go even further by adding 2 bass modules, and I put my money on it that you would not believe the transformation that makes to the system. WOW Every review states that the Bose rear speaker 700's are not as effective as the sonos, But again you have to set them up side by side, its a different experience, the sonos speakers are focused to a point, the Bose units are omnidirectional and capable of producing a wider experience, For me the Bose is more True to Life, as its more akin to that experience, natural. The sonos is in your face, here I am. The Bose unit also turns the entire room into a sweet spot where as with the sonos its very traditional, Sit in this location for the best sound. The Reviewer is also inaccurate by saying Bose produces outdated system, He is not comparing apples with apples. In my experience the Sonos App is more difficult than the Bose and the Bose is by far simpler to get to sound good, the Bose also has the capability to upscale a stereo signal to a 5 speaker // atmos performance, as such out of the box it just works. The sonos you have to tweak, especially on the bass side of things, the sub is just not on par with the competition.

Having to use my phone for a remote is stupid. I love my Bose 900 with the 300 bass module and the 300 surrounds.

Can you play youtube content on Bose 900 soundbar? And you can experience that also with the sub connected? I was looking for a Sonos arc system with sub and rears but I’ve read a comment somewhere that you cannot play directly from iphone or ipad youtube content and if you play it from tv you will only hear the sound on the soundbar and not on the sub and rears. Can you please check if this is true both on Bose and Sonos? Nobody on their reviews test and talk about these “issues”.Thanks a lot.

Please help. I have Sonos arc, sub gen 3 and 2 sl as surrounds. I am not getting much from height channel. I have it to max. On the Sonos app. My tv is LGC1 and sound output set to pass through and I mainly use Netflix. My ceiling is not high at all .. any would be much appropriated.

Which soundbar has better, clearer and louder dialogues? I love SONOS, amazing surround system, easy to use, but dialogue is always extremely poor on all their devices. Beam, ARC... anyone has tried them both?

How did you manage to get the 700 surround speakers? Bose dont sell them in New Zealand.

Lately I always have problem with Bose durability. Next soundbar will be Sonos or other brands.

sorry to critique your video and it was great by the way, except in your summary you added Sonos was great for apple users but didn't mention anything in the body about apple/appleplay. Can you advise why Sonos is better for apple users.

How much watt do you think has the Bose 900?

Bought both. sound is pretty subjective. I really think the 900 sounds “sharper” and has more bass but the Arcs functionality just works better had Soo many drop outs with 900 the hdmi cec is broken with the 900 multiple inputs is too much for it? Tv shutting off randomly sound cutting out on certain inputs just not worth it..

I have both Arc and Bose sound bar and Bose life 535 in one room. I listen either of them each day, for me, the 5.1 system is unmatched good, then Arc. The Bose sound bar not any good after life system 5.1. Bose retired all life system with sound bar. If I random turned on, that is 5.1 Bose v535.

Thanks Josh for a great video. I went with the Bose 900 over the Sonos Arc. Bose just looked so much classier and fitted under our tv. So happy with Bose both for music and movies. We have a Sonos Beam Gen 2 in the bedroom but the living room it has to be Bose.

Bose it is for me

Straight to the point with all the unnecessary babbling. Thumbs up for me. I guess it comes down to your taste in sound, but looks like you can’t go wrong with either.

Would be awesome if you could review any of the Harman Kardon soundbars with subwoofer :)

If the bose is more powerful, with a richer, clear sound, I don't understand how the sonos compares? which it is. I judge speakers on the fullness of the sound. The sonos is thinner with less clarity on dialogue. Go in any audio store they will tell you the same. A common compliant with sonos is you have to turn it up and down between scenes. It is also common place for stores to tell you the Bose looks more premium. Which it does. It is always better to try these out for yourself before buying.

I got my Sony HTa9+SW5 but not as pleased, thinking of Sonos ARC+sub+surround OR Bose+sub+surround. Please guide.

Would the sub for the Sonos Arc be too much for an apartment?

And if my TV has ARC but not eARC, will I still get Atmos or do I need to buy Fury and Apple TV?

Bose is best!

Sorry im big fan for bose soundbar all day everything ❤

Will there be a Bose Bass Module 900?

deadass the bose is way better for music. its def good for movies but if movie watching is what you do more go for sonos but if you listen to things like tv shows, music, sport channels i think Bose would be a little cheaper and better option. Also the surrounds for the sonos can be used as singular speakers around the house

I just bought the Sonos arc bar and gen 3. The only problem I have is the Bluetooth not available to connect a device, unless IPhone 😢. Sometimes my wife and kids wants to connect their android phones and play their music, but Sonos makes me look selfish with my family.

Returned my sonos arc and bought bose 900 so I can use my subwoofer. Sonos not supporting other device is a deal breaker

Would be nice if you also can show €price

I think I'm going to get the Sony HT-A7000. The Sonos Arc doesn't have Bluetooth and the Bose 900 doesn't do DTS-X. The Sony is rated well and has both.

Is the Bose sound bar able to give Dolby atmos effect with just the soundbar

Bose 900 & 700 sub all the way 🎉❤✌️🙏

I have had both sound bars. I bought the 900 and kept it for about 20 days and just returned it for the Sonos arc. So far the only problem I had with the Sonos is watching Netflix. You have to turn the volume up to 50 to just hear the voice dialogue. The bass with the Sonos is so much better then the 900. Bose failed with that and I think they did that so you buy the bass module. The Bose sounds cheaper then the Sonos. It’s odd though because 5.1 Audio sounds better on the Bose and the 2.0 audio sounds better on the arc.

Samsung Soundbar HW-Q990B vs Bose 900 vs Sony HT-A7000 (Subwoofer premium). How do you classify them?

I just returned the Bose 900. The 900 sound bar sounds great but their bass modules are crap. I originally purchased the 700 bass module and it crackled and popped a lot. I then returned that and decided to try the 500 bass module and same thing but not as bad as the 700. Until they can improve their wireless connection between sound bar & sub I’d steer clear especially for the price you pay. If you decide to try Bose purchase directly from them as they offer 90 day no risk with free return shipping.

I don’t like either one. The Beo Soundstage was just incredible and has the best dialogue I’ve ever heard in a sound bar.

Can you make a video, between Sony ht-a9 and Bose 900 soundbar with rear speakers and subwoofer? Great video by the way and thanks!!

Remove the “VS” of the title, if you’re just going to say that both are great

I have read various stupid comments about which one is better or which one sounds better 🤦‍♂️🙈, everyone perceives sound differently, you can't write one sounds better than the other or maybe you forgot to write "in my opinion" 🙈, both they are excellent systems, but I repeat the perception of sound changes from person to person….anyway great video … i did like it 👍

What name of this movie on Tv ? Movie name ?

am hifi listening but I have hiffi speaker myself but I tell you honestly bose is better in sound and movies so that says all enough my speaker easily beats sonos in music and bose again in movies

Sonos win sonos have better sound music nd movies nd bass is monster nd trueplay it’s amazing

Hands down, Bose 900 is worth every penny.

As an Android users, I will not even consider buying the sonos system.

Bose works well with apple?