The Sonos Arc is a pricy but peerless home audio package. Sonos' first-ever Dolby Atmos soundbar is more than just a pretty (and tubular) face. This powerful hunk of well fashioned plastic is loaded with 11 individually powered drivers, including dual speakers pointed upward to bounce off your ceiling, creating an impressively potent example of the hemispheric immersion for which Dolby's Atmos sound format is so highly praised. Its well-tuned drivers offer a rich and smooth sound signature that's fantastic for anything you play, from sitcoms to streaming music. Speaking of streaming, like all Sonos speakers, the Arc offers WiFi connection through the Sonos app, along with the ability to connect with other Sonos speakers, either in a group, or as part of a surround sound setup. This allows you to add dual surround speakers and a Sonos subwoofer if you want, though the Arc offers impressive bass response even without one. Like the Sonos Beam, it also sports built-in microphones and your choice of Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa support, making it both a soundbar and a powerful smart speaker. The drawback of all these features is, of course, the price of $799, which puts the bar beyond the average budget.

The real crux of the issue isn't whether or not the SR-B20A is a good soundbar: it is, delivering robust audio for TV, movies, music, and games, despite the lack of an external subwoofer. The issue is that there are same-price'bars that do more: Yamaha's own YAS-109 soundbar is roughly the same price and gets you Amazon Alexa compatibility, while the very valuable Vizio V-Series'bar includes a very respectable external subwoofer at, by this estimation, no extra cost. The best thing about the SR-B20A is that it delivers very respectable sound without the need for an external subwoofer. If you really don't have much space to work with, it's an ideal choice. However, if you want to maximize sound quality per dollar, you're probably better off springing for a soundbar that delivers the kind of cinematic punch made possible by an external sub.