Bose Smart Soundbar 300 vs Sonos Arc

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Votes 8 8
Rating 5 5

Smart Soundbar 300 vs Arc comparison chart

Overall
Bose Smart Soundbar 300
7.6
Sonos Arc
7
10
8
Multichannel surround
4
4

Bose Smart Soundbar 300 vs Sonos Arc review

Bose Smart Soundbar 300
vs
Sonos Arc

Choosing a soundbar is not an easy task and the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 vs Sonos Arc comparison is meant to help you with that. As a result, it is clear that Smart Soundbar 300 is much better designed and has a better sound performance than Arc. According to the results of our comparison, Smart Soundbar 300 received 7.6 points out of 10 possible, and Arc was rated 7 points.

Advantages Bose Smart Soundbar 300 over Sonos Arc

  • Possible to create a multi-room system

Advantages Sonos Arc over Bose Smart Soundbar 300

  • Supports object-oriented sound with Dolby Atmos technology

Audio features

Each of the compared models received 5 points for the audio features.

Smart Soundbar 300
5
Arc
5

It worth understanding the difference between the two types of amplification: a passive soundbar does not have its own amplifier and receives amplification from the signal source, while an active soundbar has a built-in amplifier. The same active type of amplification is used in the Smart Soundbar 300 and the Arc.

There are stereo soundbars and multichannel ones. It is with the help of multichannel devices that you can get volumetric sound.

Smart Soundbar 300 Arc
Built-in channels3.0N/A
Amplification typeactiveactive
Output power, WN/AN/A
Separate speaker (in package)00
Separate speaker connectionswirelesswireless

Subwoofers

Soundbars can have a built-in or external subwoofer. The first type is inseparable from the soundbar body, but for the second, you can choose a good location for deep bass. Both are not equipped with an external subwoofer. Bose Smart Soundbar 300 has the ability to handle wired and wireless connections from an external subwoofer, while Sonos Arc only has wireless connections.

Smart Soundbar 300 Arc
Built-in subwoofer
Separate subwoofer (in package)
Separate subwoofer connectionswired, wirelesswireless

Multichannel surround

Unlike stereo, when reproducing multichannel sound, each specific direction of sound corresponds to its dedicated channel with a separate independent loudspeaker, which creates a three-dimensional sound stage. The multichannel sound reproduction capabilities of the soundbars were rated 4 out of 10.

Smart Soundbar 300
4
Arc
4

The peculiarity of Dolby Atmos is that this format is object-oriented, that is, each object of the audio signal is sounded separately and linked to its spatial location. Dolby Atmos surround sound support is implemented only in Sonos Arc.

DTS:X is an algorithm for processing sound scenes by the processor, linking directly to objects, rather than channels, and calculating the optimal distribution of sound output in a room. This ability to reproduce surround sound with DTS:X technology is not implemented in any of the soundbars in this comparison.

Smart Soundbar 300 Arc
Dolby Atmos
Dolby (other)Dolby DigitalDolby Digital
DTS:X
DTS (other)has nothas not

Streaming services

The possibility to listen online to millions of songs from one device has become a reality thanks to streaming services. The streaming services category rating is the same - 10 out of 10 points.

Smart Soundbar 300
10
Arc
10

AirPlay is available on each of the two models. The popular Spotify service is available on both soundbars.

Smart Soundbar 300 Arc
Apple Music (AirPlay)AirPlay 2AirPlay 2
Amazon Music
Spotify
Other streaming servicesPandora,Tuneln, Deezer, iHeart, SiriusXMPandora, Tuneln, iHeart, Chromecast

Connectivity

The existence of a sufficient number of current connectors significantly expands the functionality of the device. For example, only through HDMI is it possible to implement the transfer of object-oriented formats, and the presence of a Bluetooth connection will allow remote control, etc. The devices received different ratings for connectivity: Bose Smart Soundbar 300 was rated 8 out of 10, and Sonos Arc was rated 7 out of 10.

Smart Soundbar 300
8
Arc
7

The presence of Wi-Fi in the soundbar allows you to get rid of wires when connected to a sound source and get minimal audio latency when playing content from streaming services. Wireless connection via Wi-Fi is possible on both devices.

Bluetooth connection is now one of the main communication protocols for speaker systems, which provides excellent quality and minimal audio latency. The availability of Bluetooth protocol, we can see in both models. The competitors in this comparison has 1/0 HDMI inputs/outputs.

HDMI ARC is a very usefull technology that creates a two-way communication channel between a TV and another device. This is convenient since there is no need to use optical and other cables in the system. HDMI ARC is basic for both soundbars. Unable to connect external devices via USB on both models.

Smart Soundbar 300 Arc
WI-FI
Bluetooth
Ethernet (RJ45)01
NFC
HDMI input/output1/01/0
HDMI ARC
HDMI eARC
HDMI CEC
Optical digital input/output1/00/0
USB
Coaxial digital input/output0/00/0
Analog audio input/output (RCA)0/00/0
Headphone output00
Subwoofer output10

Features

Voice control is designed to make operating the device more convenient. This allows you to control basic soundbar functions from anywhere in the room. The voice control feature is implemented in each of the compared soundbars.

Proprietary applications allow you to control your soundbars remotely. This is possible both via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The ability to control the soundbar using the application is implemented in each of the competitors. Both soundbars have a built-in microphone.

Some soundbars can be part of a multi-room system and it is an affordable solution for sounding the whole house. The Smart Soundbar 300 has the ability to use a multiroom system.

Smart Soundbar 300 Arc
Voice controlAmazon Alexa, Google AssistantAmazon Alexa, Google Assistant
App control
Microphone
Remote control
Multi-room

Dimensions

Smart Soundbar 300 Arc
Size (Wx H x D), cm/in66 x 5 x 10.1/26.5 x 2.2 x 4114 x 7.6 x 10.1/45 x 3.4 x 4.5
Weight, kg/pounds3.6/86.2/13.7
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