Build quality:

The LG S95QR and Sonos Arc are great to pair with large TVs like 75”. While both bars are made of good quality plastic, the LG S95QR has fabric and metal grille (on top). Sonos Arc has plastic and cloth grille. The subwoofer of LG S95QR is made of wood, plastic and fabric grille. Satellites are made of plastic and cloth grille. Both the bars are wall mountable, and the LG comes with all necessary accessories, so you do not have to buy them. Build quality of the bars are great and they feel durable.

Audio performance:

Comparing LG S95QR vs Sonos Arc, the S95QR is a 9.1.5 bar whereas the Sonos Arc is a 5.0.2 channel soundbar. LG S95QR has an AI Room Calibration feature that works with built-in microphones. This is done so that the output sound is more natural and accurate. It incorporates a high-quality DAC that works with low-res contents. This makes sure the sound is close to the original source and maintains a good imaging.

The LG soundbar has good dynamic range that emits sound evenly across the room. Comparing Sonos Arc vs LG S95QR, the LG has a more effective Atmos effect. It can create a powerful hemisphere of sound around and above the user. It is due to more number of up-firing drivers. Low ends shows its power with good impact. The soundbar has a wide soundstage that feels wider than the bar. It shows good performance with accuracy.

Sonos Arc has Trueplay tuning option for room calibration. It will use the microphone of the Apple device. While the out of the box sound may need some tweaking, the bass and treble options will easily cover that. It sounded open, rich and natural. Bass is present and captivating from this single soundbar that you might not even miss an additional subwoofer.

It has clear vocals and a broad soundstage. With side-firing drivers, the soundfield is much wider than the bar that maintains accuracy and focus. Compared to LG, the Sonos Arc has decent surrounds. LG S95QR has real, powerful and more immersive surrounds. Overhead effects are good and enjoyable.  

When the Arc is paired with surrounds and subwoofer, then the audio performance becomes more capable of comparing with the LG S95QR. For best results, it is suggested to place the bar 2 to 4” below the TV and 5.5 to 12” away from the walls. While both LG and Sonos are capable of filling up large rooms, Sonos Arc is more suitable for mid-sized places. With LG, you can try large living rooms.

Features:

Comparing LG S95QR vs Sonos Arc, the Arc doesn’t have the Chromecast. They both have Airplay 2. With Airplay you can talk to Siri, stream contents from Apple devices or apps. It can be a part of multiroom system more easily than the LG. With Sonos, users can make a total of 16 groups by connecting 32 devices.

LG S95QR soundbar can be a part of multiroom audio with Chromecast where it can connect to other Chromecast supported devices. It has HDMI 2.1 that allows 4k @ 60 Hz passthrough. It supports VRR, ALLM, G-Sync and this makes it one of the best soundbars for gaming. Both the soundbars will play contents from internet radio and online music streaming apps.

Connectivity:

In terms of connectivity, Sonos Arc has HDMI to optical adapter and Ethernet port. LG S95QR has optical audio, 2 HDMI In and USB port. They both have HDMI eARC and are compatible with old and new TVs. To stream contents wirelessly, LG supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth whereas with Arc, you only have the Wi-Fi option.

Multiple speaker pairing:

LG S95QR already includes rear speakers and subwoofers. With Sonos Arc, you can easily pair Sonos surround (Sonos ERA 100 or 300) and Sonos subwoofer (Sonos ERA 100 or 300) wirelessly.

 Control options:

Comparing Sonos Arc vs LG soundbar, the S95QR LG bar has a remote control, but the Arc does not have any. Sonos Arc has Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in into it. With LG, you need to purchase 3^rd party voice assistant enable devices to use these. Both bars have mobile app. With Sonos app, you can perform setup, play contents from radio or use it to control the bar.

For LG, there is LG Soundbar app which is quite easy to use. Physical control on the LG S95QR includes power on/off, change input, Bluetooth, play/pause, volume up/down, etc. Similar to Sonos Arc, there are controls like volume up/down, play/pause, skip forward/backward, mute mic.

Settings:

LG S95QR is packed with tweaking options. It has multiple sound modes including Music, Cinema, Games, Sports, etc. Users can adjust subwoofer, rear, surround, and virtual surround sound levels. They both have voice enhancement mode, night mode, bass/treble level along with height level adjustment options.

With LG, there is a feature named AI Sound Pro that will detect the type of content and adjust sound output accordingly.

Cost:

Comparing LG S95QR vs Sonos Arc, the Arc is a bit pricey even though it is only a single bar and does not include surround speakers and subwoofer like the LG. In this case, LG S95QR is a suitable choice.

FAQ:

Are standalone soundbars powerful enough?

Single standalone bars like Sonos Arc can be powerful more than we can think. This is due to multiple drivers. It has dedicated drivers for center, sides and Atmos. As a result, the audio performance is way better even if it is not as powerful as dedicated rear and subwoofer.