Sonos Arc vs Yamaha YSP-5600 which is better?

Sonos Arc vs Yamaha YSP-5600 which is better?

I think that our Sonos Arc vs Yamaha YSP-5600 contest that we have going on today is one that could be an all time classic. I have put the Sonos Arc up against probably 20 plus other soundbars at this point and I would say that it wins more often than not. Heck, it has even gone head to head with a few other offerings from Yamaha, but today we are looking at what is one of the if not THE elite soundbar offering from Yamaha their Yamaha YSP-5600.

 

The Price:  

I have to tell you as we kick this Sonos Arc vs Yamaha YSP-5600 battle of that we have one hell of a price difference here with these soundbars. The price difference is so vast that it can make comparing the two pretty hard in all honesty with you.

 

Sonos Arc:

I feel that when it comes to bang for your buck and value for money, the Sonos Arc really is quite hard to beat. Coming in at $799,99. The fact that you very rarely find this thing cheaper shows you that it is very popular. I think since this has been released, the best deal I ever found on it was like fifty bucks knocked off it during Black Friday. This is actually so popular, that it is not uncommon for it to be sold for over a grand by some sellers/scalpers on eBay and Amazon. The thing is, there is no need to pay scalper prices for this as Sonos are always pumping more of these out of the factory so just be patient and you will get one for its RRP.

 

Yamaha YSP-5600:

Yamaha YSP-5600 MusicCast Sound Bar with Dolby Atmos/DTS:X

I have to be honest; I cannot get a straight answer on if the RRP for the Yamaha YSP-5600 is as it is either $1,499 or $1,599, either way, you are looking at pretty much double the asking price of the Sonos Arc and that, of course, does make it very hard to compare the two. Still, I have compared the Arc against much cheaper soundbars so turnaround is fair play as someone once said. I have to say that I do not think that this is overpriced at all. This is for those who have a home theatre (more on that later) and those who want the ultimate high-end setup. I had a look on eBay and as I write this there were two on there, one for around 1,300 bucks and another for way, way more than the RRP!

 

The Verdict: These two are so far apart in price that it is very, very hard for me to pick a winner here. I guess I really do have to give this to the Sonos Arc, I mean it is half the price of the Yamaha YSP-5600 and that is just something that I cannot ignore.

 

The Design:

What we have here with this Sonos Arc vs Yamaha YSP-5600 WrestleMania 38 worthy matchup is one of the most awesome design rounds I have had the pleasure to call. These are two very, very differently designed soundbars and that makes comparing them a whole lot of fun.

 

Sonos Arc: No matter if it is the black or the white version of the Sonos Arc, this is one very sexy looking soundbar. I am talking about the white version here today, but both look awesome. This is a nice size as it comes in at 45” x 3.4” x 4.5” which puts it in line with other similarly priced Dolby Atmos soundbars. What really catches your eye with the Sonos Arc is just how curvy and modern it looks. Many soundbars on the market go for a more rectangular look, but Sonos loves to make their soundbars more rounded and it is a style that I am a big fan of. The grill on the front of the Sonos Arc is made with a solid plastic, actually, the whole soundbar has a very high-quality feel to it and as soon as you take it out of the box, you can feel what a high-quality piece of tech it is. My only complaint is that I feel they could have used a metal grill instead of a plastic one, although I think this may be something that is fixed for the next soundbar from Sonos.

Sonos has kept things pretty stylish around the back too as there is just the power port and a single HDMI port on the back of here. I do feel that these days, people with a home theatre will probably want more from their soundbar, especially if they are paying 800 bucks for it. However, I think that the minimalistic kind of style around the back is pretty cool. If for some reason you do want to connect this to your TV with an optical cable, you can use the included HDMI to optical cable. Just remember that you will not be able to use the Dolby Atmos features of the soundbar if you do this. I would love to tell you about the remote control, but Sonos does not give you one! Instead, you have to use the Sonos app on your phone or tablet.

 

Yamaha YSP-5600:

Beast is probably the best term to throw the way of the Yamaha YSP-5600. I want to get the size of this thing out of the way right now. Check out this First Look Unboxing of Yamaha YSP-5600 Atmos Soundbar video and you can see just how massive this thing really is! 43.1/4” x 8.1/2” x 4.3/4” are the dimensions of this soundbar! It is not the width of this thing, but the height! It stands on two feet which I really do like the style of, but there is no way in hell you are having this sitting underneath your TV. You would need your TV to be mounted on the wall or have a projector screen. I get the impression that this is made for those that have an actual home theater rather than just a standard TV. The build quality thanks to the metal grill and chase that they have used is truly second to none. This thing weighs a ton, but it is one of the most solidly built soundbars that I have had the pleasure to hold. When I got sent this to check out for review, the delivery guy actually said that whatever it was weighed a ton.

I think that the Yamaha YSP-5600 looks like a wall! It is just so imposing and awesome looking that I do not know how you could not be impressed with the design of this. However, on the flip side of this, I do also have to say that this thing is probably too large for many people. Around the back, we have many different connection options for you from multiple HDMI ports and optical ports, this is designed to be used as an all in one kind of device, it even offers 4K video pass through! The design that Yamaha has come up with here really is quite spectacular. This also comes with a truly epic remote control that is nice and large and packed with buttons to make sure that you have full control over the soundbar and whatever it is you may have connected to it.

 

The Verdict:  These are two awesome looking soundbars that we have looked at today. However, as much as I love the design of the Sonos Arc. I do have to give this one to the Yamaha YSP-2700. It just has such a premium look and design to it and the fact that the subwoofer looks so cool and fits in great with the actual soundbar really does put this one over the edge.

 

The Sound:

Of course, our final round in this Sonos Arc vs Yamaha YSP-5600 has to be where we look at the sound. These are two amazing sounding soundbars that will take your home entertainment to the next level, but which one did I like best?

 

Sonos Arc:

The crazy thing about the Sonos Arc is that I have talked about it so much here on the site that I am kind of at a loss for words about what to say. If you want to get a better idea about the Dolby Atmos capabilities of this soundbar, check out this fun Testing your Sonos ARC Atmos setup with Dolby Digital Theatre trailers video. My experience with the Sonos Arc has been overwhelmingly positive. It is one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can get for under a grand and a movie like The Dark Knight Rises comes to life so much more when you have Dolby Atmos, the scene in the stadium no matter how many times I see it gives me goosebumps! I have lost count in regards to how many 4K movies I have watched with this just to see what the Dolby Atmos will be like. I really do not see how anyone could buy this and have any complaints.

The Sonos Arc has some real power to it, even without having a dedicated subwoofer. The way that it fills the room with sound does a great job in emulating a surround sound kind of effect. I love how clear, precise and balanced everything that you play through the Arc is. A great example of this is WWE: The Attitude Era which is a mixture of wrestling matches and documentary style interviews. No matter what is happening, you can always make out what people are saying nice and clearly. Even stuff like your standard TV shows and old DVD movies are going to sound a million times better than when you watch them with your TV speakers. There is a very good reason why so many people love the Sonos Arc and while I am sure the design is part of that, it is the sound that really makes this such a great soundbar.

 

Yamaha YSP-5600:

The Yamaha YSP-5600 is a soundbar that is packed with speakers so it packs a real punch when it comes to the sound it provides. I suggest you have a look at this short Yamaha YSP-5600 Atmos/DTS-X Sound Bar – Review video that gives a good glimpse of what this can offer. I am all about Dolby Atmos these days, but truth be told, if there is some kind of fancy cinema sound the Yamaha YSP-5600 can handle it. This is truly the cinema experience in the comfort of your own home. Movies with a dedicated Dolby Atmos track like It: Chapter Two are just mind blowing, I have watched this with this and also the Arc, and as much as I like the Arc, this gave a fuller and richer kind of experience. I found myself watching many movies that I have seen multiple times such as 1917 and Blade Runner 2049, movies which have an epic Dolby Atmos track, just so I could see how much better they sounded when played with the Yamaha YSP-5600.

This is a soundbar that just ticks all of the boxes when it comes to what makes an amazing soundbar. The vocal clarity if you were to watch a TV show like Supernatural or a concert like the epic, Iron Maiden: En Vivo! is going to make you say wow. I think this is one of the best soundbars when it comes to emulating surround sound, it blew me away, and the way that Yamaha position the speakers inside the soundbar truly is something very clever. If you do have a home theatre, this is going to take things to a whole new level that I can promise you.

 

The Verdict: As much as I love the Sonos Arc, side by side, the Yamaha YSP-5600 wins the sound round (hey that rhymed) as it just offers more power, better Dolby Atmos and it does everything the Arc can do and more. The Sonos Arc is still a tremendous soundbar, but Yamaha has to take this round.

 

Which Is The Better Soundbar?

Well, folks, the Sonos Arc vs Yamaha YSP-5600 battle has come to an end and I have to say that the winner here is the Yamaha YSP-5600. I know that the massive design may not be to everyone’s taste, but I really do like it, plus the sound performance that it offers is truly outstanding. I still think that the Sonos Arc is one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars around, especially under a thousand bucks. However, if money is not a deciding factor and you have the space for it, I would recommend the YSP-5600 over the Arc all day long!

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