Roku Streambar vs Sonos Arc
Side by side comparison of two of the best soundbars on the market. Same category, different priorities.
Sonos Arc
A genuinely great soundbar that earns its premium price for most living rooms.
How do the Roku Streambar and Sonos Arc compare, spec for spec?
| Spec | Roku Roku Streambar | Sonos Sonos Arc |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $129 | $899 |
| Rating | 4.5 (18,200) | 4.6 (6,200) |
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Should you buy the Roku Streambar or the Sonos Arc?
Both are strong picks in the soundbars category. Here's how to decide:
Get the Roku Streambar if...
Two in one convenience. Replaces your dumb TV's speakers AND its bad interface.
Get the Sonos Arc if...
This is the soundbar for people who want serious audio without a rack of equipment. One cable, a quick app setup and you're done. The sound it produces from a single bar is legitimately impressive. Dialogue is crisp and clear right out of the box. Bass hits harder than you'd expect from something without a subwoofer. And the Dolby Atmos presentation is among the most convincing you'll hear from any all-in-one bar. Who is it for? Sonos fans first and foremost. If you already have Sonos speakers around the house, this slots right in. It's also the right call for anyone who wants a clean, minimal setup and doesn't want rear speakers or a separate sub cluttering the room. For a midsize to large room with normal ceiling height and four walls, it really does fill the space. Where it falls short is worth knowing upfront. There's no DTS:X support, which won't bother most people but matters if you have a big Blu-ray collection. No HDMI passthrough means you lose a port on your TV. The Trueplay room calibration that meaningfully improves sound quality requires an iOS device to run. Android users get left out. And at $899 the price stings, especially since rivals at similar price points sometimes bundle in a sub and rear speakers. Music playback is solid but not the main event. The soundstage skews toward movies and TV. If you mostly listen to jazz or classical you might find the midrange a bit thin. Buy it if you want the simplest possible path to genuinely great home theater sound. Skip it if you're budget conscious or your room is on the larger or oddly shaped side.