Never had a ARC issue with either of my Marantz receivers. Also do not think they are difficult to setup, but it is time consuming. But unless you change something you only set them up once.
What I have found with EARC/ARC is that is very cable dependent. Never had any issue with BlueJeans HDMI cables. But have had sync issues with other cables.
My new Marantz receiver has a web browser interface. I use that for doing any and all adjustments. It's nice being able to adjust things from my phone.
The sound is always good, but don't have a whole lot to compare it to. If a dog barks in a movie, both my dogs go nuts, same for door bells. They think it's real sounding enough