Sonos is rolling out its new Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar, debuting the brand’s new transducer technology, Sound Motion, which reduces the size of the transducer while supercharging the bass for a bigger and better sound.
Built with first-of-its-kind technology and industry collaborations, Arc Ultra provides boosted bass, a spatial audio experience with Dolby Atmos, and advanced Speech Enhancement to choose a preferred level of dialogue clarity.
Arc Ultra is the product of deepened Sonos Soundboard relationships, working with veteran movie producers and creators like Chris Jenkins and Onnalee Blank to fine-tune Arc Ultra for Dolby Atmos content playback and assemble a studio-worthy experience that rivals professional sound systems.
The all-new architecture features 14 Sonos-engineered drivers, including a Sound Motion woofer and a cluster of tweeters with waveguides on both ends to deliver a 9.1.4 spatial audio experience and double the bass of its predecessor. Tune with Trueplay for a more customised sound experience, now available for both iOS and Android.
Arc Ultra is thoughtfully crafted with a distinctive curved profile, matte finish, and a slimmer appearance. Its wrap-around grille extends around the back of the speaker so sound can travel in every direction.
In addition to a simple HDMI eARC connection, users can control the soundbar with their TV remote, the Sonos app, Sonos voice control, or Amazon Alexa. Touch controls are housed in a dedicated ledge behind the soundbar to prevent visual distraction. With Bluetooth line-in, Arc Ultra also enables more ways to stream content.
Arc Ultra was designed responsibly with improved serviceability by using more screws and fewer adhesives, halogen-free PCB materials, less silicon material, and a reduced idle power consumption by as much as 20% as a standalone player compared to Arc. Its packaging is 100% recyclable and 18% smaller in volume.
Sonos CEO, Patrick Spence said, “For decades, Sonos has revolutionised home theatre and music experiences with products that look as great as they sound. Driven by our hunger for innovation, we created Sound Motion to break the boundaries of what’s possible by a single speaker, bringing this industry-first transducer technology to home theatre where demand for extraordinary sound is equal to designs that fit modern living spaces.
“Arc Ultra is a reimagination of our best-selling soundbar, leveraging this incredible innovation to deliver an unprecedented sound experience from a sleeker design.”
Sonos is also launching its next generation subwoofer, the Sonos Sub 4, with a refreshed design and internals to elevate the audio experience with enhanced bass. Dual custom woofers generate deep, dynamic low frequencies to enhance entertainment. Both Sub 4 woofers face inward to neutralise distortion.
Sonos’ most advanced subwoofer to date, Sub 4 includes increased processing power and memory, as well as new Wi-Fi radios for better connectivity. Its elegant sculptural shape maintains much of its predecessor’s aesthetic, with an updated matte finish in black and white and a profile that can stand upright, lay on its side, or tuck under the couch. Sub 4 also comes in a more sustainable form through dematerialisation efforts and a nearly 50% reduction in idle power consumption.
Sonos has also released a new app alongside the launch of Arc Ultra and Sub 4 with improvements across system identification, set-up of new devices, and the ability to group Sonos devices together. For current Sonos customers, the update will reintroduce 90% of the new app’s missing features, with further additions on the way.
“We’ve worked tirelessly to resolve the most critical app issues and most requested legacy features. We’ve reached a level of quality that gives us the confidence to launch our extraordinary new products. As we laid out in our commitments, we will continue to improve the software regularly and are determined to make the Sonos experience better than it’s ever been,” Spence said.
Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 will be available from 29 October for $1,799 and $1,299 respectively.