Sonos today announced the Sonos Arc Ultra, the new premium soundbar that is the first Sonos product to feature the Sound Motion transducer technology. In addition, you can read more about Sonos app updates that should bring significant performance improvements and the return of old features, with more improvements on the way.
Sonos is launching two new products this month, the Arc Ultra soundbar with Sound Motion and the Sonos Sub 4 subwoofer, which you can read more about here. In addition, you can read more about Sonos app updates that should bring significant performance improvements and the return of old features, with more improvements on the way. Read all about the Sonos Arc Ultra and the Sonos app updates here.
Arc Ultra for your home cinema system
Arc Ultra produces more bass, spatial audio with support for Dolby Atmos and advanced voice reinforcement with additional options.
• Cinema sound in your own living room: the Arc Ultra produces a sound field that places every sound detail precisely in your room. This way you are surrounded by multi-dimensional sound and immersed in what you are listening to. The new architecture consists of 14 Sonos-developed drivers, including the Sound Motion woofer and a cluster of tweeters with waveguides at both ends for a 9.1.4 spatial audio experience. You can also tune in with Trueplay to determine the best sound for your room, now available for both iOS and Android.
• New Center Channel: With a new center channel, the Arc Ultra aims to maximize voice clarity to make dialogue easier to follow. With the new advanced Speech Amplification you can choose how clear you want the dialogues in the Sonos app.
• Collaboration with the film world: Arc Ultra emerged from a closer collaboration with the Sonos Soundboard. Sonos worked with film industry veterans such as Chris Jenkins and Onnalee Blank to fine-tune Dolby Atmos content and develop a studio-worthy experience that rivals professional sound systems, Sonos said.
• Design: The Arc Ultra is designed with a rounded profile, matte finish and a sleeker appearance that should sit elegantly on the wall, and not get in the way of your TV when placed on a piece of furniture. The new grille now extends to the back of the soundbar, so the sound of your favorite movies and TV shows can completely surround you, Sonos said.
• Easy setup and control: You can enjoy cinematic sound in minutes with a simple HMDI eARC connection and control with your remote, the Sonos app, Sonos Voice Control or Amazon Alexa. The touch controls are cleverly concealed in a special edge on the back of the soundbar, so that you are not distracted by it. With Bluetooth, Arc Ultra now also offers more ways to stream, whether you want to listen to a podcast or set up a playlist.
• Sustainability: Arc Ultra is responsibly designed with enhanced service options. Sonos does this by using more screws and less glue and opting for halogen-free PCB material, less silicone and a 20% reduced power consumption in standby mode compared to a single Arc. Arc Ultra’s packaging is 100% recyclable and 18% smaller, making it more efficient to ship.
Sound Motion
Sound Motion significantly reduces the size of the transducer, while giving the bass extra power. This allows bigger and better sound to be produced by more compact products. Arc Ultra produces twice the bass output of its predecessor, enabling a 9.1.4 spatial audio experience in a sleek and refined design.
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Price and availability
The Arc Ultra will be available from October 29, 2024 for €999.
Sonos app updates
Sonos also reports that it wants to make rapid progress on improving the new app. With a software update to coincide with the launch of the Arc Ultra and Sub 4, the new app is expected to outperform the previous one in a number of key areas. These include essential features for new users such as system recognition, new device setup, and the ability to group Sonos devices. For current Sonos users, the update will restore 90 percent of the missing features in the new app, with more additions on the way and rolling out on a regular basis in the near future. More information can be found on this community page.