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Sonos is finally turning its attention to a new flagship soundbar and subwoofer with improved audio and direct Bluetooth playback.
Sonos is rumored to soon refresh its flagship Arc soundbar with new features four years after the first-gen Arc launched. The release is expected to be imminent now the manufacturer has finished fixing its app.
The new soundbar will be called Arc Ultra, and could feature more powerful speakers, improved physical controls, and could also include Bluetooth playback, which the $899 previous version lacked.
Arc Ultra ($999) https://t.co/z6sXvj2dAg pic.twitter.com/iuwG2vGXDv
— Arsène Lupin (@MysteryLupin) September 17, 2024
Alongside the new premium soundbar, Sonos is expected to release a new subwoofer called Sub 4, which will be paired to the soundbar. Although the exact timeline of the launch has yet to be confirmed, marketing material for the upcoming Sonos Arc and the Sub 4 have leaked, revealing key changes in finishes on the two products and hinting at some of the upgrades.
Sub 4 ($799) https://t.co/z6sXvj1FKI pic.twitter.com/SQcr43UvuV
— Arsène Lupin (@MysteryLupin) September 17, 2024
Although Sonos was previously rumored to be releasing the updated soundbar by April 2024, it had to divert plans to allay criticism around its poorly redesigned mobile app that had a buggy interface and lacked many crucial features. Sonos has since improved the experience, though it says rolling back to the older design is out of question.
The Arc Ultra supposedly also integrates “revolutionary” design changes in the speaker units that it inherits from Mayht, a Dutch startup that Sonos acquired two years ago. Mayht only toyed with prototypes and never really sold its own speakers before being acquired by Sonos and intended to license its technology. At CES 2022, it demoed a set of stereo speaker units with tiny motors inside drivers that use the diaphragms to create balance.
Mayht’s speaker technology was also found to pack more punch than traditional speakers for their size due to the unusual design. These improvements could enable the Sonos Arc Ultra to deliver a more room-filling audio output. These improvements could form the basis of new “Sound Motion” technology—a term revealed by Sonos itself when it leaked the Arc Ultra itself accidentally a few days ago.
— Arsène Lupin (@MysteryLupin) September 17, 2024
The Arc’s design, as per the leaked images, hasn’t vastly changed, except for a redesigned panel for touch controls instead of the previous placement on top of the soundbar. Another lifestyle image, which shows the alleged Arc Ultra along with two Sub 4 subwoofers placed on the floor, suggests the new soundbar may be slightly longer.
The Sub 4, on the other hand, does not appear to have any design changes apart from a new optional matte finish. As earlier, both the Sonos Arc Ultra and the Sub 4 are reported to come in black and white colors. The leak also points at a price of $999 for the soundbar, though previous leaks have hinted at a much higher $1,199 price. Meanwhile, the subwoofer unit is expected to be priced at $799.
