(October 17, 2024) Sonos has unveiled two significant updates to its product lineup: the Arc Ultra soundbar and the Sub 4 subwoofer, both designed to enhance home audio setups with advanced features and refined designs. Alongside the new hardware releases, Sonos is also rolling out important updates to its app, aimed at improving performance and reintroducing legacy features.
With the Arc Ultra soundbar ($999), Sonos is revealing what it calls "Sound Motion" transducer technology. The main goal of this development is to improve bass performance while reducing the size of transducers, allowing for a more compact design without sacrificing audio quality. Overall, the speaker delivers a 9.1.4 spatial audio experience, representing a substantial upgrade over its predecessor. It does this with 14 drivers, including a redesigned woofer, tweeters with waveguides, and a center channel aimed at improving vocal clarity. The company’s Trueplay technology—now compatible with both iOS and Android—continues to allow for room calibration, fine-tuning the sound to fit specific spaces.
The Arc Ultra also includes support for Dolby Atmos and an advanced Speech Enhancement feature that lets users adjust the level of dialogue clarity. Designed with a slim, curved profile, the soundbar is aesthetically unobtrusive, making it a good match for modern living spaces, particularly for larger TVs. This release, says Sonos, reflects ongoing efforts to balance sound performance with design factors that integrate easily with your home.
On the subwoofer front, Sonos has launched the Sub 4 ($799). It features dual custom woofers arranged in a force-canceling design to reduce distortion and enhance deep bass performance. According to Sonos, the internal components have been upgraded, including increased processing power and improved WiFi connectivity, which should result in smoother integration with the broader Sonos ecosystem. A key feature of the Sub 4 is its versatility—it can be positioned upright, on its side, or even tucked under furniture, giving users more flexibility in incorporating it into their setup.
While the overall design remains familiar, with a sculptural form and matte finish, the Sub 4 reduces idle power consumption, reflecting Sonos’ ongoing efforts towards sustainability in its products. For users who want more bass impact, it’s possible to pair two Sub 4 units together for added low-frequency power.
In addition to these hardware announcements, Sonos has also introduced significant changes to its app. These updates are intended to improve performance and address customer feedback related to missing features. Notably, the app will reintroduce approximately 90% of the features that were absent from the previous version, while also providing improved system identification and easier setup processes for new devices. Android users will see enhancements in queue management, TalkBack functionality, and system update scheduling, addressing some of the most common complaints. Sonos says this is part of an ongoing cycle of updates aimed at improving both new user experiences and the overall functionality of its ecosystem for existing customers.
For more information about the Arc Ultra Soundbar, Sub 4, and other Sonos products, visit www.sonos.com.
