The felt covering typically matches the color of the Arc Ultra. Whether or not Sonos has changed to a generic black felt for all Arc Ultra’s is a question for Sonos sales.

However, mix-ups do occur in final packaging wherein the black felt covering was inadvertently applied to your white Arc Ultra. As the boxes Sonos speakers ship in are serialized to match that of the speaker, I verify that both match. If they do, I wouldn’t be concerned about the felt covering. If not, I’d most definitely contact Sonos Sales support to make them aware of the mismatch speaker/boxing. Such an error could have an effect on an RMA if you decided to return it for dissatisfaction (you don’t like it) as the speaker must be returned in original packaging

On another note, I typically sell my Sonos products on eBay when upgrading. One of my selling points is that the speaker ships in the original serialized box. 

I could certainly see a situation where ‘hey, we’re out of the matching color of felt bag, should we stop shipping them out’ occurring. If I were the packing manager, I wouldn’t hesitate to put the other ‘color’ felt on it.

The speaker’s the thing, after all, not the package it ships in. If the speaker is the wrong color, I’d be concerned. The bag, not so much. 

Could it be a refurb or open box repackaged as new? 

It is an A Stock unit (brand new, sealed) directly from Sonos. 

Does it really matter? 

Are we still debating the color of the sock?? That’s trivial as long as the OP received a brand new sealed box with the correct product. 

This must be me, but I miss those days when a community served the purpose of exchanging ideas freely, not taking the risk of someone deciding a topic was interesting or relevant.

Again, this is just a thought, but if this topic is irrelevant, why the heck do you waste your precious time commenting here?

No one berated you or criticized your asking the question.  You were afforded plausible answers as to why the different color sock on your Arc Ultra. I’ve received products wherein the inner packaging differed from what I expected. However since you are unwilling to accept the answers provided or feel slighted in some manner what did Sonos sales/customer service have to say when you called them?

I guess you missed the “Does it really matter?” post. Or maybe your trivial comment. 

There’s no use. 
Some people nowadays believe that saying/writing whatever they want, no matter if they’re judging someone’s motivations or demeaning the importance of someone’s doubts it simply an exercise of free speech. 
Again, I really miss when online communities were an healthy place where everyone saw the others as equals and everyone opinions were truly considered with no judgement, where posts were created white rh sole intention to be helpful in some way.

I am now leading this thread. 
Thank you to those who tried to help in some manner. 

 

Wow!
 

There’s no one in the user community that can answer the original question. Only Sonos knows that answer. Yet you asked the community, inviting comments. And, whether packaging is black, white or red, I still really don’t think it matters. I’m not saying your question is not interesting; nor irrelevant. I don’t understand why (or if) it matters, and asked the question. This is how to exercise a free exchange of ideas and opinions. My question is still unanswered. 

Perhaps someone who bought a non-black-or-white speaker (there were the limited edition One or Play:1, as I recall, in a range of colours) or the coloured Roam can tell us what colour that packaging was? But even so, that’s a historical answer, not reflecting current practice. 
 

And, however you might interpret my question, I stand by it and ask it again: does it really matter what colour the packaging? 

Again, 

Maybe it’s me, but’s let’s do a very quick exercise:

Someone takes a couple of minutes of his time to post a question. Isn’t it obvious that it should matters somehow to the original poster?

What other interpretation “Does it really matter” may have?

If I were you, and come across a thread that seems no to matter, I would have simply ignored and moved over the next interesting one.

But that’s just me.

With this post, I end my participation in this thread.

As far as I am concerned, this thread might be closed. 

​@marinheira 

I guess you won’t see this but I’m posting it anyway as it may clear up things for others who happen upon this thread….

First of all as you pointed out this is a community. The community is comprised of volunteers not Sonos employees.  

Your question was given a plausible answer by me and ​@Airgetlam. Beyond that you would need to contact Sonos customer service for a definitive answer.

Second you have failed to follow the correct sequence of questions or rather discern who ​@nik9669a response was directed...which was to ​@Muggles 

In the sequence of events you clarified that the product you was received as…. “It is an A Stock unit (brand new, sealed) directly from Sonos”.

That said maybe ​@nik9669a could have better clarified the reason for their reply to ​@Muggles by saying “ really doesn’t matter as long as the the OP received the product they were expecting regardless of the sock color”. We all sometimes make a response and its gets misconstued which is what happens when questions asked and answers given are not presented in real time. You however; as it appears took ​@nik9669a comment to be directed at you. That said we all have to be mindful that everyone processes information differently. 

My comment knowing you had been afforded two plausible answers was to indicate that the color of the sock is irrelevant after you verified you received the product you paid for. IMO to continue a discussion about the color of the sock was “trivial” in the greater scheme of things.

Those are my thoughts. Like you I will not be visiting this thread to comment on this subject any further.

I hope you enjoy your Arc Ultra! 

At the risk of prolonging an already long and straying thread, I’ll say: 

My question “Does it really matter?” was primarily directed at ​@marinheira, who posted the original question about packaging colour, but it was an open question to any that cared to respond. Such is the nature of forums such as this. To date, no one has actually responded to that question, other than to attack me for asking it. 

Ha! Ha! 

​@nik9669a … you just proved my point about processing information differently. I thought your question was directed at ​@Muggles . Oh well