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Sonos Reveals Arc Ultra, The New Soundbar Featuring Sound Motion™

 

 

Today we are announcing the introduction of Sonos Arc Ultra, a new premium soundbar that also debuts the brand’s revolutionary transducer technology called Sound Motion™. A significant breakthrough in audio engineering, Sound Motion™ drastically reduces the size of the transducer while supercharging the bass, opening a new chapter in sound innovation where bigger, better sound can be delivered from smaller products. Arc Ultra delivers up to double the bass of its predecessor, with an unprecedented 9.1.4 spatial audio experience in a sleek, sophisticated  design. 

We are also introducing Sonos Sub 4, the next generation of our iconic subwoofer with a refreshed design and internals that elevate your favorite movies, hit shows and more with rumbling bass. 

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Arc Ultra: Breakthrough Sound for Your Home Theater

Built with first-of-its-kind technology and deep industry collaborations, Arc Ultra provides boosted bass, spine-tingling spatial audio with support for Dolby Atmos, and advanced Speech Enhancement for even more levels of control — all in a sleek package that blends into your space and complements large TVs. 

 

  • Theater Sound in Your Living Room: Arc Ultra delivers a massive sound stage that precisely places every detail of sound in your room to envelop you in content. 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. Tune with Trueplay™ to pinpoint the best sound for your space, now available for both iOS and Android.
  • Never Miss a Word or Whisper: With a new center channel architecture, Arc Ultra maximizes vocal clarity so it’s easier to follow dialogue. An all-new advanced Speech Enhancement feature lets you choose your preferred level of dialogue clarity in the Sonos app.
  • Cinematic Collaborations: Arc Ultra is the product of deepened Sonos Soundboard relationships. We worked with veteran movie producers and creators like Chris Jenkins and Onnalee Blank to fine-tune Dolby Atmos content and assemble a studio-worthy experience that rivals professional sound systems. 
  • Design Worthy of Your Home: Arc Ultra is thoughtfully crafted with a distinctive curved profile, matte finish, and a slimmer appearance that looks elegant when mounted and doesn’t obstruct TV bezels when placed on a credenza. Its wrap-around grille extends around the back of the speaker so sound can travel in every direction to completely surround you.
  • Seamless Setup and Control: Unlock theater-quality sound in a matter of minutes with a simple HDMI eARC connection and effortlessly control with your TV remote, the Sonos app, Sonos Voice Control, or Amazon Alexa. Touch controls are cleverly housed in a dedicated ledge behind the soundbar to prevent visual distraction. With Bluetooth line-in, Arc Ultra also gives you more ways to stream - whether binging a podcast or setting a playlist before guests arrive.
  • Committed to Sustainability: 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 also 18% smaller in volume, making it more efficient to ship.

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Sub 4: Our Most Immersive Subwoofer, Revamped

Sub 4 is the next generation subwoofer producing bass you can feel, transforming your home theater experience to draw you closer to the content you love.

 

  • Pulse-Pounding Sound: Feel every beat, roar or rumble in your chest with dual custom woofers that generate deep, dynamic low frequencies to enhance your entertainment. No buzz or rattle either — both Sub 4 woofers face inward to create a force-canceling effect that neutralizes distortion.
  • Rebuilt, Inside and Out: Sonos’ most advanced subwoofer to date, Sub 4 includes increased processing power and memory, as well as new WiFi radios for better connectivity so you never miss a beat. 
  • Same Iconic Design: Sub 4 sports an elegant sculptural shape maintaining much of its predecessor’s aesthetic, with an updated matte finish in Black and White and a profile that’s easy to stand upright, lay on its side, or tuck under the couch. Sub 4 also comes in a more sustainable form through dematerialization efforts and a nearly 50% reduction in idle power consumption.
  • Breathtaking Home Theater: Add more drama to your movies and shows when you pair Sub 4 with Arc Ultra, Arc or Beam for deeper lows. Pair two subwoofers together for maximum bass that supercharges every scene and song — Sub 4 is compatible with previous generations of Sub.

Arc Ultra and Sub 4 will be available beginning October 29, 2024 for USD 999 (EUR 999, GBP 999) and USD 799 (EUR 899, GBP 799). For more information, visit sonos.com, and follow along on @sonos.

@Marco.B Is this information from the Arc Ultra User Guide correct?

 

To my knowledge, yes.

 

So why is it being promoted as 9.1.4? Even The Verge reported this:

“With that array of speakers, Sonos says the new soundbar is capable of delivering 9.1.4 output all on its own.”


Was this screen shot removed down the user guide? Doesn’t look like it is there anymore, unless someone can provide the direct link, and/or the page it is on in the guide?

Still available here 

https://www.sonos.com/sv-se/guides/arcultra

@Marco.B Is this information from the Arc Ultra User Guide correct?

 

To my knowledge, yes.

 

So why is it being promoted as 9.1.4? Even The Verge reported this:

“With that array of speakers, Sonos says the new soundbar is capable of delivering 9.1.4 output all on its own.”


Was this screen shot removed down the user guide? Doesn’t look like it is there anymore, unless someone can provide the direct link, and/or the page it is on in the guide?

 

I believe Sonos removed this information from the User Guide (on the US website) after I brought this to their attention. I don’t know what that means.

You know that all this motion sound is a gimick...

Bad optics already. Taking down a user guide that shows the bar is still a 5.1.2 when used alone with a sub despite strongly suggesting 9.1.4 alone. 
 

Should have just done an Apple “soft launch” basically let the product out on an updated website no fanfare, correct surround channel support info, and let the community buzz it up themselves. This would show that they’re working heads down on improving the app and, you know, not being dishonest about the out of the box capabilities of their new product? 
 

It’s too bad, now people will be hesitant to take any claims seriously about how revolutionary “Sound Motion” really is.

 

Leadership change needed. Back to basics. Back to honesty. Reputations take a lifetime to build, moments to erase. 

No support for DTS-X again at this price point. I’m sure it would be great but with a growing 4k collection some with DTS-X it would be hard to go with Sonos again with the obvious monkey in the room as well.

Will the new soundbar connect to an existing SonosNet?  Not everyone wants to put in place a new WiFi system in their house when their SonosNet network is working just fine…

https://www.sonos.com/en-us/blog/introducing-arc-ultra
 

This is thanks in part to Dolby Atmos technologyand its ability to create an immersive, multidimensional soundstage. But it also owes to the unique design of Arc Ultra, which can render a 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos experience (nine ear-level channels, one subwoofer, and four height channels) without any additional speakers — a huge improvement from Arc’s already-impressive 5.0.2 experience. Add Arc Ultra to a setup that also features a pair of Sonos Era 300 rear speakers and our new subwoofer Sub 4, and you have the ultimate in Dolby Atmos surround sound.

—-

the blog post clearly implies that it is 9.1.4 at all times, regardless of it being paired with rears or a sub…? lol 😂 

—

what is also not clear, is for Dual Sub support, can you have a 4th/3rd gen sub paired with a 2nd/1st gen? It seems to be written in a way that only two 4th gen’s, two 3rd gen’s, or a 4th and 3rd gen will work for dual subs, and you can’t use a 2nd or 1st gen in the dual subs mix at all. The Arc lets you use a 3rd gen with either a 2nd or 1st gen sub for dual sub support. 

No support for DTS-X again at this price point. I’m sure it would be great but with a growing 4k collection some with DTS-X it would be hard to go with Sonos again with the obvious monkey in the room as well.

Don’t fret you get motion sound instead..

https://www.sonos.com/en-us/blog/introducing-arc-ultra
 

This is thanks in part to Dolby Atmos technologyand its ability to create an immersive, multidimensional soundstage. But it also owes to the unique design of Arc Ultra, which can render a 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos experience (nine ear-level channels, one subwoofer, and four height channels) without any additional speakers — a huge improvement from Arc’s already-impressive 5.0.2 experience. Add Arc Ultra to a setup that also features a pair of Sonos Era 300 rear speakers and our new subwoofer Sub 4, and you have the ultimate in Dolby Atmos surround sound.

—-

the blog post clearly implies that it is 9.1.4 at all times, regardless of it being paired with rears or a sub…? lol 😂 

—

what is also not clear, is for Dual Sub support, can you have a 4th/3rd gen sub paired with a 2nd/1st gen? It seems to be written in a way that only two 4th gen’s, two 3rd gen’s, or a 4th and 3rd gen will work for dual subs, and you can’t use a 2nd or 1st gen in the dual subs mix at all. The Arc lets you use a 3rd gen with either a 2nd or 1st gen sub for dual sub support. 

 

How exactly does the Arc Ultra support four height channels with only two upward-firing drivers? With this logic, the original Arc could be classified as a 5.0.4 sound bar.

Leadership change needed. Back to basics. Back to honesty. Reputations take a lifetime to build, moments to erase. 

Hard to say if Spence is taking a long rope or if one is being given to him.

I haven’t see less user enthusiasm for new Sonos products as far back as I can recall.

Understandable too; for instance my play 1 pair + Sub continues to deliver to all expectations under S1 from 2014 till date with no hiccups. 

I would have to be insane to think of an upgrade given all that has been broken by Sonos in the new app needed to run this latest generation of Sub, even accepting that it sounds as superior to my mine to the extent Sonos claims. Assuming what look like the typical exaggerated claims for improvement that all home audio makers hawk are true, the thing first has to work as reliably as mine does just now.

Hard to say if Spence is taking a long rope or if one is being given to him.

I haven’t see less user enthusiasm for new Sonos products as far back as I can recall.

Assuming what look like the typical exaggerated claims for improvement that all home audio makers hawk are true, the thing first has to work as reliably as mine does just now.

Reliability has been fine on my Arc + Sub 2 + One (Gen 1) surrounds for years. I don’t take issue with that. The new App has rubbed me the wrong way in some areas I’m sure they’ll fix. 
 

It’s their disingenuous marketing every time a new product is announced. This time, claims of 9.1.4 out of the box are either flat out false, or suspiciously misleading. Why not just say what it does plainly? Why hide the details that customers always look for, especially Sonos customers? I’ve sold their products for years and the biggest strength they have in my opinion is the word of mouth and good faith they’ve built up with their customers. And TruePlay. But outside of that they’re at risk of being “out-innovated” by a constellation of other manufacturers who all support “good enough” middleware (AirPlay 2) which itself will surely be improved.  

When the Arc Ultra is bonded with a sub, what will the “Sound Motion™️ woofer” be doing?   Will it be repurposed to higher frequencies in the center channel, will it be silent, will it continue to play the low frequencies, or something I haven’t thought of?

I also want to know this. You are paying for this new tech, I would hope it does something when paired with a sub…

My question is - what is the Ultra actually offering that would entice some who owns the Arc to consider “upgrading” to it?

Sound motion obviously 🤣 I hear it’s a big deal.  I wonder if it sounds as good as True Cinema on Sonos Ace 😎 

TrueCinema on the Ace is now 3 months past the announced goal of late July, we may never know how good it is or isn't.

Another unfulfilled promise of Sound Motion isn't worth $1000 at this point.

Sonos really needed to smash this release after what's happened in the last 5+ months, hardware and software-wise - really make it as good as possible and be crystal clear in their claims and information….

To me, the information from Sonos themselves is highly contradictory and confusing.

The release initially said that additional speakers are required to achieve the Ultra's advertised output and this was reinforced when questioned.  Media outlets said otherwise but we were told they were wrong.

Now, material seems to be disappearing from the website - but in the blog, as above, it says, about the Arc Ultra that it can produce 9.1.4 sound “without any additional speakers — a huge improvement from Arc’s already-impressive 5.0.2 experience.”…

Information about sub/multi-sub compatibility isn't clear either.

Is it really so difficult to know your own product and its abilities and have it on your website - so people can make an informed decision before purchase?

When functionality from the last hardware release is still absent many months after it was promised it will be really interesting how this one goes too - and how many people will trust Sonos when they don't know what it can do now, never mind what it may do in the future.

The twirling image in this post seems to have an RJ45 ethernet connection but the specs page doesn’t mention it. I wonder if they used an old Arc image or just forgot to add it in the specs page.

 

Also the Are Ultra page is crashing a lot.

 

 

 

Hi @Ggscott 

Will the new soundbar connect to an existing SonosNet?  Not everyone wants to put in place a new WiFi system in their house when their SonosNet network is working just fine…

No - although Arc Ultra can be connected to ethernet, it will not broadcast SonosNet, nor will it connect to SonosNet broadcasted from another device. It is much like Era models in this respect.

I hope this helps.

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