Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 step up the home theatre package yet again

To upgrade the existing Arc soundbar, Sonos has developed a new speaker technology called ‘Sound Motion’ to help increase its sound output with a sleeker profile.

The soundbar has pretty much the same physical form as the previous generation, but the new ‘Sound Motion transducers’ are smaller and apparently more impressive, allowing for it to be slightly slimmer. Sonos says this allows the device to output more room-filling sound than ever before, and the Arc Ultra outputs “an unprecedented 9.1.4 spatial audio experience,” which should help elevate any home theatre setup with immersive audio with just one device.

The previous arc only had 11 speakers inside of it, and the new version can fit 14 since they’re now smaller but output better sound. The first Arc impressed me with how wide and immersive the soundstage was in a single soundbar. I expect this new one to be even better now that the company has packed more speakers into it and more finely tuned its spatial audio technology. On top of that, both iOS and Android users can now use their phones to tune the device for TruePlay for a more fine-grained audio experience.

The speaker has also revamped the center channel audio and its ‘Speech Enhancement’ software, which should help with dialogue clarity. The speaker is also a little thinner than before, and the touch controls have been moved to a ledge behind the speaker, so there are no distractions on the top of the design. Another fun perk that’s been added is Bluetooth line-in, which should make it even easier for guests to use the soundbar without needing the Sonos app.

That being said, the Sonos app rebuild is nearing completion, and CEO Patrick Spence said that the company has “worked tirelessly to resolve the most critical app issues and most requested legacy features. We have reached a level of quality that gives us the confidence to launch our extraordinary new products.” About a month ago, I set my Sonos system back up after disabling it for a couple of months, and I’ve been finding it much more stable than it was when the app launched.

The new subwoofer looks similar to the old model as well, but it has increased processing power, RAM, and better Wi-Fi radios to help it stay connected no matter where it is in your house. Sonos also says this new hardware helps reduce power consumption by up to 50 percent.

The new Arc Ultra is up for pre-orders now and costs $1,299. The new subwoofer is also up for pre-orders and costs $999. Both products are expected to start shipping on October 29th.