Sonos must feel like its companion app is in pretty good shape, because today the company is releasing two new products just a few months after it. was delayed to them fix its firmware. Tuesday, Sonos announced the Arc Ultra and Bottom 4. It replaces the first $899 arc as the company’s new flagship home theater product.
This is the first Sonos soundbar to include the new Sound Motion technology. The company says the technology allowed it to “drastically” reduce the size of the Arc Ultra’s driver without compromising bass output. In fact, the Arc Ultra can produce twice as much bass as its predecessor, according to Sonos. In total, the soundbar has 14 drivers that allow it to deliver 9.1.4 surround sound, including a set of tweeters at both ends of the device.
Other notable features include a Speech Enhancement tool that Sonos says will let users decide how clear they want dialogue to sound. On the connectivity front, the soundbar includes an HDMI eARC port, as well as Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 support. AirPlay 2 connectivity, optical audio support is also included – although the latter requires an adapter. For the first time, Sonos will also introduce the handy Trueplay tuning feature for Android users. The Arc Ultra will cost $999 when it goes on sale on October 29. For now, Sonos will continue to sell the Arc for $899.
As for the Sub 4, Sonos calls it the most advanced subwoofer to date. The Sub4 is equipped with a new Wi-Fi radio to offer more processing power and additional RAM, as well as a stronger connection. At the same time, Sonos has made the device more efficient, with the company claiming that idle power consumption has been reduced by almost 50 percent. Like the Arc Ultra, the Sub 4 will be available on October 29. It will cost a palatable $799.
With today’s announcement, Sonos said a new software update is also on the way. The company claims that the release will improve its performance over its previous implementation. Expect improvements to system identification, speaker grouping, and placement. For current users, the update will bring back 90% of the features the new app was missing after replacing the company’s legacy software.
“We’ve worked tirelessly to address the most critical application issues and the most requested legacy features. We’ve reached a level of quality that gives us the confidence to introduce our extraordinary new products,” said Sonos CEO Patrick Spence. “Like us reflected in our obligations we will continue to improve the software regularly and are determined to make the Sonos experience better than ever.”
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