Sonos must feel that the companion app is in good enough shape. That’s because the company is launching two new products today, just months after delaying a software fix. On Tuesday, Sonos announced the Arc Ultra and Sub 4. The former replaces the $899 Arc as the company’s new flagship home theater product.
The first Sonos soundbar with new Sound Motion technology. The company says this technology allowed them to “significantly” reduce the size of the Arc Ultra’s transducer without sacrificing bass output. In fact, Sonos says the Arc Ultra can produce up to twice as much bass as its predecessor. This soundbar has a total of 14 drivers, including a series of tweeters on each end of the device, and can deliver 9.1.4 spatial audio.
Other notable features include an audio enhancement tool that Sonos says lets users decide how clearly their conversations can be heard. On the connectivity front, the soundbar includes an HDMI eARC port, as well as support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. AirPlay 2 connectivity is also included, as is support for optical audio, although an adapter is required for the latter. For the first time, Sonos is making useful Trueplay adjustments available to Android users. Arc Ultra will be priced at $999 when it goes on sale October 29th. For now, Sonos will continue to sell Arc for $899.
As for the Sub 4, Sonos calls it its most advanced subwoofer ever. Sub4 features more processing power and additional RAM, as well as a new Wi-Fi radio for a stronger connection. At the same time, Sonos claims to have made the device more efficient, reducing idle power consumption by almost 50%. Like Arc Ultra, Sub 4 will also be available on October 29th. The price is a bit more affordable at $799.
In today’s announcement, Sonos also said a new software update is in the works. The company claims that this release will improve performance compared to the previous app. Expect improvements to system identification, speaker grouping, and setup. For current users, the update will bring back 90% of the functionality that was missing in the new app since it replaced the company’s older software.
“We’ve worked tirelessly to solve the app’s most important issues and most requested legacy features, and we’re proud to launch extraordinary new products,” said Patrick Spence, Sonos CEO. “We have reached a level of quality that is possible.” “As stated in our commitment, we are determined to continue to improve our software regularly and make the Sonos experience better than ever.”
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