A soundbar is an easy way to upgrade the audio experience, offering clearer dialogue and a more dynamic soundstage as compared to traditional speakers. The Sonos Arc established itself as a solid pick when it was released in 2022, and its newly announced successor, the Sonos Arc Ultra, is set to raise the bar with several hardware upgrades.
For starters, it features Sound Motion technology, which is touted as “one of the most significant breakthroughs in audio engineering in nearly 100 years.” The transducer technology hails from Mayht, the startup it acquired in 2022, and enables smaller speakers to deliver richer, better sound.
As such, the soundbar can pack more bass power into a relatively slim body that measures 7.5cm x 117.8cm x 11.6cm and weighs 5.9kg. According to Sonos, it’s also 18 percent smaller by volume than its predecessor and boasts 14 drivers in total, including seven tweeters, six mid-woofers, and the built-in Sound Motion woofer — three more than the original Arc.
There are other notable features as well. Apart from Dolby Atmos support and a 9.1.4 spatial audio experience (referring to nine horizontal audio channels, one subwoofer, and four up-firing channels), users can expect “an advanced version of Speech Enhancement” that promises dialogue clarity, Trueplay EQ tuning for both Android and iOS devices, and Bluetooth audio playback, which wasn’t available previously.
Like other Sonos soundbars, the Arc Ultra is compatible with the company’s Ace headphones through any input device plugged into it. The full-sized Sub 4 subwoofer, meanwhile, sports a new matte finish, backward compatibility, increased processing power memory, and new WiFi radios for improved connectivity.
As for current users, an update will reintroduce 90 percent of the new app’s missing features. The redesigned app was first rolled out in May, but a slew of bugs, missing features, unstable system performances, and other problems prompted the team to direct all efforts to improve its infrastructure.
The Sonos Arc Ultra retails for S$1,899, while the Sonos Sub 4 costs S$1,449. Both devices are available in black or white.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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