Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar: all the rumored price, features and leaked images info, with our analysis

DA Gadgets September 19, 2024 Soundbars, Televisions

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The

Sonos
Arc
Ultra
is
the
supposed
name
for
the
next
elite
Dolby
Atmos
soundbar
coming
from
Sonos,
and
like
many
of
the
company’s
new
releases
these
days,
it’s
not
exactly
the
world’s
most
mysterious
device.

The
Sonos
Arc
Ultra
has
had
a
load
of
leaks
about
possible
pricing,
images,
claims
of
delays
and
then
being
brought
forward,
information
about
its
cutting-edge
new
speaker
tech,
and
–
of
course
–
its
name.

The
Sonos
Arc
Ultra
will
be
the
successor
to
one
of
the

best
soundbars
(and
one
of
the
most
popular)
in
the
form
of
the
original

Sonos
Arc,
although
given
the
high
prices
we’re
seeing
rumored
for
the
Sonos
Arc
Ultra,
it’s
entirely
possible
that
this
model
will
come
in
above
the
regular
Arc
in
Sonos’
range,
and
the
first
model
will
stick
around.

In
a
nutshell,
what
we’re
expecting
from
the
Sonos
Arc
Ultra
is
an
elite
all-in-one
soundbar
that
costs
somewhere
between
$999
and
$1,199,
and
features
a
new
kind
of
speaker
tech
previously
known
as
Mayht
HeartMotion
to
provide
much
better
bass
without
the
need
for
a
subwoofer,
as
well
as
much
improved
Dolby
Atmos
3D
spatial
audio
positioning
effects.

Written
by

Matt
Bolton

Managing
Editor,
Entertainment

I
use
a
Sonos
surround-sound
system
at
home
based
around
the
Sonos
Arc,
so
I’m
extremely
excited
by
the
idea
of
the
new
and
improved
model
–
and
I’ve
tested
every
Sonos
soundbar
and
home
speaker
released
in
the
last
five
years.
Here’s
all
the
info
we’ve
collected
so
far,
and
my
analysis
and
explanation
of
what
it
all
means.

Sonos
Arc
Ultra:
rumored
price
and
release
timing

During
September
2024
alone,
there
were
two
different
prices
floated
for
the
Sonos
Arc
Ultra.

First
came
a
claimed
screenshot
of
an
accidental
upload
to
Sonos’
online
store
of
the
product
page,
which
appeared
to
confirm
the
name
‘Arc
Ultra’
that
had
been

previously
revealed
by
regular
leaker
Arsène
Lupin
and
promised
a
price
of
$1,199
(about
£900
/
AU$1,750).

(Image
credit:
Reddit)

However,
almost
immediately,

Lupin
returned
to
give
his
own
take
that
the
Sonos
Arc
Ultra
would
cost
$999
(about
£750
/
AU$1,450)
and
to
throw
in
some
images.

As
for
when
it
should
arrive,
at
this
point
it
feels
like
it
could
land
at

any
time,
but
it’s
looking
likely
to
arrive
before
the
end
of
2024.

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up
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news,
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tech
deals,
and
more.

There
were

reports
that
it
had
been
delayed
due
to
Sonos’
on-going
issues
with
its
new
app’s
reliability,
but
more

recent
claims
say
that
it’s
back
on
track.

Generally,
companies
want
to
get
products
like
this
launched
not
too
far
into
October
or
maybe
November,
so
they
can
catch
people
before
they
spend
all
their
budget
on
Black
Friday.

So
while
we
have
nothing
specific
about
a
release
date
so
far,
we’re
getting
close
to
when
I’d
expect
it
to
launch.

Sonos
Arc
Ultra:
possible
leaked
design

Given
that
several
of
the

best
Sonos
speakers
have
gone
through
a
redesign
recently
with
a
new,
subtly
changed,
design
language
(see:
the

Sonos
Era
100,
the

Sonos
Era
300
and
the

Sonos
Move
2),
I
was
hoping
for
the
same
from
the
Sonos
Arc.
Especially
since
it’s
such
a
tall
beast,
and
that
can
be
a
problem
with
low-slung
TV
stands.

However,
it
looks
like
that
won’t
be
the
case.
From
the
pictures
we
have
so
far
(which
are,
to
be
fair,
quite
zoomed
out
because
it’s
a
real
long
boy),
it
seems
like
the
design
will
be
extremely
similar
to
the
original
Sonos
Arc.

So
you’ll
have
a
round
side
profile,
a
hard
plastic
grille,
the
option
of
white
or
black
finishes,
and
connections
in
a
central
recessed
hub
in
the
back.

Sonos
Arc
Ultra:
rumored
features

Sadly,
I’m
not
expecting
a
drastic
change
in
techy
features
compared
to
the
original
Sonos
Arc.
It
seems
clear
that
Bluetooth
will
be
on
board
based
on
the
current
leaks,
and
the
fact
that
Sonos
is
adding
it
to
all
its
new
products.

It’ll
still
be
a
Dolby
Atmos
soundbar,
so
will
have
the
same
HDMI
eARC
connection
as
the
Sonos
Arc,
we
can
assume.
But
based
on
the
spec
and
image
leaks
so
far,
it
seems
like
it
won’t
support
HDMI
passthrough
still
–
it
looks
like
there’s
space
for
only
one
HDMI
port
from
images

leaked
at
The
Verge.

An
image
of
the
supposed
new
soundbar’s
connections
published
on
The
Verge.

(Image
credit:
The
Verge)

This
is
infuriating
to
me.
When
the
original
Sonos
Arc
came
out,
the
fact
that
it
that
it
had
no
HDMI
passthrough
was
a
mark
against
it.
That
was
in
2020.
Here
in
2024,
it’ll
be
borderline
unacceptable.
Other
premium
soundbars
in
this
range
(the

Sony
HT-A7000
and
the

Samsung
HW-Q990D)
feature

multiple
HDMI
passthroughs
that
support
HDMI
2.1
gaming
features,
such
as

HDR
at
120Hz.

It’s
also
a
problem
because
many
of
the

best
TVs
still
only
have
two
HDMI
2.1
ports,
and
one
of
these
ports
is
usually
the
HDMI
eARC
port.
This
means
that
if
you
have
both
next-gen
gaming
consoles
and
the
Sonos
Arc
(or
Ultra),
only
one
of
your
two
gaming
consoles
can
be
connected
with
full
4K
120Hz
support.

I’ve
spoken
to
Sonos
about
this
topic
in
the
past,
and
the
company
said
that
it
believes
it
is
more
user-friendly
to
have
the
simplicity
of
one
HDMI
connection.
I
really
hope
we’re
all
surprised
and
Sonos
changed
its
mind
for
the
Sonos
Arc
Ultra,
but
I
won’t
be
holding
my
breath.

Beyond
this,
we
can
assume
that
the
Sonos
Arc
Ultra
will
work
with
the
TV
Audio
Swap
feature
of
the
Sonos
Ace
headphones.
I
really
liked
this
feature
when
I
tested
them
for
my

Sonos
Ace
review,
and
it
seems
like
a
slam
dunk
that
it’ll
be
supported
from
launch.

I
would
also
expect
that
Sonos’
new
TruePlay
Quick
Tuning
will
be
supported
on
Android,
as
well
as
its
full
Advanced
TruePlay
that’s
available
on
iOS.
This
was
released
recently
to
use
with
the
Sonos
Era
100
and
Era
300,
and
should
help
to
tune
the
sound
for
your
particular
room,
helping
with
detail
and
precision
in
the
Dolby
Atmos
effects.

And
that
will
be
important
given
the
new
speaker
tech
inside,
so
let’s
talk
about
that.

Sonos
Arc
Ultra:
next-gen
speaker
tech
explained

The
most
exciting
part
of
the
Sonos
Arc
Ultra
will
be
the
new
speaker
tech
that
it’s
all-but-certain
to
use
inside.
This
was
developed
by
a
company
called
Mayht,
which
Sonos
then
acquired
–
and
the
Arc
Ultra
looks
set
to
be
the
first
product
to
debut
it.

Originally
called
HeartMotion
–
though
Sonos’
version
may
be
called
Sound
Motion
if
the
store
page
leak
mentioned
further
up
is
real
–
this
tech
can
basically
halve
the
size
of
speakers
by
using
an
innovative
design
that
pushes
sound
from
both
sides
at
once.

When
Mayht
first
introduced
the
tech,
it
used
Sonos
products
as
its
comparison,
claiming
that
something
with
the
size
and
quality
of
the

Sonos
Five
could
be
fit
into
the
body
of
the

Sonos
One.
Sadly,
Mayht
was
acquired
just
before
I
ever
got
to
have
the
technology
demonstrated
to
me,
but
I
discussed
it
with
the
company,
and
it
was
incredibly
clever.

A
major
part
of
it
is
the
way
it
drives
sound
from
two
sides
at
once,
which
has
the
advantage
of
reducing
vibrations
in
the
body,
because
the
forces
from
driving
in
two
opposing
directions
cancels
each
other
out.
This
is
a
principle
Sonos
knows
well,
because
it
uses
a
‘push-push’
configuration
in
all
of
its
subwoofers
–
but
that’s
done
by
using
two
different
speakers,
so
actually

increases
size
and
complexity.
‘Sound
Motion’
should
make
it
very
small,
and
very
simple.

This
could
have
two
potential
advantages
in
the
Sonos
Arc
Ultra.
The
first
is
a
massive
improvement
in
the
bass
power
even
without
a
subwoofer,
because
the
company
can
simply
fit
much
more
woofer
power
into
the
same
space
with
this
tech.
The
best
soundbar
I
ever
heard
for
bass
that
didn’t
have
its
own
sub
was
the

Devialet
Dione,
and
that
was
achieved
by
having
eight
individual
woofers
arranged
in
a
push-push
configuration
(so
it
wouldn’t
vibrate
right
off
your
TV
stand).
This
made
it
massive
both
in
terms
of
its
size
and
price,
but
it
worked.

If
Sonos
can
get
close
to
that
by
using
a
smaller
number
of
Sound
Motion
drivers,
then
the
Arc
Ultra
could
be
something
quite
special.

The
second
advantage
is
that
if
the
bass
power
can
be
achieved
in
a
smaller
woofer
configuration
than
the
original
Arc
requires,
that
leaves
more
space
to
use
and
add
angled
tweeters
to
help
create
convincing
3D
sound
to
challenge
the

best
Dolby
Atmos
soundbars.

I
wonder
if
Sonos
might
even
be
able
to
use
the
same
kind
of
pro-style
compression
drivers
from
the
Era
300,
which
are
fantastic
at
creating
precise
spatial
effects.