Sonos Arc Ultra, the bigger brother to Arc, features 3 more drivers – 14 in total – for Dolby Atmos sound that can be expanded further by connecting other Sonos speakers such as the new Sub 4.
After months of leaks and rumors, Sonos today announced the Arc Ultra.
Sonos Arc Ultra. Photo: Sonos
It is a high-end soundbar designed to compete with other premium Dolby Atmos soundbars such as the Samsung HW-Q990D and Sennheiser Ambeo Max.
- "Arc Ultra is the sleekest and most powerful soundbar Sonos has ever created. With an all-new acoustic architecture powered by 14 Sonos-engineered drivers and advanced technologies like Sound Motion™, Arc Ultra fills every inch of the room and precisely places sounds all around you for an entertainment experience that feels out of this world," the website reads
9.1.4 channel Dolby Atmos?
The Arc Ultra consists of 7 tweeters, 6 midwoofers and a built-in subwoofer, according to Sonos, for a simulated soundscape in front, to the sides, behind and above you, while watching movies, playing games and listening to Dolby Atmos music from Amazon Music and Apple Music.
- "Arc Ultra features two upward-firing speakers that physically project audio toward the ceiling for a true height channel experience. Arc Ultra renders a 9.1.4 Atmos signal," said Sonos.
It supports Dolby audio up to Atmos but is still limited to basic DTS, which is a non-licensed implementation. It must be connected to a TV via HDMI eARC as there are no HDMI inputs.
New Sound Motion technology
Sonos claims that new 'Sound Motion' technology delivers much improved sound in a compact design, but it remains to be heard if the neodymium magnet technology, which Sonos acquired with Netherlands-based Mayht for $100 million, is any good.
Our biggest gripe with soundbars remains the muffled sound and poor music performance, which in recent years has led us to turn our attention to other types of TV speaker solutions, so will be interesting to see if Sonos, keeping its focus on soundbars for TV audio, can change our minds.
- "One of the most significant breakthroughs in audio engineering in nearly 100 years, Sound Motion™ packs unprecedented performance in an unbelievably flat, compact design. This technology unlocks greater clarity, depth, and balance than ever before possible from a soundbar this sleek. Hear every frequency with astounding accuracy, and experience double the bass output of Arc," said Sonos, clarifying that it was estimated at 50Hz bass.
The company highlighted that the Trueplay app for room calibration now works with Android in addition to Apple iOS devices. For the first time, you can also use Bluetooth in Arc Ultra in addition to Sonos streaming, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect. There is improved dialog enhancement too.
The Sonos Sub 4
As always, Arc Ultra can link up to other Sonos speakers including subwoofers and rear speakers, and with the launch of Arc Ultra, Sonos is also launching the upgraded subwoofer, Sub 4.
Sonos Sub 4. Photo: Sonos
The new Sub 4 is also compatible with the Sonos Arc, Beam and ray soundbars. As for the Arc Ultra it is also compatible with Sonos' new Ace headphones as well as all previous generations of Sonos subwoofers. A dual Sub setup requires Sub 4 or Sub (Gen 3).
Both the Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 will go on sale October 29 for $999 and $799, respectively, in either black or white.
Sonos Arc Ultra – specifications
Amplifiers
Fifteen Class-D digital amplifiers perfectly tuned to the unique acoustic architecture.
Tweeters
Seven precisely angled silk-dome tweeters create crisp high frequencies and clear dialogue. Two of these fire upward, creating dedicated height channels for spatial audio.
Midwoofers
Six midwoofers ensure faithful playback of mid-range frequencies.
Woofers
Sound Motion, a four-motor, dual-membrane woofer, delivers exceptional bass in a revolutionary flat, compact design.
Microphones
The far-field microphone array uses advanced beamforming and multichannel echo cancellation for quick and accurate voice control and Trueplay tuning. Disconnect by toggling off the mic switch.
Adjustable EQ
Use the Sonos app to adjust bass, treble, and loudness.
Trueplay
This software measures the acoustics of the room then fine-tunes the EQ. Compatible with iOS and Android devices.
Speech Enhancement
Choose your preferred level of dialogue clarity in the Sonos app.
Night Sound
Turn this setting on in the Sonos app to reduce the intensity of loud sounds and increase the level of quieter sounds.
Home Theater Audio Formats
Stereo PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos (Dolby Digital Plus), Dolby Atmos*, Dolby TrueHD*, Dolby Atmos (True HD)*, Multichannel PCM*, Dolby Multichannel PCM*, DTS Digital Surround**
The Sonos app's Now Playing screen will display what type of audio is being decoded.
*HDMI6 eARC connection required.
**This is not an indication of a licensed decoder.
Dolby Atmos Music
Requires compatible content.
TV Audio Swap
Swap TV audio between the soundbar and Sonos Ace headphones.
Dimensions
Height: 2.95 in (75 mm)
Width: 46.38 in (1,178 mm)
Depth: 4.35 in (110.6 mm)
Weight
13.01 lbs (5.9 kg)
Colors
Black, White
Finish
Matte
Mounting
M5 x 0.8mm thread pitch L6.5mm
Controls
Use the capacitive touch controls to play, pause, skip, replay, adjust the volume, turn off voice assistants, and group or ungroup Sonos products.
Bluetooth Button
Press to pair with a Bluetooth device.
Mic switch
Toggle off the switch on the back of the product to disconnect power to the mics.
LEDs
Lights on the product indicate connection, mute status, microphone activation, and errors.
WiFi
Compatible with WiFi 6. Connect to WiFi with any 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4 GHz/5 GHz broadcast-capable router.
HDMI eARC
Connect to your TV's HDMI eARC/ARC port with the included HDMI cable.
Optical
Optical audio adapter sold separately.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.3 supports audio streaming from any Bluetooth-enabled device.
Voltage
100-240V 50/60Hz internal power supply
CPU
Quad Core
4xA55 1.9GHz
Memory
2GB SDRAM
8GB NV
Voice
Works with Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa. Availability of services varies by language and country.
Apple AirPlay 2
Works with AirPlay 2 on Apple devices iOS 11.4 and higher on WiFi
TV Compatibility
Not compatible with CCFL-backlit TVs (manufactured 2004-2012) |
FlatpanelsHD
