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Oct 16, 2024

Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar and Sub 4 promise great home audio | Cult of Mac

By David Snow • 2:10 pm, October 15, 2024 Apple-centric home audio nuts — and especially home theater aficionados — can officially get excited about two new high-end offerings from Sonos with new

By David Snow • 2:10 pm, October 15, 2024

Apple-centric home audio nuts — and especially home theater aficionados — can officially get excited about two new high-end offerings from Sonos with new Sound Motion technology: the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar and the Sonos Sub 4 subwoofer. You can preorder now, with their release coming on October 29, Sonos said Tuesday.

“For decades, Sonos has revolutionized home theater and music experiences with products that look as great as they sound. Driven by our hunger for innovation, we created Sound Motion to break the boundaries of what’s possible by a single speaker, bringing this industry-first transducer technology to home theater where demand for extraordinary sound is equal to designs that fit modern living spaces,” said Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos.

“Arc Ultra is a reimagination of our best-selling soundbar, leveraging this incredible innovation to deliver an unprecedented sound experience from a sleeker design,” he added. And by the way, Sonos said it’s also making progress on improving its much-maligned updated app.

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The new Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar, priced at $999, introduces Sonos’ Sound Motion transducer technology. This innovation allows for a significant reduction in transducer size while dramatically improving bass performance. The result? A soundbar that delivers up to twice the bass of its predecessor in a more compact form factor, according to Sonos.

Key features of the Arc Ultra include, according to the company:

Complementing the Arc Ultra is the new Sonos Sub 4, priced at $799. This revamped subwoofer builds on the success of its predecessors, offering:

Alongside these hardware releases, Sonos is rolling out a significant update to its app. The update promises to reintroduce 90% of previously missing features and improve overall performance, addressing user concerns from earlier versions.

“We’ve worked tirelessly to resolve the most critical app issues and most requested legacy features. We have reached a level of quality that gives us the confidence to launch our extraordinary new products,” Spence said. “As we laid out in our commitments we will continue to improve the software regularly, and are determined to make the Sonos experience better than it’s ever been.”

And both new products reflect Sonos’ commitment to sustainability, the company said. The Arc Ultra boasts improved serviceability, reduced power consumption and 100% recyclable packaging. The Sub 4 also sees a nearly 50% reduction in idle power consumption.

For Mac users who value seamless integration and high-quality audio experiences, the new Sonos offerings could present an exciting opportunity. The Arc Ultra and Sub 4 can easily connect to Mac devices via the Sonos app, allowing for effortless streaming from Apple Music, Spotify or any other audio source. Moreover, the improved Sonos app promises better compatibility and performance across Apple devices, ensuring a smooth user experience whether you’re controlling your system from a MacBook, iPad or iPhone.

The Arc Ultra’s Bluetooth line-in feature also opens up new possibilities for Mac users, allowing direct audio streaming from your computer for everything from video editing projects to casual listening sessions. Of course, this new stuff isn’t cheap, at $999 for the soundbar and $799 for the subwoofer.

Preorder from: Sonos or Amazon