Sonos today announced the Arc, a new $799 premium soundbar option that features Dolby Atmos support and AirPlay 2 compatibility. The Arc replaces the Playbar, with Sonos also discontinuing the Playbase.
Available in black or white, the Arc features a curved grille, with its longer 45-inch design aimed at users who have large TVs. Sonos says the Arc can be mounted discreetly or placed on top of furniture.
The Arc is equipped with 11 drivers to provide multi-directional audio, along with 8 elliptical woofers, 3 silk-dome tweeters, and a far-field microphone array for voice assistant activation (it supports Google Assistant and Alexa). Arc tuning was done with Oscar-winning sound engineers to emphasize the human voice, ideal for use with TV shows and movies.
Sonos' Trueplay software tunes the Arc to the acoustics of the room that it's in, while the app provides adjustable EQ settings. A night mode reduces the intensity of loud sound effects.
Sonos has also introduced the new $699 third-generation Sonos sub and the $499 Sonos Five, which is designed to replace the Play:5.
Along with the new products, Sonos today announced the upcoming launch of its S2 app, which will work with the new Arc, Sonos Five, and Sonos Sub, along with other Sonos devices. The S2 app includes support for higher resolution audio like Dolby Atmos, plus it features improved security and a revamped design.
The new Sonos app will work with most products, but it leaves behind the original Play:5, Zone Players, Gen 1 Connect devices, the CR200, and the Bridge.
Sonos plans to release the Arc on June 10, and it will be compatible with the Sonos S2 app when it launches. The Arc is available for pre-order on the Sonos website as of today, as are the Sonos Sub and Sonos Five.
Top Rated Comments
I doubt the implementation here is anything to write home about.