It’s no secret that ongoing issues with the Sonos app have delayed the launch of major products, including the Arc 2 soundbar: Sonos has told investors this but hasn’t named the specific products. But it looks like launches are finally moving forward. According to a new leak from a source with a relatively reliable history, a new Sonos Sub and a new Sonos Arc are coming soon.
The leaker is Arsène Lupin, who posted on X: “The products are marketed as ‘Sub 4’ and ‘Arc Ultra’. The Sub 4 features a matte finish, two force-balanced woofers and is available in white and black.”
Lupin added: “Arc Ultra is a soundbar that also comes in black and white. It features what Sonos calls ‘Sound Motion technology’, which ‘produces balanced sound that precisely surrounds you from all directions.'”
Sonos ($SONO) has begun preparing to launch its two delayed products after its updated app had numerous bugs. The products are marketed as the “Sub 4” and “Arc Ultra.” The Sub 4 features a matte finish, two force-balanced woofers, and is available in white and black.20 August 2024
When could Sonos Arc Ultra and Sonos Sub 4 come to market?
The leak doesn’t include launch dates, but Sonos will want to get both products out as soon as possible: Financial projections for this year were based on the expectation that new products – not just the Sonos Ace headphones, but also the second-generation Arc – would bring significant revenue to the company. With ongoing app updates gobbling up money like a soundbar-shaped hungry caterpillar, that means for Sonos, these two products can’t come soon enough.
Last month, images purporting to show the Arc Ultra leaked, and while its appearance hasn’t changed much, it appears to support Bluetooth audio playback – a first for a Sonos soundbar – and will reportedly include technology from speaker maker Mayht, which Sonos bought back in 2022.
Mayht’s technology promises fuller sound from smaller speakers and much lower frequency performance than expected: before being acquired by Sonos, the company claimed that a subwoofer-free system using its technology could deliver frequencies down to around 30Hz, which is very low for a soundbar. Although of course Sonos will be happy to sell you a subwoofer if even that isn’t low enough: the current Sonos Sub Gen 3 goes down to 25Hz, and we expect the Sub 4 will be even more impactful, as it needs to be paired with an Arc Ultra soundbar with plenty of bass.
The team at TechRadar has high hopes for the Sonos Arc Ultra – the Sonos Arc is still one of the best soundbars thanks to its balanced sound, but the competition can now deliver even better spatial sound and it sounds like the Ultra aims to do just that. We loved the spatial sound of the Sonos Era 300, especially when paired with the Sonos Arc in Sonos’ ultimate home theater setup, and the Arc Ultra will likely take that to the next level.
