Popular wireless speaker maker Sonos is out today with an exciting announcement that sees the launch of one totally new product and two updates to existing ones. Headlining the news, the Sonos Arc arrives as the company’s new high-end soundbar with an all-new design featuring 11 multi-directional drivers, and Dolby Atmos and AirPlay 2 support. Also unveiled today is the new Sonos Five that replaces the Play:5 and an updated Sonos sub as well as specifics on the new S2 app. Read on for all the details including pre-orders starting now.
Sonos debuted its Playbar back 2013 with a traditional soundbar design and the Playbase landed in 2017 adding a second form-factor to the company’s TV focused HiFi speakers. Then in 2018, the Sonos Beam launched blending a smart speaker with a TV soundbar but in a more compact size than the Playbar.
Sonos Arc
Sonos Arc arrives as the company’s new flagship premium soundbar bringing the smarts of the smaller Beam like voice control, HDMI eARC and ARC (audio return channel), and AirPlay 2 to a large home theater form-factor. It complements the scale of larger TVs at 3.4 x 4.5 x 45-inches in size.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu1NiZUbukA&feature=youtu.be
Sonos Arc features 11 drivers for multi-directional audio, that’s the most the company has put in a speaker as the Playbar features 9 and the Playbase includes 10. Arc has 8 high-output woofers that handle mids and lows while 3 custom silk dome tweeters produce “crisp high frequencies and crystal clear dialogue.”
Since the Playbar aesthetic has remained the same for the better part of a decade, the Arc notably lands with a sharp new design that comes in either matte black or matte white to help match most any decor. You can also rest it on top of a home theater cabinet or opt to use the custom mount to attach it directly to your wall.
Arc features capacitive controls like Sonos’ other recent speakers for playback controls, volume, muting the far-field mics, and more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XgXpgITpEo&feature=youtu.be
A lot of attention to detail has been put into the Sonos Arc. One example is automatic switching between playing audio in 5.1 and Dolby Atmos. When the upward-facing speakers aren’t being used for Atmos they’re recalibrated to help with low-end frequencies in 5.1 channel audio. Another neat detail is that the Sonos S2 app will tell you when the content you’re listening to in Dolby Atmos.
Arc’s exterior has 76,000 perforations in the grille for optimal audio and wireless performance. It also features Sonos’ Truplay software that automatically adapts the sound profile for the best performance based on your home environment. That includes knowing if it’s on top of a credenza sitting a few feet away from a wall or mounted under your TV.
With the launch of this new full-size premium soundbar, Sonos is discontinuing the Playbar and Playbase home theater speakers and Arc and Beam will become the two home theater focused options.
Sonos Arc is priced at $799 with pre-orders open now and will be arriving on June 10th. Arc bundles that come with the updated Sonos Sub are also available for pre-order now.
Launch countries include:
United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Latin America, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Japan and China to follow.
Sonos Five
More new products unveiled today include the gen 3 Sonos Sub and Sonos Five that replaces the Play:5. The latter comes with the same great audio of its predecessor but with updated internals giving it more processing power, memory, and improved wireless performance.
Like the Play:5, the Sonos Five keeps the AirPlay 2 support and the 3.5mm input for solid versatility.
The Sonos Five comes in new all-black or all-white finishes for a clean, sharp look and is priced at the same $499 as the outgoing Play:5. The Sonos Five is available to pre-order now with deliveries starting on June 10th.
Updated Sonos Sub
Along with the Sonos Five, the Sonos Sub has been updated (gen 3) with the same internal upgrades of improved processor, memory, and wireless performance. No change to the aesthetic finish options on the Sub with it being available in black and white.
The new Sonos Sub is priced at $699 and is also available to pre-order today and landing from June 10th.
Sonos S2 app
All three of the new Sonos products will run on the new S2 app that enables the use of new hi-res audio like Dolby Atmos.
The S2 app does create a division between the company’s old speakers and its current/new speakers but the goal is to create an improved experience for users to more easily search for content, control music, and create a personalized experience. One of the first major new features to arrive with the S2 app will be customizable room groups to make it simpler to play music across multiple Sonos speakers.
The S2 app will launch on June 8th, two days ahead of the Arc, Five, and new Sub arriving to customers.
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