Sonos Announces New Arc Sound Bar for Your Shelter-at-Home Theater Needs

Stuck at home? There’s a sound bar for that. Sonos just announced the release of a new top-shelf centerpiece to its suite of audio products, called the Arc. The system promises to solve the frustrating volume fluctuations that happen between low-level dialogue and high-impact explosions, and is designed to work in concert with a sub and surround speakers to provide a fully wireless home theater experience.

This comes on the heels of the launch of Sonos Radio, which we reviewed last week. The new Arc will be controlled by a new generation of app dubbed S2, which will launch in June.

The Technology behind the scenes automatically adapts to what’s on screen. —Deirdre Leid, Product Leader

Lots of companies make sound bars. And most of them promise some kind of in-room calibration. So what’s inside the $800 unit to help set it apart? For starters, Sonos built bespoke components from the ground up, customizing everything from the silk dome tweeters to the oval bass speakers at the ends of the unit.

Courtesy Sonos

Crucially, Sonos worked with producer Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer George Martin, to tune the unit, which includes support for Dolby Atmos and 5.1. New upward-facing drivers allow for immersive audio experience—that is, if the media you’re streaming or playing supports it. When those channels are not in use, the vertical drivers are converted into support for the low-end.

What’s more, when paired with a freestanding Sub, the Arc offloads the low-end entirely, converting those speakers to help deliver crisp dialogue, ambient sound, and mid- and high-end frequencies.

The speaker, along with refreshed versions of the Play:5 and Sub, goes on pre-order today and should be available in early June.