Huge new Sonos Arc Ultra leaks reveal 9.1.4-channel sound with next-gen “Sound Motion” speakers

The Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar delivers 9.1.4 channels of Dolby Atmos sound from 14 drivers that include Sonos’ new Sound Motion speaker technology – plus Trueplay tuning for Android and a new adjustable voice enhancement feature.

That’s according to the latest major leak, this time from US retailer B&H Photo Video, which published an article about the launch, presumably a little earlier as part of the retailer’s pre-launch preparations. (This was discovered by the ever-vigilant subreddit r/sonos.)

That makes me think it’s the soundbar seriously imminently, perhaps even today, although based on the previous leak we’re expecting a release date of October 29th.

I’ll go over what’s in the leak below, but first, here’s a teaser video that was placed on Facebook (and then seemingly removed) to really get you in the Arc mood.

Arc Ultra Drop is imminent from r/sonos

Top new Arc Ultra leaks explained

The leak once again confirmed that we expect the Arc Ultra and Sonos Sub 4 to launch in parallel, but contains a lot of information that we didn’t have before.

First and foremost is the speaker setup. Here’s what B&H Photo Video has to say about it:

“The Arc Ultra has a whopping fourteen drivers – three more than the Arc – consisting of seven tweeters, six midrange drivers and a built-in subwoofer. Each Sonos-developed driver is precisely placed in the soundbar and angled to deliver 9.1. 15 Class D digital amplifiers alone, perfectly matched to the soundbar’s unique acoustic architecture, power each driver individually to optimize the sound for each channel.

The original Sonos Arc was rated by Sonos as a 5.1.2-channel system, so we’re making a big jump up here – and it’s notable that basically none of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars bother going up four directed channels from the bar itself, so Sonos may be pushing the technology there. I say “potentially” because we’ll have to wait and see whether it’s four separate up-firing channels or a system like that used by the LG S95TR’s fifth up-firing channel, which has another channel for added clarity is duplicated.

The leak also confirms that Sonos’ long-awaited next-generation speaker technology is on board and that it will be called “Sound Motion”:

“Designed with new Sound Motion technology, the Sonos Arc Ultra envelops you in precise sound from every direction. With Sound Motion, Sonos has found a way to deliver improved and more dynamic sound in a slimmer design.”

Sonos bought a company called Mayht a few years ago, which at the time had developed a technology called “HeartMotion,” which was essentially a way to produce powerful, high-quality speaker technology at the same time much smaller size than traditional drivers. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the Arc Ultra to launch for the first time – I just wish this leak would give us more information about exactly how it’s used.

B&H says: “To further improve accuracy and clarity, built-in microphones and Sonos Trueplay software allow the Arc Ultra to “listen” to your room and fine-tune EQ based on the room’s acoustics. With the Arc Ultra, Trueplay tuning is available not only for iOS, but also for Android devices.”

It’s unclear whether this is Trueplay Quick Tuning, which has been available on Android since the launch of the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300, or a new version of the high-quality Trueplay that’s finally available on both platforms. My guess is the latter, because the copy refers to multiple microphones within the Arc – I think we might get past iOS users waving their phone around the room (although that may still be an option – Sonos told me , that it is a very accurate system for spatial analysis).

B&H also revealed: “An advanced, customizable dialogue enhancement feature will help you never miss a word.” I like the idea of a customizable set of speech enhancement tools, rather than simply turning dialogue help on or off; That would be a balance between the needs of sick ears and the desire to keep films as close to the intent as possible.

It all sounds like the Arc Ultra will be a strong contender among the best soundbars when it comes to audio – perhaps we’ll finally get confirmation soon.

topicnews · October 15, 2024

Huge new Sonos Arc Ultra leaks reveal 9.1.4-channel sound with next-gen “Sound Motion” speakers

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