Sonos
The headliner of the new Sonos lineup is the Arc, the company's completely redesigned home theater soundbar. Sonos has added a much requested feature in Dolby Atmos, which creates an immersive and dynamic sound stage for the multitude of streaming services and Blu-ray discs now taking advantage of the sound technology.
The high-end Arc comes in either black or white, and features 11 speaker drivers strategically placed to create realistic 3D sound, including two upward firing speakers used to bounce sound off of your ceiling. It's tuned for both TV and music listening, supporting all of the audio options available in the Sonos app. Like the Beam or Sonos One, Arc also includes support for voice assistants, like Alexa and Google Assistant, with its four far-field microphones.
Arc is 10 inches longer than the Playbar, coming in at 45 inches in length — 3.4 inches high and 4.5 inches deep. While a bigger footprint, it should fit nicely below 50-inch and larger TVs. The shape has also morphed from one more rectangular to one more cylindrical with a 270-degree plastic grille that features an arc-like design. In fact, the name is more about its shape than its supported HDMI eARC or ARC functions. Other niceties include touch-sensitive controls like those on other Sonos speakers, as well as auto-dimming LED indicator lights.
I've used the Arc's predecessor, the Sonos Playbar, for the last six years or so, and it remains an impressive TV speaker. With Dolby Atmos support, the Arc should be able to take Sonos' home theater performance even further, offering a more immersive experience when watching action films, like the latest Marvel movies. While pricey, it's still very much in line for a premium Dolby Atmos soundbar with voice assistant support.
The Sonos Arc is now available for pre-order through the Sonos website for $799.00. The soundbar is set to launch globally on June 10. We'll update this section with more retailer options as new pre-order listings pop up.
Sonos Arc Soundbar, $799.00 at Sonos