Software update adds height audio control to Sonos Arc soundbar

By Simon Cohen Published June 14, 2021

Yesterday, Sonos releases a software update that contains improvements for owners of its Arc soundbar and Roam portable Bluetooth speaker.

Arc owners can now adjust the volume level of the upward-firing height channel drivers separately from the level of the other channels, something that previously couldn’t be modified.

Recommended Videos

Upward-firing drivers in Dolby Atmos-capable soundbars rely on overhead ceilings to bounce sound from the soundbar to the viewer. But many variables, like ceiling height, ceiling shape, and the distance from the soundbar to the viewer can affect how convincing those height channel sounds are.

Being able to manually adjust the strength of these channels should help those who find that Sonos’ Trueplay room-tuning system hasn’t achieved the kind of immersive sound they were hoping for, or conversely, that the height channel effects are too powerful for their liking.

To access the new settings, Arc owners need to:

Open the Sonos S2 app, tap on the Settings tab and then select System.
Select the room where Arc soundbar is located.
Under Sound tap Height Audio.
Use the slider to increase or decrease the volume of the height audio channels.

For Roam owners, the software update addresses a possible battery drain issue that was noticed by folks who had set up Google Assistant on the portable speaker. Doing so could cause the battery to drain rapidly, leaving Roam owners with less than the claimed 10 hours.

Sonos hasn’t indicated how much of a difference the update will make to the Roam’s battery life. “Today’s update ensures customers can get the most out of their battery life while enjoying Google voice control,” a Sonos representative said in an email to journalists.

Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…

Topics

Audio / Video

The Sonos Arc Ultra might not need a separate subwoofer

Sonos Arc Ultra, exploded view in detail.

The new Sonos Arc Ultra is packed with 15 amps and 14 drivers, giving the Dolby Atmos soundbar the ability to reproduce 9.1.4 channels of sound, according to the company. That's a big step up from the original Sonos Arc, an 11-driver, 5.1.2 system. And while the increase in surround channels (from 5 to 9) and height channels (from 2 to 4) is impressive, it's the lonely "1" in the middle of the Arc Ultra's channel setup that might make the biggest difference.

That middle .1 represents the low frequency effects (LFE) channel -- the one that's punted over to a dedicated subwoofer when you have one available. It's the channel that gives movies the deep, powerful rumble we most closely associate with theatrical sound. On its own, the Sonos Arc does a decent job with low frequencies, but it relies on the same drivers that produce its mid-frequency sounds to do so. These drivers aren't optimized for LFE sounds, which is why many Arc buyers add a Sonos Sub or Sub Mini, increasing the cost of their system by as much as $799.

Audio / Video

The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 are official at $999 and $799

The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 subwoofer.

Sonos today unveiled the long-leaked Arc Ultra soundbar, and with it a new subwoofer called the Sub 4. It marks the first new release since the Sonos Ace Headphones in May and comes as Sonos continues to work its way out from under the rubble that was its failed software update earlier this year.

These also likely are the two devices that Sonos delayed in the wake of the software catastrophe. Both will be available starting October 29.

Audio / Video

Of course, the Sonos Arc Ultra is (probably) also Sonos TV

Leaked images of the purported Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4.

I'm of the mind that there are more than enough actual products out in the world that I tend to not spend too much time worrying about the ones that don't actually exist yet. But a couple of things stand out about two rumored Sonos endeavors that are too obvious to ignore.

I'll preface this with the caveat that it's all conjecture on my part. But it also makes plenty of sense, especially given that Sonos itself has said it has a couple of products ready to announce — and ship — anytime now. They're currently stuck in limbo while it waits for the 2024 app debacle to rectify itself.