Sonos proves recent rumours true with the announcement of the Arc, a "premium smart soundbar" capable of pushing "cinema-quality" sound through 11 high-performance drivers and Dolby Atmos support.

"Home has never played a more important role in our lives and we've always been about making the home more enjoyable with great-sounding products and new experiences. Arc brings the sounds of our favourite shows and artists to life like never before," the company says. "Our goal is to make any room you have a television, a place you can easily enjoy all of the great streaming video and music that exists today. Arc illustrates our commitment to brilliant sound and premium design, and sets a new standard for soundbars."

The Arc promises smarts not only through support for multiple voice-controlled assistants, but also with the capability to tune the sound profile based to the home cinema setup and what is being played, be it stereo, Dolby Audio 5.1 or Dolby Atmos. The aforementioned 11 drivers, including two upwards firing for 3D audio, produce detail and depth, and users can further tweak the sound via the Sonos app. The app includes a number of modes, such as Speech Enhancement to clarify vocals, Night Sound to temper loud explosions and updated Trueplay tuning to adjust the acoustic profile based on the room.

The actual hardware features a 270-degree rounded plastic grille and a "calm, seamless" exterior designed to fit within the home. Customers can simply set it in front of the TV or mount it to the wall via separate custom-designed wall mount. Connectivity comes through HDMI eARC or ARC, while control options include Sonos app, existing TV remote, Apple AirPlay 2 and voice using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

As well as the Arc, Sonos has a number of product updates-- the gen 3 Sonos Sub and a replacement to the Play:5, the Sonos Five. Both promise more memory and faster processing power within the same design.

The Arc ships from June 2020 in a choice of matte black or matte white colours.

Go Sonos Arc