RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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New Ace Ultra headphones weren't the only product up Sonos' sleeves at its latest hardware event; it also took the wraps off a new soundbar, the Sonos Beam Ultra .
In this Ultra generation of the Sonos Beam , the company is keeping things similar size-wise, and the design is also similar to its predecessor. But the new Beam has a few key upgrades, including nine custom drivers, including two up-firing drivers for added height and 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos.
There's also a redesigned center channel that Sonos says is meant to bring clearer dialogue, and there are four different levels of "AI Speech Enhancement," which is meant to lift dialogue from the mix. Options include a "Night Sound" mode for when you're watching something late and don't want to disturb anyone. These are similar to new features on the Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar.
The feature that I'm most excited about is one that allows you to combine the Beam Ultra with portable speakers for rear sound. Sonos calls it Sonos Positioning Technology (SPT), and it automatically switches portable speakers into rear-surround when they're placed near a compatible soundbar.
Sonos says the signals play at low volume by design, so they don't overpower whatever you're listening to. Compatible soundbars include the Arc Ultra, Arc, Beam Ultra, or Beam Gen 2, while compatible portable speakers include the Play and Move 2. This feature will be available starting Sept. 8.
If you're into voice controls, the Beam Ultra has microphones for that, and it also has Trueplay, which tunes the soundbar to the acoustics of your room. Naturally, the Beam Ultra supports Wi-Fi, so you can stream audio to it just like any other speaker in the Sonos ecosystem.
The Sonos Beam Ultra is available for preorder starting today, Sept. 1, with a $699 price tag. General availability starts Sept. 29.
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