It looks like the Sonos Arc has sung its last song – the soundbar is now listed on Sonos’ website with a ‘Last Chance’ flag and is currently on sale in the US for an all-time low of $649, suggesting that Sonos is clearing out the remaining stock.
I’ve reached out to Sonos for an official comment on the Arc’s future, but the company’s style is to just quietly end production of older products when a new replacement comes along, which seems to be the case here now, The Sonos Arc Ultra is out.
The company told me that’s exactly what it did when the Sonos Era 100 launched — the Sonos One stopped being produced and the remaining stock was just sold until it was all gone.
It had been unclear whether the Arc Ultra would be a total replacement for the Arc, or would sit on a higher-tier model, but it looks like we have our answer. Still, with deep discounts, the Arc could make a nice upgrade while supplies last if you’re in the market for one of the best soundbars.
Today’s best Sonos Arc deal
Watch out for the gap
However, the demise of the Arc leaves a very large price gap between the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and the Sonos Arc Ultra. The $999 / £999 Arc Ultra is literally double the price of the $499 / £449 Beam, and I know from experience that many people are interested in powerful soundbars that fit between those prices – something like the Samsung HW-Q800D, which is regularly available in the $700-$800 region.
I hope Sonos works on something new to fill this gap, which includes its Sound Motion bass driver, which helps make the Arc Ultra sound so full for a soundbar without a subwoofer. Something that adds real uplifting speakers for Dolby Atmos, which the Beam lacks, and the fuller bass driver for a punchier soundstage, but without as many angled drivers as the Arc Ultra, and a smaller size than the Arc Ultra.
On the other hand, maybe Sonos thinks four soundbars is a bit much, or has data that its buyers either want to keep the budget lower or are happy to pay a lot.
Either way, it feels like the end of an era for Arc to go – I reviewed it when it launched in 2020, locked away in my house, and have been writing it constantly ever since. Still, it’s not like Sonos hasn’t provided other things to talk about.
