Sonos’ Arc soundbar is about to get a major overhaul – Sonos Lasso

Sonos recently made headlines when it launched its first over-ear headphones, the Sonos Ace. It delivers the high-quality sound that Sonos customers have come to expect, but in a portable, personal form factor. While it’s not perfect, it’s still one of the best premium over-ear headphones on the market; check out our review here. Now it looks like Sonos is going back to its flagship product, the Sonos Arc. The Verge reported that the Arc’s successor, the Sonos Lasso, is on the way. Here’s what we know.

Code name: Sonos Lasso

The Sonos Arc, which I currently use as my main theater speaker, is one of Sonos’ best-selling and most beloved products. It’s a staple in their product lineup and my number one recommendation for anyone looking for a sub-$1,000 soundbar. The sound quality, Dolby Atmos support, Sonos ecosystem features, and Apple-specific features like Airplay make it a joy to use. One minute you’re using it as your main theater speaker with your Apple TV; the next you’re streaming music from your phone to it via Airplay. My only complaint with the Arc is that it lacks bass, almost forcing you to buy a Sonos Sub or Sub mini. For $900, I want my soundbar to be able to provide enough bass that I don’t need to spend extra money on a subwoofer. But other than that, it checks all the boxes.

The new Sonos “Lasso” seems to be the answer to this problem. In 2022, Sonos acquired Mayht, a Netherlands-based startup known for its revolutionary approach to audio transducers. Currently, no Sonos product has implemented this proprietary technology, so this could be the first. This new technology is what should really improve not only the sound quality and immersion, but also give us much more powerful bass integrated directly into the soundbar without changing the current form factor.

The Verge has published a couple of images hinting at this; first, the form factor and appearance should remain relatively unchanged. This is great news for existing Arc users, as it means we should be able to use the same wall mounts, and it could be as simple as removing the old one and installing the new one. The second image shows that this soundbar will feature Bluetooth connectivity for the first time. The current Arc doesn’t support standard Bluetooth, but iOS users can use AirPlay to get around that.

Pricing, Availability and Final Thoughts

As a reminder, none of this is set in stone. Things may change as Sonos begins to figure out what its final product will be on the market. But based on a combination of reports via Bloomberg and The Verge, there are a few things we can be certain of:

• Sonos plans to launch a product later this year
• It will have the new Mayht technology implemented
• It will have Bluetooth connectivity
• It will be more expensive than the current Arc ($1,200 seems to be the announced price)

I’m excited to see what Sonos’ next-gen soundbar will look like. Will it be enough of an upgrade to justify replacing the current Arc? Or will it be a product for people who don’t have a soundbar at all and are looking for one? I also want to see how it will work with the Ace headphones. There are still plenty of questions, so be sure to follow along.