Sonos is working on a new flagship soundbar that will succeed the Sonos Arc with a new sound architecture and new tricks.
The report comes from Chris Welch at The Verge, who has leaked many a Sonos device in the past.
Sonos has been in the press a lot over the last couple of months, and not always for the right reasons. The company redesigned its app earlier in the year, which led to a number of complaints from users, before announcing its first step into headphones in the Sonos Ace, which too had mixed reviews.
Still, onwards and upwards as they say and it is now reportedly working on a new flagship soundbar to replace its four year-old Arc.
A report from The Verge claims that a new speaker system codenamed Lasso is planned, which is accompanied by a set of exclusive images along with a few details.
It's also worth noting that the report was written by Chris Welch, who has leaked upcoming Sonos plans in the past. He was responsible for the leak of the Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 before they were officially announced in 2023, and he also leaked the Sonos Ace headphones too.
According to Welch, the new Sonos soundbar is currently named after Ted Lasso – it even uses the same typeface on the prototype models. It also looks remarkably similar to the current Sonos Arc, save for a few tweaks. Inside is said to offer a complete overhaul of components and speaker drivers however, integrating technology from Mayht, a start up company Sonos acquired in 2022.
Bloomberg previously reported technology from Mayht would be included in the Lasso soundbar, and it suggested it would see a price of over $1,200, which is quite a bit more than the Arc. The images from The Verge meanwhile, suggest there will be a Bluetooth button added to the new soundbar and there's also a physical switch for the microphones.
Currently, none of the Sonos soundbars offer Bluetooth playback, and they offer capacitive microphone off buttons only so this would see the new soundbar follow the same path as the Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 speakers.
As you might expect, the new soundbar is expected to work with the Sonos Ace headphones like the Sonos Arc does, allowing you to watch your TV and listen to the sound through the headphone or the soundbar, with a simple press of the button on the Sonos Ace or Sonos app to switch between the two.
Nothing official has been revealed yet, but The Verge reports claims the Sonos Lasso soundbar is expected to ship later this year. Sonos often announces new products around consumer electronics show IFA in Berlin so it's possible we will hear more at the beginning of September.
