On May 13th, IT Home reported that TechRadar published a blog post announcing an exciting new feature from Sonos. The premium soundbar, the Sonos Arc Ultra, now includes AI Voice Enhancement (AI Speech Enhancement) through a free software update. This marks the first time Sonos has integrated AI-driven audio processing technology into its products.
The new feature can be accessed via the “Now Playing” interface in the Sonos app. It offers four distinct modes—Low, Medium, High, and Max—all of which have been available to Arc Ultra users since May 12th. By analyzing audio in real-time, this technology separates dialogue from background noise, ensuring crystal-clear conversations even in complex listening environments.
As detailed in the TechRadar post referenced by IT Home, Sonos revealed that developing this feature took an impressive four years. A significant portion of this time involved a year-long collaboration with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) in the UK. During this process, Sonos worked closely with RNID’s leading sound research experts and invited individuals with varying degrees of hearing loss to participate in testing and provide valuable feedback.
Ultimately, Sonos decided to expand the enhancement levels from the originally planned three to four, all while maintaining immersive audio effects such as Dolby Atmos. Testing showed that the Low and Medium modes greatly improved dialogue clarity for general users, while the High and Max settings were better suited for those with hearing impairments (though some may find these modes slightly artificial).
What sets Sonos’s AI system apart from other voice enhancement tools is its dynamic adaptability. The system activates only when necessary—such as when background noise threatens to overpower dialogue—avoiding unnecessary processing and preserving bass and overall sound quality. However, this cutting-edge feature demands advanced hardware capabilities and is currently exclusive to the Arc Ultra’s built-in chips.
Unfortunately, older models like the Sonos Ray and Beam Gen 2 do not yet support this innovation.
Tyler Medina 
Henry Wells 
Charles Dixon
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