LATEST ADDITIONS

No question, new product introductions dropped off from what we usually see during springtime but they didn’t grind to a halt. Dozens of products were announced during the historic COVID-19 lockdown that transformed the life of every American for more than three months and continues to threaten our return to normalcy. As we prepare to celebrate the founding of this great country, we pause to take look at some of the gear AV companies have rolled out in recent weeks, including a few you may have missed. Here’s to hoping that the current wave of flare-ups is short-lived.

PRICE $799

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Outstanding music and movie sound
Impressive rendering of height information
Solid bass for standalone soundbar
Minus
May require latest eARC HDMI connection for Atmos
No DTS decoding

THE VERDICT
The latest home theater offering from Sonos delivers an impressive Atmos experience from a standalone soundbar. Add the company's Sub and bookshelf speakers as surrounds for even more intense audio immersion.

The new Sonos Arc soundbar is the company's fourth home theater product and the clear result of an evolution. Its first soundbar, the Playbar (currently $599 and being closed out), debuted in 2013. But with only a single optical input intended to ease installation and no HDMI port, it was already outdated on Day 1.

Denon has announced a new 8K-compatible addition to its affordable S-Series family of A/V receivers, the 7.2-channel AVR-S960H ($649). The new model, which will arrive in July, follows the company’s recent update of its premium X-Series AVR line earlier this month.

Playlists. In the world of audio, especially when it comes to critical listening and system evaluation, there is nothing more important than playlists. Those sonic references play a critical role in designing and evaluating an audio system’s performance. And when that system is in a $500,000 vehicle, it’s even more important to get it right.