Sonos is launching the Arc Ultra in india nowadays. It's by far the most powerful soundbar that it makes at the time of writing. The Extremely is a right-away sequel to the authentic Arc from 2020. Interestingly, Sonos didn't even exist in india back then, even though it had been around since 2002. It would take the Santa Barbara, California-based enterprise—the makers of a number of the most top-rated and pristine audio tech in the world—almost two more decades to arrive on the indian subcontinent.

However, while it did sooner or later make its manner right here, it did not waste any time. It learned very quickly that this marketplace was different; however, perhaps that is all it ever desired.

You notice, Sonos, like apple, loves to assume otherwise, whether or not it is in the picks it makes with product, each hardware and software program, the manner it appears and feels, as an example, or the partnerships that might lead them to greater appeal to the patron. Those picks may be one-of-a-kind depending on the category; however, all factor in a single route, which is to carry joy while a person sees and hears the understated Sonos Ace or the mighty Arc extremely. At the sidelines of the launch, we sat down for a one-of-a-kind chat with Rennie Addabbo, preferred supervisor for Sonos APAC, and sara Lincoln, fundamental product manager at Sonos Global. What followed became a charming deep dive into Sonos' bold india plans, the groundbreaking tech packed into its new gadgets, and how the enterprise is navigating everything from global alternate winds to the particular pulse of the indian customer.

Sonos' massive bet on India

Forget a cautious dip in the water; Sonos is diving headfirst into the indian marketplace now. The overdue access does not hassle it (its india story is tremendously young, beginning in 2021). The marketplace is huge, and the organization is uniquely placed. So, whilst one would possibly suppose that this is a marketplace ruled by the likes of Bose, Sony, LG, and such a lot of greater companies, Sonos feels proper at home.

"At a marketplace stage, we remain rather excited about the potential of what we are seeing in india across a number of fronts," Renee says. "I don't think there has been an extra interesting time to be domestic with amusement and content."

 Sonos Arc extremely

And he's been given the numbers to turn it up. Rennie points to India's growing appetite for content" intake—"generating 1,800 movies out of bollywood every year, which is more than hollywood by miles"—and" the kingdom's undying passion for sports. "I pay attention to humans in the US continuously speaking approximately cricket and [Virat] kohli and his following being larger than LeBron [James]," he quips, absolutely a fan himself. "From a viewing factor point of view in domestic, I suppose 137 crores of wallet PLATFORM' target='_blank' title='digital-Latest Updates, Photos, Videos are a click away, CLICK NOW'>digital audience, nearly 40 percent larger than last year inside the first weekend [for IPL]. So even in the end, those years, IPL receives bigger and larger each year."

This explosion in content, coupled with over "540 million OTT subscribers in india," creates a big area for top-class domestic enjoyment. "You deliver that every one right into a home environment, and that simple approach means there's by no means been a better time to revel in top-rate content material at home," Rennie asserts.

But it's no longer just about what's on the screen. Sonos is keenly aware of the changing landscape of indian houses themselves. "What is also essential to us is the increase in domestic ownership. It is the fastest-growing marketplace in the international," Rennie explains. He highlights a giant trend in the top-rated section: "In 2024, within the top-class domestic phase, 37 percent of unit sales of home sales were above 1 crore, and an excellent part of that was above 2 crores. When you translate that to the fee of domestic sales, more than 70 percent of houses bought in 2024 in india had been above a crore."

This, Rennie believes, "simply plays to the joy in human beings' homes with enjoyment and their funding in appliances and home furnishings, which we realize is a growing market and without a doubt plays to a sweet spot of ours." It is a state of affairs mirroring Sonos's own success story. "What we have seen paintings in our early life inside the US is gambling out here [now] in india, and that, for me, is the pleasure of music for the duration of the home. We experience that we have been given a good connection with indian customers, and indian consumers have a decent reference to Sonos."

This conviction is why "India is a center precedence market for us globally as we think about geographic expansion, and so it is a place of elevated funding for us," Rennie reiterates, signaling a robust, lengthy-term commitment.

So, what's "ultra" about the Arc Extreme?

The Sonos Arc already holds a cult status of sorts. So, while Sonos slaps an "extremely" on its successor, expectancies are, well, ultra-high. The business enterprise knew from the very beginning it had big shoes to fill.

"Whilst you see the sub, it is a four. It's a generational alternate," sara says, referencing the new Sonos Sub Four (that's launching alongside the Arc Ultra). "Despite the Beam Gen. 1 to Gen. 2, it was the same architecture, but we brought virtualization of Dolby Atmos, so it became very similar, but better. Inside the case of Arc to Arc Ultra, it's a far step change in sound, and that's what we are trying to speak to the purchaser about."

At first glance, the Arc Ultra would possibly look familiar. "Whilst you put them facet by facet, you could see Arc Ultra is smaller both in peak and intensity; however, that's a touch tough to peer at on first look," sara admits. But don't let its subtly sleeker profile idiot you. The magic is inside.

Sara breaks down the "extreme" enhancements: "Arc Ultra speaks to some of the different regions in which we have improved. In phrases of bass, on the 50 Hertz frequency, the Arc extremely delivers instances of the bass output of Arc that are big." At the coronary heart of all that is a new sort of proprietary transducer era—Sonos calls it Sound Movement—that now not only helps in doubling down on bass but also frees up area to healthy more drivers. And so, it may pack 14 drivers (seven tweeters, six mid-woofers, and one woofer) up from eleven inside the original—and, somehow, nevertheless gain a smaller footprint.

 Sonos Arc has an extremely proprietary transducer that helps sound motion for deep bass.

They may be powered by using 15 class-D amplifiers for an extra superior nine. 1.4-channel virtual surround sound (versus 5.0.2 within the Arc). "In terms of spaciousness, with Arc Ultra, you're listening to greater readability within the equal area and then greater of it around you. So, you're simply getting more spaciousness." And for the one important film moment, "The 1/3 piece is speech enhancement. We have advanced both routinely, just like the physics, and then introduced speech enhancement on top of it. So, it's simply, without a doubt, elevating. It is now not a bit higher; it is a lot better."

For everybody wondering how Sonos ought to possibly pinnacle the already superb Arc, sara has a simple answer: "It took me having to pay attention to it to believe it. You pay attention to them aspect by aspect; AB evaluation is what we name it. It is simply [the difference between] nighttime and day. It is exceptional."

Rennie chimes in at the "extremely" naming, providing a glimpse into Sonos' product-first way of life. "There are a number of factors that make Sonos unique within the client electronics space; however, one thing I see is the product and engineering folks force the majority of these conversations—the naming conventions and the life cycle and longevity of products engineered intentionally from the beginning," he explains. "Without a doubt, all our product choices and the naming conference covered, they will come from our product group... it's the product folks of the sector who are putting forward their angle on the engineering we've positioned into the device." So, "ultra" isn't simply marketing fluff; it is an engineering assertion.

The indian consumer

One of the most captivating elements of our communication was the deep dive into what makes the indian market tick and how it's frequently sudden, even for seasoned Sonos executives. Rennie stocks a watch-establishing statistic: "I saw a stat the other day that something like 37 percent of the industrial belongings quarter in india is tech. That's in contrast to everywhere else inside the marketplace. There's this anchored premise inside the indian fabric, within the market that we propose to target and communicate to, that tech is ever-present, and tech is a regular phenomenon and has been for a while."

Integrate this inherent tech-savviness with the content boom, and you've a target audience that "is appreciating increasingly more overtime top-class great experiences." Rennie maintains, "We additionally see that the indian client is tuned in to the price of tech and the simplicity it may carry you."

This specific blend has led to some mind-blowing developments for Sonos in India. "We're seeing, for instance, two and a 1/2 times more Arcs sold in india today than Beams—and Beam is promoting truly, truly properly!" Rennie exclaims. "I don't see that anywhere else in Asia. I don't see that anywhere else in the world. Folks within the US are taken aback when they hear that".

This, he believes, factors into a "cultural bias in india that is proper to Sonos, this love of enjoyment and experiences in the course of the home." It harks again to Sonos' very origins. "We started out as a multi-room player—each track in any room, every room. So, that premise of filling houses with the joy of song is where we commenced. In case you study where we commenced, you examine where india is proper now; for me, it feels like an ideal shape."

While indian consumers choose Sonos over the competition, the reasons are clear, in keeping with Rennie. "When they buy us as opposed to someone else, we recognize why they may be shopping for us and that they inform us while we do the research: it is the convenience of use, the incredible audio, the exceptional premium layout, and the truth that the way it works together, whether or not they have gadgets at home or twenty." He adds, "You may have up to 30 devices in your private home and have them playing 30 distinct songs all at the identical time in case you truly wanted to. That's what resonates with indian purchasers."

Sara adds every other layer to this satisfactory promise, revealing the caliber of professionals Sonos consults. "We're getting input on each song's sound from song producers like Giles Martin to how the movie sounds from, say, chris Jenkins, who has composed the background score for Mad Max: Fury Road. So, what you are getting is a product that has been tuned to sound honestly stunning musically and completely cinematically. That is something that we are, in reality, uniquely placed to do." It is this willpower to properly duplicate sound, whether or not it is your preferred song or a high-octane film chase, that sets Sonos apart.

software program, offerings, and sensitivity

At the same time as the brilliant hardware frequently grabs the headlines, Rennie is quick to factor out the heart of Sonos. "I think we're anchored in software—founded by means of 4 software program engineers who then had the affection of democratizing song throughout the home. So that for me continues to be authentic today as proper it becomes again, then." This software program-first method has allowed Sonos to "democratize different portions of content material, and we communicate approximately audio and sound and now not just track."

This awareness also informs decisions about not coming into positive product categories now. When asked approximately the perennial "Why would Sonos not make a television?" query, Rennie gives a considerate business perspective. "I'm constantly interested to see how product oldsters use that type of conversation. But I consider a part of it might start like, 'What are we definitely proper at?' We want to be here to serve the customer. And if we had been to do something, how wouldn't it trade their lives for the better, and what footprint might we put on something, and how could we do it uniquely? So, to date, if we have not performed it, then, in my thoughts, it's due to the fact we have not determined the motive, the driver that we might supply something that we felt like we needed to carry to the marketplace beforehand of our other picks, like entering into a lifestyle category like Ace [headphones]."

 Sonos Sub 4

Speaking of compatibility, sara clarifies the not unusual question about Sonos and apple products. "No, we actually need our products to paint nicely both for iOS and Android devices." The motive for TruePlay, which is Sonos' room-tuning technology, being frequently highlighted with iOS is technical: "It just so happens that TruePlay is reliant on the microphones on the smartphone, and within iOS they have completed a certainly first-rate process of making the microphones constant. Alas, with the Android devices having such an expansion of phones, it wouldn't be sustainable for us to try to keep up with that." But Android users are not neglected. "It really is why BriefTrack is so amazing because it doesn't depend on what telephone you have; it records the song itself with its own microphones, and you may be counting on that."

Content is king, and Sonos guarantees customers have a sizeable stake. "Sonos began before iTunes turned into an issue. No other platform from any emblem has as many track offerings on it—we're over a hundred thirty globally or extra," Rennie proudly states. Crucially for india, "each carrier that is important and is local and is based totally in india is on our platform."

This dedication extends to information on local nuances. sara stocks a revealing anecdote: "At the product crew, one of the matters we have been speaking about is how to make the setup experience even higher. One of the examples changed into, What if while we electricity cycle the product, it comes on and it chimes and it is like, 'I'm back, unsleeping.' We had an entry from the regional groups announcing, Wait a minute, in india, as an example, we have brownouts, so the energy comes in and out, and in case you are in a domestic situation like that and it's 2:00 in the morning and your soundbar is going, 'I'm awake,' it is really now not an awesome revel in. So, we chose to no longer convey that characteristic to lifestyles. This is no longer a feature unique to india, but it's trying to appreciate. We don't realize sufficient approximation of this patron; however, let's now not make big mistakes like waking them up at midnight." It's this thoughtful attention that builds authentic consumer loyalty.

Using the waves

In a globalized world, no tech organization is an island, and Sonos isn't any exception. While the conversation turns to the difficulty of "Trump tariffs" and international exchange complexities, Rennie is candid. "Every manufacturer around the arena is looking to live throughout what is taking place and reply to it. We're all speaking approximately it." He famous Sonos' proactive strategy: "One aspect that is essential to proportion is we have been diversifying our manufacturing all through Asia over the past four or five years. We are not most effective manufacturing in China; however, we also manufacture in malaysia and Vietnam." This foresight, he says, "turned into a totally strategic, lengthy-time-period choice that has now positioned us in a higher position we had not made the one decision."

Sara sees eye to eye: "As each different tech organization in the intervening time, [we are also] tracking the development, but due to the fact it's so complicated and evolving, we are kind of simply assessing the ability implications." With reference to [potential] Make in india, Rennie adds that Sonos is "usually searching at how can we not simply construct for the subsequent product, but how can we set ourselves up for the following 5-10 years?"

The conversation also touched upon the new electricity within Sonos, with new interim CEO tom Conrad onboard (who took the fee after Patrick Spence stepped down from the position lately). Rennie is enthusiastic: "It is straightforward to look, and we retain to talk about what our number one precedence is, and that is the revel in itself. That's been bolstered, if anything, considering tom joined us as CEO." He praises Tom's "long pedigree of software" and his knowledge of the organization, having come from the board. "It has been a certainly superb sign to see tom enroll and have an impact on the product crew and the engineering crew and the way he's having a direct impact."