Along with the Roku Express 4K Plus, Roku Voice Remote Pro, and OS 10 software major update, Roku also announced the Roku Streambar Pro soundbar

This is an upgraded, full-size successor to the compact Roku Streambar, promising a similar combination of built-in streaming services and voice control, but with a new design and virtual surround sound

While the original Streambar was shorter and narrower, and was more about preventing clutter from the combination of soundbar and streaming devices, the Streambar Pro is wider, with drivers placed in a more conventional soundbar-shaped frame This is similar in style to the older Roku Smart Soundbar and may fit better on larger TVs

The Roku voice remote has also been upgraded, adding a personal shortcut button as well as a headphone jack Streambar Pro also comes bundled with Roku's new in-ear headphones, which can be connected to the remote control for private listening pleasure

Like the original Streambar's remote control, the OS can also be controlled by speaking voice commands into the built-in microphone

A major new feature of Streambar Pro is support for virtual surround sound, a new feature introduced in Roku OS 10 (shared with Smart Soundbar)

Roku does not reveal how exactly this works, but virtual surround sound appears to be similar to the beamforming system that other soundbars use to create digital surround sound effects with just one soundbar While it will never rival Dolby Atmos for 3D immersion because it creates "spacious sound that moves around the room," according to Roku, virtual surround should bring a cinematic quality to home theaters without additional speakers or cables

Naturally, the Streambar Pro will again have built-in 4K video streaming capabilities We also expect it to take advantage of the many new tools in Roku OS 10, such as Instant Resume If you interrupt your viewing in the middle of a stream, you can quickly resume it by selecting the same channel

There is also a new Live TV channel guide This will initially only be available in the US, but offers more advanced control over which channels can be hidden or set as favorites

The Roku Streambar Pro will be available on Roku's website at the end of May and will cost $179 when it becomes available at other retailers in June This is $50 more than the current price of the Roku Streambar, but much cheaper than premium all-in-one soundbars like the Sonos Arc and Sonos Beam

We will test it as soon as possible and give our verdict then