Sonos ARC Ultra Reviewed.

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The Sonos Arc Ultra is the flagship soundbar from Sonos. Released in October 2024, it’s their sleekest and most powerful soundbar yet. Let’s find out just how good it is!

What is the Sonos Arc Ultra?

The Sonos Arc Ultra is a premium all-in-one soundbar designed to deliver a top-tier audio experience for home theaters. Building on the success of the original Sonos Arc, it boasts a 9.1.4 speaker configuration, delivering deeper bass, clearer dialogue, and immersive Dolby Atmos performance.

It also introduces Bluetooth connectivity, a feature absent in the original Arc, alongside Wi-Fi 6 and Apple AirPlay 2 compatibility. Priced at SGD$1,899, it is aimed at users who seek powerful, room-filling sound without external satellites’ clutter while maintaining an elegant and minimalist design.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is available in its signature matt black or white on Sonos’s official website and all leading electronic retailers.

Specifications.

Dimensions	75mm (H) x 1,178mm (W) x 110.6mm (D)
Weight	5.9kg
Mounting	M5 x 0.8mm thread pitch L6.5mm
Connectivity	HDMI (eARC), Bluetooth 5.3(AAC/SBC), Wi-Fi 6, Apple Airplay 2, Ethernet Port
Amplifiers	15 X Class-D digital amplifiers
Tweeters	7 X silk-dome tweeters
Midwoofers	6
Woofers	1 X four motor dual membrane “Sound Motion” woofer
Audio Formats	Stereo PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos (Dolby Digital Plus), Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos (True HD), Multichannel PCM, Dolby Multichannel PCM*, DTS Digital Surround
App support	Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control
Controls	Physical buttons – Bluetooth connectivity and microphone muting Touch-sensitive top panel – play/pause, volume adjustment, and track navigation Voice assistant support – Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa
Voice Assistant Control	Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control

What’s in the box?

The Sonos Arc Ultra is packed using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified kraft paper and sustainably sourced contents to reduce the carbon footprint. In a minimalistic design, you will only get the soundbar unit featuring a sleek design with a 9.1.4 speaker configuration, power cable (2m), HDMI cable (1.5m) for ARC/eARC connections to modern TVs, and Quickstart guide.

While the package covers the basics for setup, it does not include an HDMI-to-optical adapter for older TVs, which must be purchased separately. No USB ports or other accessories like wall mounts are provided. Despite these exclusions, the included items are sufficient for most users with a modern TV.

Aesthetics.

The Sonos Arc Ultra shares a similar sleek, minimalist design with the previous Sonos Arc, maintaining the brand’s signature matte black or white finish. Both soundbars have rounded edges and a front and top grille that protects the subwoofer, mid-woofers, and tweeters. However, the Arc Ultra is noticeably larger, measuring 1,178mm in width and weighing just over 5.9 Kg, making it wider and heavier than the original Arc.

While the Arc Ultra is slightly lower in height, it has a more substantial presence due to its increased width. This extra size adds a sturdier feel, making it less likely to be moved once placed on a TV stand or wall-mounted.

Despite its larger dimensions, the Arc Ultra’s elegant, minimalist design ensures it integrates seamlessly into most home setups. In contrast, the original Arc’s design is slightly more compact and easier to blend into smaller spaces. It will look better if you pair it with at least a 55-inch Smart TV or it might look weird.

Sound Performance.

The sound performance of the Sonos Arc Ultra represents a notable leap forward compared to the original Sonos Arc, providing an enriched and far more immersive auditory experience. The most significant upgrade is in its speaker configuration: the Arc Ultra boasts an impressive 9.1.4 speaker setup, compared to the Arc’s 5.0 configuration, meaning it has additional drivers dedicated to creating a more expansive soundstage. This translates into an overall more dynamic and detailed sound profile.

The new SoundMotion driver significantly enhances bass response, delivering punchier, deeper bass than the previous Arc, which gives a sense of fullness even without a separate subwoofer. While the Arc Ultra still doesn’t reach the depths of bass you would get from a standalone subwoofer, it certainly comes closer, offering a remarkable improvement in the lower frequencies.

Listening to music on the Arc Ultra is a fantastic experience, particularly with tracks that heavily rely on bass. For instance, listening to “Come Together” by The Beatles, a track built around sub-bass frequencies—on the Arc Ultra reveals a noticeable depth and richness that was previously lacking in the standard Arc. The bass response is rich and impactful, with kick drums sounding solid and bass synths resonating throughout the room with full-bodied texture.

For songs like “Can’t Stand The Rain” by The Rescues”, which harnesses multiple instruments and sound effects like raindrops and thunder. The Arc Ultra delivers crisp highs well-balanced mids and a clear separation between the background sound, instrumental music, and vocals. The guitars maintain a natural tone, and instruments like organs and pianos are rendered with clear, rich bodies. Audiophiles may still prefer stereo separation with dedicated speakers, but the Arc Ultra performs exceptionally well as a soundbar, providing an experience that many will find satisfying.

When it comes to movies and TV shows, the Sonos Arc Ultra truly comes into its own, especially when watching content with Dolby Atmos audio. Movies like TOP GUN Maverick illustrate just how immersive the Arc Ultra can be. During action-packed sequences like the Mission Test Run, the soundbar does a fantastic job of creating a three-dimensional auditory experience. Despite not being paired with additional rear speakers, the Arc Ultra is able to deliver impressive height and surround sound effects on its own. The flight scene, for instance, fills the room with audio that seems to come from all directions, from soaring overhead sounds to the rumbling of the jet thrusters. It gives you the impression that you are in the cockpit together with Tom Cruise while he was doing the mission run. This makes the soundstage feel far broader and more engaging compared to the original Arc, where spatial audio effects were less pronounced.

Dialogue clarity is another area where the Arc Ultra surpasses its predecessor. In films and TV shows, the Arc Ultra shines at maintaining intelligibility, even when the action gets loud or the soundscape becomes complex. It does an excellent job of isolating and enhancing speech, ensuring that dialogue remains clear and easy to follow, no matter the volume level. This improvement is particularly noticeable in scenes where quiet conversations are taking place amidst intense sound effects or background music. In comparison, the original Arc sometimes struggled to highlight dialogue in similar circumstances.

All in all, the Sonos Arc Ultra’s sound performance is a significant upgrade over the standard Arc, offering not only more powerful bass but also a more immersive, clearer, and more refined listening experience across both music and movies. Whether you’re enjoying music with detailed mids and highs, or watching movies with Dolby Atmos effects, the Arc Ultra delivers a level of performance that makes it one of the best all-in-one soundbars currently available.

The Sonos Arc Ultra stands out as a powerhouse for all-in-one sound performance, offering superior bass, immersive spatial audio, and remarkable clarity

Sonos App.

The Sonos App was the cause of a big PR disaster for SONOS which resulted in their CEO stepping down. The main issues were app malfunctioning and unresponsive behavior. But to be fair, I find pairing the Sonos Arc Ultra to my smart TV using wifi to be a breeze. There are step-by-step instructions to ensure that everything is working. I tried to pair the soundbar to a couple of TVs and most of them worked perfectly until I tried it on my older AQUOS TV. I was able to listen to music but when I switched it to TV, I had to repair it to my wifi and TV every time. Either that or I disconnect my soundbar and use the default TV sound system which was quite a hassle. I believe it’s just due to compatibility issues with older devices or just another reason why I should upgrade all my monitors.

The first thing that you should do is to set up the Trueplay via the Sonos app which optimizes the Sonos Arc Ultra’s performance based on where it is placed. The revamped Sonos App also comes with the basic EQ allows you to adjust the bass and treble. Speech Enhancement and Night Sound can also be toggled via Sonos App.

The Sonos app significantly enhances the usability of the Arc Ultra, making it more than just a soundbar. It’s a part of a connected and customizable ecosystem that controls all your other Sonos devices and your voice control assistants.

The Bottom Line.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is a premium all-in-one soundbar that offers exceptional sound quality and an immersive experience without needing additional speakers or subwoofers. Ideal if you have a Sonos ecosystem or want to integrate with other smart devices. But if you’re on a budget or have limited space, its size and price might be prohibitive.

TLDR:

The Sonos Arc Ultra excels in performance and features, making it one of the best soundbars available, but it’s best suited for users who prioritize sound quality and immersive audio experiences.