The Sonos Arc Ultra raises the bar for home theater audio

As a longtime user of the original Sonos Arc, I’ve come to terms with the new one Sonos Arc Ultra with excitement And skepticism

The original Arc is a staple of my home entertainment setup. It delivers impressive Dolby Atmos sound and seamlessly integrates with the Sonos ecosystem.

With the Arc Ultra promising upgrades in sound quality, design, and connectivity, I was eager to see if it could live up to the hype and justify its high price tag.

After spending time with the Ultra, it’s clear that Sonos hasn’t just refined its flagship soundbar; They have reimagined what a standalone audio system can offer. But is that enough to entice existing Arc users like me to make the jump? Dive into it.

The Sonos Arc Ultra, released on October 29, is Sonos’ latest flagship soundbar. It costs $999 and is available in black or white.

This new release marks a slight price increase over its predecessor, the original Arc, which has been discontinued and is now being sold at a discounted rate as retailers clear out remaining stock.

The Arc Ultra enters a competitive market, facing rivals like the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 and the Samsung HW-Q990D. Both offer attractive features and occasional significant discounts.

Design and build

Visually, the Arc Ultra closely resembles the original Arc, retaining Sonos’ minimalist aesthetic with a perforated grille that surrounds most of the chassis. However, subtle changes include a tail of the rear housing touch controls — play/pause, skip, volume slider, and a voice control button — relocated from the original grill.

The dimensions of the soundbar have been adjusted so: it is 118 cm wide (up from 114 cm) but shorter at 7.5 cm (down from 8.7 cm), reducing the possibility of blocking the TV screen when placed in front. Weighing approximately 350 grams less than its predecessor, the Arc Ultra is more wall-mount friendly.

The design requires an open space, as positioning it in a niche or under a shelf can block the upward-firing drivers needed for optimal sound dispersion.

Features and Connections

The Arc Ultra boasts a 9.1.4-channel configuration, a significant upgrade from the original Arc’s 5.0.2 setup. It incorporates 14 custom-engineered drivers powered by 15 Class D amplifiers, including seven tweeters, six midrange woofers and a novel Sound Motion woofer.

This innovative woofer uses four small, lightweight motors to move the cone, enabling greater air displacement and, according to Sonos, delivering twice the bass of the original arc. The dual-cone design aims to reduce mechanical vibrations, contributing to a more balanced sound profile.

Despite these advances, the Arc Ultra lacks support for DTS audio formats, focusing only on Dolby Atmos for spatial audio. Connection options are limited, with a single HDMI eARC port and no dedicated HDMI input, requiring all external sources to be connected via the TV. This setup can pose challenges for users with multiple high-spec gaming devices and limited HDMI 2.1 ports on their TVs.

Sonos Arc Ultra home theater soundbar: front view (pictured above) and back view

Conversely, Arc Ultra introduces Bluetooth connectivity (a first for Sonos soundbars) and extends Sonos’ excellent Trueplay calibration support to Android devices, increasing user accessibility.

performance

In terms of audio performance, the Arc Ultra delivers a clear, precise and spacious soundstage with impressive three-dimensionality. The extended bass is deep and expressive, providing a solid foundation without overwhelming the overall sound profile.

Conversation clarity is improved, thanks to the new front-firing speaker array that ensures crisp and intelligible speech reproduction, dedicated to the center channel. The soundbar excels at retrieving detail, capturing subtle nuances across different content types.

However, the absence of HDMI passthrough and DTS support may be limiting for some users. Additionally, while the Sonos app offers powerful control and customization options, some users have reported occasional issues that can affect the overall user experience.

How Arc Ultra stacks up against rivals

Compared to competitors like the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 and the Samsung HW-Q990D, the Arc Ultra holds its ground in terms of sound quality and design.

Although officially priced higher, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 often sees discounts that bring it closer to the price of the Arc Ultra. Bravia Theater Bar 9 boasts an extensive feature set, including HDMI passthrough and support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats, providing greater flexibility for users with a variety of content sources.

Although more expensive, the Samsung HW-Q990D includes a wireless subwoofer and surround speakers, providing a more immersive surround sound experience out of the box. Its connectivity options are more extensive, featuring multiple HDMI inputs and support for various audio formats, making it a versatile choice for users seeking a comprehensive home theater setup.

Is the Arc Ultra worth the upgrade?

To be sure, Sonos has long faced criticism for its app, which while offering a sleek design and robust control options has been plagued by occasional connection issues and limited flexibility.

Users often report frustration with delayed updates, difficulty adding new devices, and problems syncing across ecosystems. These issues are especially frustrating given the premium price of Sonos products, which set high expectations for seamless integration.

While recent updates aim to address some of these issues, the app experience still leaves room for improvement, especially as competitors continue to refine their platforms. While I’ve experienced some of these issues myself (especially with Sonos’s terrible over-the-ear S headphones), the app is thankfully mature enough that it doesn’t hinder setup.

Still, from a pure hardware perspective, the Sonos Arc Ultra represents a significant advance over its predecessor, offering increased bass performance, improved dialogue clarity, and a more immersive soundstage.

Its sleek design and expanded connectivity options, including Bluetooth and greater TruePlay support, make it an attractive choice for users looking for a high-quality, all-in-one soundbar solution. However, the lack of HDMI passthrough and DTS support may be a consideration for potential buyers.

Overall, the Arc Ultra is a great soundbar that enhances the home audio experience, making it a worthy contender in the premium soundbar market.

Arc Ultra images featured in this article were submitted to Sonos.