Sonos Arc Ultra Raises the Bar for Home Theater Audio

As a longtime user of the original Sonos Arc, I approached the new Sonos Arc Ultra with excitement and skepticism.

The original Arc has been a staple in my home entertainment setup. It delivers impressive Dolby Atmos sound and effortlessly 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 higher price tag.

After spending time with the Ultra, it’s clear that Sonos hasn’t just refined its flagship soundbar; they’ve reimagined what a standalone audio system can offer. But is it enough to tempt existing Arc users like me to take the leap? Let’s dive in.

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

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

The Arc Ultra enters a competitive market, facing rivals like the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 and the Samsung HW-Q990D. Both offer compelling features and, at times, significant discounts.

Design and Build

Visually, the Arc Ultra closely resembles the original Arc, maintaining Sonos’ minimalist aesthetic with a perforated grille encompassing most of the chassis. However, subtle changes include a ledge at the back housing touch controls — play/pause, skip, volume slider, and a voice control button — relocated from the main grille.

The soundbar’s dimensions have been adjusted ever so slightly: it’s wider at 118cm (up from 114cm) but shorter in height at 7.5cm (down from 8.7cm), reducing the likelihood of obstructing the TV screen when placed in front. Weighing approximately 350g less than its predecessor, the Arc Ultra is also more wall-mount friendly.

The design requires an open placement, as positioning it in a nook or under a shelf can impede the upward-firing drivers essential for optimal sound dispersion.

Features and Connectivity

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 utilizes four smaller, lightweight motors to move the cone, enabling greater air displacement and, according to Sonos, delivering up to twice the bass of the original Arc. The dual-cone design also aims to minimize mechanical vibrations, contributing to a more balanced sound profile.

Despite these advancements, the Arc Ultra lacks support for DTS audio formats, focusing solely on Dolby Atmos for spatial audio. Connectivity options remain limited, with a single HDMI eARC port and no dedicated HDMI inputs, necessitating all external sources being connected through the TV. This setup may 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 top) and back view

On the upside, the Arc Ultra introduces Bluetooth connectivity (a first for Sonos soundbars) and expands Sonos’ excellent Trueplay calibration support to Android devices, enhancing user accessibility.

Performance

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

Dialogue clarity has improved, thanks to the new front-firing speaker array dedicated to the center channel, ensuring crisp and intelligible speech reproduction. The soundbar excels in detail retrieval, capturing subtle nuances across various content types.

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

How Arc Ultra Stacks Up Against Rivals

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

Though officially priced higher, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 often sees discounts that bring it closer to the Arc Ultra’s price point. The Bravia Theatre Bar 9 boasts a comprehensive feature set, including HDMI passthrough and support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats, offering greater flexibility for users with diverse content sources.

While more expensive, the Samsung HW-Q990D includes a wireless subwoofer and surround speakers, delivering 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 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 connectivity issues and limited flexibility.

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

Although recent updates have aimed to address some of these issues, the app experience still leaves room for improvement, particularly as competitors continue to refine their platforms. While I have suffered through some of these issues myself (particularly with Sonos’ terrific over-the-ears Ace headphones), the app has thankfully matured to the point that it didn’t inhibit setup.

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

Its sleek design and expanded connectivity options, including Bluetooth and broader Trueplay support, make it a compelling choice for users seeking 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 superb soundbar that elevates the home audio experience, making it a worthy contender in the premium soundbar market.

The Arc Ultra images featured in this article are credited to Sonos.