By any measure , it ’s been a lousy year for Sonos . The company ’s much - anticipated entry intowireless headphones — theSonos Ace — should have been a exulting moment ( the Ace are very practiced ) . Unfortunately , the Ace ’s debut was overshadowed by a muck up app update , which go on to give chase the company despite a great deal of piece that have for the most part ( but not wholly ) fixed the problems .
Theapp fiascocast such a cerement over the troupe ’s normally exuberant new product launching that Sonos announced its newfangled flagshipDolby Atmos soundbar — the $ 999 Sonos Arc Ultra — not with a showy in - somebody press event , but with a press going .
I bonk that Sonos ’ wounding are 100 % ego - inflicted , but I ca n’t serve feel bad for the folks who bring the Arc Ultra into existence because , just like the Sonos Ace , it ’s a really right audio product .
It ’s not stark — I ’ll touch on some of its failing in a moment — and it ’s not a massive step up from theoriginal Arc(which it replaces ) , but there ’s an undeniable melioration in sound quality that makes the Ultra deserving the spare $ 100 — especially if you ’re already all - in on Sonos .
If you ’re familiar with the Sonos Arc , the Arc Ultra is nearly very . It come in the two stock Sonos colors ( black and blank ) and its dimension make it difficult to tell the two apart at a aloofness . At 46.3 inches in width , the Ultra is only about two inches broad than the Arc , and yet it ’s unforesightful , with a height of 2.9 inch rather of the original ’s 3.4 inches . The Ultra is even a little shallower .
The all - matte - plastic , cylindrical body and integrated grille bear on what is arguably one of the best - look soundbar design . Where most hoi polloi will discover a difference is the fresh central housing . It act as a plinth , make the effect — when seen from the front — that the cylinder ’s “ wing ” are floating a few millimeter above the surface .
That living accommodations is also where you ’ll find the contact controls . In keeping with Sonos ’ most late verbalizer ( theEra 100,Era 300 , andMove 2 ) , these now include a consecrate volume slider , which some may find easier or more intuitive than the premature duple - subprogram mass / course skipping controls . I did n’t mind the previous layout , but having them on the very top airfoil resulted in a lot of inadvertent touches . So far , that has n’t been the case with the Ultra ’s control .
The specs
The Arc Ultra pull ahead Bluetooth connectivity , something the Arc lack . When friend drop by , it ’s a handy feature that afford them the ability to stream to the verbaliser without needing your Wi - Fi countersign or the Sonos app . Better yet , turning on Bluetooth and match a phone does n’t interrupt Wi - Fi feature like using the Sonos app or cyclosis via AirPlay — the two can coexist . Just keep in mind that Bluetooth streaming wo n’t voice quite as good as cyclosis via the app .
unluckily , the location of the Bluetooth button is awkward . Unlike the same buttons on the epoch 100 , epoch 300 , and Move 2 , which are positioned for easy reach at the top of the verbalizer ’s rear surface , it ’s nestled in the same small rear cavity that put up the HDMI and power connections , as well as the Ethernet interface and strong-arm microphone switching . The Sonos - cater HDMI overseas telegram is thin and more flexible than most , which may help oneself with the crowding , but if your apparatus requires a third - political party cable , things could get taut . It ’s a good matter you only need to press it when pairing a new machine — navigate that space blind is tricky .
If you wall mount the Ultra ( which you may do with an original Arc wall mount if you ’re upgrading ) , it ’s easier to get to those ascendancy — the tooth decay has a bottom gap design for doing so .
It would be great if Sonos lend at least one HDMI remark to its flagship soundbar , but the party is clearly opposed to doing so . To be fair , there are only two reasonableness for want an HDMI stimulus : Your goggle box ’s remaining three HDMI inputs are n’t enough to manage with your collection of connected devices , and/or you prefer to send a signal directly to your soundbar because your TV is older and ca n’t passthrough data format likeDolby Atmos . If you do n’t fall into these category , move along — nothing to see here .
In the box , you ’ll find the soundbar , a power cable , and an HDMI cable — essentially everything you need to get go . What you wo n’t chance is the optic - to - HDMI arranger that used to ship with the Ultra . Sonos still sells them , but it reckons ( justly I mistrust ) that most folks wo n’t need one . Besides , if you habituate an visual connection , you ’ll drop out on Dolby Atmos .
Despite the late headaches with the Sonos app , I plant up the Ultra just as cursorily and painlessly as any other recent Sonos intersection . The app make out the speaker almost as before long as I plugged it in .
Within a few minutes , it added it to my Wi - Fi , performed the first package update , and give me a abbreviated spell of its lineament . It then encouraged me to do Sonos ’ TruePlay room tuning and gave me the option of enable one or both optional voice assistants ( Sonos Voice Controland Amazon Alexa ) .
Google fan take bill : Unlike the Sonos Arc , the Ultra does n’t extend Google Assistant for direct representative ascendance , however , it ’s still controllable from Sonos ’ older Google Assistant - compatible products . you could also control it via Apple ’s Siri .
Sonos app struggles
It ’s been seven monthssince the Modern app design roll out . bug apart ( oh , so many bug ) , my biggest criticism is that I still have trouble navigating its user interface .
The app used to have disjoined tabs that let you jump between what you were listen to , what you were look for , and a horizon of the Sonos verbaliser in your home . At first , I did n’t beware their absence , but the more I employ it , the more I miss them .
Now , these formerly freestanding functions slew over each other , layer one scene over another . Previously , even if you ’d never used the Sonos app , you could intuit your way through it . The new pattern has a steeper encyclopedism curve that rewards committal to memory , not suspicion . I still struggle with it , as does my family .
I convey this up for three rationality . First , Sonos has always made good wireless speakers . But it was the software that made them corking . It made the potentially intimidating task of managing and master multiple speakers and music reference easy . This fresh app design is a step rearward , and it makes Sonos Cartesian product a little harder to recommend as a result .
secondly , the Arc Ultra does n’t come with a remote ascendance . The Sonos appisthe remote control .
Except for power , volume , and muting , which can be operate via your idiot box ’s remote control , all other scope must be done with the app . The app is also the only way to confirm the sound data formatting the Ultra is playing . You may think you ’re listening to Dolby Atmos content , but unless you see the Atmos logo in the Sonos app , there ’s no other substantiation .
Finally , if you want to get the good sound calibre from the Ultra when streaming euphony , you must expend the Sonos app . The speaker plunk for Bluetooth andApple AirPlay , and while both are commodious , both are lossy connections . you could also run straightaway from Spotify and Tidal apps , but again , these are n’t gamy - caliber flow . Forlossless audio , hi - Re , orDolby Atmos Music , you must tot up your subscription inspection and repair to the Sonos app .
OK , I ’m done picking on the app . Besides , if you ’re already a Sonos possessor , I ’m prophesy to the choir .
Now for the veridical rationality you ’re here : the sound .
All about that bass (and treble)
Under the grille is a entirely young number one wood arrangement . The Arc ’s 5.1.2 - channel , three - tweeter / eight - woofer/11 - amp configuration has been supervene upon with a seven - tweeter / six - mid - woofer/13 - amp combo , plus the wiz of the show , Sonos ’ newSound Motion two-fold - membrane , quad - motor , bi - amped woofer .
It ’s a remarkable bit of tech . Even though the Ultra is shorter and shallower than the Arc , and has more drivers taking up its internal room , it produces far more downcast - end . Place your mitt in front of the speaker grille ( just to the left of the book controls ) and you may finger the zephyr being pushed out by that driver , even at moderate intensity levels .
It ’s not just louder or more brawny — it ’s more articulate , too . With the Sound Motion driver taking the lead on low , the mid - woofers focalize their DOE on the midrange , something the Arc ’s woofer were never free to do . This balance creates an hearable betterment in preciseness and clarity .
With this floor of bass on water tap , the Arc Ultra becomes a rightful all - in - one soundbar , link the social rank of theSennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plusand Sony ’s Bravia Home Theater Bar 8 . you may still significantly heighten bass carrying out by summate a subwoofer ( or two ) , but it ’s not compulsory . In fact , I ’m sure a lot of folks — especially those with smaller rooms or condo dwellers — will interview whether they need a hero sandwich at all .
I ’ll admit , I said something similar in myreview of the original Arc , when it debuted in 2020 . At the time , I call back it was a fairish appraisal — few soundbars back then could better on the Arc ’s basso without the help of a subwoofer . In the four year since , however , soundbar bass has improved a peck — and the Ultra intend that Sonos has keep stride .
The Ultra ’s increased number of tweeter produces a detectable deviation in clarity , specially for dialog . The all - crucial center channel is cohesive and voices are more intelligible , even without experimenting with the Ultra ’s new three - level Speech Enhancement configurations .
Before my Ultra review unit arrived , my wife and I watch out Netflix’sKaos — a quirky , Jeff Goldblum - take reimagining of Greek god in modern times — using the Sonos Arc . But I had a knockout time translate many of Dionysus ’ lines . As is often the case , a combination of accent and audio quality had me get to for myApple TVremote to do the “ what did he say ? ” trick where it repeats the last few lines with subtitles turned on .
pass back to the same problematical production line with the Arc Ultra was like rend away bed of gauze — suddenly there was clarity .
plough on Speech Enhancement will belike aid those who require greater separation of vox from background sounds , but you may not wish what it does to the rest of the soundtrack , especially at its highest tier . This is where Sonos could do good from a physical remote . It would be handy to quickly switch Speech Enhancement on or off ( or exchange the floor ) without reaching for my phone .
Multichannel and Dolby Atmos are both improved on the Arc Ultra . The new driver arrangement provides a more defined sense of width , depth , and height , plus better precision for item-by-item sound effects . But once again , the extra bass from the Sound Motion driver catch my tending .
run through my common test snip , I exhaustively enjoy the extra encroachment — literally . In the iconic first set piece fromNo Time To Die , where James Bond pose sedately inside his vintage Aston Martin as the car is slowly turned into Swiss cheese by a hail of bullets , you’re able to feel each buck unreasoningly .
There ’s a similarly thrilling vibe to the roaring of engines inMad Max : Fury RoadandFord v Ferrari .
There ’s no question that the Ultra can sue 9.1.4 - groove audio — I ran it through a serial publication of test tones to verify — but you should likely chasten your expectations on this front . As with any individual - speaker apparatus , volume is your friend . The louder the Ultra gets , the more vibrant and immersive the experience .
The Ultra , like the Arc before it , does a decent job of height channel reproduction , but it ’s still not as accomplished at recreating a horse sense of width and astuteness as the Bose Ultra Smart Soundbar(previously know as theBose Smart Soundbar 900)or the Sony Bravia Home Theater Bar 8 .
On its own , it does n’t replace a distinct verbaliser plate theater organization or even a multispeaker soundbar parcel like theSamsung HW - Q990D. For that form of performance , you ’ll postulate a set of Sonos Era 300 as rear speakers and a Sonos Sub .
Adding these to the admixture make that missing sense of breadth and deepness , ameliorate tiptop burden , and delivers powerful horizontal surface of bass . It ’s a superb setup , but it ’s far from a budget - friendly investment at $ 2,696 .
My one critique of the Ultra ’s strait is that it incline to exhibit some harshness and sibilance in the higher frequency . It ’s most obtrusive when diddle Atmos content — both for motion-picture show and music . My unscientific belief is that using tweeters for both the up - firing and side - burn driver ( instead of the Arc ’s full - range / tweeter combo ) means that some sound that necessitate more midrange are n’t getting it .
My test case for this is the superb Atmos admixture of The Doors’Riders on the Storm . Some of Jim Morrison ’s lyrics are echoed ethereally by the height channels . It ’s theorize to sound like the eerie whisper of disembodied voice , but instead , they go sharp … like toon specter trying to pall you .
you could mitigate this a little using the EQ place setting ( moving the treble slider into the negative values ) , but since this also affects the rest of the mix , it ’s an imperfect answer .
This is partly becauseAtmos Musicis a strike - and - miss format . There ’s an Atmos version of Diana Ross’I’m come Outthat vocalize crazy good on the Ultra . If I did n’t know better , I ’d say it was mixedforthe Arc Ultra : no trace of sibilance , the snare drum and cymbal collision are tight , and the car horn ( plus Ross ’ distinctive voice ) are very clear . It ’s not surprising that Sonos urge it as a sample caterpillar track for Arc Ultra reviewers .
I also did n’t detect any rigorousness when the Ultra rendered two-channel . Where the Arc ’s tuning favored vivacious highs and deep lows — somewhat undermine its musicalness — the Arc Ultra has more subtlety and detail through the mids and creates a innate , relaxed strait . It ’s a reconciliation act you ’ll appreciate if you use the Ultra for more than just television audio .
One spry note on using the Sonos Ace headphones with the Arc Ultra via telly Audio Swap . Just like with the Arc , the Ace can receive afully depict Dolby Atmos mixfrom the Ultra , along with head get across to help oneself with the reality of hear verbaliser in a elbow room . However , the Ultra does n’t mime its own 9.1.4 processing for the Ace ’s mix . or else , it gets the same 7.1.4 mix as the Arc delivered . That ’s hardly a trouble . It go just fine and I ’m not certain I ’d be able-bodied to signalize another two channels in the commixture .
Moreover , we ’ll likely try a big melioration when Sonos releases its TrueCinema feature for the Ace , which essay to mimic your room ’s substantial - public acoustics . When it launched the Ace , Sonos said TrueCinema was coming later this year ( 2024 ) . But that was before the troupe had to reassign virtually all of its engineering talent to the epic task of situate the broken Sonos app .
My only kick is that Sonos does n’t offer much flexibility when using the Ace and Arc Ultra . “ Swap ” is exactly what happens — you trade soundbar audio for headphones audio . That ’s not helpful when you want to watch in a group setting , but one person needs earpiece . And , for now , while you’re able to set up more than one Sonos Ace to do TV Audio Swap with the Ultra , only one band of headphones at a time can receive the signal .
The future is Ultra
Now that it has been replaced by the slightly more expensive Arc Ultra , the Sonos Arc will only continue usable while supply last . If you could tally a big discount — say 30 % or more — it ’s still a dandy soundbar . But the Arc Ultra is better in almost every path that count .
With new Bluetooth streaming , clearer dialogue , more precision and detail , and that redundant punch of low - end bass voice , it ’s a good utterer for television audio recording and music .
The deficiency of an HDMI input ( specially now that Sonos is asking $ 999 ) or a physical remote are small , but notable drawbacks . The real cause for hesitation , especially if you ’ve never owned a Sonos product , is the company ’s ongoing app woes . You may want to hold back for things to improve before take the dip . But if you ’re already all - in on Sonos , the Arc Ultra makes a great improver to your TV frame-up , whether it ’s your first Sonos soundbar or an raise .
