Sonos Arc Ultra, analysis of the best sound bar

Sonos has launched a new sound bar, but not just any model but one superior to the (until now) almighty Sonos Arc. The new Sonos Arc Ultra arrives with a very similar design although with changes that improve it, and above all with a sound that impresses from the first moment that you listen to it.

Sonos has achieved the difficult task of improving the best sound bar in its catalogue, the Sonos Arc, and it has not done so subtly, but with some More than evident improvements in clarity, bass power and balanced sound when listening to music. After a long time with the Sonos Arc under my television and as an audio system for the living room, replacing my two HomePods that have been relegated to my children’s bedrooms, this Sonos Arc Ultra has managed to make me fall in love at first sight.

Features

• Size 75 x 1,178 x 110mm
• Weight 5.9kg
• 14 speakers (including subwoofer)
• Conectividad WiFi 6, Bluetoth 5.3, AirPlay 2, Ethernet
• Voice control: Alexa and Sonos Assistant
• Fast Trueplay (Android and iOS) and conventional (iOS only)
• Audio: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, PCM Multichannel, Dolby PCM Multichannel, DTS Digital Surround Sound
• Precio 999€

The design has been updated to make it more in line with the brand’s new speakers, such as the Era 100 and 300. The grille that occupies almost the entire surface of the bar now has a back part where we find the touch controls to activate/ disable voice assistant, control playback and volume. The latter is an elongated touch surface through which we slide our finger to increase or decrease the volume, a much more useful control than the buttons on the Sonos Arc. It is slightly longer than the previous model, and slightly lower, which you will appreciate if your TV does not lift much off the table, because the Sonos Arc Ultra will not cover the bottom of the screen, or hide the infrared receiver of your TV. On the back we find the connections (HDMI eARC, power socket, Bluetooth button, Ethernet socket and the physical switch to activate/deactivate the microphones). It is perfect in size for televisions of 55 inches or larger. If your TV is smaller, of course you can use it, but it will stick out on the sides. Personally I would advise a Sonos Beam 2 in that case.

Sonos continues to offer a single HDMI socketso we will not have Passthrough. This is important if your television has few HDMI connections, since the speaker will take up one of them, specifically the eARC socket. In most modern televisions there is already more than one socket of this type, but in those that have been around for some time there is usually only one, the rest being more conventional HDMI. It is the only drawback that we can give to this sound bar, a point that Sonos should have corrected after the experience with the Sonos Arc, but which remains the unfinished business with this Sonos Arc Ultra.

In the box we find the power cable, which does not have a transformer (an important detail), and an HDMI 2.1 cable, a detail that is not usually included. We can use an optical cable but we will need the adapter that Sonos does not include in the box (it did in previous models). There is no remote control, which is a delight since you can do all the sound control from the television remote control itself. You can also control the volume with the touch buttons, something I have practically never done on my sound bars, or even through the voice assistant, in my case Alexa.

If you know Sonos products, there is little to say about the quality of its finishes and design. The plastic used is of high quality, and the construction of the bar is more than solid. It is not a device that you are going to move around, or that is prone to bumps, but it is always appreciated that a product of this price has appropriate finishes, and Sonos always delivers above expectations. Available in black and white, either finish is stunning. Something very important for those who like the color white: it does not yellow over time, as my Sonos Play:5 and the Sonos Beam that are more than 6 years old can attest.

Configuration

The configuration process is very simple, in fact it is semi-automatic. Place the sound bar, connected to power and your TV via the HDMI eARC port on your TV, and open the Sonos app on your iPhone (or Android). After a few seconds the application will automatically detect the speaker and you will be guided through the entire configuration process, in Spanish and very intuitive, with drawings and videos that explain all the steps in detail. Once configured you will also be offered the possibility of configure some advanced functions such as TruePlaya procedure that Sonos has now made more direct and that is also available on Android. Thanks to this functionality, the sound of the bar will adapt to the room in which you have placed it, so it is highly recommended that you do so. You can also use the classic configuration procedure by moving the iPhone around the room, but I personally have not noticed any differences in the result, so I recommend the quick, simpler method.

Once configured, in the application, we can modify functions such as equalization, add the virtual assistant (Alexa or Sonos’ own), activate dialogue clarity or add other speakers to create a complete home theater system. The process of adding speakers is just as simple and direct, guiding you through each of the steps you must carry out clearly. For this analysis I have not added the Era 300 that I use as rear speakers or the Sub Mini, all my impressions are with the sound bar as a single device. We can also configure the streaming music services that we want to add to the Sonos app, in my case Apple Music, the only way to enjoy Dolby Atmos sound with this Sonos Arc, since AirPlay does not allow it. By the way, the Sonos app long ago left behind all the problems (which were many) after its launch. Both for the configuration process and for listening to music, its operation is more than adequate.

Connectivity

The Sonos Arc Ultra’s main mission is to be a sound bar for television, but it is much more than that. We can use it for music, through the Sonos app, or by adding the skill of our music service to Alexa, and use voice commands to play it. We can also use AirPlay 2 from our iPhone, iPad or Mac to transfer the sound to the Sonos Arc Ultra, and in this new generation even the Bluetooth. This last function was one of the most repeated requests by Sonos users, although I personally don’t quite understand why. But Sonos has listened to its users and all of its latest speakers now have Bluetooth. Having AirPlay 2 or the Sonos app, I have never used Bluetooth to listen to music, mostly because the quality is inferior.

To switch from WiFi connectivity to Bluetooth, all you have to do is press a button located on the back of the speaker, which can be a problem if we hang it on the wall. We can also activate it from the Sonos app. The front LED of the speaker turns blue when Bluetooth is active, and white when the connection is via WiFi. By the way, that We can also use an Ethernet cable to connect the speaker to our home network. I have always had my speakers connected via WiFi, and I have never noticed disconnections or any other type of problem with them, so I always opt for this connection, even more so now with compatibility with WiFi 6.

Let’s not forget the Audio Swap with Sonos Acethe headphones that were launched a few months ago. If you want not to disturb anyone at home while watching your series or movies, it is as simple as pressing a button on the headphones and the audio will go from the sound bar to the headphones, without any type of delay in the sound. This functionality is compatible with all Sonos sound bars, not just the Arc Ultra. The sound experience is really good, although the update that will give Dolby Atmos compatibility to its headphones is still pending, further improving the sound quality.

Sound quality

As I told you before, this analysis only refers to the Sonos Arc Ultra, without any other added speakers. The sound it offers us is Dolby Atmos 9.1.4which means there are 9 full range channels (front, side and rear), 1 subwoofer and 4 height channels. The Sonos Arc achieves this thanks to its 14 speakers distributed throughout the sound bar oriented in different directions so that the sound reaches us, either directly or bouncing off the walls to give that sensation of surround sound with a single device. located in front of us. This is a huge improvement over the original Sonos Arc, which offered 5.1 sound with 11 speakers. The Sonos Arc Ultra includes a subwooferSonos calls it Sound Motion, which the Sonos Arc does not have, and that achieves powerful bass that also frees the rest of the speakers in the bar from that work, improving its sound quality.

The result is a spectacular sound quality, surround sound that makes you enjoy movies and series like never beforeand all this with a single sound bar. The difference between the Sonos Arc and the Sonos Arc Ultra as independent sound bars is more than evident, you don’t need to have a very trained ear to notice it. And it is very noticeable in terms of the clarity of the dialogues, a functionality of the Sonos sound bars that I have always valued very positively, and that with this Sonos Arc Ultra I have not needed to activate to understand the conversations perfectly even in noisy scenes. . You also have the possibility of activating night mode, to reduce loud noises at night and not disturb those in other rooms or neighbors. The sound improvement is even more noticeable with music, with a more balanced, crystalline and nuanced sound. The Sonos Arc sounds very good, but this Arc Ultra is also better in this department.

Obviously everything improves if we add a subwoofer, in my case the Sub Mini, since I have not yet been able to test the Sub 4 recently launched by Sonos. The bass is even more powerful than what the Arc Ultra offers us, it’s all a matter of size. And the finishing touch comes when we add two Sonos Era 300 as rear speakers, the sound experience is spectacular, whether with movies or music. If you think the Dolby Atmos sound in music is a bit “fireworks” it’s because you haven’t tried this setcannot be described in words. It is true that the set of all these speakers has a high price, but the good thing about Sonos is that you can purchase them in stages and expand your system little by little.

Editor’s opinion

If you are looking for a home theater system without complications, the different solutions offered by Sonos adapt to different budgets, but the jewel in the crown is without a doubt this new sound bar, Arc Ultra, which offers spectacular sound by itself. , without needing other elements to enjoy your favorite movies, series or music. Obviously everything improves if we add more elements, something you can do later if your budget is tighter. You can buy it on Amazon for €999 (link) y  (link).

• Editor’s rating
• Rating 4.5 stars
• Exceptional

^€999

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• Arc Ultra
• Review of: Luis Padilla

• Posted on: January 8, 2025

• Last modification: January 8, 2025

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