Review: Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar – a premium upgrade for your TV

Sonos has maintained the design of its soundbar in the new generation. It features a cylindrical structure available in black or white with a matte finish, and it can also be mounted on the wall beneath the TV. The Arc Ultra is wrapped in a grill that allows sound to flow in all directions.

Sonos has integrated a technology called Sound Motion, which, according to the company, significantly reduces the size of the subwoofer while improving bass. This should provide a larger and better sound in smaller products. In my experience, the bass was clearly noticeable when watching movies and provided the right effect. However, in music, it was less dominant. The soundbar also features 14 tweeters that deliver 9.1.4 surround sound channels, compared to the 5.0.2 channels in the previous generation.

Another technology is TruePlay, which allows you to measure the sound reflection from walls and furniture using an Android or iOS smartphone, thus adjusting the sound to the room. This feature can be activated through the company’s app during the initial setup and later, emitting different sounds for testing.

One of the frustrating things when watching movies is not being able to understand the dialogue between characters clearly. While subtitles are available in most content, a solution is still needed. Sonos improved dialogue clarity in the Arc Ultra with a new central channel architecture. The bonus here is that when you want to clearly hear the characters, activating a dedicated feature in the app will further enhance dialogue clarity during viewing. This feature worked well and successfully focused the sound from the soundbar on the dialogue, making it stand out from the background noise.

The soundbar also has a night mode that softens loud sounds and amplifies quieter ones. I personally didn’t like using this option as it affects the sound quality, but it does manage to reduce the volume, so if needed, it’s worth using.

The previous generation of the Arc offered Dolby Atmos technology, and the new model includes it as well. To enjoy it, the content needs to be compatible (for example, on Netflix, Disney+, etc.). To ensure it’s working, you can check the app for a notification. The Dolby Atmos experience widens the sound, enriches the details, and makes it feel as though the sound is coming from above, not just from the front and sides. Even without Dolby Atmos, the sound experience here is impressive.

The Arc Ultra can be connected to a TV via HDMI eARC, allowing you to control the soundbar with the TV remote. Unlike the previous generation, the new model has Bluetooth (5.3) for streaming music from a smartphone, making it easier for Android users to stream music to the soundbar. The previous model only supported AirPlay 2 for iOS users. There is still no support for Chromecast. In any case, I primarily used the company’s app to stream music via Wi-Fi and less the other capabilities that this model offers, though it’s nice to have them.

Aside from the app, a more convenient way to control music is through the company’s voice assistant. The voice of the assistant is provided by actor Giancarlo Esposito from the shows "Breaking Bad" and "The Mandalorian." Commands are given in English or French. The assistant is activated with the command “Hey Sonos,” and processing is done directly on the speaker, not via the cloud, enabling a faster response.

The assistant works with Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon, Pandora, and of course, the company’s radio service. If you're subscribed to one of these services, you can ask the speaker to play music or control your content library.

Additional useful features include the ability to ask the speaker what song is playing, and it will also tell you which playlist the song belongs to. The Sonos assistant works well, and it easily recognized my Israeli accent.

Like other Sonos soundbars, the Arc Ultra works with the Ace headphones (full review), which Sonos launched a few months ago. So, if you have them at home, with the press of a button, the sound from the TV will switch to the headphones.

Price: 4,300 NIS (official importer: Bug Network)

Bottom Line: The Arc Ultra offers a quick upgrade to your TV sound experience. It’s a soundbar that looks good, sounds great, especially with Dolby Atmos content, and includes the advantage of being part of Sonos' ecosystem, enabling integration with other company speakers and a smooth transition to its Ace headphones for private listening. I wasn’t as impressed with it for music listening, but for watching movies or TV shows, the wide sound and noticeable bass (thanks to new technology) make the viewing experience very successful.