Sonos Arc Ultra Delivers Bigger Bass And Clearer Dialogue In A Slimmer Design

Forbes

8 hours ago

Sonos Arc Ultra
Sonos recently launched the Arc Ultra in India. It is slimmer, bassier, and just $100 more expensive than the original Arc soundbar. Those first two qualities don't usually go together, but Sonos has managed to pack deeper bass into a sleeker body. The result? A more elegant design that doesn't compromise on sound quality.
The Arc Ultra also adds new features like speech enhancement and a new Sound Motion technology. If you're in the market for a high-end soundbar, here's what you need to know about Sonos' flagship Arc Ultra.
The Sonos Arc Ultra is smaller than its predecessor and looks classier under the TV. It measures 2.95 inches high, 46.38 inches wide, and 4.35 inches deep. You can place it on a console or mount it, though the wall mount is sold separately for $79. The slimmer design looks better in modern living rooms. It comes in classic Sonos Black and White color options.
Sonos claims a 9.1.4-channel experience from the Arc Ultra's 14 drivers: nine horizontal audio channels, one subwoofer, and four up-firing channels for a truly immersive experience. The reconfigured channel layout focuses on delivering a wider soundstage and clearer dialogue.
The Sonos Arc Ultra supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby Multichannel PCM with eARC-enabled TVs. It sounds excellent but adding a Sub 4 for deeper bass and two Era 100s or Era 300s for a better surround sound takes the movie watching experience to the next level. As for the soundbar itself, the sound is clearer, more detailed, with a wider soundstage and more finesse. It accentuates the thumps in action scenes and retains the depth and details in broader moments.
Setup through the Sonos app is quick and glitch-free. It was easy and efficient to add (and group) the Sub 4 within Sonos' app. The Arc Ultra also supports TV Swap feature with Sonos Ace headphones, which worked flawlessly. Fortunately, I didn't come across any bugs in the new Sonos app while using the Arc Ultra.
Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 connected to a TV
Sonos developed a new 'Sound Motion woofer' for the Arc Ultra to deliver a cinematic experience in a sleeker form factor. Whether it's the explosions in Mission: Impossible – Fallout or the wand duels in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the Arc Ultra keeps you immersed. Even subtle sounds like tunnel chases or brutal hits in The Batman feel vivid. The original Arc is more room-filling, but the Ultra feels more precise and immersive.
Unlike many TV speakers and budget soundbars, the Arc Ultra doesn't bury dialogue in noisy scenes. Sonos' Speech Enhancement feature lets you fine-tune dialogue clarity with four levels: Low, Medium, High, and Max. I set it at High most of the time and it made the dialogues more prominent than expected. In comparison, Max boosts dialogue even further by compressing background elements.
The Sonos Arc Ultra is priced at $999 in the US and ₹99,999 in India. It's available through major online and offline retailers in both countries. The premium Sonos soundbar would please most users with its clear but detailed sound, sleeker design and new features.