The Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar

Welcome to ‘First look’. Today we’ll be looking at a new Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar.

What kind of product?

The Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar is a premium audio device designed to enhance your home entertainment experience. It features Dolby Atmos support for immersive surround sound and has multiple speakers for rich audio clarity. The sleek design complements modern interiors while offering easy integration with various devices. Additionally, it supports voice control and streaming services for added convenience.

Brand?

Sonos is a prominent audio brand known for its innovative wireless multi-room speaker systems that deliver high-quality sound throughout homes. Founded in 2002, the company focuses on creating seamless audio experiences through user-friendly technology and integration with various streaming services. Sonos products are designed for both music enthusiasts and casual listeners, emphasizing versatility and ease of use.

The brand has earned a reputation for its sleek design and commitment to continuous software updates, enhancing the user experience over time.

Current price?

The Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar is priced at approximately €999, reflecting its premium build and advanced audio technology. This Price may vary based on other retailers and promotions.

What’s in the box?

The Sonos Arc Ultra comes in a premium box that you need to open by switching the 2 switches on the side. After opening the box, the first thing you will see is the Sonos Arc Ultra itself. The soundbar is wrapped in a fabric cover for extra protection. Underneath the soundbar you will find a box where the power cable and HDMI cable is found. An optical adaptor is sold separately.

Closer look?

The front side of the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar features a sleek, minimalist design, seamlessly blending with modern home décor. The curved shape allows for optimal sound dispersion, creating an immersive audio experience.

The back side of the Arc Ultra features multiple connectivity options, including an HDMI ARC port for seamless integration with your TV. There’s a Bluetooth button, an Ethernet port for wired internet connections, ensuring stable performance. Next there’s the voice control switch and power connection.

Its sides are crafted with premium materials, providing durability. The soundbar includes multiple speaker drivers positioned along the sides to deliver immersive, surround sound experiences. Additionally, the Arc’s side panels are designed to minimize distortion, ensuring high-quality audio performance from all angles.

On the top side are touch control buttons to manipulate the volume, press pause/play, skip a track, group rooms and activate/deactivate speech control services.

Features?

One of its standout features is its support of all Dolby formats, especially Dolby Atmos, which enables three-dimensional sound, allowing users to enjoy films and music with a heightened sense of realism.

The Arc Ultra is equipped with 15 class-D amplifiers powering seven precisely angled silk-dome tweeters to generate crisp high frequencies and clear dialogue. Two of them fire upward creating dedicated height channels for spatial audio. Six mid-woofers ensure faithful playback of mid-range frequencies. The real kicker is the introduction of Sound Motion: a four-motor, dual membrane woofer, that delivers exceptional bass in a revolutionary flat, compact design.

The soundbar also boasts Trueplay: this software measures the acoustics of the room, then fine-tunes the EQ. Now compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

 Use the Sonos app to adjust EQ settings: bass, treble and loudness. Choose your preferred level of dialogue clarity with the speech enhancement function: there are 3 levels available. Night sound allows you to reduce the intensity of loud sounds and increase the level of quieter sounds.

Connect with various streaming services via the Sonos app.

Voice control capabilities through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant further enhance its functionality, allowing for hands-free operation. While streaming with Apple AirPlay2, you can use Siri on you iOSD devices to control Apple Music.

Attention! The Arc Ultra is only compatible with the Era 100, Era 300, One, One SL, Five, IKEA Symfonisk Gen 2 and Sonos amp . All generation of Sub and Sub Mini are compatible with Arc Ultra. Be warned! A dual Sub setup requires Sub 4 and/or Sub Gen 3.

For whom is this product?

The Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar is designed for those seeking immersive, high-quality sound in their home entertainment setup. It’s perfect for movie lovers wanting a cinematic audio experience and gamers desiring precise sound effects with a minimalistic, wireless setup. Additionally, it caters to music enthusiasts who appreciate rich, detailed audio playback. Its sleek design also appeals to those looking for an aesthetically pleasing addition to their living space.

Conclusion?

What are the true differences between the Arc and Arc Ultra regarding features? For starters, the Arc Ultra utilizes 15 class-D amplifiers to 11 in the Arc, 14 drivers including a Sound Motion woofer in comparison to 11 speakers in the Arc. The Arc Ultra has WiFi 6 on board, features Bluetooth 5.3 and Android users are now welcomed to the Trueplay feature. The Arc Ultra also features AI speech enhancement.  How do the Arc and Arc Ultra compare in sound? While the Arc is still a valid choice, the Ultra outperforms its predecessor in a lot of areas, presenting itself as the premium choice. Bass performance in both stand-alone mode and multi-speaker setup improved significantly offering deeper, more powerful bass even at higher volumes. Dialogues are clearer, brighter with increased intelligibility. The speech enhancement function helps a lot to help find your sweet spot. An increased sound projection completes the story. Along with dual subs and a pair of Era300’s, the Arc Ultra offers next level performance when talking about a minimalistic, wireless home cinema setup.