Sonos - Arc Ultra

I just received my Arc Ultra last week and while it sounds better than my A95L speakers, it makes me second guess several times if the price I paid for the soundbar is worth it. I am not an audiophile by any means, but I do think that the A95L built in speakers are reasonably good for what it is. There is a lag where the soundbar won’t respond every time you turn on the TV, but it sort itself out after a minute or so. Any soundbar with CEC should be able get by with just the TV remote for volume control.

Have the Ultra, two 300's and dual subs (a 3 and a 4). The dual subs are probably overkill but I like bass. When I play Ah-ha 'Take on me', for example, it shakes my house and sounds great.

Yesterday, I purchased the ARC ULTRA and the new Gen 4 Sub. With tax almost $2k USD out the door for tooth the SW and Ultra. It's going to be married up with the two ERA 300's for a new ecosystem. The Sonos sound system has approached what I paid for my new 65" LG4 TV. I also purchased two alternative era 300 sanus speakers stands vs THE higher priced stands from Sonos.The stands are easy to assemble.

For soundbar and sub only if you're looking for the best you'll probably need to go Sonos Arc Ultra with the Sub 4.

Sonos Arc with dialogue enhancement on

I'd imagine that everything would sound a bit more filled out and accurate. The woofers in the Ultra will allow for a smoother crossover and more accurate representation of the low-mids and lows, while the sub will focus on the extreme lows.

Yeah agreed. I'm expecting the Ultra to provide better imaging, soundstage and clarity overall when compared to the standard Arc. Things should sound wider and much more accurate.

100%. EQ on soundars is really just meant to add or subtract a bit of brightness or low end to tailor the sound to your room better. The warmth you get from better low and low-mid frequencies is usually down to the actual speakers and isn't something that you can EQ in unless you have a more robust setup.

I’ll pretty much just be echoing what other people have said, but it’s all true. My setup is the Ultra + Era 300’s + Sub Mini. This thing is worth it for the center channel clarity alone. It’s such a noticeable upgrade. I didn’t realize how pushed back that was on the original Arc. Everything in the center channel is brought forward and is crystal clear without sounding artificial. Music is improved not only because of the better center channel, but now the sound profile matches the Era 300. Everything blends together SO well. I haven’t had to touch any volume sliders or EQ after doing true play. Music just expands into a massive bubble around you and it all sounds cohesive. Surround audio benefits from this as well. Now there truly is a seamless bubble of audio around you, and the phantom channels are very convincing. I’m very excited to try out atmos audio with the PS5 Pro next week. I’m sure games will sound even more immersive than before. Overall, I do genuinely feel like this is an upgrade over the original Arc and it has been worth it to me. It’s not some blow your socks off transformative upgrade, but so far it feels like an iterative upgrade that ties all of the Sonos home theater products together to make the sound profile of everything sit nicely and improve on what was already there.

Recently got the LG G4 and the following Sonos system to pair with it: - Arc Ultra - Era 300s - Sub mini I have had no issues with the above. I did wait a while before diving into my first Sonos system after reading/watching tons of reviews etc. Very happy with the overall outcome and sound quality. For context we do have a small living room (3.5m x 4.5m) with standard UK ceiling height. I did originally have the Era 100s with the setup as though the room was too small for the Era 300s for both movies and music, but after trialling both options the Era 300s were definitely a great combo and gave a greater well balanced sound for both movies and music. I found the sound from the Era 100s were quite influenced by the more directional nature of how they output sound vs the Era 300s being more flexible and forgiving. But all this is just my opinion and experience. Hope this helps in some way.

Just got the arc ultra and I firmly believes it blows away the arc gen 1. Paired with era 300’s surround and one sub. Music was enveloping, movies+atmos and especially the dialogue setting was phenomenal.

Advanced trueplay tuning worked for me after trying it for a second time.

I've added 4 Sonos products to my ecosystem in the last 6 months including the Arc Ultra, all with no issues.

While I haven't listened to a lot of different sound bars, I'm really enjoying my sonos arc ultra

This is an interesting perspective, .... there are things in my experience that come into play. When Posts claim "Mind Blowing" or "Holy Fucking Christ" ... people read these thinking sweet moses I want some of that only to be gravely disappointed. Twice the price rarely equals twice the performance in audio, ... in fact at some point to get marginal audio improvement is quite a leap in $$. So for me, ... the Arc itself has mediocre dialogue at best and zero bottom end. How could the Ultra not be an upgrade ... that's why I will buy one and pass along my Arc to a family member.

I went from a Beam 2 to an Arc Ultra (both paired with a Sub Mini and two Era 300s) and I hear a noticeable improvement in the music I listen to (mostly metal)

From my experience the arc ultra is a great soundbar. I would recommend the sub 4 to get great bass.

Thats why i didnt try trueplay with my Android, waited for girlfriend with newest Iphone to come home so i could use a Iphone. They just implemented support for Android and considering the ammount of diffrent Android phones the risk of it not working optimal or have buggs is extremly high. Even without trueplay my system with arc ultra sounded alot better then a arc with trueplay

Got A Sonos Beam gen2, Arc that i sold and now Arc ultra arriving tomorrow, sub gen 3, x2 era 300. After i bought a good router instead of the basic free crap you get from internet supplier i had 0 problems for 2 years. My speakers never lost connection or had any other problems everything worked 100% perfect, i dont use any voice functions though so cant understand what people complaining about it are doing wrong. Im extremly happy with Sonos and only- was that Arc had less crispy clear vocal/dialoge sound then beam gen 2 but seems they fixed it on arc ultra. The app have some- and some + but depends on how and what you will use it for. If you mainly look movies and play playstation 5 like i do 0 problems. Can get small delay sometimes if you play music app and change song

I haven’t tested it alone, but I just upgraded my arc I got 2 weeks ago to the ultra, and it’s amazing. I felt like the center channel was missing some oomph and nuance with the arc but the ultra has made it to where I feel like this would compete with just about any home theater setup.

I did an AB of Bose Ultra and Sonos Arc Ultra. I have to say the Sonos is superior. Very well balanced, better bass, localisation for music is audible. The Bose seems to upmix everything, giving space to contents where even it is inappropriate. Unfortunately, the Bose is priced same as the normal Arc, which I was unable to test.

I just made the upgrade from the Beam Gen2 to the Arc Ultra. May it depends on your room, your setup and your TV. For me I can say that the upgrade is noteable. The sound is much brighter, better high tones and the bass is stronger. I also moved to a bigger appartment and now I have a larger living room with 25 m^2. but I also have two One SL as surrounds and a Sub Mini for the deeper sounds. Long story short, I definetly would say that you can hear the difference. Brighter sound and the Atmos Effects are clearer. For me it was worth the upgrade. But the Beam Gen2 is still a very good soundbar. If you have the money and its worth to you, go for it. But if you stay with the beam you also won‘t be disappointed.

I would say it depends on your room, your TV and especially your needs. The Arc Ultra is a good soundbar and won‘t disappoint you. If you plan to add a Sub and Rears you can also buy that stuff later, because the system is modular. Maybe listen to one. And maybe compare the Beam 2. I just upgraded from Beam 2 to Arc Ultra. I‘m happy with it. And its good if you want to upgrade to some multi room features in future.

Sonos Arc Ultra Review I recently tested both the Sonos Arc and the new Sonos Arc Ultra, comparing them both with and without the Era 300s as surround speakers. Here’s what stood out: • Dialogue Clarity: When used with the Era 300s as surrounds, the main advantage of the Arc Ultra over the standard Arc is dialogue clarity. The Arc Ultra’s improved clarity makes it a better choice for those who prioritize distinct and crisp dialogue, especially in dialogue-heavy content. • Standalone Performance: Without any additional surrounds, the Arc Ultra truly shines. The surround sound effect is impressive even as a standalone setup, giving the immersive feel of a multi-speaker surround setup without extra speakers. In this setup, the Arc Ultra is absolutely worth the upgrade. • Bottom Line: If you’re only planning to use a soundbar without additional speakers, the Arc Ultra is worth the investment. However, if you already have the Era 300s paired with an Arc, the upgrade to the Arc Ultra may not be as compelling.

Dialogue is just better on the arc ultra, but was never an issue for me on the arc.

It’s not worth the upgrade if you already have the Era 300’s. If I end up keeping the ARC ultra, i might have to move my Era 300’s to my room lol….

yes, you can get it if you only have the arc at the moment. But i assure you, once you own the ultra arc, you won’t see the need for the era 300s anymore.

I never tried the fives, but I just read about the fives, it doesn’t support spacial audio so it might be worth the upgrade.

yeah, i’d advise to return it and go for the arc ultra, you won’t have to worry about upgrading your 1s. you might be able to get the 15% discount from sonos as well, look into that.

I have a projector that doesn't have hdmi ARC or eARC, so I can't get Dolby atmos on an arc ultra unless I spend an additional £150 on a feintech or more on an hd fury arcana. That's my understanding anyway. Edit: realised I didn't actually answer the question. If it had an hdmi input I would plug my Xbox sx into that and the soundbar would receive the Dolby atmos then pass through the video signal to the projector.

Yeah, I'm definitely considering it. Already got a Sonos setup in the living room so it would be nice to have the same in the projector room too. Sorry if I misunderstood, but are you still using a 10m hdmi cable to go between the Feintech and the projector, but no signal issues?

Yeah, unfortunately a lot of projectors are missing that feature, but luckily there are plenty of soundbars or avrs that will pass through.

Had an arc ultra for 24hrs and sent it back, preferred the beam gen 2 , I didn't like the sound from the arc ultra especially with music, the beam gen 2 sounds nicer to me

The usual Trueplay is better than the the quick tune option. The app also states that the quick tune is not a precise as the Trueplay which requires you to walk trough the room. I would advice people to hold the phone a little higher while walking so that the ultra can measure the distance to the ceiling better. It will result in an incredible room encompassing sound.

The Samsung Atmos sounds great. Non atmos content not so much. The Sonos sounds better regardless whether it’s atmos ir not. Clearer purer sound for me. Samsung needs to be at a higher volume before it starts to sound good. The Sonos sounds better even at a lower volume. I went through an exhaustive comparison at home with both units. Lots of back Nd forth with 800D, 930C, 990D, Sonos beam etc. Settled on arc ultra with gen 4 sub and era 300 surround. It’s expensive but worth it. I was able to get everything on sale at the end of the year so that helped

This is a joke… maybe someone has a fix.. Not able to do trueplay. Just keeps failing. I have arc ultra, two era 300, and 2 sub gen 3

Yeah I noticed that with the ultra too, the subs are so dry sounding now. I don’t get it, wasn’t like that yesterday with my arc

It has been my experience that the Sonos soundbars, especially the arc and the arc ultra are really made to run best with a subwoofer and rear surrounds. I have an arc, sub mini and two older play3s as my surrounds. This system replaced a nice 7.2 system that included amps, $600 lcr speakers, a large subwoofer, and four medium-expensive ceiling speakers. My Sonos system is better than the old system. I would try the arc ultra or the arc, adding surrounds and a subwoofer before you give up. It’s really nice to have your whole house included in the same system.

If money isn't an issue just go for the latest and greatest so you don't have fomo in the next few years. I had Arc and now I own Ultra and it is better. Crisp center channel that ended my issues with inaudible dialogue on 5.1 movies and better phantom objects placement in the atmos bubble. That being said, you still need to invest in rears and sub for the optimal, real surround experience. The Arc Ultra alone can't cheat the physics of real speakers in the back. Bluetooth on the Ultra is also an essential feature that I was missing with the original Arc. Is it worth double the money? I don't think so but if you know you'll have fomo sooner or later than just go for the Ultra. it is currently the best soundbar that Sonos can offer.

The bass is much better on ultra compared to standard arc but I would still strongly recommend to pass the bass duties to sub or sub mini so the center channel can shine with handling only mid and high frequencies. Adding a sub is a vast improvement to any action movie scenes and makes the music sound fuller. Ideal upgrade would be arc ultra and sub obviously. but you can look for Arc on the marketplace which you can find at a great price now, add sub mini and you'll have a really good full surround setup as well. Other option is buying just the Ultra and you can determine yourself if the bass is sufficient enough for you. You can always add a sub mini down the line.

I had the Arc, 2 x Era300’s and dual subs (gen 2 & gen 3). Purchased the Ultra direct from Sonos to give me the 30 days to return if I weren’t too impressed with the upgrade. For me there’s a big improvement with the front sound stage, especially when it comes to Atmos. The only negatives I have to say: Trueplay wouldn’t work at all and I’ve lost the Sub Gen 2 as it’s not compatible. Fixed the Trueplay issue by removing the Ethernet cable from Arc Ultra and running again (then reconnect Ethernet cable). So faced with the option of returning the Arc Ultra and keeping the dual subs or fork out more cash for a Sub 3 or 4. For me the Ultra within my setup needs to stay, that front sound stage balances so well with the Era300’s especially in Atmos. Sub Gen 4 ordered and will arrive tomorrow (trust me those dual subs are next level).

Here’s my comparison between the Bose Ultra and Arc Ultra for my small-ish room: https://reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1gizwaq/arc_ultra_vs_bose_ultra_completely_subjective/ Note, I don’t really listen to music at home so I didn’t test it. Dialogue was better for me with the Bose. The Sonos did do better with bass and sounded “bigger” but I think my room is too small to overcome the loudness of non-dialogue.

I've been using the Bose Ultra soundbar for the past two months and have been quite happy with its performance. However, since Bose offers a 90-day return policy, I decided to test out the Arc Ultra because why not? Note, I don't have any other Sonos speakers. To give you some context, I live in a high-rise apartment with an open living/dining area of about 30'x12'. My TV is positioned roughly 10 feet from the right wall (when seated on the couch), with the couch directly opposite it against the back wall, creating a compact space. I’m using only the soundbar, without no sub or surrounds. I ran both the Trueplay modes and I couldn't tell the difference between the quick and advance one for my space. I compared the Arc Ultra and Bose Ultra (well, it's annoying that they're both called Ultra) using 4K Blu-ray rips of Dune and Gravity. The Arc really packs a punch with the bass and sounds really good but dialogue is drowned out at lower volumes and I had to ride the remote. For example, in the opening scene of Dune, when Zendaya first speaks, her voice sounded so quiet. If I raised the volume to a level where her voice was legible, the other sounds in the intro scene would be way too loud for my room. With the Bose(and my settings), I could hear her voice clearly without having to ride the remote for the scenes afterwards. With Gravity, I had the same issue. To get the voices clear especially the ones where they were coming from far away like in the opening scene where George Clooney is floating around, I had to turn up the volume that made the other sounds way too loud. I did find that the Arc did have a warmer and pleasing sound overall and the bass from just a bar is impressive but I couldn't make it work in my space due to having to be too loud to get dialogue to the level where I want it even when setting the speech enhancement to the highest level; I have it off with the Bose. Maybe if my space was larger, the volume wouldn't be too much of a problem but it is what it is and I'm keeping the Bose and returning the Arc. Previously I had the same problem with the Samsung Q990D where I'd need to raise the volume too much for dialogue to be intelligible. TL;DR The Bose Ultra works better for my use case than the Arc Ultra. YMMV

I really did want to like the Arc but oh well.

I completely agree with you. The Bose must be doing some signal processing to bring the dialogue more forward even with the voice enhancement turned off. I did try the voice enhancement on the Arc and it made it a little better but not as much as I would like. There’s also a chance I could have just gotten a bum unit.

I would considering you just bought everything. You're already spending a lot, might as well go all out. It sounds like the Ultra will match up better with the 300's too. If you don't wanna return everything you just bought, you could buy an Arc Ultra separately to directly compare with your Arc. That's what I plan on doing.

Q990d best bang for the buck. If budget is not a constraint arc ultra + sub gen 3 or 4 + 2 x era 300s

I have the same setup C4 & Arc Ultra. Even without the rears or sub (Ultra has a sub inside), it still provides an impressive cinematic experience. Atmos content makes you feel like you’re inside the TV. Games on PS5 sound absolutely incredible (addicted to Returnal at the moment). It’s also quite good for music imo.

Samsung movies/Dolby Atmos. Stereo and music and movies/Dolby Atmos Sonos Arc ultra and Sonos 300. At least that's why I am replacing my Sony ht5000 in a few weeks. And the Sony is a beast for movies

Arc Ultra. I used to have a 9.1 aswell.

The Arc Ultra is much better than the Bar 9 even with the supposed synergy benefit of going all Sony. Also if you decide to expand your system down the road the experience will be even better.

My suggestion would be to wait for CES 2025 and see what Samsung comes out with. Or other brands for that matter. And I have the OG Arc… had the Ultra and returned it. Was not overly impressed with it and think what’s coming out in a few weeks could be better. If not you can always go for the Ultra or Sony…

Wow! Picked up my Ultra at BB this morning and swapped it with my existing ARC. The setup was simple... I had the normal app issues, but I've come to expect that with the Sonos app. Specifically I had an "unable to add to your account" message, and a lock-up starting the sound calibration. Retrying the "...add to account error", fixed it, and exiting and restarting the app allowed the sound calibration to work. Right off the bat, the increased bass was very noticeable. The sound was very balanced and full. The bass is very clean, you don't get the feeling that it's just increased (turn bass up to 10...) My wife noticed the voices were a lot clearer and easier for her to hear. This doesn't have the un-natural feel of using the voice boosters in the app or the TV. I'm very pleased...honestly I didn't expect the change to be as much as it was.

I did test the Arc Ultra already and returned it to best buy after I compared it with the Q990D I originally had the Arc with the full setup and yes the Arc Ultra had better dialogue at the low volumes but the Q990D was another step up from my personal experience and opinion. Also dialogue varies tremendously from content to content it's actually incredible how wide range each movie mixes their audio. Also DTS X is on Jurassic Park which all Sonos soundbars are not capable of outputting unfortunately so you are missing out on more immersive and higher quality audio. Again I own a lot of sonos products but got rid of my home theater sonos setup because I simply found something that offered more. But I do own 2x Sonos Fives with a sub mini and it is quite incredible for music and YouTube watching.

Look at Arc Ultra, it's on the site.

Early access Arc Ultra with ultimate immersive set just released on Rtings. Sorry man looks like it still underperforms compared to Q990D. Although the heights score actually was the same surprisingly. Q990D still beats it in all categories otherwise.

Absolutely! Fantastic soundbar. Even better once you get the Sub and either a couple of 100’s/One SL’s as surrounds.

If you looking at Sonos products and not in a rush, I’d recommend waiting for the next gen Arc (Arc 2?), which is rumored to come out with the tech from Mayht (company they’ve acquired 2 years ago). It’s been 4 years since Arc release and although its still a great soundbar, an update is kinda due from the typical Sonos release cycle perspective

It was about 3 years between beam 1 and 2 and a similar pattern for subs, so I personally expect it to here by by the end of 2024 or early in 2025. But don’t quote me on that 😄 I have no affiliation with Sonos and just extrapolating numbers. Here is an ai-generated chart https://preview.redd.it/ai4o7a60gied1.png?width=3458&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a813f04dfead3e3cf88ca3304b60663f47d9882

A good YouTube video on the subj: https://youtu.be/RcS_eUAKuZg I tried it after watching it (Ultra, 2 subs gen3, 300s as rears, Fives as front L/R), really enjoyed the wide soundstage. But pretty much the next day the house of cards started breaking apart, glitching and annoying, very frustrating. Had to reset the entire system to make it stable again. Also, line-in in Fives stopped working, I use it for LP. So I’m impatiently waiting for the pinewood, fingers crossed they’ll make setups like this official.

The arc ultra alone in a bedroom sounds really good surprisingly, I have tried the regular arc alone also, but the arc ultra is superior in a single speaker format.

I never tested the beam, just the Arcs as I upgraded to the ultra and moved my original arc to the bedroom. I did some testing of sound with just the arcs connected with no sub or surrounds and truly was amazed how well the Arc ultra sounded without sub and surrounds in a bedroom. The arc ultra puts out bass where the arc can not even come close.

Arc Ultra gang at 50% off due to sonos website error gang checking in

they posted a messed-up coupon code for a few hours and someone posted on reddit. This was a few weeks ago. Was a lovely way to end 2024 haha

I would say Sonos Arc Ultra.. I own one and its an absolute beast.. Regarding the Flexus Core 200, I would wait for the Flexus Core 300 which should release soon (already announced, just pending actual release to market)

Arc ultra then!!

Arc Ultra... I run just the soundbar as well and damn this thing is niiiiice

The influencer got me too lol the way they hyped up the "deeeeep bass" of the arc ultra made me drop the sub for a pair of surrounds. *not that I'm disappointed, just over hyped I would say get a pair of surrounds and you will be impressed. I think a sound bar by its self will not live up to half the reviews on YouTube

1000% will be a "WOW!!" Improvement I have two setups : Arc ultra w/ 2 era 100's And Arc ultra w/ 2 era 300's Both sound awesome

That’s good. I did the same thing with the original arc and was so unimpressed I took it back. Not at all worth the upgrade in $$$. In some areas (music) it was worse. Sounds like this one is a decent upgrade.

How noticeable do you think of a difference is it for me with my sonance in wall speakers? I have the amp, two in wall speakers for rears, sub and just got the ultra but haven’t set that up yet (replacing original arc). I simply did not have the room for the 300s and I’m wondering if the ultra is somewhat neutered because I have those rears and not the 300s. I hope the difference is something no one could even notice and that I’ll be happy with this upgrade. I’m mostly looking for better immersion during movies.

I think it's aimed at the majority, lol. The overwhelming majority of people who would buy any soundbar want their Netflix, anime, kdramas, and Spotify to sound good. Sonos does that in droves. My dad's a musician and feels the same as you, but when I hear the reference stuff i "understand" the detail, the clarity, the true to lifeness, etc etc but it just doesn't excite me anywhere near as much and cranking the EQ on a full sonos system and playing a modern rap/r&b/hip-hop/edm song does.

Ultra is a 9.1.4 bar on its own, rather than a 5.0.2. More channels, built in mini sub with the sound motion woofer, and double the height channels. Also much newer, so newer internals. IMO as an owner myself now, whether you're using it standalone or not it's a noticable upgrade. Standalone, the improvement is only amplified. But is it worth over DOUBLE? THAT I'm not so sure. You can likely find some Ikea bookshelf's and a sub mini second hand to pair to the OG arc, and that whole set up will cost less than just an Arc Ultra new and definitely sound better.

I never owned a soundbar or a dedicated TV sound system, but my Sony AH8 TV produced decent, clear sound and never had any complaints when watching movies apart from the lack of bass obviously. I read a lot about Dolby Atmos immersion, a dozen different speakers packed in one soundbar firing sound in all directions, bouncing of walls yada yada so I had high expectations from a top tier soundbar like the Sonos Arc Ultra. Well, after connecting it to the TV via eARC and testing a few Netflix movies with Dolby Atmos (Extraction 2, Dune) I can't say that I got what I expected. Those bouncing up the walls, firing at all directions marketing jargon seems to be just bs, I mean it's definitely better than my TV speakers and the bass has much improved but when I close my eyes I do not feel the sound coming from all directions or any great immersion I was hoping for. The soundstage feels bigger sure but that's about it. Anyway, not too happy but not too disappointed it's just decent and definitely not "surround" nor immersive enough to justify this price. Unless of course I need to do some setup or tweaking and I didn't do it properly.

No idea about your actual question but be warned when upgrading to Ultra. You won’t have a dual sub anymore with your current setup. Only gen 3 and 4 allowed with Ultra. You can hook up your gen 2 though, but your gen 3 won’t be accepted as second sub. Not a technical issue but a commercial one to sell latest generation sub.

Wtf, they changed it. I couldn’t do that. They even highlight it now every gen is possible. Well. It’s a fair decision. But it does feel like a kick in my nuts a bit because I did buy a gen 3 because of it.

Get the Ultra if money isn't a big issue. Not a night and day difference, but it does sound better and has better up firing sound. It's also smaller and easier to place right in front of a TV on a cabinet.

I would wait for real customer reviews. Not sure if anyone remembers the original Arc launch but it was filled with raving professional reviews, even going as far as saying it has impressive bass standalone and great atmos effects / fake surround. But when real customers got it, we found that even the mid woofers clip at medium volumes and it also had crazy bugs like 7.1 content completely missing two rear channels. Eventually over the course of months it was improved in software but a lot of that was losing faith in the grand words of official reviewers.

Yeah and in practice most DTS content you'll find won't be the ancient DTS. It'll be DTS-HD, MA, or worse, DTS:X. The latter is an object based format like Atmos and to date I haven't seen ANY correct transcoder to turn that into Atmos without flattening it to 5.1/7.1 and losing spatial metadata. This is definitely one of the things about Sonos that bothers me the most when it comes to disc content.

Not sure what you’re looking for in terms of what defines a good system for you. Stereo deep rich music? Wall shaking bass? Convincing cinematic special effects all around the room? Whole home audio integration? Foolproof ease of use? If you want loud and lots of boom, the Dragon can be a good choice but the reviews are mixed for other general use. If you want easy and good cinematic effects honestly the Q990D is a good option, even though you have more budget I simply feel the 990D checks off a lot of boxes really damn well. If you want something with more sound positioning abilities and are willing to pay a premium the Bravia Quad is awesome. The Arc Ultra and Era 300 and 2x Sub also will be a top notch system and gets you into the Sonos ecosystem but it is really new — historically Sonos has struggled with brand new product launches, I was a day one Arc and day one Era300 owner and both of those took months to reach their potential through software updates.

I have the arc ultra and sounds great with the bar alone. I plan to add a sub later on. I also tested out the Ambeo Plus bar alone and it sounds quite rich in clarity. I was close to buying it instead.

990d is a great bar for its price range, and some would argue the sonos is the clear winner with the whole setup, but you got to think about overall cost. Honestly your paying much more for the sonos overall when you factor in everything. I went with the sonos, but I only wanted the bar for now. I'll buy the sub next year, and then the rears. Yes I'm spending more overall, but im spending within my limits with the money I have available at the time, and I dont mind spending that money. If you got $1500 to put down all at once, get the 990d.

I’ve just upgraded my Arc to the Ultra. If you’re watching films, it’s leagues ahead of the Arc I hate to say. Film dialogue and its centre channel are a decent leap on from the Arc. Having said that, if you run the arc with speech enhancing turned on. It’s get some way to helping it sound as good as the Ultra. I’ve seen reviews saying the Atmos is WAY better. It’s not, it’s average at best and will only ever be that without physical speakers in the roof. If you don’t own any Sonos products already. My advice is to look elsewhere, at least to a company who don’t treat their customers like morons. The software bugs, crossover issues with Sub, app issues etc etc etc have plagued them for a good few years now and they just don’t seem to be learning. Sonos have decent hardware and a half baked software and contempt for their customers. If I wasn’t already balls deep in expensive subs and rears I would definitely not be recommending the products to friends or family.

I came from a Yamaha 7.1 amp and complete B&W CM4 setup with 12” Dali sub. The Sonos doesn’t even get close, but for the size and space it takes up, it’s an incredibly good compromise. If you’re after more stereo separation from an Ultra over an Arc and like me, you’re benchmarking against a proper system. Don’t bother upgrading. You’ll be very disappointed.

I'm not sure. It would have been an upgrade to my TV sound alone, but I'm not sure I would have thought it was worth the price. It was only with the rears that it really came alive. I like the sub too, and others will rank it first. Just depends on what you like. As the bar alone, I'm not sure the Sonos is the best option if looking for Atmos style effects. Some reviews suggest others do a bit better job of filling the room, but with a sub and rears Sonos is up there with the best soundbar setups you can get. What are your expectations?

I was debating between the two and went with Sonos. It probably depends if you want just the bar, or id you planning on getting the sub, surrounds or both. From the reviews, the Sonos Subwoofer seemed consistently rated better than the Sony SW3/5. The same for the Era 300 surrounds vs the Sony RS5. I believe the Sonos is more expensive. I did like the fact the Sony surrounds can be battery powered, but I ended up doing a DIY to mount the era 300s. If you are looking at just the bar, it seems like it’s also out done by the Sonos as far as Dolby effects. I know I like a more neutral speaker, which would be the Sonos between those two. From the reviews I’ve read or watched, the Sony bar 9 wasn’t recommended for music, or even panned rather badly. It seems like the Bose Smart Ultra and Sonos are better at surround effects by itself. I had decided if I did go with Sony the Quad would be the choice. Every review finds it superior to the bar 9, and the subwoofer isn’t really optional for either. In the end, get the one that appeals to you the most and you like the sound of. Edit: seems like firmware updates may have improved the Sony since early reviews.

I just went from a beam 1 with two One SLs and a sub mini to the Arc Ultra. Oh my god, it’s an insane upgrade. I felt like a little kid testing it with the opening scene of Blade Runner 2049. Can’t wait to watch a full movie on it after work.

I also have a 65-inch A95L, but I have a Sonos Arc Ultra, sub, and surrounds. How does your Samsung sound playing music and Atmos content?

I had the Sonos beam gen 2 with a sub for years until I upgraded to arc ultra it’s the best bang for your buck.

I had a chance to hear both back to back in a living room setting (not a box store), the Sonos to me performed and sounded more well rounded and better overall. All that to say *Sound is subjective*, your mileage may vary.

For sound bar, Sonos Arc ultra, if you’re going with Sony skip the bar 9 and get the theatre quads with SW5 sub. While I understand your interest in the Sony center channel feature, it’s more marketing hype than anything. The universal truth is that TV speakers are not good, they are acceptable at the very best, so expecting more than some simple dialogue clarity from them would be misplaced hope.

I made the jump from the Beam Gen 2 to the Sonos Arc Ultra last night, and I wanted to share my experience so far. Set up: two 6" Sonos ceiling speakers and a Gen 3 Sub, paired with an 85" TV in a larger living room. So, naturally, I was expecting a world of difference with the Ultra. After a few hours of use, I was ready to be blown away. But if I’m being honest, the differences aren’t as drastic as I had anticipated. Here’s the scoop: Dialogue Clarity**:** This is where the Arc Ultra shines. Conversations are crisp and clear, which makes a huge difference. Fuller Sound**:** The overall sound feels more robust in the room, and I do appreciate the added depth during music playback and action scenes. It’s definitely an upgrade in terms of spatial audio, it is a significantly larger speaker after all. For my average ear, I feel like the main takeaway is that I could have lived with the Beam Gen 2 and still enjoyed a solid audio experience. I guess my main disappointment is that I expected a much louder speaker than my Beam. But maybe that Beam is just that good. If you have a similar setup to mine, you might find the improvements subtle overall; more like a nice refinement rather than a night-and-day difference. But if you’re satisfied with your current setup, you might not need to rush into an upgrade. I gotta say, setting it up was a breeze. As mentioned in other posts, I had to disconnect the surrounds and sub from my previous soundbar first, but I had no issues at all, which was surprisingly smooth.

I 100% agree. especially with the Arc. I felt I needed a bigger soundbar when I got a bigger TV and living room.

Music sounds good. It fills the room nicely with clearer and deeper bass

It is loud, but the difference is not as much as I was expecting going from a Beam 2 to the Ultra Arc. There was another post that shared similar experience. I would most likely feel different if I only had the soundbar without the surrounds.

I think I will be unimpressed as well going from an Arc. Maybe the initial reviews on this sub got our expectations higher than they should have been. I heard the TruePlay is hindering the bass. I will try turning it off to see if music sounds better until they fix the bug.

There is a difference in the soundstage for sure. Sound fills the room better now with the wider speaker. If I had a smaller room/TV I would probably keep my Beam 2 though, it is good enough for the average ear especially if you have a sub with it.

https://preview.redd.it/0k9uw8csboxd1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6ec7500b901e72532cecfd010443c223043100d Mine arrived about 30 min ago, replacing an existing arc. I bought the new wall mount and I can confirm it is smaller than the old arc wall mount, it was a painless swap just disconnected existing arc and mount put new mount on the wall and connected the new Arc Ultra using the existing cables. No issues with app adding the device either. My set up is 2xera 300 as rears with Arc now Arc Ultra and a gen3 Sub to the right of the Arc on the floor, my first thing I played on it was Avengers End Game(On your left scene) for those that care and wow the difference was immediate. I have had the old set up for a long time and i always liked it but i found voices/dialoged on the Arc to always leave me wanting, the first thing that was evident on the Ultra is huge improvement on the voices. I put normal terrestrial Tv on via my supplier SKY tv and normally i have to have volume at around 15 with voice boost on for it to be clear, with the ultra its at 10 and no voice boost and crystal clear. Will give updated review tonight as I have the UHD Twister sitting to be watched and starting the Dark Night Trilogy. All in all first impressions are great. \--update- First movie down which was the new UHD Twister, omg I'm blown away I did not expect there to be the difference there is. 100% worth the upgrade

yeah I'm very impressed with it, honestly was skeptical that it would be an improvement but I'm glad to be proven wrong. Very much looking forward to post work movie

appreciate it! As far as budget, I guess 1800 or so because im leaning towards the sonos ultra arc and their new bass. that would cost me roughly 1800 plus tax. Ive had the smaller Bose sound bars and right now have the Bose Soundtouch 300. At one time I had the JBL 9.1 BAR that sounded really well outside of dialogue in a movie. On a different thread, Im being recommended a KEF 3.1 system with a receiver but man Im just not sure what she is gonna say, lol. Maybe i need to clarify with her, because i believe what she said was "Im not having speakers all over the living room". 3.1 system would be just on one wall, HA!

“Don’t bother” as in don’t get a Sonos soundbar at all, or “don’t bother” as in it’s overkill for OP’s needs? Because even if you’re not interested in multi-room audio, Arc Ultra is killer.

If you have the room and ability to install one, and don’t want atmos. “Far superior” is a stretch IMO.

Thanks for confirming that the Ultra sounds good with the Era 100’s! I have the Ultra and 2x Era 100 still in the box here. We are redecorating our living room, so after repainting I will install these. Still not sure on what subwoofer to add to the set. I will be replacing a Denon X1700H with Canton CX 85 speakerset. Wanted a more clean setup for the new living room redecoration.

I have enjoyed the arc for the last 4 years and still think it’s a great soundbar, I moved it into the bedroom. The Arc Ultra has a crisper sound, clearer vocals and, if you don’t have sub, much better bass. It also has more modern components. I think the ultra is worth it personally.

I’ve been watching him for years, I trust his reviews. I’ve been using the Arc Ultra since release and this review to me is accurate. Great stuff.

as someone who owns both systems ( i have problems yes) i disagree with digital trends. Sonos arc ultra + 300s + sub 3 will destroy sony quads + sw 5 when it comes to spatial audio performance, its not even close. For music? sure, you cant beat Physics, physical stereo separation wont lose vs the best sound bar out there, but the real question is. Is the sony Quad a good 2.1 system for music? lol hell no, in fact a pair of 150$ rb-42 micca speakers with a good amp/dac combo will outperform the sony quads by a mile, but then again this is a hometheater system not a audiophile 2.1 system desinged for music.

I have the theater bar 9 and tried the Sonos ultra. Both are really good but if the Sony is on sale for around the same price I think the Sony is the better buy. The arc ultra has a really nice wide soundstage (a bit wider than the theater bar 9 in my room) and very detailed, forward projection. That sound motion driver also really does make bass thump, not just marketing. At its price it’s the best all in one assuming the other competitors aren’t on sale. The theater bar 9 imo has better atmos/spatial effects and sounds more balanced/accurate to my ears. That plus the additional hdmi port and support for more audio codecs makes the Sony the winner if prices are essentially equal.

app issues wise...I didnt have any at all tbh. I dont wanna jinx it :) if it's a big open space, i'd definitely suggest to get at least sub gen3 at some point. but i think arc ultra with a strong bass and 2xEra100's, will be strong. If you have the budget... i'd also recommend era 300 instead of era100's. They'll compliment the arc ultra even better.

and i think you are right. Every now and then i kinda fancy samsung q990d but it's quite industrial and they dont even have a color option. After upgrading my tv, i'll be looking to upgrade my beam gen2 to arc ultra as well

I got the Sonos arc ultra and Sub 4. I’ve had it for 2 days and I’m just not happy (or impressed) with how it sounds. I just ordered a Q990D and will be returning the Sonos gear when it arrives.

FYI - I’m no audiophile; I’m just a regular 41 year old dude…anyway, I just got the Q990D and hooked it up today - I’m *much* happier with it. My son & I both agreed that the Sonos sounded hollow; it was loud, while also being hard to hear, and no one in the house was impressed by it at all. The Q990D is far better in every way; old TV shows sound good & dialogue is intelligible, 5.1 movies sound great, Atmos is pretty good. It doesn’t sound hollow. It sounds full, has plenty of volume, and the bass is great. Music sounds great as well. BTW, I’m not using the rear speakers because my Wife thinks they’ll look “tacky” on stands behind the couch - to be fair, it would be a little awkward because our kitchen and dining room are behind the couch. I considered sticking the rears up front, but she wouldn’t go for that either. EDIT - I tried Ready Player One with the rears & it was SICK

FYI - I’m no audiophile; I’m just a regular 41 year old dude…anyway, I just got the Q990D and hooked it up today - I’m *much* happier with it. My son & I both agreed that the Sonos sounded hollow; it was loud, while also being hard to hear, and no one in the house was impressed by it at all. The Q990D is far better in every way; old TV shows sound good & dialogue is intelligible, 5.1 movies sound great, Atmos is pretty good. It doesn’t sound hollow. It sounds full, has plenty of volume, and the bass is great. Music sounds great as well. BTW, I’m not using the rear speakers because my Wife thinks they’ll look “tacky” on stands behind the couch - to be fair, it would be a little awkward because our kitchen and dining room are behind the couch. I considered sticking the rears up front, but she wouldn’t go for that either. EDIT - I tried Ready Player One with the rears & it was SICK

Well the q990d was recently $970 on woot. And there will be other sales. Is Sonos arc ultra and ultimate setup worth 2-3x the cost? Hell no. I have kef lsw2 plus sub for music and that system blows any soundbar away for music listening. For tv and movies though the 990d will be just as good as the Sonos and most reviewers agree that the 990d is actually better for movies than Sonos. Now the Sonos arc ultra might be slightly better I’m not sure but I doubt it’s better for the price you pay.

I’d buy Sonos over Nakamichi any day. Plus the updates are going to be amazing in the arc ultra. My arc plus sub already sound amazing.

Great review and great to hear it is much improved. Glad I purchased the Arc Ultra and Gen 4 Sub now to replace the Arc and Gen 3 sub.

I believe there will be and I know only one consumer review, but the OP’s review proves that out. Did you read his review? I can sell my Arc and Gen 3 Sub and not be out much anyhow.

Maybe - won’t know until I try them and read reviews. Good point though.

Guess I will be future proofing. :)

Problem is aside from a very rudimentary bass/treble slider Sonos provides no way to properly dial in the system unless you use Trueplay and even then you have no view as to what it's done or how it's interpreted your environment. It's the single biggest change Sonos could make to allow users to maximise their systems.

I agree with your observation of the Ultra sounding a little sibilant. There was another post here a few days ago mentioning the Ultra sounds way too trebly with certain content although with other content it is fine. The dialogue really cuts through sometimes, but not in a natural way. It's almost like there is some speech enhancement going on in the background separate to the option in the app.

Those don't really adjust the sound signature though, just the relative volume and even then that's nowhere near enough. You can't change the channels individually, perhaps most crucially you can't adjust the centre channel which would be a game changer for dialogue.

My specific issue is that the dialogue sounds too sibilant in certain content with the tssss and sss sounds being far too sharp. I could tone down treble but as I said it's very content specific and then you get the muddiness problem. But my overriding point here is if Sonos gave more advanced EQ settings you could really dial this in. It's great that you are happy with your Arc, but at the end of the day that's in your environment (and rightly as you say, with your ears). Some people might have setups that need more adjusting and Sonos does not provide that behind the obtuse Trueplay, which again will not interpret all environments correctly.

The Sonos is said to be superior. Bar and especially the Eras are more capable than the Bose Surround Speakers. Bose has fallen behind big time, especially regarding their accessories. The Surround Speakers are outdated and their Home speaker line is outdated as well. Atmos is still not a thing, even though it's widely available now. Nonetheless: The BOSE Smart Soundbar Ultra is an awesome soundbar and its sound should make you really happy. The Sonos as of now is just more capable and versatile. Bose needs to step up here, instead of a selling yet another Bluetooth speaker no one asked for.

That’s why I want to see the hype around the Arc Ultra as a 9 channel bar… I do NOT have faith the surround speakers will sound much (any) better than the virtual speakers on the regular Arc.

THANK YOU. This is what I was looking for, even if it makes me a bit sad that the Arc Ultra can't achieve what the Playbar does with stereo music. Unlike my movie area, my living room area really is a dual-purpose environment (HT + music), and the Playbar just crushes it in that role... I was just hoping to have a potential replacement jic in the wings, but it doesn't sound like this is it.

Had a store demo of the arc ultra yesterday and it's definitely an improvement over the original arc. Clarity and dialogue are the biggest changes and the overall volume is more balanced so you aren't constantly having to change volume levels. Effects are a bit more pronounced but it's still quite middle heavy. People will definitely be happy with the upgrade as the interaction with the rears is much better, especially if you speaker level match then the whole system balances itself very well and it now doesn't seem like the 300's are overpowering the bar like the original arc. I'd say it now sits above the Samsung Q990D in terms of sound quality but obviously looks much cleaner than the Samsung. I'm a Sony Bravia quad user myself and having my speakers 3.5m wide with the A95L as a center it still sadly can't compete in spatialness but overall it's definitely a viable upgrade for those already embedded in the Sonos infrastructure.

Anyone that whacks the bass up to 10 and the heights up to 10 you always have to be a bit meh. It's like people using rears on max. Trust me, buying an SPL meter which is like £20 and speaker matching all the levels to the same still has its advantages. You'll miss certain effects / ambient details when one speaker overpowers the other. That being said, I had a demo yesterday of the arc ultra and it definitely is a step up over the original arc. A lot of people would be happy with just having the soundbar on its own if you struggle being able to place rears or can't have a subwoofer say in an apartment. The biggest change as per a previous comment is clarity and voice dialogue, both have massively been revamped and as a whole it just sounds a lot more "fuller". Paired with the era 300's then you've got a system that sounds identical front and back. Like the previous arc the 300's overpowered the Arc. This time round, the arc ultra overpowers the 100's so if you going the full hog the 300's are the way to go. Wouldn't bother upgrading the sub gen 3 to the 4 unless you have to have the latest and greatest as couldn't tell any difference between the two when they switched them over.

Definitely haven't seen any other soundbars that use a crossover of 150hz or higher. The majority are set between 60-100hz. Sonos arc on its own plays down to 55hz, the ultra goes down to 45hz. Ambeo plus will do 55hz, Ambeo max 30hz. Bravia 8/9 55hz, Bravia quads 50hz. Bose bars will do 50hz, Hisense bars 50hz etc. The lowest one of the lot is the Devialet Dione which does 24hz and one of the bars you could potentially get away without a subwoofer, although a separate one will always be miles better. Ideally you wouldn't want to go above 120hz on a subwoofer as it starts to become too localised when you go above it. Obviously running dual subs or more will help correct this which 150hz then wouldn't be a problem. Anything much higher though are you are going to end up getting sounds coming out of the subs which ideally should be coming out of the soundbar/speakers instead. Placement is also key and can make all the difference, so get on those knees and do the sub crawl if you don't have any room correction software / software built directly into the subs themselves 😅

Terrible sound quality again like original Arc...voice may be clear..what is the use...same ear fatiguing tinny voice

That's correct ..same tinny voice as original arc...voice is pronounced now and clear...but what is the use of it if u suffer with war fatiguing tinny voice

Terrible tinny voice is still there which is same as original arc ......no use of extra drivers as they shrinked the size so same tinny voice issue continues

Arc ultra is disappointing.same tinny voice as original arc...yes.voice may be crisp clear now .what is the use ..Sonos not able to fix fundamental tinny voice issue even after adding extra drivers...no common sense in shrinking internal volume size ...may be additional drivers would have really performed if they would have retained original Arc's bigger internal volume..Sonos again messed it.... u blame tv manufacturers again Sonos?

With Arc also they said same thing for tinny voice...no fix until end of its pathetic life cycle...Ultra started repeating the same...basically Sonos does not know how to apply fixes with Dolby Atmos sound bars...Playbar is great

Sonos can not do any correction if there is defect ...it is evident they could not able correct tinny voice and metallic sound with Arc for 5 years with original Arc Ultra also has same problem which also won't be corrected for next 5 yrs then they introduce new product arc gen 2 in 5 years. For 1600$..Whoever designed playbar,othe play series and Sonos ones have been either retired or not alive or laidoff....horrible tinny voice again with Ultra

Just installed everything and the Arc Ultra itself is really mindblowing! Everything good is said here BUT Trueplay is massively broken. I get zero bass and midbass when I have Trueplay enabled. Run it more then 20 times, with 2 iPhones and 1 Android device and different seeting positions. Yes I also cleaned the microphone. Same result. The soundstage with Trueplay is really great but without any bass its just very thin sound overall. My settings without Trueplay is Sub 180° degrees turned, so maybe Trueplay isnt correcting this right. I checked with my ears close at every speaker and it sounds like they all get a lowcut AND canceling each other out. Tested with Atmos, 5.1 and music. My set up is the Arc Ultra, 2x Sub Gen 3 and 2x Era 300.

I had exactly the same setup. Yesterday I changed to the Arc Ultra. It is, thus far, noticeably better. Dialogue is clearer and to my ears the overall sound is a lot clearer. I’m no technical expert but I’m glad I made the change. Got the 15% upgrade discount and I’ll probably get £450 for the original Arc, so I’m about £450 down on the change but it’s well worth it.

Edit £400 not £450

I didn’t have the arc and went from the beam gen 2 to arc ultra paired with sub and 2 era300’s and oh my what a difference

Dont't agree. I compared 2 symfonisks, which should not be that much worse than One's, with my Arc Ultra and the arc blows them out of the water. Also, I compared my 2 Era 300s as a stereo pair with the ultra before pairing them as surrounds. They were better, but it was closer than expected. Initially i was not very satisfied with music Playback of my Ultra, it was quiet and muffled. Turned out, that the Microphone of my IPhone was dirty. After I cleaned it and redid Trueplay, music never sounded better. 

The Q990D for sure has the best value among all Soundbars systems. With regards to Sound Quality, I do not fully trust rtings though. According to them, even a Samsung Q800D is outclassing the likes of a Sony Quad or Ambeo Max, which is ridiculous. I happened to compare the Q930D, Q990D and Sonos Arc (Ultra). Samsung takes the Win for better Dialogue and it seems to be louder than Sonos at similar volume levels. The Sonos Arc Ultra Bundle with the Era 300s and Sub Gen2 takes the (more or less clear) win in all other categories though. Sound is clearer and more defined, the Sub is better controlled, it is more immersive, has better height effects, clearly better Surrounds and the Samsung Bars just suck for Music. My personal experience is shared by Reviewers like Andrew Robinson, Techradar, Flatpanelshd or NeverEnoughTech, but Sound is of course subjective. So does a 20% better Sound Quality justify the price difference? Well that's a different story. Taking the Multi-Room-Benefit from Sonos aside (which is very important for me), it is very hard to justify in my opinion. Sonically however, the Samsung is not as perfect as it is often pictured here by the fanboys in this sub.

That shows how subjective sound quality is percieved. For me, the Arc Ultra (!) + Era 300s + Sub is a serious step up from the Q990D, even more in the music department than for movies. Each individual component of the system is just better! And this is coming from a Sonos person who really wanted to go the Samsung Path in HT, because value is unbeatable and movie sound quality is awesome for the price. Samsung's shortcomings in the music department are just too significant for me to go the final step. Let's see how the Q990F changes the game..

I tested both back to back (Q990 vs Arc Ultra+Sub Gen 2 + Era 300s). In a nutshell: Sound quality of Sonos is a tad better overall. Samsung has better dialogue sound quality and gets louder at similar volume outputs. Sonos Sound feels more refined, clearer and a bit more immersive thanks to the spectacular Era 300s. Also, Sonos is a much better system for music playback, where Samsung just sounds off. If you don't care about music, but care about the best bang for the back, go with the Samsung! It's value is unbeatable. Also: Sonos as a company is in deep trouble due to the app disaster last year.

From my own experience (tested both systems), this is absolutely not true and my experience is backed by Reviewers such as Andrew Robinson, Neverenoughtech or techradar, who all favor the Sonos for Sound Quality. I would not go as far as Robinson, who stated that the Sonos System monsters the Q990D, but it has the better sound quality overall, not just for music. As for rtings: When you look at the metrics, you can see, that the Q990D performs better at max. volume (compression, SHD, THD). Who uses those Soundbars at max volume though? I noted this several times, but I don't think that the test methodology of rtings matches real world conditions. Even a Samsung 800D destroys Soundbars such as Sennheiser Ambeo Max, Sony Theatre Quad, Nakamachi Dragon or the Sonos System for Sound Quality according to them, which really is pure nonsense.. Here comes the plotwist though: I would still go with the Q990, as OP asked to factor price into the decision. If you do so, Samsung is the clear winner. Except if you are a music lover. Then again: Why bother buying a soundbar for this usecase.

Oh yes it is. 

I did exactly this with the Q990D and Sonos Arc Ultra. Sent back the Samsung.

For music, the Sonos ArcUltra is as good as it can get for a Soundbar. The Samsung is really bad in comparison, it's not even close. If you really want to step up, you would need at least a dedicated 2.1 System. The 990f will most likely not close the gap to Sonos. Sorry to say, but selling Sonos because you hoped for better music Playback by the Samsung was not the best move. 

Have you read my comment? Because that's exactly what I said. I'll try again: The Sonos Arc Ultra with Sub and rears is superior in terms of Sound Quality (not by much, but it is, see sources in my comment). The Samsung has better value. This makes Samsung better overall. "Absolutely not true" was referring to your comment, that the Samsung would destroy the Sonos System for movies. There is no evidence for that, including my personal experience testing both systems.

I went with Sonos. Atmos shortens the gap between the 2, but Sonos still wins. Let's see  how the Q990f will perform.

I don't want to be rude here but we are talking about soundbars. No life is endangered so you don't have to be insulted when in my opinion Sonos has better sound quality than Samsung. DTS:X is not relevant for me, as I don't use physical media. I respect your opinion though, which surely is grounded on your own personal experience? Regarding those Youtubers NeverEnoughTech: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph-RhVJ9B9A&t=3023s&ab\_channel=NeverEnoughTech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph-RhVJ9B9A&t=3023s&ab_channel=NeverEnoughTech) at 47:58 (He ranks Sonos above Samsung for movies, music and dialogue. Andrew Robinson: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V-2wsBO78U&t=83s&ab\_channel=AndrewRobinson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V-2wsBO78U&t=83s&ab_channel=AndrewRobinson) at 12:15 (He even states that Sonos would monster the Q990D, which is a bit overenthusiastic in my opinion) Techradar: [https://www.techradar.com/televisions/soundbars/sonos-arc-ultra-review](https://www.techradar.com/televisions/soundbars/sonos-arc-ultra-review) (Chapter on Sound Quality; "for those with the ear, I think the Sonos system’s sound is superior."

2 Sonos Fives > 2 Era 300s> 1 Sonos Five > 2 Era 100s > Sonos Arc Ultra > 1 Era 300 > Move 2 > Beam Gen 2 > 1 Era 100 > Sonos Arc >       (2x) Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf speakers >                           Roam. This would be my ranking for music. 

I would as well not get a soundbar if it is only used for music. However I testet a stereo pair of 300s against Arc ultra + sub and I have to damit it was closer than I thought..

The Beam Gen 2 has a lot of fans here, especially for music. I only tested the Beam Gen 1 and was a bit underwhelmed, though it was still better then the Arc for Music. The Arc Ultra does great however, due to a better speaker arrangement and Sound Motion which gives a much better transition from  low-frequency to high-frequency. This is noticable especially for music and gives the Ultra the edge (vs the beam, which excels with its mids).

I'm a huge Sonos Fan and Arc User myself. The Q990D destroys it with dialogue clarity. The Arc Ultra is okay, but far away from the market Leaders in this area. 

I tried both (Arc Ultra + Era 300s + Sub Gen 2 vs Q990D). As others said, the Q990D is more powerful, I have to crank up the Sonos way more to get the same output. Also, dialogue/center channel clarity is a lot better with the Samsung. Overall clarity/fidelity, Atmos Effects, Bass are better with Sonos. Also, Sonos kills Samsung by a very wide margin with Music Sound Quality, which made it the better pick for me. If you care about Sound Quality, you can't go wrong with either, if you are about your money, there is only one winner.

I picked up an ArcUltra and Sub 4 this past weekend. Only previous experience, like you, came from my TV’s built in speakers. I originally set the Arc Ultra up first and did true play. I then watched my current binge (SWAT) on Netflix and I was very underwhelmed. I then connected the Sub 4 and things DRASTICALLY changed. The Ultra sounded a lot better, even with the sub turned down. I then watched some Atmos content on Disney plus and loved it even more. In hindsight, I wish I would have played Atmos content before connecting the sub, but better than 85% of what I watch is still 5.1. That being said, I honestly think I could have gotten away with the original Arc and Sub and been just fine.

It might work if you put the second Era 300 on a stand next to the right couch. Once you have the Arc Ultra make sure though that you place it all the way up to the ledge, so the sound cannot bounce of the cabinet it rests on. And, more importantly, the side speakers are able to fire out, into the room and not hit the sides of the cabinet

95% chance, yes. I certainly hope they put a decent DAC chip, or 2, or 4, that can certainly support 24/96. (The Arc is only 24/48, which is sad, especially listening to a high-res, lossless music Blu-ray!) And why would anyone want those gray Sub 4? They aren’t matte black and don’t match the Arc or Era 300 which are made of an aluminum shell anodized in black. I’m absolutely sticking with my two Sub (Gen 3)s with a piano black gloss and no Sonos logo sticking out. EVERYONE! — Make sure you go to their upgrade page to get 15% coupon credits stored in your account for older gear you already have (there’s a list of which gear qualifies) which I believe expires on November 27. You DO NOT have to give them your gear back! (Although, if you don’t want it anymore they will give you a prepaid mailing label so you can send it back for recycling.) Certain equipment will qualify for a 15% credit towards future purchases! My Arc and both of my Sub (Gen 3)s qualified so now I have three 15% coupon credits under my account that NEVER EXPIRE. (Plus, I also have two 15% student coupons that my relative gave me via screenshots when he was still a student, and they actually still work. I just can’t use both at the same time, or all three upgrade coupons. He had given me one more (as you can refresh the coupon once, but then have to wait 30 days to do it again; this is in the UNiDAYS app). I used one for my entire system to get 15% off my Ultimate Immersive Surround System (Arc, Sub (Gen 3), Era 300 x 2) + my second Sub (Gen 3) + my pair of Era 300 wall brackets which I had to wait another 35 days for them to be released! (And I had the added “bonus” of UPS dropping off the Immersive Set + second sub on the porch of a house 8 away from mine! So he was nice enough to come over to my house and tell me that I had a bunch of heavy packages to pick up and bring back. UPS sucks!) I plan on selling my Arc, along with two brand new, never opened, stereo pair of black Amazon Echo Studio “Dolby Atmos” smart speakers ($200 each) and a brand new Echo Subwoofer for them ($130). I opened the sub box, but decided to not take it out of its bag, and obviously never used any of them. Lastly, I have an unopened Echo Dot (not the newer half sphere one, but the one prior to it which just looks like a smaller Echo ($50). I even de-registered all of them (now that I have Alexa on my Arc, but can’t use Google Voice as that’s what my TV uses, so they’d both respond at the same time) from my account so anyone who wants to buy them can do so. It’s a brand new $580 (+ sales tax = $620) complete system that I’m selling for $435 with the Echo Dot, $400 without (OBO, no low ball offers). Since the Arc is in perfect condition and was sitting in my basement in its unopened outer box (along with all the other Sonos gear, wall mount, cable concealers, etc.) for about 8 months before I finally found a professional installer (and a helper I wanted him to bring, as it is a 77” Sony XR-77A95L QD-OLED, still rated “King of TVs 2024” even after their terrible lineup for 2024; mine came out on October 13, 2023 so I consider it a 2024 anyway being it was a Q4 2023, and as I didn’t start using it until January 2024 anyway; my prior Sony XR-65A95K which wasn’t wall mounted is back in its box in the basement as a reserve/spare TV) and the installer did everything I wanted (and drove over an hour to get here and took 5-6 hours to finish everything), we had negotiated a price beforehand that was the lowest I could find which was $930 in cash! (The most expensive professional installer I found wanted $1150 in cash.) I guess pro installations aren’t cheap!! • Oh, I forgot… I have only used my Arc for about 10 months (and I don’t smoke). If you are interested in saving $225 + sales tax, I’m selling it for $675 with all the original outer box, inner box (plus any styrofoam), carry bag that the Arc was inside of, the power cable, and anything else that it might have come with, please send me a message. I really have no need to upgrade as I’m overjoyed by the way my system sounds, and the decrease in midwoofers worries me with the Arc Ultra. Due to the fact that I’ll need my replacement before I can sell it, I’ll have to layout more than I really have to do so. So in order to know you’re a serious buyer, I’ll require a $100 non-refundable deposit. You can send it via Pay, Venmo, PayPal, or through an invoice with my Square business merchant account. (You pay the fees which, depending on method, can range between $1 and $3.75 for the deposit; the full amount for any of my items will obviously be higher.) I prefer local pickup with cash to avoid fees (in southwestern Massachusetts only 3 miles from the Connecticut border) but I will ship with insured purchase value with your choice of carrier, and you pay for shipping & insurance. Payment due (minus your initial deposit) before shipping. I didn’t mean to get off topic, but since I did, if you are interested in any of my items, please message me ASAP as I just put up ads on many forum groups on FB, Craigslist, and more. Thank you! 😊 – pj

Sonos Arc Ultra for sure. Will sound great in the layout

Samsung is 100% better. I’m actually returning the Sonos setup. I’ve been testing them for 3 weeks, and I constantly turn back to the Samsung. The Samsung is louder, dialogue is cleaner, and the system just sounds better altogether. Now this is just my opinion, I think people go crazy over Sonos cause it’s a status thing (paid a ton more so it’s better). The Sonos system isn’t bad by any means, I just think the hype is overblown. The 300’s. Have no business being surround speakers, they over power the system and are meant to be stereo first speakers that Sonos dumbed down for surround use.

Go Sonos. Better sound, and you can piece a system together as you see fit. The app is an issue for some, but I haven’t had any issues at all

Sure this adds HDMI ports, but it won’t fix the insane latency from the Xbox series x to an LG tv when using atmos of enable me to use DTS because LG doesn’t to proper passthrough. An hdmi in on the ARC would enable me to do both.

Still, when bypassing the TV there’s no delay.

The beams are ‘just that good’ I have beam, arc and ultra. I was never impressed with arc. Getting the ultra, for me, just puts it back in the territory it should have held in the first place. But, if someone were really struggling for a decision between beam and ultra? I’d say just get a beam. The beams are just that good.

Great to hear. I have the same Sonos except two subs.

Glad to hear you could use the existing wires. Where my Arcs wires go on the other end, using new cable would been a pain. My Ultra S/B here today. Now…I just have to get it swapped out without the wife catching me.

It’s a very good sound bar. But honestly, the Beam is also, and much cheaper. The Beam has more bass, and a ‘fuller’ sound . I have both.

I will be looking forward to actually reading the "movie" rating difference tho. I only use my system for that and it doesnt feel good that my Sonos System that costs 2x the Samsung one is way worse...

I actually went to a hifi store today to ask to try the Samsung, but they didnt have it for demo. I asked them about potenially replacing my sonos system (ultra, sub gen 3, sub gen 4, era 300) with this. Even tho I have a Samsung TV he said that from a "best sound" viewpoint Sonos is better. He installs these systems all day and Sonos is delivering better results. HOWEVER if you dont have any system now, the Samsung one is like 50% cheaper and "does 90% of what Sonos does". And yeah this came from a seller that could just have said I should replace my system and buy a new one.

Yeah I’ve switched from the beam 2 to the arc ultra and the ultra is better in every way - especially bass. Beam 2 was great though

If I had to guess, it's because the new Arc seems like it's designed to improve the surround effect based on the number of drivers and how they work directionally. The best setup will always be to have surrounds grouped with the Arc, but stand-alone Arc vs. Arc Ultra, the latter will likely be better, which is reflected in the price.

Go to best buy you can compare the ultra and beam. It’s day and night.

Have both the Beam 2 w/ Gen 3 Sub and the Arc Ultra w/Gen 4 Sub and Era 300s. The Beam 2 is in a similar set up as yours, large open floor plan with high ceilings. Voices are clear enough, but can get lost at lower volume even with speech enhancement on. The issues we run into are when we want to watch movies downstairs and end up opting for headphones because the voices vanish at lower volumes when the kids are asleep. Arc Ultra, to my aging ears, is leaps and bounds better in center channel/voices. It’s in a smaller room movie room but I did test it downstairs before moving it. It beat the Beam 2 hands down in center channel/voices to my ears. I bought the Ultra to replace Sony HT-A9s (using a Bravia TV in center channel mode) and couldn’t be happier. I love the Beam 2 for simple football watching and light TV watching, but if I had to choose one for all around performance… would pick my Ultra for both depth and center channel.

I was wondering if you saw a difference with Speech Enhancement On vs Off. Others have reported having it on affects the overall sound signature in a negative way. (I just turned mine off and will test tonight w/Netflix.) I'm also jealous because I too have a very large room (22' x 15' x 10') with the added problem of having full sliding glass doors on one side and an open kitchen and dining room on the other. No place for the 300's :(. So I'm "stuck" with the Ultra and Sub 4. Great review and thank you for the effort.

I was a little disappointed in my ARC compared to my BEAM in the other room. Paired a Sub Mini with the Arc and any bit of disappointment went away instantly.

Honestly, I wouldn't. The beam is great, I mean so is the arc, but id add a mini sub and call it a day and maybe a couple surrounds. I got my play 1s used for cheap.

Probably not most popular but I like my Sonos arc and sub setup. I can’t do rear speakers due to room design.

Arc or even better arc ultra. I have both with subs and they sound good. The ultra is superior though.

Thank you so much . Yes just bought Arc and since I don’t have an additional speakers , I am going to return this for ultra . Big help 🙏

The reason to upgrade is if you have a wide room. My system is in a 28 ft. wide room and I could pinpoint exactly where the front soundstage fell off to the left and right on the Arc, creating a sound dead space between it and the Era 300s. The Ultra carries significantly further and completes the sound bubble. The side speakers are still quieter than the others, but it is more immersive. if you have a smaller room, this may not be of any use to you though. I’m still not sure why Sonos didn’t add a width slider to the app like they have for height. Seems like an easy fix to just offset the volume of the side speakers To fill the space and enhance the effect.

Stereo music seems improved to me.

Sonos isn't better sound quality :(

Hard disagree.

Never tried the rears, but the arc + sub is extremely disappointing in terms of sound quality. I miss my old Samsung set up.

It will change your life for TV viewing. Just do it.

Just received mine. Strangely I couldn’t use the fast Trueplay. It kept telling me to put put the microphone on while it already was. Turing it off and on, restarting the app, it didn’t help. The normal Trueplay helped for me. Maybe the mic is broken?

If music is your main concern I’d recommend maybe a 2.1 system over a soundbar. If you really want a soundbar then Sonos arc ultra or a ambeo is probably better than the Samsung. Samsung would be a better choice for movies / tv but lack in the music area

He is correct, the arc is being discontinued. However the arc ultra which is mentioned on the post is its replacement.

I recently upgraded my setup from the Arc to the Arc Ultra, and I’m blown away by the difference in sound quality. My current setup includes the Arc Ultra, two Era 300s, and a Sub Mini. Settings: • Trueplay: OFF • EQ: Bass +1, Treble +3, Loudness OFF • Surround: +4 on both, set to Full for music • Sub: +5, Phase at 180 • Height: +7 • Speech Enhancement: OFF The improvement is incredible, especially with Atmos tracks. It’s a whole new level of immersion. If you’re curious, check out this playlist for a great Atmos experience: https://music.apple.com/no/playlist/spatial-audio-vibes/pl.u-xlyNqJ2Fk7D0Wo?l=nb

Thank you! I enjoy my Ultra with Quick tune and EQ tweaks

So funny...about 2 seconds ago I made a post very similar to yours about how now owning the Arc Ultra makes me appreciate how good the Beam Gen 2 is. I'm defintely keeping the Arc Ultra for the soundstage and overall sound width but messing around with the Arc Ultra honestly shows how good the Beam Gen 2 is. I'd peg the Ultra as 30% better than the Beam Gen 2 but a lot of that boils down to soundstage which is table stakes since the soundbar is double the width anyways. Overall, if someone asked me what Sonos soundbar to get, I am absolutely still putting the Beam Gen 2 into that conversation. For the price of the Beam Gen 2, I think it outpeforms the price of the Arc Ultra. The Beam Gen 2 is one of those rare products where the price feels cheaper than the performance it delivers. Again, very happy with my new Arc Ultra but the Beam Gen 2 is shockingly close.

Just received my Arc Ultra yesterday which replaced my Beam Gen 2 as the anchor to my surround setup (Era 100's and Sub Gen 3). Coming from a Beam Gen 2, the Arc Ultra is absolutely amazing. The width, the soundstage, and the clarity of details is phenomenal. The room where my Arc Ultra is now located (basement) is perfect acoustically as I have low ceilings so the Atmos really gets a nice space to play with. Upstairs (family room) we also have a another Sonos setup with a Beam Gen 2, Sonos One SL's and Sub Gen 3. Long story short, all I have known is the Beam Gen 2 from having it in two rooms of my house. I've always had the itch to upgrade purely for a wider soundstage, but last year or the year before, I felt that I was a little too late in the Arc's lifecycle to upgrade since a new one was likely around the corner. Well, here we are and I now have the Arc Ultra and it was well worth the purchase, even just for the width and soundstage. I really put the Arc Ultra through it's paces yesterday of Atmos Content, Multi-Channel 5.1 PCM, Music (Atmos and Regular Tracks), and a variety of other content. The speech enhancement is brilliant on the new Arc Ultra with the "medium" setting either equal to or slightly above the Beam Gen 2's clarity. The "high" setting is razor sharp dialogue, so much so that I had to turn it off and go back to "medium". For anyone wondering if the dialogue clarity is good....it's so good you likely won't need the top speech enhancement setting. Atmos content is Atmos content is so I don't need to go into how amazing it sounds on the Arc. What impressed me more was the detail on Multi-Channel non Atmos movies. I watched Casino in 4k which I've seen easily over 50 times. The amount of ambient detail when DeNiro is walking around the Casino was audio I've never heard before watching that movie. Background chatter, slot machine noises in the distance....the Ultra makes all of that come alive through the various channels. The reason for my subject title is because now owning the Arc Ultra, it simply reaffirms how good the Beam Gen 2 is and how it absolutely punches above it's price. I'd say the Ultra is about a 30-35% jump from the Beam Gen 2 but certainly not more than that. If you don't have a soundbar in general and have purchased the Arc Ultra, your socks will be completely knocked off. If you already own a Sonos product, it's certainly an upgrade but again, to the tune of about 30ish%. Overall, now owning the flagship Sonos soundbar, I can confidently say the Beam Gen 2 is the best overall Sonos product when you look at performance coupled with price. It's an absolute steal of a product. Yea you lose width and soundstage and the Atmos is virtualized....but frankly I have found some virtualized Atmos scenes that sound better than real Atmos scenes. For example, one of the opening scenes of Blade Runner 2049 shows a top down landscape of the world below and within 5 seconds of that scene, an aircraft fly's overhead. To me, that scene sounded better virtualized on my Beam Gen 2 with the Era 100's kicking in than with the Arc Ultra + Era 100's. I did not expect that. Other than a few Atmos virtualized scenes that to me sounded better, the only other thing that sounds worse on the Ultra is Dolby Atmos music played through Apple Music specifically through an Apple TV 4k (yes, i know this is an ultra specific case). When I played Dolby Atmos through Apple Music on my Apple TV 4K with the Beam Gen 2, it was truly an "experience". On the Ultra, it doesn't just sound bad...it sounds horrible. However, if you airplay music off the app on your phone to the Ultra, it sounds amazing. You lose Atmos this way, but at least the music sounds fantastic. Overall - the Arc Ultra is the best performing Sonos soundbar to date and it does sound quite fantastic. On the other hand, for the price and performance, the Beam Gen 2 simply cannot be beat. With that said, if you have the money and the space, go with the Ultra for the best of the best. If you end up with a Beam Gen 2 for whatever reason, just know you are not missing as much as you'd think. That's my two cents...

I have 2 full Sonos surround setups (family room & basement) - Beam Gen 2, Sub 3, 2 Era 100s - Arc Ultra, Sub 3, 2 Era 100s It’s a lot closer than you’d think in terms of soundstage and sound quality. The Ultra setup wins but we are talking about a 20-30% difference. I made a post when I got the Ultra that by now owning the Arc Ultra, makes me appreciate how good the Beam Gen 2 is.

Soundstage and punch. A soundbar that long gives you more of a 2 separate speaker feel purely based on its length. It also has more drivers so objectively, you’ll hear more sound pumping through. I absolutely love mine but I also love our Beam 2 setup as well. The Beam 2 room doesn’t feel like a downgrade, it just feels different (sound coming from a smaller package but really really good sound at that)

Just know the Samsung sub is meh. Samsung is too good of a value, but Sonos sounds better to me.

Sonos arc Ultra… It sounds better than “the average” soundbar. No need for a sub, does a good job of low frequency for its size

My Sonos arc ultra + sub + 2 era 300s for surround had been pretty awesome for atmos

To give you context I actually purchased a Samsung Neo QLed 55" along with a Samsung soundbar (q700a) specifically with Q Symphony in mind. However sound quality was a major let down. For a while I debated changing up to a 900 series but after experiencing constant disconnection issues with the q700a subwoofer I bit the bullet before Christmas and purchased a Sonos Arc Ultra. I'll just say this, a totally different aural experience......... Anyway the Samsung TV screen itself is very good with excellent brightness which was pretty important as my living room is very bright. Not entirely sold on Samsung anti reflection claims but its far better than my previous LG model 👍

Realized I replied to the wrong comment earlier. Oops. After listening to it while playing Spider man: Far from Home and some music on spotify, and discussing it with an experienced coworker, here is my takeaway. It sounds mostly the same, but voices to me at least are clearer. The old arc always sounded like I was listening to someone with a thin piece of cloth over their mouth, and the Ultra sounds like the cloth has been removed. That is with speech enhancement turned off on the ultra. With music, I would say it has a very slightly wider sound stage, and once again, voices are clearer.

After listening to it while playing Spider man: Far from Home and some music on spotify, and discussing it with an experienced coworker, here is my takeaway. It sounds mostly the same, but voices to me at least are clearer. The old arc always sounded like I was listening to someone with a thin piece of cloth over their mouth, and the Ultra sounds like the cloth has been removed. That is with speech enhancement turned off on the ultra. With music, I would say it has a very slightly wider sound stage, and once again, voices are clearer.

Honestly, no. But to be fair, it's on our sales floor, so it's a pretty tough room to perform in.

Great review! Was waiting on his review as well as from Caleb Denison (Digital Trends). I was on the fence between Sonos and Sony Bravia Quad and after this review, I’m 100% team Sonos and just placed my order. Ordered Arc Ultra, Sub 4 and 2 Era 300’s (by the way, I was surprised to see BestBuy had the Arc Ultra on sale for $864 ($135 off)). $2398.76 delivered!

*****UPDATE NOVEMBER 2, 2024 ***** Apologies if this isn’t how I’m supposed to update. This is honestly my first real post on here. Update: After three cycles of uninstalling, reinstalling, resetting, and rebooting—and opting for a quick Trueplay tuning instead of the advanced—I finally got the system set up as it’s supposed to be. I had to work through issues where Sonos didn’t recognize my architectural speakers and kept refusing to move forward, but persistence paid off. Here’s the verdict: Initial Out-of-the-Box Experience (Arc Ultra, Gen 4 Sub, Sonos Amp, original in-ceiling architectural speakers): • Setup Experience: 2.5/10 • Music Sound Quality: 4/10 • Theater Sound Experience: 5/10 The app continuously froze and wouldn’t allow for a retune, making the initial setup frustrating. Original Playbar Setup (from memory): • Initial Experience: 8/10 (It was new and exciting—a soundbar! How innovative!) • Music Sound Quality: 6.5/10 • Theater Sound Experience: 7.5/10 This was with the original Playbar, Gen 1 Sub, Connect:Amp Gen 1, and the same Sonance in-ceiling speaker pairs. Arc Ultra After Troubleshooting: • Reading through comments and advice: 9/10 • Frustrating multi-hour troubleshooting, resets, and setup cycles: 2.5/10 (I really didn’t think it was going to work by the third cycle) • Music Sound Quality: 8/10 • Theater Sound Experience: 9/10 Beolab 18s and 19 Sub Setup in the Same Room: • Setup Experience: 5/10 • Music Quality: 9.5/10 • Theater Sound Experience: 6/10 So there we have it. The out-of-the-box experience was defective and terrible, and the troubleshooting was frustrating—I almost gave up. But now I agree: it’s a great system when it works and is properly set up. I’m keeping in mind that it probably (and hopefully) sounds even better with an advanced Trueplay tuning that works. For those out there who had a “meh” music experience or a similarly frustrating introduction to the Ultra, I hope it turns out like it did for me! I don’t want to repeat the setup process ever again, but I’m having fun with it now. (My wife is about to kill me for the amount of random music and movies I’ve subjected her to on what was supposed to be a quiet Saturday!) I hope this update helps anyone else who’s experiencing similar issues. Persistence pays off, and the end result is worth it! *****ORIGINAL POST NOVEMBER 1, 2024***** As a long-time audio enthusiast, I’ve invested significantly in high-end systems. In my living room, I currently have a Bang & Olufsen 2.1 setup with Beolab 18s and a Beolab 19, which I use primarily for music—they excel in that area but have multiple challenges when it comes to TV and movies (don’t get me started on that). In my family room, I have a pair of Beolab 20s, also primarily for music. I also have a pair of Beolab 9s in another room—these were the first high-end speakers I got after moving on from my old Infinity Alphas and Betas with Onkyo amps, which feels like a former life now. For watching TV and movies, I’ve been using Sonos Playbar-based setups in both rooms. Each setup includes a Playbar, a Sub, a Connect Amp, and two Sonance in-ceiling speakers. While these Playbar-based setups couldn’t rival my B&O systems for music, they were impressive for their price point and worked well for TV and movies, delivering solid, enjoyable sound. Having both the B&O and Sonos setups running simultaneously allowed me to directly compare them, and the Sonos setups held their own surprisingly well given the cost difference. However, my wife isn’t a fan of having multiple setups in both rooms. I was hoping that the Sonos Arc Ultra could be our solution and compromise—a single “acceptable” system that satisfies both our needs (and a sad farewell to my B&Os). Consolidating to one setup would simplify things and make both of us happier. After setting up the Arc Ultra and Sub 4, using Trueplay tuning, and then giving the system a thorough run, I directly compared it to my B&O setups and the previous Playbar system. Unfortunately, the results have been incredibly disappointing. This isn’t just about missing bass—the sound from my system is overall underwhelming and lower quality than I expected. Music listening on the Arc Ultra has been “meh” at best. It feels like an overall downgrade compared to both my B&O systems and even the old Playbar and Gen 1 Sub. It seems that my Arc Ultra system is nerfed and has a definite issue. I’m glad to hear that most users with new systems are having wonderful experiences. However, seeing comments that dismiss the concerns of those experiencing similar problems as merely “whining” or being “infatuated with bass” is frustrating. For those of us facing real issues, such remarks feel dismissive and unhelpful. I’ve noticed that a minority of others seem to be experiencing similar problems. For those of us dealing with this, it’s clear that something isn’t right. Sonos, please acknowledge and address this issue. The Arc Ultra and Gen 4 Sub should not sound worse than the Playbar and Gen 1 Sub—this product should deliver the high-quality experience it’s advertised to provide.

If it is a large room - go with Arc Ultra

Ultra has better dialogue compared to a regular Arc. Bose soundbar will still be probably better but Arc Ultra should be good enough. Plus it is a more powerfull bar overall with deeper bass, more speakers and much better upgrade options down the line

Also, considering that the bar itself can go lower - you will get better bass performance overall out of Arc ultra + sub 4 vs bose + sub

Yeah, IMO, this setup is 90% as good as the Eras alone in stereo. As many have said before, it'd be great to have a LCR with the Era300 or Five, but I don't think Sonos will ever do that. So yeah, I'd say add the ARC Ultra (or whatever it will be called), should be a really nice improvement.

I'm definitely one of the ones with advanced trueplay bug. I tried it twice and turned the volume up to 60 and it sounded like it was on 15. I have same setup. Ultra dual subs era300 as surrounds. I tested with remux truehd atmos 7.1 videos. No dd+ atmos crap. And it was verrrry muted all across. Did a quick tune and it's was a 360. I agree the atmos is more prominent now and the sound stage is wider. I played the scene from top gun maverick in the beginning where the jet flies ahead, and on the arc you would start to get the effect but there would be a cut off point midway then you would hear it from the eras behind. Not with the ultra. I heard it all the way across the ceiling. It's a shame so many are having the trueplay bug right now cause I'm curious what it would be like tuned properly. Did you notice with speech enhancement turned on that it was messing with the sound stage at all? I noticed less atmos and more centralized sound when I had it on low which seemed odd

Sonos user here, my current setup is the ultra, era300 surrounds and dual subs. Sub position is diagonal on opposite sides of the room. I can't relate to the samsung but coming from the arc which the center was weak and often the bar was over powered by the eras, that is not the case with the ultra. Dialog is present and full. Much more pronounced. In terms of height...game changer vs the arc atleast. Sound stage is wider. The front left and right sound like they come from the corners of the wall. I played an atmos test vid where it's nothing but rain falling and the rain literally sounds like it's coming through the ceiling.  Ironically haven't tested it without the full setup so I can't say when it comes to it alone but even with dual subs there are times a blast or a loud thump in a movie will occur  and it's evident it came from the soundbar which surprised me.

The surround effects will be a little more pronounced on the side with the wall. And you may have to increase the Height Audio level a little to compensate for a slightly taller-than-average ceiling. But I think the Arc Ultra will still sound good in that setting.

I had the Arc for four years and recently upgraded to the Arc Ultra. I haven’t experienced any issues with either sound bar. Try it out for yourself. If you experience any issues or don’t like it, you can always return it.

The Arc Ultra has a louder center channel and more definition. The Arc Ultra sound bar alone produces much more bass than the Arc too.

Does it support DTS-HD and DTS:X yet?

The other Sonos HT products said that so in short no it doesn't. It only supports DTS "Core" so the ancient non HD DTS which does not require a license. So despite charging eye watering prices they still refuse to pony up for a proper DTS-HD license.

Amazing thank you! Everything I was hoping for and really glad I made the preorder now. Can’t wait until it arrives this week!

I'm not sure if you have the original arc, but as an owner of the full system, myself and many others have felt that dialogue, soundstage (front L/R) and overall balance (vs the era 300s) could be better. I've tried my arc with Ones, Fives and E300s as the surrounds and only the Ones felt balanced vs. the arc. The E300s and Fives almost always need to be dialled down to feel more balanced. If you watch Peter Pee's video breaking down the build of the Ultra, there are substantial differences vs. the OG Arc. This review seems to confirm much of what we are hoping for. Of course, we'll find out once we get our hands on it ourselves to be sure, but initial user impressions plus what we can see in terms of how the Ultra is built is promising.

Have both, as good if not better, probably better to be honest but I've had very little time with my arc ultra so far, watched half an hour of movie before work. Very happy with it so far, I replaced my arc with it.

Same issue here, pretty annoying but atleast it's not a unique to me situation

Hello there! It's officially the day that people can legitimately get their hands on the new Sonos Arc Ultra, and I was thinking a thread for new owners was a good idea where we can show our first impressions, feelings and experiences with our new soundbar. Personally, I got mine an hour ago, and initial tests have me very excited about it! I have a LG G3 77" TV, and this soundbar serves justice to such premium TV. Overall, very happy, and it was easy to setup and play with. Used TunePlay on my Android with no issues. Banger soundbar. What's your first impressions, feelings and experiences?

Incredible - wall mounted with no wires visible. This is the dream. Have you tested it yet? Edit: Just saw your additions, and funny, cause I also tested Avengers End Game as the first thing. The details provided by the Arc Ultra is insane. My wife even sat next to me for far longer than she initially planned to, cause she is working from home today. The voice enhancer works great too, yeah.

Arc Ultra currently has the front left and right channels roughly 7dB quieter than the center and surround channels. This unbalances the soundstage. It cannot be adjusted.

Measured with test tones. Other people have as well. Sonos reproduced it, but they won’t say whether it was intentional until some article they’re writing is approved; that sounds very much like what they’d say if it’s intentional (https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-229129/stereo-left-and-right-channel-bug-6922971?tid=6922971). Bunch of mentions on r/sonos as well. Anyway, might not bother any particular person, but I think people should be aware.

The random volume burst just happened to me the other day. Completely out of nowhere, the volume went so loud it scared the shit out of my kid. Very annoying.

Arc + sub is pretty sick for music. Better than the Beam 2 I use in the dining room, but it beats the Arc without a sub hands down. Old Playbars still crank out tunes if it’s placed right. I have one almost on floor level on the bottom of an open tv stand (Samsung Atmos soundbar above it on shelf 2 for TV) and it BOOMS, but another Playbar on the wall above a TV does not. Arc Ultra with 300s and Sub 4 is best, but I have a couple 300s alone in the kitchen and music room which are really nice and of course the Move 2 is great but not as great as everything else listed.

Return it and buy the Arc Ultra. Much better. Add era 300s for surrounds and it’s the best you’ll get with Sonos. EDIT: Y’all Beam 2 owners are funny downvoting this. I have both so I know the difference. So do lots or review sites like this one [https://www.the-ambient.com/versus/sonos-arc-ultra-vs-sonos-beam-2-soundbar-comparison/#:\~:text=During%20our%20review%2C%20we%20were,and%20it%20offers%20a%209.1](https://www.the-ambient.com/versus/sonos-arc-ultra-vs-sonos-beam-2-soundbar-comparison/#:~:text=During%20our%20review%2C%20we%20were,and%20it%20offers%20a%209.1). https://preview.redd.it/2zbhr7vd4are1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9074aa5870bd1ecf6ef461a1276bf3675a42802

Very noticeable difference in clarity between the arc and ultra. For our aging ears spend the money on the ultra. I have 2 of each and there is a difference you can appreciate.

It’s been said here before, but I thought I’d reiterate it.  If you are just upgrading to the Ultra from the Arc with surrounds and a sub, you must disconnect them from the Arc first before you add the Ultra. Then you add them back on to your Ultra. From there , the process was rather smooth. Although I had to add my TV as well in the options in the app. An LG OLED. So I’m not sure if any other users might have that  Sonos’ own website did not make any of this clear.  My initial thoughts , with Era 300s and a Sub 3 , is that it’s more of a match to the 300s and it really did balance the whole immersive bubble out in music and movies. It’s noticeably wider and brighter so I would tune my settings to your liking based on how it feels to you.  Demoed Dune 2 and played a variety of Atmos songs over an hour so far.  Lots more time needed but noticeably different and backed up by my friend’s ear after listening to the original Arc. 

For Spatial Audio, it’s improved greatly for me with era 300s.  The Ultra balances out the power of the 300s to create more of a bubble.  I don’t listen to much stereo sound because I do that in my car. I have the Sonos for Dolby Atmos.  If you don’t have the Era 300s , get them. They rock , even with the Arc 

I think it’s more than incremental, but I wouldn’t say it’s substantial.  I think it’s worth it because the Ultra balances out the 300s , which are incredible rear speakers.  There’s a noticeable difference in low end with the new motion speaker and I feel like I’m getting more than enough low end from one sub3 and the Ultra 

Just buy the setup man. I bought a full setup with an arc ultra, 2 era 300s, and a sub 4 and it sounds absolutely incredible. Just buy it and if you have any issues return it!! I seriously can’t believe how good this setup sounds.

Just setup my Arc Ultra / Sub 4 with the 2 Era 100s I already had and OMG I can’t say what a massive improvement this setup is over the Bose 900 with surround set and sub 700. The sound actually feels like It’s around you not coming at you. I am beyond impressed with Sonos. Perfect setup for an apartment.

Just ordered the Ultra with G4 sub and with the 15% off upgrade discount. Saved a couple franklins compared to Best Buy! Gonna use my Sonos Ones as rear channels still.

How is the dialogue compared to the Bose? I have the Bose Ultra that’s I can still return. I tried the Beam Gen 2 and Q990C and the dialogue on the Bose beats them hands down. If the Arc Ultra can come close to it, it may be worth trying it out.

Thanks for the response. I think I’ve only ever played around with the AI dialogue mode on the ultra and for the most part am happy with how it sounds without it on. One complaint I have with the Bose is how much I have to dial down the treble to reduce sibilant sounds especially with female dialogue. I may just try out the Arc side by side with the Bose and keep the one I like the most.

I have the Ultra and if the choice is between the two, get the ultra. There is a noticeable difference in the soundstage and the ultra also has room correction. The Smart is a good bar regardless if money is tight but the ultra is definitely better. If you’re looking at the Ultra price point maybe take a look at the Sonos Arc Ultra as well. I tried it but preferred the Bose.

I have the Bose Ultra and it is indeed excellent for dialogue. It’s a bit more than what OP is willing to spend though. The lower model (550/600/Smart) is also quite good. I think for Black Friday the 550 was selling for about $200. I tried the 600, Ultra, Q990C, Arc Ultra, Beam 2 and ultimately kept the Bose Ultra mainly for the dialogue clarity.

Got Arc Ultra as well. Recently got Samsung Q990d as well so managed to a thorough comparison. Overall,Samsung is wayyy better and has true Dolby Atmos feel compared to Arc Ultra.

Samsung is better than Sonos in almost all aspects of

Of course whole set up. Considering ultra Arc is now more or less similar priced compared to Q990D. A

Its comparing apples and rotten apples 😀😀Ok fan boy. Whatever you think is the best. In my opinion samsung is far better. I respect that you think sonos is the best

It seems sonos has paid users on this forum. Gosh people get a life. Sonos Ultra Arc is not tht great as they have marketed. I used to be bose fanboy but you all need to experience Samsung q990d to comment

Yes - I do. Ultra is inferior sounding to Samsung.

If budget is no issue - Sony Bravia Quad with SW5 Best price to value - Samsung Q990D I had the Samsung & have the Sonos ultimate with Arc (returned Arc Ultra as wasn’t impressed) and also Sony Quad with SW5. The Samsung sounded very close, better in many scenarios than the Sonos Ultimate with Arc Ultra, though I found the Atmos sound a bit nicer on the Sonos.

Just got mine today, after the Sonos update which resolved the true play bass issue when paired with sub. Big improvement for me listening to Atmos over the original Arc. Better vocals, soundstage, movement of instrumentation. Atmos from Apple Music on Apple TV or Sonos app has proven well worth the upgrade for me.

Atmos music is amazing on the Arc Ultra. Listening post update today. For films and tv if you have a PC, Dolby Access improves stereo or 5.1 dolby significantly and regular Atmos sounds fantastic.

I decided to return the Arc Ultra in the end and try the Samsung Q990D which is £999 in the UK currently. To my ears A/B testing between Arc, Arc Ultra, 990D, I preferred the 990D in majority of cases. Solo bar, bar + sub, bar, sub & surrounds. What I also liked was playing older music content on the Q990D there’s a few settings, surround, virtual and adaptive which can take stereo or older music and upscale them. I used to use Dolby Access on PC for this, but the results here are great, though perhaps not to everyone’s tastes.

I think the Arc is a great choice. Had one myself and really liked it. I’ll do more than just improve the sound you’re getting from the TV. The arc has pretty good bass extension as a standalone bar, so you may not feel the need for a sub. But, you can always add a sub and rears later if you get bitten by the home theater bug….which may happen after hearing the improvement with just the bar.

Did you run adaptiq on the Bose? I have the 900 and it’s not even on the same planet as TV speakers in terms of sound. I had a few minutes to listen to my neighbors new Sonos Arc Ultra and it sounds fuller, more spacious and more detailed than the Bose 900 or Ultra. It’s a great sounding bar.

I’ve heard both bars and the Sonos has better definition and surround effects. Both bars have apps that you use to tweak the sound to your liking. Once you get it dialed in the tv will control volume. Sonos doesn’t come w a remote like the Bose. The Bose remote is a good backup to have though. If you’re looking to expand to a full surround system, I’d recommend Sonos as Bose surround speakers…well, they’re not good and not worth the money, IMO (I tried the Bose surround 700s and retuned them).

My neighbor and I both have Bose soundbar/bass module setups and he invited me over to check out the Arc Ultra he received this morning. He currently has a Bose Ultra soundbar with bass module 700, but was really interested in all the Arc Ultra buzz, so he bought and asked me if I wanted to hear it against the Bose. Yes....yes, I do! So I went over to his place for a listen. The Arc Ultra (standalone bar) sounds more immersive, fuller, more detailed and more accurate than both my Bose 900 and his Bose Ultra. When I was shopping for a soundbar setup, I picked up an Arc and Sub gen3 and Bose soundbar 900 w bass module at the same time to decide which one I liked better. We kept the Bose because it sounded more spacious, the dialogue was clearer and the fam wanted bluetooth capability. That being said, I preferred the Arc's definition and more powerful sound over the Bose. I thought if Sonos could get the Arc to sound more spacious with improved dialogue clarity while maintaining the definition, I'd be tempted to make the change. I think it delivers on the things I wanted from the first gen Arc. I'm not going to switch out my Bose setup for the Arc Ultra anytime soon because we really enjoy our current setup , but it's nice to know it's an option. My neighbor is sold on it, but I think it comes down to wife acceptance factor as to whether or not he keeps it.

There’s reviews and tests all over the webs. You’ll get crap sound with crap setups…regardless of whether it’s a traditional AVR with sub and sats or with soundbar w sub and sats. But, you can get great sound w great setups. Sennheiser Ambeo Max, Samsung Q990 line, Sonos Arc Ultra…etc. I just heard an Arc Ultra paired w sub4 and Era 300s that surpasses every mid level AVR setup I’ve owned or heard. (By mid level, I say under $8k)

Solid review. Glad they mentioned the issues with Advanced Trueplay; Sonos seems to respond to callouts from the press way more than complaints on customer forums. We've only had our Ultra for ~24 hours and so far it feels like a solid upgrade. It's not blowing our socks off the way the Gen 1 did the first time we listened to spatial audio or anything, but there are noticeable improvements to the areas where the Gen 1 was weak. Speech enhancement now feels like an option rather than mandatory, which is nice. Overall the system feels brighter and less muddy - I'm not having to strain so much to pick out details. It's subtle, but I'm digging it.

Ok got it. Finally! I can't thank you enough!! The ppl in BB don't know basics, and it's sad that in spending that kind of money, any real direction/help isn't offered. Anyway, I realized that as I'm selling my house and downsizing, the answer is to keep things simple and basic. The Sonos Arc Ultra is perfect for apartment living! One piece of equipment period. It's high quality and wonderful as is. Now I'm running out and buying one When they come to deliver the other things, they will be surprised to install a different soundbar,, and take the 2 others back. TeeHeeHee Last minute Annie as usual! You've been a life saver !!! Thanks again! 😊 ✨️😁✨️

Ok. The Arc ultra is installed and sounds great! You sure know a lot about theater systems and have helped me exponentially. Just 2 more not so teeny Questions: BB reimbursed me for the sW5, AND I have it as well. I want to sync it with the Sonos AU and buy 2 300s. (Boy, I sound like I know what I'm talking about. 😆 ) I plugged it in, and the green light acted correctly Supposedly, a menu appears on the TV with prompts,, but i realize that it needs to be on my WiFi to sync with the soundbar. Therein lay the rub. lol The app has *Add Sub*, but it "doesn't recognize" it. Now what??? Can I work around this? Hardwire? Or, ...on a basic level, does a different company make things so different that it won't sound good? *Should I just buy a sonos sub? Hey. Do you live near Allentown, pa and would like a free sub in exchange for your excellent advice?? Lol And, are the 300s the right things for me,, or is something better? What about Bass too? My goal is to have a decent set up until I can add to it in the future: A bar, sub, and 2 speakers. (Bass?) Oh btw: I exchanged the Bravia 8 TV for the OLED Samsung s90d bc it was too dark. The 95s coating is too dull, and so that was the best. Same price... So from Everything Sony, I will have nothing Sony! 🤷‍♀️

I ran out and bought the sonos arc ultra, and that made 3 soundbars here simultaneously. I had them install it, and it sounds great. Although, you added another dimension to the conversation for me. The idea of "stereo" is impossible on a TV screen,,, or even a soundbar bc it's not separate enough! Going from nothing due to choosing to use my monies elsewhere, to a soundbar and armed with new knowledge (and the awesome sound of the arc ultra), ...to witnessing a whole wonderful world of wonders within reach. Wow! Now I've decided to go for the whole shebang! I love and listen to music a lot and realize that I can also use the system for that. Yessss!!! So I've decided to keep the sW5 sub, then add on the rest, ...slowly. Do you think it will sync ok with the Arc ultra? - They reimbursed me for it bc there was a big mess with things not being delivered. lol 🤷‍♀️. ...I feel guilty, ...almost enough to return it anyway, ...Almost! Oh, also, the OLED Bravia 8 TV is too dark, so I've changed it for my original choice of the Samsung s90d bc they're generally color saturated, which I like...(The coating on the 95, imo dulls things too much.) It's coming next week, and my only issue is in the Sonos app that "I" don't see any control options. I paid for TV AND soundbar setup, and both were left bare boned and I was shown nothing! Question: In the app, I can hit *Add Sub* I do, and supposedly, they'll have prompts on the TV screen. I can't understand a way to connect WiFi and connect the sub to the bar. Bluetooth (?). I'm debating with returning the sub I was reimbursed for and ordering a sonos so I can have the man install it properly. My lack of knowledge will run me $500 + the cost of installation... Thoughts? I'm aware that I'm off topic. Things have escalated into offshoot issues. Eesch! I appreciate you're even reading this far, and Thank you for your help! You made me realize how far I'd strayed from the basics of the concept of *Stereo! Whew!!! 🙃🙄😱

You doing something wrong. The Ultra has best speech and quality on market imo. Call Sonos support.

It’s not “destroy”. I have the 990d in my bedroom. He’s dialogue clarity is great yes. But for me the ultra slighty better. And In dynamic scenes 990 not better. And ofc voice quality much better. Idk what source do you or OP use and what content quality do you watch. And yes - it’s only my opinion. I’m just listening many soundbar systems. But I don’t like the ultra too much. But not for voice/dialogue quality. Piece!

Define “true 9.1.4”. There’s no speakers in the ceiling, so we’re already falling short if we’re being strict. If you want ‘true’ 9.1.4 according to the strictest definition you can’t get it with a soundbar. The Arc Ultra only has two up-firing drivers, so if you judge the number of height channels by the number of up-firing drivers then Sonos is lying about how many channels it’s capable of. Sonos’ answer is: > Sonos confirmed that are indeed two up-firing drivers, but the way they work with the rest of the soundbar makes them act like there are actually four upwards firing speakers – at least in theory. "The rear height arrays utilize a very strategic combination of the upfiring, outward firing and forward firing transducers to position it deeper in the room than the front height channels," the company said – so basically, it'll offer virtual rear height channels. > > https://www.techradar.com/televisions/soundbars/sonos-confirms-some-missing-details-about-arc-ultra-and-says-its-app-now-has-90-percent-of-its-missing-features-back So that’s why RTINGS says that the Arc Ultra alone is only 5.1.2. What about the Arc Ultra with Era 300s? In that case the Era 300 has its own up-firing drivers that are used for the rear height channels, which gets you to 4 height channels. However as we have learned, those drivers are also used for rear channels alongside the inner drivers.  Does that mean that the rear channels and height channels aren’t discrete? Does it matter if each channel doesn’t have its own discrete drivers? Is it legitimate for a system to claim support for X channels when it has fewer drivers if those drivers are at least used in unique ways for each source channel? Whether a system is “true 9.1.4” depends on how you answer those questions. Sonos, for its part, [claims](https://www.sonos.com/en-us/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-a-sonos-home-theater) that an Arc Ultra + 2x Era 300s is a 9.1.4 system without virtualisation. But they also claim the same for an Arc Ultra + 2x Era 100s, which doesn’t have 4 up-firing drivers. So they’re clearly stretching some definitions here. It is well established at this point that Sonos’ channel claims are not based on a 1:1 relationship between the number of drivers in a system and the number of channels. Claims to be a 5.1, 7.1.2, or 9.1.4 system are based on whether Sonos feels that it can create separation between that many channels through whatever means it can, whether that’s through distinct drivers, virtualisation, reflecting off surfaces or creating phantom channels through the interactions between multiple drivers.

Mine has arrived, bigger than I thought having upgraded from the original Beam Was relatively happy until I learnt the IKEA bookshelf speakers I already had aren't compatible as surround sound speakers!

I have LG G1 oled tv and just bought Arc Ultra. Sounds improved drastically and movies now really sound good. I’m very happy, software also works well for me. Considering adding Sub 4 and maybe Era300s at some point.

The bar is a 5.12. it will process a 7.1.4 signal but you won't notice a difference. Its marketing speak used by almost every soundbar manufacturer. Ive tested the bar playing a test track up to 11.4.6 and the sound isn't any different from the same track in 7.1.4 with the era 300's rears.

I have the 990d and arc ultra with era 300 surrounds setup in my living room now and get no height effect from either with 12 foot ceilings. I would say the ambient sound from the soundbar itself is better on the 990d soundbar, not including surrounds in either. I personally feel you need 8 foot ceilings and be within 10 feet of the soundbar for any height affect. The Sony theater quad crushes both on height affect.

I returned my 990d for the arc ultra and era 300 setup. You can also add front speakers for Sonos with the sequencr app.

works great for me and sounds better than the 990d

I've had just a few hours with the Arc Ultra (with my dual sub 3s, era 300s) and the biggest impact I've felt so far has actually been watching both some of the World Series and the Warriors game on TNT via Max. The center channel is really prominent. I have not watched much movies yet, but tested Fury Road intro, some Baby Driver, and The Batman, and I was more impressed with the more balanced atmos bubble from front to back. I turned off my Apple TV enhanced dialogue as well as turned off the Sonos dialogue enhancement for these. Just a few thoughts!

Honestly, the Arc Ultra is a step up from the Arc for sure, but that Playbar just has this warmth and presence that's hard to beat for pure music listening. This is a good review, btw

I made a similar move from a 5.1 separate system to Sonos Arc Ultra, Sub Gen 4, and Era 300s. I was never able to get good dialogue with my AVR system, but am consistently blown away by the clarity of dialogue with the Sonos setup.

Get the Sony Theatre Bar 9. If you want the sub and rear-speakers right now buy it. SA RS5 and SA SW5 If you can wait, hopefully this year will Sony release a new sub and rear-speakers. The new sub/rear-speakers should sound better I think. The SA SW5 sounds better than the other subs imo. Q990D just over hyped. Yes it’s sounds great but it’s really just the Samsung name. Why people want it #nohate The Sonos Arc Ultra is just really good but you need to love the typical Sonos sound. I can’t really describe it but if you hear it you will know. I strongly recommend the era 300’s and the new big Sub4.0. The other soundbars you listed did I not hear yet, so I can’t comment on them.

I can tell you, that the Sonos arc ultra is an excellent and I do mean excellent sound bar, I have the arc ultra, a sub to, into era 300s and let me tell you music, movies TV explosive is not the word for it I mean, this is the extreme explosive. so I would suggest going to, a place like Best Buy; and testing out the arc ultra they are to see what it sounds like and if it will meet your needs.

As a first soundbar owner as well, the Arc Ultra by itself didn’t blow me away. I too was hoping to get wowed by sounds coming from above and the sides. It wasn’t until I got a pair of Era 300s, did I hear the real Atmos experience.

I’m going to be honest. The arc ultra with a sub 4 and 2 era 300s blows my socks off.

I have the arc ultra 2 300s and one sub 4 and I’m blown away. You think the quad is better?

A little background...I've owned just about every possible Sonos speaker there is. Currently have the Arc+Sub3+Era300 in my living room, Beam2+SubMini in my family room, Move 2 in my kitchen/backyard, a Five in the dining room, and my first and favorite Sonos speaker, the Playbar+SubMini. in my garage (for when I'm in there working). I love the sound of the Playbar, for both movies and music, as it was the perfect combination for both. The reason I don't use it in the house is it doesn't support AirPlay, which I use frequently to play music in multiple rooms. When it's just me in the garage, I use the app to stream music. I listen to all types of music, from EDM (with friends), pop (my kids), rock, lots of 80's and 90's music (yes, I'm old), some hip-hop (think 90's rap), and even country. I'm not an audiophile, but I've always been into high end audio speakers and headphones. I got the Arc Ultra last week when it just released to replace the OG Arc in my living area. I listen to music daily in the living/dining room. Having spent some good hours listening to the Arc Ultra, wanted to share my thoughts specifically for music. I'll get my overall summary out of the way first...overall, the Arc Ultra is an improvement over the OG Arc, but still doesn't compare to the Playbar for stereo content (Atmos obviously can't be compared) Arc Ultra vs OG Arc: * It's better than the Arc...in some ways more than others. When it's used as a standalone, you will first notice how much more bass the Ultra produces. I was very impressed by the punchiness of the bass. All genres of music sounded better. * Vocally, one big difference I could hear when comparing the two, is that on the OG Arc, vocals primarily played through the center channel speaker (simulated surround sound). On the Ultra, the vocals are coming from the left and right channel speakers, playing in true stereo. This of course is using either AirPlay or the app playing non-Atmos music. Stereo separation sounded decent. * There's still a bit of muddiness to both the mid and highs, both on the Ultra and OG Arc. I was hoping to get better midrange,, but it was only marginally improved. The highs, while slightly crisper, still didn't hit me the way the Playbar does (more on that later). * When in comes to Dobly Atmos music, the Arc Ultra is an improvement. By switching out the mid drivers for tweeters on both the side and upward firing speakers, there's a better affect to the surround sounds on the Ultra. When standing at the sweet spot and listening to the Ultra, you can hear the sounds firing on the sides and top a bit better. Don't expect too much of an improvement, but it's noticeable on certain tracks. I'm not big on Atmos music as you have to use the Sonos app for it. This will change if/when Airplay allows for Atmos. * When I added the Sub3+Era300, musically, things improved, but not by much over the OG Arc. Like others have mentioned, the bass is nerfed on the Sub3. I believe this is due to the fact that the Ultra is still producing a good amount of bass, even with the Sub3 added. Yes there's more bass output overall, but when compared to the OG Arc, the sound improvement is marginal. Arc Ultra vs Playbar * Like I mentioned earlier, my favorite Sonos speaker was the Playbar. It was what got me started down this Sonos rabbit hole. At the time, I loved it for both movies and music, and still do for music. * When comparing both soundbars for music, the Playbar still wins out. In many of the songs I listened to, the Playbar just sounded better. I used the Sonos app and played stereo music for comparison. There's a richness to the sound of the Playbar that can't be matched by the smaller drivers in the Arc. * Yes it can't play Dolby Atmos, but I never cared for that much. I'm all about a good listening experience, and the Playbar sounds better to my ears. There's a certain sound signature to it that I can't quite explain. The Arc Ultra, like the Arc, has a bit of muddiness that isn't present on the Playbar. * Ultra wins out on bass output, that is no surprise. The Sound Motion tech is great. But that's not to say the Playbar can't produce a good amount of bass. It does. And it's very well balanced. * The Playbar sound is comparable to the Five. Both are musically great. Arc Ultra for movies (my quick take) * Ultra sounds better for Atmos content. The tweeters is a marked improvement for the surrounds and upward firing speakers. * Vocal clarity is there, as many other mentioned. I always thought it was a joke that we had to turn on speech enhancement on the OG Arc just to get decent dialogue (and it still didn't sound that clear). Ultra is an improvement. * I have to turn up the bass on Sub3 to get decent bass coming from it. I believe software improvement will remediate this issue, as the Ultra still tries to produce too much bass by itself. Overall I'm happy and will likely keep the Ultra. I'm hoping some software updates will improve on the sound. But music wise, I still prefer the Playbar (I guess I'm old school like that..lol).

I haven't used the Playbar for movies for several years, but from what I remember when I first got the Arc, I was underwhelmed and thought the Playbar was better for movies. Louder, crisper sounds and better fidelity. Even with Dolby Atmos movies, the Arc was a bit lacking (still is). Once I set up the Arc in the room with low ceiling and walls on both sides, the sound improved enough. The Ultra, does improve in the sound clarity, but after watching a few movies over the weekend, there wasn't a significant difference. I do agree it does sound a bit thin still. There's a richness to the Playbar that I can't quite put into words, but I keep it because it was such a great soundbar. If only they made the Playbar Ultra...

65" G4 with Arc Ultra + Sub3 + 2x Era 300s. No sound drop-outs. The only issues I get is the occasional "ping pong bounce" sound that comes out of the Arc Ultra when using the soundbar (if I started playing music or turn on the TV). (This is an Arc Ultra issue.)

Exactly. It’s roulette whether the speaker is seen by the app, and whether it’s the same as yesterday. I’m not buying anything else

Absolutely! It’s a premium product. It should be able to support a wide range of codecs.

I have both but 930d instead of 990d. I much prefer the Sonos. The 300s are just annoying to get dialed in and they are very big.

I have both the 930d and an arc ultra with sub. I much prefer the arc ultra and sub even though I don’t have rears. I just ordered era 100s for the rears BTW. Its obviously very pricey but if money is no option def go arc ultra + sub. The ultra goes deep but def not low enough for LFE so the sub is needed IMO.

As of now, the Q990 series is a fixed system, meaning you buy the whole package and you can't really alter anything or add anything extra. The benefit of the Sonos is that you can add that extra 2nd sub. Hopefully Samsung 2025 soundbars will have similar features. If money is not an issue at all, Sonos full package with 2 era 300's + 2 sub gen3/4 +sonos arc ultra, then sonos will be superior. However, the price difference between the 2 is ridiculous. Bravia quad should also be considered as a choice.

I think that if you go for only bar solution without extra sub or surround then the sonos arc ultra would be a much better choice and is more comparable with the bravia 9 bar. Other than this the bravia 9 will work in conjunction with your TV which for minileds has received mixed feedback but the Sony oleds it seems to work better. Both choices will be great, I think it's important for you to think of you are planning in the future to add extra components because with the full set up Sonos takes the win

Sorry for the confusion I meant that Sonos arc Ultra is a much better choice than the sonos arc as a standalone due to the new sub technology integrated in the ultra +some extra tweeters etc.. Bravia 9 is more comparable to the sonos arc Ultra. But I think since you will to use the TV feature then Bravia 9+ TV should be better or very similar to Sonos arc ultra. All this is regarding ONLY the main bar without extra subs and surrounds. If you are planning on going for a full set up then the Bravia 9 + SA-RS5 surround+ SW5 SUB + TV i think is worse than Sonos Arca ultra + 2 era 300's + 1 or 2 sub gen 3/4. Due to the amazing era 300's and the gen 3/4 sub. If you want to look for a full home theater set up from sony I would reccomend the Bravia quad which will work amazingly well with your TV and you can also add SW5 or SW3 if its getting a bit too expensive. I hope this helps

Sonos arc and arc ultra can be paired with up to 2 subs, the bravia quad and bravia 9 can only be paired with one sub. All these premium soundbars will have great dialogue I really wouldnt worry about that, their differences are more about dolby atmos performance, how wide the soundstage feels.

I bought one yesterday, to upgrade from the Arc and in my opinion it does just what you're saying. With the Arc the 300 surrounds would often overshadow it. If I were more than 5-7 feet away, you couldn't even tell sound was coming from the Arc. That is definitely not the case with the ultra. You can clearly hear crisp and detailed sound coming from the Arc Ultra, even if you're sitting back near the 300's. Not sure if that's worth the upgrade for you, but I'm happy with my purchase!

Dude f u for this. Have been so close to buying a few times past week but decided didn’t need to upgrade arc. After reading this I bought the arc ultra and sub 4 combo 😭 2subs now and a ultra with era300 should make a killer setup, thank you honestly for the review

Yes, the front height, center and side drivers from the Arc/Arc Ultra continue to function with the reconfiguration.

I'm more than satisfied with my Arc Ultra paired with the Era 300s. That said, I was equally happy when, like you, I had my Arc paired with the Era 100s. Ultimately, sound quality is subjective and comes down to your personal preferences.

I own the Full Sonos arc ultra system and Q990D. If you don't care about cost then get Sonos. I personally like it more for the surrounds and music. Samsung I have hooked into my bedroom tv and I'd say it's quite a bit more horse power and sounds awesome as well. For the cost Samsung can't be beat value wise. For fun surrounds and music I enjoyed Sonos more. I came from the Arc to Arc ultra and I'd say it's about 20 percent better sounding to me with quite a bit more bass. I enjoyed the Era 300s so much I ended up getting a pair to hook a turntable to. I will say that the systems are dependent on the quality of stuff you play to get them going. I see all kinds of people playing basic stuff on the bars expecting magic. 4k player and Atmos stuff gets the blood flowing. High quality streaming stuff is nice as well. Both have great dialogue settings. Either way sorry for the rant, good luck!

I actually have both in my room currently. For bed TV I have the Q990d and for gaming TV I have the ultra/2 300s/2 sub 4s. I paid way more for the Sonos setup and got Samsung one for around 800 with my TV. I'd say the Samsung Is louder and feels more powerful with the one sub vs one sub. I like the Surrounds on Sonos a lot more with Atmos stuff. I like music a lot more with the Atmos on Sonos. Overall I'd give Samsung a 9 and Sonos a 9.5 with systems the way they are setup now for me. With one sub I'd give them both a 9. However, for value alone Samsung destroys the Sonos setup. Good luck!

My Arc Ultra and Sub 4 arrived today. Coming from an old DTS supporting Marantz Receiver and 3 speakers L+R+C (no sub, and used to have surrounds at the old house) Tested some audio and it’s (obviously?) a lot better. Clear well spaced audio. With say blaster fire zipping left to right. Either I’ve not found the right movie yet, I do have to do work!, but the height channels aren’t that good. No rears because money isn’t infinite and we don’t have the space behind us anyway. But in the brief testing I’ve done I have heard sound coming from ‘behind’ After a quick thirty minute test my views are. Loud, clear and good special audio aside from height channels. Sub can shake your teeth out in the right scene. I watched the Seismic Charge scene from Attack of the Clones and oh boy…

Ok, I’ve adjusted the height channels by +2 and watched a couple of Dolby Atmos movies (1917 and Top Gun Maverick) and yup, the audio from above is nice and clear. Highlights included the fly over of the biplane near the start of 1917 (my wife audibly gasped) and the scene in the river—the water sounded like it was in the room. Maverick was obviously all about the planes. We’re both impressed (the app is garbage though) and if we had space rears would probably take it to levels we couldn’t comprehend.

I noticed a better balance too. Are you hearing more detail and layering? I'm definitely hearing things I haven't heard previously in movies I have watched dozens of times. Also ive only been streaming haven't popped in a disc yet.

I’ve got the arc sub and 1s… it’s an awesome setup… would think you’d be happy with similar with arc ultra 

Nice!!!!

Got mine yesterday in Australia, my first Sonos device. I'll be using it without any other speakers. It's for a new TCL C855 85' TV. First impressions, setup was simple, Trueplay done with android, passthrough enabled on TV and NVidia Shield Pro, Atmos/Dolby is showing correctly in App so it's working as it should. Spotify linked, and Sonos radio will also be useful with all the TuneIn stuff for local radio etc. The sound is great, enough bass for me without a sub, surprised how well it fills the room. I haven't really tweaked any settings, don't think I will need to change much. Still more to learn but for now it just works which is always nice.

I think it's important to consider that both soundbars were designed to sound good with or without an additional sub. In the cases of the Arc, this means the woofers have to be able play lower frequencies when no sub is bonded, hence the reason for additional woofers. Perhaps the Arc isn't optimized with or without an sub since.it has to be good enough at both. The Arc Ultra has the sound motion woofer for the low frequencies, so the mid woofers never have to play any low frequencies. That should allow them to engineer the woofers and tweeters better, I think. To me though, I think the real question is going to be if it's improved for stereo music. This soundbar isn't any wider, so I don't think we have any clues to that answer by looking at the hardware.

Sub helps.for stereo music, yes, but surrounds do not. I get that the Arc is built for TV audio, and I know soundbars can be limited. My point is that better stereo could likely drive me to get an AU than better atmos would.

I think it's important to consider that both soundbars were designed to sound good with or without an additional sub. In the cases of the Arc, this means the woofers have to be able play lower frequencies when no sub is bonded, hence the reason for additional woofers. Perhaps the Arc isn't optimized with or without an sub since.it has to be good enough at both. The Arc Ultra has the sound motion woofer for the low frequencies, so the mid woofers never have to play any low frequencies. That should allow them to engineer the woofers and tweeters better, I think. To me though, I think the real question is going to be if it's improved for stereo music. This soundbar isn't any wider, so I don't think we have any clues to that answer by looking at the hardware.

Ok. It's not significantly wider.

Sub helps.for stereo music, yes, but surrounds do not. I get that the Arc is built for TV audio, and I know soundbars can be limited. My point is that better stereo could likely drive me to get an AU than better atmos would.

I was referring to traditional stereo, produce from front left and right speakers only. While the full stereo option works for some, it's not really what I'm looking for.

God the fear mongers about the app have really done a number on new users. Hey you fear monger fuckers, maybe quit bellyaching and stop scaring new folks. Cuz you know what’ll kill any updates? It’s when the company goes bankrupt and then you definitely won’t get any fixes to your shitty networks. OP, my Sonos gear has been flawless for the past 4 years I’ve owned. My Arc Ultra works perfectly with my elcheapo TCL TV and AppleTV and Sub 4. Also with my PS5.

That’s the key right there! If you add 300s as rears and connect a Sub Gen 3 to the 300s, the sound signature and bass blows the Arc or Arc Ultra even when paired with a Sub Gen 3 out of the water. The Era 300s have more bass with its 3 drivers in general and adding a Sub Gen 3 to it takes it to another level. I noticed that when I paired 2 Sub Gen 3s to the Arc Ultra, TruPlay just dampens the performance of the Sub Gen 3s regardless of the orientation of the Subs. Separating the Subs made all the difference in terms of bass performance. The sound stage is also even wider sounding because the heavy duty bass sounds are coming from the stereo pair Era 300s placed on the back left and back right of my room. The Era 300s for surrounds are directly behind the main listening positioning. === This is a side note. I noticed that the Arc Ultra has been taking away the responsibilities of the Era 300 Surrounds when playing on my Nintendo Switch compared to the Arc. They are completely silent now. Even though the Nintendo Switch Surround sound test clearly activates the surrounds during the testing, they are silent during actual game play where surrounds are usually utilized. The Era 300 surrounds work during YouTube video playback and Dolby Atmos movies, which seems to be more limited in terms of sound stage.

I have Sonos ultra for $1k. The atmos sounds great but ONLY if you listen at the highl level (as being in the movie theatre). I live in a house but I realized the loud sound is disturbing others. Consider getting good atmos headphones... I think I've should have done that.... and enjoy atmos day and night.

I’ve ordered a SONOS Arc Ultra with Sub 4 for my G4 but another top selling soundbar is the Samsung Q990D. These two seem to be the best ATMOS soundbars in 2024 going from reviews.

Maybe sell both your Sonos Beam and the free LG soundbar while new and get the Arc Ultra? I had an LG SK10Y soundbar and sold it for the Arc Ultra. LG are not exactly known for their audio quality which I realised after getting my soundbar as a package deal with my old LG C7. I also have the G4 65" now which works great with the Arc Ultra.

apart from stereo separation in Sony; Sonos hits Sony out of the park. The home theatre setup is truly immersive with my Arc Ultra+Sub+Era 300s setup. The centre channel has improved significantly with the Arc Ultra.

You’re not alone. Coming from an audiophile background with previous dreams for a proper Martin Logan based system…the Arc Ultra, Sub 4 and rear Era 300s don’t come close. Now for movies I am truly impressed. Worth its money for this! Seems stupid to have the separate 2.1 system for music, but every time I listen I am feeling the same “meh”. Hell, prior to getting the Arc Ultra and Sub, the Era 300 pair was better for music!

I have the arc and I have no problem with speech sound.

Just wait until they fix the software issues and you actually get the full real atmos experience. The inward speakers on the 300’s don’t fire because of some software glitch with the arc.

I have a question as im considering buying an arc ultra to replace my arc and moving the old to my bedroom. My setup is: TV: LG G2 oled Soundbar: arc Rears: one sl’s Sub: sub mini The question i have is that i have always felt like the atmos effect was very limited and changing the height on the app made practically no difference. I noticed you had said you need to have era rears for it to swap to 7.0.4 i think it was. With my sonos one sl’s am i not running the rear atmos height channels? Is that why its always been kinda lackluster with height effects? Second part of the question is if i swap to the arc ultra but keep the one sl in rears will it still have this issue? Do i need to buy era 100’s to get what im after? Also fantastic review. Pretty much convinced me i am buying the arc ultra.

I dont think my room is big enough for era 300s plus theres no way my wifes going to be ok with them as they need to sit on the stands and it would look funky. As much as i want 300s i can only do 100s. In your opinion do you think the era 100s will make a significant difference over my one sl’s? Also i did buy the arc ultra.

Eventually i will get the era 100s to replace the ones and move the ones upstairs where i put the arc i replaced. Thank you for the input. Was debating if it was really going to be drastically different.

It’s amazing. I personally prefer to the arc ultra in a surround set up. However, ultra only just edges it as a standalone

Meant to have better vocals but I personally didn’t hear it… possibly a wider sound stage though. I sent mine back 😢

It was basically an Arc with improved dynamic range and low-mids. I did not feel a difference in the spatialization really. I'm sure they spent a lot of time making it "better" but I feel like virtual speakers are a really hard thing to get right all the time so I tend to "forgive" a lot in this regard and doubt my judgement of it would be unbiased enough for value.

Yes with and without the Gen3 sub. The woofers on the bar are not low frequency drivers (but hey neither really is their sub). They are more low mid support, and I really like having my low mids coming from screen channels, not from over there behind the sofa. The bar by itself is working really hard, with the sub on the bar has much less to manage, and it basically sounds like it has more headroom across the range, but clearly it's that it has more headroom in the low mids. I don't really sense the tight hit of a proper big HT or studio sub, but that isn't really that vital for many mixes. I do feel like there is nice low end support from the sub, but the bigger benefit is the bar not working as hard. It wasn't the mini btw.

Great thread! You've clearly done your homework. A couple of thoughts/suggestions... 1.) Broadcast TV does support Dolby Atmos. ATSC 3.0 "Next Gen TV" tuners support Dolby Atmos broadcasts for free over the air using a Dolby Digital+ carrier. They also support resolution up to 4K with HDR (High Dynamic Range). NBC broadcast the Olympics live in NYC and 11 other major markets in 1080p resolution with HDR and Dolby Atmos surround sound. So, while not widespread yet, Dolby Atmos is available via live broadcasts. Even OTA live broadcasts. BTW, this works on an Arc or Arc Ultra as the ATSC 3.0 tuners pass the output over HDMI as DD+ with Atmos encoding. 2.) Blu-ray Disc does support Dolby Atmos, in both lossy (DD+) and lossless (Dolby TrueHD) formats. I own a couple of dozen Blu-ray Discs in lossless Dolby Atmos. UHD 4K Blu-ray also supports Dolby Atmos (of course). Kaleidescape also supports lossless Dolby Atmos (and lossless DTS:X, which the Arc Ultra can't decode). Both the Arc and Arc Ultra can support lossy and lossless Dolby Atmos (Dolby Digital+ and Dolby TrueHD). 3.) Despite what Sonos may have confirmed, the Arc Ultra doesn't do *discrete* 9.1.4 "out of the box." And virtual channels are a far cry from discrete channels. There are a total of 14 drivers in the Arc Ultra, some of which are full range, some midrange and some tweeters (plus one woofer). To get 14 discrete channels of sound from the Ultra (9.1.4) the bar's 13 drivers would all have to be full-range drivers, each pointing in different directions to directly radiate or reflect all 13 channels from different points in space. You can tell from the explosion diagram on the Arc Ultra product page that it doesn't have enough drivers to reproduce 13 distinct channels. To get something resembling discrete 9.1.4 from the Arc Ultra you need to add a Sonos sub and add a pair of Era 300s (which have both front-facing and top-facing drivers) for the rear speakers. The Arc Ultra's bass output is "twice the Arc" but only at 50 Hz. There is no way this bar extends below 45 Hz so you really need a dedicated sub to get true LFE bass reproduction. So yeah, Sonos can call it 9.1.4 from the Arc Ultra alone if they want, but none of the virtualized surround systems I've heard (and I've heard a lot) hold a candle to discrete surround systems. I believe the Arc Ultra will offer a decent sonic upgrade to the regular Arc (though this is purely a belief at this point since Sonos didn't send out early review samples to journalists and reviewers), but I think failing to add a second HDMI port and DTS:X decoding to the Arc was a big missed opportunity. There is a push toward DTS:X surround from IMAX and Disney+ (among others) which makes its absence here significant. I know Dolby Atmos is much more widespread but I like options. And having a second HDMI port would allow users to plug in a streaming device, gaming console or disc player directly to the bar and bypass the sonic limitations of some TVs which can't properly pass lossless sound formats through their ARC or eARC HDMI ports. Anyway... good job covering the issues here and I hope you enjoy your Arc Ultra.

I’m currently searching and until now, the best I’ve tried is the Sonos Arc Ultra. Tomorrow I’ll try the Sony Theater Quad.

I was searching exactly the same. After trying out Bose, Sonos, Samsung and Sony, I’ll go with the sonos arc ultra + sub mini. Take a look at that package. Hope it helps!

Currently have One SL surrounds for my Arc. Moving to ultra soon. Having a pair of Era 100 in the kitchen for stereo playback that I love. You have me thinking I need to swap these!

Thanks - Arc Ultra arrives in a few days. You still feel similarly with that?

The original Arc sucks for music and I do not expect the Ultra to be much better. Proper speakers will sound much better for 2 channel music.

No. I have Play 1s as surrounds and the Arc can’t even keep up with those; it even sounds worse than a pair of them in the correct listening position. I’m not going to spend more to upgrade to fancy speakers to hear out of balance music come from behind me.

I replaced my arc with the ultra in my setup that includes the era 300's and a sub gen 3. I would had paid even 50% more for this upgrade and be more than happy. I was actually looking to get rid of my arc - era 300 - subg3 setup for awhile now because it was really underwhelming, but with the ultra, I am more than happy.

Have Arc with Era 300 and Sub Gen 4. Upgraded the the Arc Ultra. The difference was worth me spending a lot more for. There was something always missing that I now I have. I was already looking to change my complete system over to the Sony's or Samsung. I don't need to do that anymore.

thank you very much for the feedback I have 2 era 300 and am eagerly awaiting a new sonos bar because after testing the arc at my brother’s I was not convinced apparently what I criticized the original arc was corrected by sonos with the ultra I ordered the ultra with sub 4 to go with my era 300! I will buy a second Sub when it is on sale eagerly

the soundstage with the ultra and the era 300 is very bad especially on movies! My old bose system where only the bar was Atmos was extremely more efficient! so their story of 9.1.4 is bullshit! the sonos system produces very little elevation of the sound

Thanks for that review ! I was hesitant to replace my actual speakers (2x Phantom Silver/105dB) for a soundbar like the Dione, but the new Ultra seems to offer better sound, for more than half the price... Question is: would it work well with ERA 100 ? Or will I have to get some ERA300 too (those are fairly big and wife will never accept that behind the couch...)

Thanks for the answer! I don’t have neighbors - it’s a house in town, so we can push the volume :D I’ll just order the Arc Ultra then, and keep the ERA100 for now then. The goal isn’t to get the same level of performance as a dedicated home theater room, but get better voices when watching TV shows (the phantoms really lack in that aspect) Thanks for the trigger !

So I ended up upgrading to the arc ultra and zero regrets :). Sound and dialogue are day and night over the beam 1, as well as the audio support. I no longer get stereo PCM on DTS Blu rays. They are either dd 2.0 or dd 5.1

If you are looking for a eARC output from tv as well as decent audiophile like music , consider a Cambridge Evo one or the Klipsch nines. However if you are looking for decent movie dialogue presentation , some Atmos plus good music playback , I suggest the Sonos arc ultra. If it's primarily an Atmos machine you are looking for , go for the Samsung. It plays music , but isn't very musical.

So far I like the arc ultra. I sadly cannot use trueplay yet, whatever I try when I switch back and forward from trueplay to no trueplay, it always sounds better without.

Yes have been using the Ultra since release and am truly impressed. I always felt the original Arc was lacking in fronts and especially after getting the 300’s as rears, it lagged behind. The full Sonos surround setup is now just incredible.

Arc ultra the best, sound motion gives you that bass

Got my Ultra+300+Sub all set up after a terrible upgrade experience. Took me about three hours to troubleshoot tuning issues, update issues, and general app issues. That said, it’s a big upgrade over the Arc IMO. The soundstage is wider and fuller, and dialogue is so much more impressive and audible. I do think Sonos could stand to do some slight tweaking/tuning with the Sound Motion driver. When listening to music, you can turn the sub on and off and actually hear the low pass filters changing on the driver. Opeth songs tended to sound better with the Sub off interestingly, likely because of how their songs are mastered…I was getting better bass from the Sound Motion driver than the Sub itself. Other bands and types of music sound magnificent. I would like more control over LPF, HPF and general EQ settings

I had a playbar then a beam gen2. Both great. Arc ultra got sent straight back. It was horrible. You need a cinema room with acoustics to make it sound good. Living rooms are better with play bar and beams

Sub and Rears make all the difference. I have Beam/sub mini in bedroom. Beam/Sub and Rears in 2 other rooms. Arc Ultra and sub in another room. Couldn’t be happier.

I have the Sonos arc and arc ultra…with gen 3 and 4 sub. I have the Sonos one sl’s paired with the first arc (surround) and the era 300’s (surround) paired with the ultra with the gen 4 sub…there is literally no delay in audio. Also the arc ultra is the absolute way to go holy fuck is it loud and the gen 4 sub is bassy as fuck. So not entirely sure where your delay in audio is but it’s all based off WiFi so anyone with a delay get a better router and better internet speed?

Maybe the translation is a bit off but in a set the Sonos Arc Ultra “becomes our leader among soundbars.” In a set with Era 300 and Sub 4 “But what if we expand the Sonos Arc Ultra into a soundbar surround set? The number of channels will not change - because the soundbar alone should simulate 9.1.4 channels. But with the help of two Era 300 and the Sub, a serious competitor becomes our leader among soundbars, the Samsung HW-Q995GD, from the new addition of Sonos.” It’s really the app setup that annoyed them for which they deducted points. Our test verdict on the Sonos Arc Ultra “The Sonos Arc Ultra does a lot differently than its predecessor – and with resounding success. Whether solo or in a composite, the sound is more massive and much more harmonious. In addition, there are detail improvements such as quick measurement or the addition of Bluetooth for fast streaming of your own music. But the package is not perfect. The price is quite high, the sound stage not quite as wide as with the direct competition. In the end, it is mainly the stumbling blocks in the app that push the good overall rating down a bit.” HIFI.DE-Test Soundbar-Sonos-Arc-Ultra: 8.2 In the set with the Sub 4, the powerful, controlled bass ensures an even better final note: 8.3 Extended by two Era 300 as rear speaker we award the very good final grade: 8.7

I have the same set up , I ordered the sub at same time as I didn’t wanna wait and see and truplay took about an hour before it worked ,I always found my 300 where almost to loud with arc ,this has made the setup unbelievable, I can’t tell where music is coming from now ,especially atmos , it’s like the room is projecting the sound if that makes sense , the bass is so intense I can’t imagine not having the second sub,I’m blown away and I only spent 3hrs trying out stuff ,parts of movies feel like someone is right in my face , can’t wait till Saturday !!!!!

Just upgraded myself from arc 1st gen to ultra. Have a gen 3 sub as well. I would say it’s a lot better, kicks out more bass, soundstage is bigger, dialogue stronger and clearer. I’ve only been testing with Apple Music via the Sonos app so far and have not attempted true play tuning yet. It’s a solid upgrade, very pleased! Sonos aren’t forcing people to upgrade and £1k is a lot if you already have the Sonos arc. But it’s a much better soundbar over its predecessor.

I’ve only got it paired with a gen 3 sub and agree with you.

https://preview.redd.it/0pqay5z2n5yd1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c5fd597f06989d98b1a5cd844ea698706f37119 * Just replaced my ARC with the ARC ULTRA last night. Set up was a breeze. the first thing I noticed was the clarity of the voices. I played around with each one of the 3 voice settings. Medium is sufficient, to say the least. I removed the original SONOS mount and replaced it with the ULTRA mount. They are different. The way that it fits on the wall is seamless with the new back portion of the new ULTRA. I have the sub 3 and two ERA 300 rear speakers on stands. I did not have time last night, but I will play an ultra 4k dvd this evening. I can't wait. I did play a few music tracks in spatial.Audio from Apple Music last night. Kacey Musgraves and Ed Sheeran have amazing live performances i highly recommend. It was like being in the studio. Their voices are so incredibly clear, and instruments seem to be in the room all around me. So far, the ULTRA is a beast.

I was looking at the 990D then this issue came up and decided to tay away from it. I just got the Sonos Ultra Arc, sub 4 and 2 of the era 300. I really like it 😍

I was on the fence as well I bought the 83in G4 and was debating between the q990D or the nakamichi dragon and the arc ultra. I ultimately went the Sonos route. I initially bought the ultra, sub 4 and 2 era 300. I added another sub 4. Certain scenes the low end is impressive other times I actually went over and put my hand in the center to see if my subs were working. Overall I do like it, the app has worked with out any problems.

I previously left a review over a year ago of me A/B testing my playbar to the original Arc and after a few weeks decided to return the Arc in favor of the playbar surround setup. I found that I had preferred the sound signature of the playbar to hollow, tinny, harsh sound of arc. Just got my Arc Ultra and tested it back to back with my playbar with music, TV, and ready player one 4k bluray. My initial reaction is how the ultra makes the playbar sound very muddy. Ultra’s frequency response is much much more balanced than the playbar and even the original Arc and I believe it’s a big upgrade over both the previous flagship soundbars. I have a pretty big open floor plan with my tv room joined with my kitchen so I worried that the small drivers on the ultra would still feel harsh and not full but my doubts and concerns are alleviated. This is such a relief for me as I was disappointed with the Arc to where I ended up returning it. This is not the case with the ultra. My playbar served me well but it’s time to take it down. Currently have one sls and sub gen 3. Will be adding era 300s or might wait to see if we get Era ultras with sound motion tech coming soon. Will report back.

I am trying almost the same setup. Arc Ultra, Fives for front, era 300’s rear and 1 sub gen 3. First impressions: - Width is massively improved as you would expect. - Mid frequencies in general seem lacking. - Not being able to use truplay results in a worse sound than just having the arc as front imo. Music: - Not as good imo. Arc + 300s + sub have a much fuller sound for music than when the fives are added to the system. - Fives in stereo pair (no sub) sound much fuller also with better highs. Without truplay it just doesn’t do it for me. The width is really nice though so Im gonna stick with it for a week or 2 and then go back to just having an ultra as front.

The dialogue volume is an absolute game-changer for me as well. I have the Ultra Ultra setup—Arc + 2 x Era 300 + 2 x Sub Gen 3—and I've always had trouble understanding dialogue clearly, even with speech enhancement turned on. It drove me crazy with every movie, and we were constantly adjusting the volume up and down. My buddies have the top Bose soundbar, which has an "AI" feature for enhancing speech, and I was always envious of that—although I still thought my setup sounded way, way better overall. With the Arc Ultra, this problem is finally solved, and I couldn’t imagine a better setup. Now Sonos, please don’t mess up the app any further, and we’re friends again!!

I only have an arc ultra in use for tv and I can't understand how anyone without hearing loss can't make out voices clearly. I've turned the enhancement to low or had it off in other occasions since it sometimes seems voice forward if that makes sense.

I'm in a small room going by American standards. I'm sitting about 8/9 feet from the bar, 9 foot ceiling. Have it on low enhancement, volume of 8. Night mode is not on. The app is saying dolby digital plus 2.0 whilst watching youtube. I can hear speech perfectly.

I have also played atmos movies on it and its been perfect but I did need to higher the volume, mainly to give more impact. You probably know this already but if you like In the thick of it you should try the movie in the loop made by the same people.

I'd definitely wait for the Core 300. I do think the Arc Ultra setup could be fantastic as well, however they're still having so many connection issues I can't possibly recommend them. It was the worst headache I've ever had to deal with when it didn't work, which was most of the time.

I got a Sonos arc ultra gen3 sub and 2 300’s it’s a beast of all beast

I’m very happy with my Sonos arc ultra gen 3 sub and 2 300’s. I’ve heard the q990d with rears and sub it’s not bad at all but it’s not as good as the Sonos setup

Sonos arc ultra

What I got. I love it

The music question is the one I have. I have two Era 300s being used as a stereo pair while waiting for the Ultra to ship. As you’ve alluded to the Arc got scathing reviews on their less than desirable sound playback for music. Hoping the Ultra will excel on that front

I agree. I had a Beam 2 for the longest time and I was honestly always disappointed. Movie dialogue was always barely audible and music was… fine, but felt way worse than my Move 2. I can’t have a sub in my apartment so I upgraded to refurb Era 100s surrounds and they were so much better than the beam it made my system sound unbalanced both with music and TV. Upgraded to the Arc Ultra for its built in subwoofer and I love it. Music sounds real good with the Eras and there’s way more balance. I can FINALLY watch TV without subtitles. I suspect A LOT of the difference has to do with A) if you watch TV/movies and thus benefit from the wider sound stage or B) if you already have a sub I bet the Beam 2 is just as good for music. But without a bass… the Arc Ultra is amazing imo. Truly crazy technology. And I still don’t understand the Beam 2 hype and probably never will

Mine just arrived, replacing an Arc. I’ve got a Gen 3 Sub and two Era 300s as rears. One, Sonos *finally* started supporting Trueplay with inverted Era 300s and they sound better. Yay! Two, the Ultra is a dramatic difference if you have had concerns about PCM dialogue sounding muddled or overshadowed by the Era 300s. The soundstage is a LOT wider. IMO, the Ultra is a must if you’ve never been completely satisfied by how the Arc outputs dialogue for movie mixes. I’ll let the music people talk to the music improvements

no problem here, iPhone 13, but trueplay with sub(s) and surrounds flatten the sub(s) so I turned it off again..

I had an arc with a sub 4 yesterday and Sonos architectural speakers for the surround. I got the sub before the arc ultra. I replaced the arc with the arc ultra and cannot tell any difference at all, except that I lost Google Assistant. I would even go as far to say that the arc sounded and integrated a little bit better than the ultra. All I heard was that the new technology called Heart Motion or now Sonos Motion was going to change the audio world. I can confirm that will not happen.

I had an arc with a sub 4 yesterday and Sonos architectural speakers for the surround. I got the sub before the arc ultra. I replaced the arc with the arc ultra and cannot tell any difference at all, except that I lost Google Assistant. I would even go as far to say that the arc sounded and integrated a little bit better than the ultra. All I heard was that the new technology called Heart Motion or now Sonos Motion was going to change the audio world. I can confirm that will not happen.

I just got my setup about 2 weeks ago, ultra, gen 4 sub, 2 300’s, had I not got the 300’s i woulda been a lil disappointed.

Agree with your review. I have the same experience and thoughts.

Context I have had no app issues luckily. So set up was a breeze. A little hiccup yesterday as all items needed updating. I am now using: Arc ultra with LG G3 65 inch. About 8 feet away from seating position Sub gen 3 next to couch 2x era 300 immediately behind and to the side of the couch (space is at a premium!) Previously had a Beam gen 1 set up with sub and Play 3's. Then upgraded to Arc and Era 300's. Below is my differences from arc to arc ultra: Voices: Much more clear and only used medium setting. Atmos and 5.1 surround content. On 2.0 crap UK TV streamed content I do find voices a little harsh, so turn off voice enhancement now. Surround sound is excellent, and I am having to turn down the bass now as it is rumbling the couch, which it didnt before! Atmos bubble is massively improved, with excellent clarity and locality or sounds. I am far more convinced I have working height channels than I ever did on the Arc... And yes I even tried "tilting" it to get a better angle. I also feel I am able to "follow" sounds around the room n k8p9ow with no breaks or interruptions. Played COD on ps5 yesterday home alone, and a female voice shouted fro LHS era 300. It was so clear and distinctly "in the room" that my adrenal gland dumped as ot freaked me out before I realised the source. So with an existing arc, sub and era 300 system, do I recommend? Absolutely for Atmos content.. and I do that a lot with 4k blu rays, gaming and streaming. Despite my lack of space, I fnd the improvement significant. Recommendations.. Dune 2 and Bladerunner 2049. Music (recommdations from the sub) also excellent. Staircase on apple music a great test.

Lovely space. I think you could get them in, as long as it doesnt look weird if the couch comes 10 inches or so away from the walls. If you want good atmos I think you would get some good mileage out ultra and 300's looking at your space

Lovely space. I think you could get them in, as long as it doesnt look weird if the couch comes 10 inches or so away from the walls. If you want good atmos I think you would get some good mileage out ultra and 300's looking at your space

Basically same set up and just wanted to chime in and say my testing with the ultra has been fun! Big upgrade from the arc especially the clarity of speech

Until now, I had a JBL Bar 1300X wich comes with a huge Sub and wireless surrounds as my home theatre setup. I really don't have experience with anything else before that and I enjoyed watching movies with thumping base and Dolby Atmos surround sound. For music, I have a couple of Era 300s paired with a Sub mini, which is crazy good to me. Now I sold my JBL setup and pre-ordered the Arc Ultra and Sub 4. I will also pair my Era 300s as rear surrounds. I know this is going to be a killer setup for watching movies, but how does this ultimate immersion setup comares to just a pair of Era 300s and a sub for listening to music? Is it ok to leave the ultimate immersion setup as is for movies and music or when I'm done watching a movie I should unpair the Era 300s as surrounds, move them to the front and use them for music listening unlinked from the soundbar?

I have the arc ultra with sub 4 and 2 Era 300s as surrounds. For me the setup with Era 300s as surrounds changed the game. The weak link in JBL setup is the surrounds which are really weak. If you are planning to get the Era 300s as surrounds then it's a no brainer. But if not then I don't see that big of a difference and either is fine.

Much appreciated. I was concerned with L/R dispersion for soundstage width. I already assumed that the height and center would vastly improved in much the same way the ERA 300s were an indicator (albeit without the need for as much interior cubic volume) I have a separates and a full Arc, Sub 3(2) and 300s and am dying to A/B both.

Anytime you can offload a lot of the lower frequencies from the smaller drivers and improve the computational audio processing, you should hear dramatic improvements in dynamic range and better spatiality. Center channel and heights are getting twice the amount of drivers, multiples but the fact that the Sound Motion is basically a separate bass module. The ERA 300s to my ears (and several seasoned reviewers( are dramatically better in Spatial Audio and, obviously have a larger speaker enclosure (as opposed to sound motion ). Peter’s assessment makes sense - Sonos called it an Ultra as opposed to Arc Gen 2c which would imply similar incremental changes akin to Beam and Beam Gen 2

If your application is mostly broadcast Tv and you are not a diehard movie watcher, then sub $500 for the arc is fine. However, if you are an enthusiast and plan to scale and your buying habits in audio tend to veer premium, you might as well skip the debate and jump on the Ultra. Unlike Beam gen 2, the Ultra is a more than just a generational iteration. While Sonos’s acoustic tuning and sonic signature is shared across all of its products, the Ultra is a different soundbar than the outgoing Arc. It will have much better dialogue and Spatial Audio for overhead at,os if that appeals. It will also have much more bass, adding the value of a complete system without necessarily a need for a sub. I think Sonos hasn’t reduced the price of the Arc for the time being in order to demonstrate the tremendous value of the Ultra for $100 more. For those who have an Arc with subs and surrounds, the upgrade will be nominal to moderately substantial depending on the room acoustics (size of room and ceiling height). For first time sound bar users, the word so far is that the Arc Ultra is best at sub $1500 even matching the $2500 Sennheiser. It comes down to your purchasing habits in this category. This is just my opinion . Best is if you goto a BBY and get a sense for tithe new Ultra and how you think it will perform in your set up

This is exactly what I’m on the hunt for. Did you pull the trigger? Arc ultra with two 100’s.

Wrong.

Pulled the trigger on the era’s, sub, and arc ultra. It literally shakes the house on not even a quarter volume

I agree. I would actually go as far to say that I am somewhat a little disappointed with the Ultra Arc. It's great, but I wouldn't say it's absolute leaps and bounds above the beam gen 2. Dolby atmos soundstage is incredible on the arc ultra but the majority of content we watch day to day is YouTube, iPlayer, sky etc which is usually pcm 2.0 where you can barely hear the difference which is a little disappointing for £1k! Still it's a lovely bit of kit but beam 2 still kicks ass

I know Sonos is getting a lot of heat lately, but I only use my Arc Ultra, sub and era 300s for home theater and they are incredible. The front stage atmos from the Ultra is a massive upgrade from my old Arc, but the Arc is still a great soundbar, especially since it's down to like $675? Definitely a solid price. With the Arc on sale right now, I'd get that with the sub mini, and you'd have a great system. The sub mini packs a great punch, and doesn't annoy your neighbors if you're in an apartment or a smaller room. But the app has had issues lately, but I haven't run into any as it seems to effect people who have more speakers than myself or those who play lots of music through different music streaming apps.

I respect that everyone has different experiences, but for me saying the Arc doesn't hold up vs the beam 2 is a bit much. The Beam 2 is a very solid speaker, especially its bass. But either your room wasn't a good space for the arc, or you just trusted trueplay too much and didn't try to manually adjust for your preference, which is often a massive mistake with Sonos. So many people just use trueplay and think it's perfect, but it's such an overrated tool that often results in some very wonky sounding systems in my opinion. I can always manually adjust my system better than trueplay does, and I've done it for family members as well who can't believe how much better their system sounds, as they too thought trueplay was the only way to set up their Sonos system. At first I wasn't impressed with the Arc ultra, but once I got it dialed in, it's incredible, it absolutely balances out my era 300s, when I hear a train coming at me now I hear a massive front stage whoosh, and then my era 300s pick up the big whoosh, whereas the Arc always felt overwhelmed by the 300s, which was why I went with the Ultra. But I will say I don't listen to music, I only watch films, so obviously it's possible we just have different needs. Atmos literally makes me excited every day, anytime I hear some incredible new sounds from my 300s or now my ultra, it generates pure happiness, so I think it's important for people to know that these things to do work in the right room and when setup properly. But please don't take it personally, I think I'm speaking more generally, I know that people have different needs and obviously we all hear things differently and have very unique spaces for our equipment, which can have a massive effect on how we experience the exact same system. But I'm glad you've found the system that fits you best, that is what's most important in the end.

I came arc and era 300s and the balance between the back and the front is pretty big. Also, music sounds a lot clearer to me from the front. I also got the arc for 600 refurbished from Sonos and they let me return it for the ultra

Yep same here. Play music I have heard brand new instruments too

I have the same xperience…honestly people need to compare old Arc with new arc ultra without sub and 300s. With them it sounds much better anyway…but I guess I will return my ultra for an exchange one and if it’s the same I stay with my old arc…

> “90% features” but 0% functionality. At first they said "most features will be restored by mid-June" Here we are now. I would have been the type of person that would have pre-ordered the Arc Ultra to see if I like it before the app update, since the app, I don't know if it will pair with my older Sub so I'm like "nah, I'll just keep waiting vs spending money"

> Seems very much like a beam 1 / beam 2 situation with the exact same design, no? it's 2 inches shorter in height, 2 inches longer, has and has more speakers it's not the same form factor like the Beam 1 / Beam 2

If you don't like treble, Sonos may not be the one, they go for a very treble forward sound. I didn't like it, couldn't tune my Arc to sound good so I sold it for a Q990D. The other thing to keep in mind if you are fussy about sound, which I admit I am: is Sonos seems to tweak the sound signature of their bars once or twice a year, so there is no guarantee if you like its sound now, that you will still like it in a years time, after they tweak its sound. @

Yes, they probably all can, but don't, with the exception of Sonos who have a track record of doing it regularly. Most people may not notice or care, but if like me, you are fussy about sound, this is something to be aware of.

Just received mine this morning Not sure when I get it set up , upgrading from arc / era300 to ultra /era 300 Dublin /ireland 1day shipping 😬 Still no professional reviews 🤔 We are the testers it seems !!

Are you sure? I have a Q990B right now and I’m told the Q990D sounds practically identical. When i go to stores and listen, the Arc alone sounds better than the whole Samsung system

Having both I agree with you. I find with the 300s this the arc ultra shines. I add bass as well and the voices have a deeper tone.

I have a 5.1 set up with an Arc, Sub mini, and two Ones as rear surround speakers. I have the latest Apple TV 4K (gen 3 2022) and the new featured released on TVOS 18 for “enhanced dialogue” actually helped with the low dialogue level people had reported with the Arc. When set to “enhanced” the feature does boost the dialogue for stereo PCM, multichannel PCM 5.1 and Dolby Atmos audio. The center channel sounds more focused and louder. Wanted to share that for anyone with a similar set up to try that. I’m very tempted though to say fuck it and buy two 300s to use as rear surround speakers… I’m hearing good things about the Arc paired with 300s

I have Ultra+Sub mini+era 100. Upgraded Beam2 moved to the living room. I agree, Beam2 is really great and it is hard to justify the price difference (x2-x2.5).

The Ultra is a significant improvement on the Arc, ditto the 2x Sub Gen 4. But what makes a MASSIVE difference are the 2 x Era 300s as surrounds - damn they're punchy on the dedicated Sonos stands. Original system was an Arc + Sub Gen 3 + Sonos:CONNECT Amp with a pair of KEF LS50s as surrounds. The Era 300s are as good (to my ears) as the LS50s - and no more wires!

In a word: outstanding. Ultra + Era 300s is a *lot* better than I had hoped. Very capable with all musical genres. Try John Mayer's *Vultures* and be amazed. Bass is pretty epic too with a Sub Gen 4. No way I'll ever be going above 50% on the volume : )

I would say spend the extra money and get the arc ultra. It’s worth it just to hear the dialogue.

Hello community, I just wanted to tell you that I got my Arc Ultra 4 days ago and I couldn't be happier, it's crazy how it sounds on its own, regardless of whether the sound source has Dolby Atmos or not, the frequency range it reproduces is perfect, not a single detail is lost. I've tried several movies from streaming and I haven't been disappointed in any of them, in fact I've been surprised by several. Then listening to music on TIDAL is a true moment of relaxation and enjoyment. Lastly, playing on the PS5 is taking the console to another level, just listening to the engines of Gran Turismo 7, please, what incredible madness! I send you a hug and to anyone who can buy the Arc Ultra I have nothing else to say to you but DO IT!

Your best move is going to be to buy the Ultra, then if you can upgrade to the era 100 you will get more detailed surround sound and a bit better bass too (era 100 bass +25% than the one sl). Above it talks about the ultimate sound bubble, that would be with the era 300.

Beosound Theatre, Ambeo Max (followed by Plus) , Arc (ultra) in that order.

I agree that Arc was disappointing for music. Arc Ultra for me is big upgrade especially for stereo music. It is really fine for my needs with 2x Era 300 only.

Arc is an excellent bar. And it can be control by cec. So it is pretty seemless.

The intro of the arc ultra has drop the price of the arc

Depend on budget. They get better as with higher prices. On my lg oled the sonos arc ultra has 3 level of dialogue enhancement. The second level is kore them enough too kewp the dialogue in high action scenes. The sonos beam 2 has this as well. And it works well too.

It sonos arc ultra work well with lg. I use it with my LG B4. Samsung make good sound soundbars. But they drop the ball on their firmware update with bricking some soundbars with the last update on their 990. If you are looking at a more busget friendly. The lg bars work well. They like the lower cost samsung does not do atmos like samsung top of the line. The lg s80qr is a pretty good soundbar that is not super expensive.

I’ve always preferred the beam 2 sound signature to the arc, as much as I trueplayed, eq adjusted it never sounded right, far too trebly, some scenes actually hurt my ears!!! I do think size of room must play a part, the arc and arc ultra are probably better suited to larger size living rooms, smaller rooms like mine it all gets a bit much!!

My justification for buying the ultra was that we have a crappy old sound bar in the living room and been wanting to move the Arc upstairs. What perfect timing ;-). Will probably add a sub mini eventually in the living room. But agreed with most of what you said. Seems like some 4k UHDs or Blu-ray’s sound astoundingly louder. Not the greatest movie but I put assassins creed in last night and the volume was at 15-18% it sounded like it was at 30%. My set up is ultra 2x era 300s 2x gen 3 subs.

Speech enhancements are off by default and the voices are very clear. I'm impressed with this bar.

I think you definitely should have a listen somewhere, I had a 3.1 system with good sized bookshelves and a large sub, and I'm more than impressed with the sound quality and clarity. I only bought it because my girlfriend wanted a cleaner look, and I thought that we both wouldn't like the sound so I could return it, but man was I wrong...

Want to chime in as well. Current setup: Arc + Sub Mini + 2x Era 300 as well as Arc and Sub 3 (in another room) Tested the Ultra for a few hours today and standalone, it sounds a lot fuller and better then the normal Arc. Dialog is better but to me the Beam Gen 2 still takes #1 for center channel clarity. Combined with the Sub Mini and Era 300s I honestly barely noticed a difference. Dialog still a bit better, Athmos conted sounded more convincing - but that might have been placebo. All in all it's definately an upgrade, but not as night and day as I wanted it to be.

I mean compared to the Arc. Standalone the ultra is hands down just a better and more expensive device. But in an setup with Era 300 and Sub Mini or 3, I barely here a difference.

I mean compared to the Arc. Standalone the ultra is hands down just a better and more expensive device. But in an setup with Era 300 and Sub Mini or 3, I barely here a difference.

The Ultra is better but not even close to 2x as good. We’ve got two Arcs, sold one at a very hefty loss for an Ultra. Satistfied, but not at a 550€ premium.

I’d put the beam 2 above both the era 100 and the arc ultra, and probably about 2x era 100’s. They don’t hit the low end very well.

I purchased my 1st Sonos product, the beam 2 because of Andrew’s glowing review. Since then, I added the sub mini, ones and eventually the Arc and Era 300s. I was going to skip the Arc ultra because I believe the improvement is marginal from prior reviews and feedbacks from the forum. After watching this video, I ordered the ultra and the sub 4.

So I see the subs woofer size changed - 5inches vs 3 1/2 on gen 3. I mean I’ll take it, but they could have done much better…

Yeah most likely when it comes to sonos. Otherwise you have sammy, sony, and ambeo…or bose

I mean if we’re going by points the ultra immersive set scored 8.1 vs 990d’s 8.6. You’re telling me .5 makes or breaks a system? Dnt forget the score includes video passthrough, audio latency via passthrough, and wireless playback. The first two sonos scored 0 since Sonos does not support passthrough - and the last one sonos minimally supports.

I’m on volume 15* on the ultra in a 24x17 room watching Jurassic park. Can confirm dialogue is discernible - no enhancements. If you ever get the chance to demo the arc Ultra in your room give it a shot. Sonos either gets shit on or highly praised in this subreddit - there’s never an inbetween.

Dragons such a waste. glad you went a different route. I too went Ultra, 300, dual subs. However my subs always hit - I haven’t had to check if they are working.

I went with arc ultra full system. No regrets

Yeah thats too bad your arc demo sucked. Store demos are only so good because it’s not your space. I have the full arc ultra setup with dual sub 4’s. Good stuff especially atmos on disc. I’m in a 24x17 room and it fills without issue. I came from a 5.1.4 system and I’ll probably go back to it someday, however the only thing that I really miss is the impactful subwoofer. The sub gen 4’s do a seriously good job for what it is, but no soundbar sub is hitting 20hz at 115db that’s the only thing I miss. I got arc ultra all for $3k at bestbuy. Subs were on sale and ultra was $835 when buying all in a bundle

It will perform admirable with era 100’s. It would provide even more “pseudo” atmos as there’s no height drivers and the era 100’s utilize a virtual surround. Era 100’s to 300’s is probably a 50% difference in sound. Coming from towers the power is lost for sure but 2inch drivers vs 8inch drivers driven by an AVR that can supply 100watts per channel of course is going to sound much better. However when it comes to surround, dynamics, and overall convenience the sonos does an outstanding job for what it is. I personally feel you’ll really enjoy the system - and you can add a second sub if you ever need more even bass.

Arc ultra for sure. I own the full system with dual subs.

I’d say arc ultra is not the original arc with “ultra” slapped on to it. It is better than the arc - not 100% better which is really never the case with a revamped version. Dynamics, highs, lows, mids all have been increased and no longer are recessed like the old arc was. It’s like they opened up the soundbar to let it fly with sound. Spatial sound has definitely increased which is by far the most noticeable thing from the ultra.

Oh wow so a smallish room. Either one will do fine. I haven’t heard soundstage yet but arc ultra and plus yes. I’d give the ultra the edge in terms of bass compared to ambeo. But Ambeo does provide better clarity and sonic sound. Soundstage I heard has good bass as well and and great overall soundstage. Youre just paying a bunch of more for the name. I really think you’ll enjoy the ambeo out of all of them. It’s a super fun soundbar and it’s on the smaller side in terms of dimensions

Well with the 300’s Sonos would definitely rank higher on your list..

Ooo yeah ok I read your original reply wrong then. Yeah it’s true they did. However imo it doesn’t hinder the system negatively, but I can understand being annoyed by that implementation

If neighbors are a concern, even though you said you don’t hear yours, I’d opt for the arc ultra. It’s got a great “sub” in the bar itself and provides immersive audio. The ambeo plus is on sale for $1k as well

Was able to buy today from Richer Sounds for £919. Currently using the Sonos Arc Ultra with Sub 4 and it sounds great but apparently there's not much between both the Sonos and Samsung?

Last October, I bought an Arc Ultra, sub-mini and just added an Era 100 and I love them all. No problems with connecting them to my TV or home network, or figuring out how to link them together.

The Samsung is fantastic. The Sonos ultra is fantastic. I’ve had mine for several weeks now. However, the Sonos app experience is terrible. It’s so bad that I have just bought a Denon AVR to replace it. The Ambeo Plus I would consider if the Samsung is too big. I don’t think there are rear speakers for the Ambeo though

Go with the Arc Ultra! In General, the sound for music and Movies is very impressive and a big upgrade to the Arc. Especially the bass is more than enough and you can reall feel it where with the ARC you needed a Sub. Now, tbh you don‘t really need a sub if you don‘t want to go all out. Arc Ultra > Beam + Sub Mini

I have a C4 55 and was underwhelmed by the default sound. Put in a Sonos Arc Ultra (no external subs or speakers) and much happier now. I would love a full surround setup but it just isn't possible with the way my place is laid out. Even just the soundbar was a night and day improvement over the TV. I've been hearing alot of complaints about the Sonos app ecosystem but since mine is just running off the HDMI cable direct in, no issues there.

I listened to both music and movies. It sounds fantastic.

Here’s my setup: LG C2 Arc Ultra Era 300 rears 2 Sub Gen 3s Watched Dune 2 last night, a movie I saw 10 times in theaters, so I know the moments sound should hit me. Viewed it on 4k Blu-ray (True HD) which is as good as it gets. It was a phenomenal experience. the dialogue channel issues I had with the previous Arc are fixed. I never altered the speech enhancement and everything was so clear and balanced 😭🙌 Atmos music listening has improved too. Lizzy McAlpine’s Erase Me, Jon Batiste’s Drink Water, and of course Elton’s Rocket Man sounded crisp and clear, especially in the lead vocal. Some Atmos mixes are better than others so those results will still vary. I don’t know how they’ve improved so many things in a smaller device, but they have. If you’re considering upgrading from any previous soundbar, do it. The Ultra is the truth.

The best and correct answer is to do the following you get an arc ultra from Sonos however no Sonos products provides a center channel but because the master series Sony is the only television on earth that provides a center channel in on the back of the television you are able if you acquire the zone2- pro to also purchase the Sony bar nine Home Theater sound bar, which has a bunch of spatial audio is a whole system, but most of all it integrates such that both the television and the sound bar are a full center channel by which you can hear our conversations on different parts of the screen like not anything you’ve ever seen or heard before… this is a recording I took of it for my brother… in the video above is the bar nine and below is the arc ultra https://share.icloud.com/photos/0ccs9an_aJJQ3TSaThoJ1sJpw

Got 1 after a lot of deliberation to test it out and mind blown. Really good on its own and no sub required if you are in an apartment. Sub might be an overkill 😅

The arc ultra, no question. Having upfiring speakers is already a huge win for the standard arc, especially in a spare room scenario. The arc ultra should be able to do it all, a little (bass, surround, height, center) whereas your other options (beam & sub or surround) would only focus more heavily on one of those aspects. For a spare room, get the all in one all rounder. I predicted the arc ultras paired tweeter woofer setup to be vastly better than the standard arcs mid woofers array and it seems like the preliminary results corroborate that. If you have the money, just aim for the best. You can add surrounds or a sub later if you really want, but it's a spare, so the guests won't complain. Also ... Can I come over and stay in this spare room a little...?

Io ho acquistato un paio di settimane fa la sonos Arc Ultra e il subwoofer sonos gen 4.. semplicemente fantastico..sembra di essere al cinema! Tra poco mi comprerò anche 2 sonos era 100 per usarli come satelliti posteriori e poi credo proprio che sarò a posto🤣

Concerning the Samsung HW-Q990D. Their statement is simply not true. I tested the Q990d, returned it as the sound quality didn't convince me. I got the Arc Ultra with Sub and Era 300 and it is superior in every way. They claim that the Q990D can compete with a full Sonos surround set and that is simply not true. Sonos system provides a wider soundstage. More detailed, better imaging, bass, surround. Much much better than Samsung option for music. The Q990d is great value, and the Sonos system is too expensive. But let's be fair. In terms of sound performance, the Sonos is superior as it should. What Hi-fi review provides a more accurate description of the Arc Ultra performance. [Sonos Arc Ultra review: a superb-sounding soundbar with improvements to more than just bass | What Hi-Fi?](https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sonos-arc-ultra) As a soundbar it trades blows with the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 where Bravia is better in some areas and the Sonos with others. Same for the Ambeo. The following review gets into a bit more detail showing the frequency response and comparing it with the Ambeo. [https://youtu.be/TS5FWUUdp0w](https://youtu.be/TS5FWUUdp0w) People need to stop making false statements that the Q990d sounds as good as the Sonos full immersive set. as it drives people to buy the wrong product if they are looking for sound quality. I bought the Q990d after watching and reading so many good reviews. RTINGs was one of the main reasons why I got the Q990d. But for music the Q990d lacked detail and bass was too muddy. That is not the case with Sonos solution. It is superior in every way., But far more costly as well.

RTINGs compared with the old Arc. [Hifi.de](http://Hifi.de) statement is simply not true. There are plenty of others that have compared, and they don't share [HIFI.de](http://HIFI.de) opinion. What HI-FI for instance. And Reddit users like me sharing our experiences. A pic of both boxes when I was unboxing. Trust me. If I could have saved more than $1000 I would. And no. I'm not saying the Sonos Arc Ultra + Era 300 + Sub 4 provides a $1000 improvement in sound quality. But's considerably superior in sound quality. And particularly for me, in terms of sound quality, design and features it fits my needs. Despite the price, me and my wife are a lot happier with the Sonos. But I understand that for a lot of people, that's a big investment and prefer a more value focused solution sacrificing sound quality for affordability. The Q990d is great for most in this case. https://preview.redd.it/06cs5m1o032e1.png?width=1760&format=png&auto=webp&s=a79f92d0f8bcc74f8ce860703e24a4300eab4428

We are exactly on the same boat. I bought the LG G4 83” as well. With such a massive TV I want much better sound quality to pair with it. I just tested the Q990d, returned it and I’m now waiting for the Sonos Arc Ultra + Era + Sub. Sharing my experience in hopes it will save you some time. First I was leaning towards the Q990d and asking opinions on it: [https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1g9juap/comment/ltcri7k/](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1g9juap/comment/ltcri7k/) Then I received it and started testing it. Ended up feeling that it wasn’t enough. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Soundbars/comments/1gfq1cl/comment/luyaxvw/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Soundbars/comments/1gfq1cl/comment/luyaxvw/) In practice the sound quality of the Q990d didn’t convince me. It wasn’t much of an improvement over my old Onkyo Home theater system. The soundstage was smaller. (its a soundbar). But really. I wanted a big upgrade when it comes to sound quality and this wasn’t it. Bass felt muddy to me. Not much detail or separation. There’s a lot of options to tweak but overall I can tell this is a mid range system. I considered other options such as the Sony Bravia Theater and others. So after checking early reviews for the Arc Ultra and contacting with my local audio store where I bought the Q990d, the consensus seems to be that even though the Q990d is great value, the Arc Ultra sounds better than any other soundbar in the market. Sure it doesn’t have the sub and rear speakers, but it can be expanded. Sure it costs 3-4x more than the Q990d when you buy all the components but it will sound much much better once the system is complete. The Arc Ultra + Sub + Era is a $2500 investment. 4x the price of the Samsung option. But it seems that is the price to pay for a premium audio experience. It won’t be 4x better than the Q990D. But according to user opinions and other reviewers it is indeed a step up in audio immersion. To quote the reddit user that helped me : “(arc ultra) expect very marginal improvements, but also very noticeable in sound quality, fidelity, and overall balance!” “For the best? (Money no object type of situation), Sonos, especially if you spend at least 40% of your sound bar use time listening to music.” In my case I value sound quality above all else. I’m willing to sacrifice Chromecast, DTS X or extra HDMI ports for better sound and integration. I’m tired of wasting money on jack of all trades options that are great value but don’t excel at the most important metric. Sound. Lastly, there is one thing that made a difference for me. Dolby Atmos spatial audio music. I’ve got Apple Music but I don’t have an Apple TV. Currently it is only possible to hear Apple Music with Dolby Atmos on the Q990d if you have an Apple TV. (i don’t) With the NVIDIA Shield, and other streaming devices it seems the only option is stereo. Options are still a bit limited when it comes to getting Dolby Atmos music on the Q990d . But on the Sonos Ecosystem, you can stream Apple Music, Tidal. Amazon Unlimited, from the Sonos App to the Arc with Dolby Atmos. And that makes a huge difference for me as I want the best music experience … Reviews: [https://www.sound-advice.online/product-reviews/sonos-arc-ultra](https://www.sound-advice.online/product-reviews/sonos-arc-ultra)

I got the Sonos Arc Ultra, Era 300, and Sub 4 about 3 days ago and the improvement in sound quality was immediately noticeable, even without adjustments. The system is significantly better than the Samsung Q990d, and importantly, my wife, who isn't an audio enthusiast, also noticed the difference. It’s not a night-and-day improvement, but the sound quality is definitely superior. **Key Differences:** * **Sonos Arc Ultra s. Q990d:** The Sonos setup doesn’t sound like a traditional soundbar; it feels more like a dedicated home theater system. In contrast, the Q990d, though enhanced by rear speakers, still suffers from the limitations of its soundbar. If you only buy the Arc Ultra without rear speakers, it will still outperform the Samsung soundbar on its own. But Samsung rear speakers will make out for it giving a better sense of immersion. * **Music and Atmos Performance:** The Q990d struggles with music, especially where detail and channel separation matter. It compensates for this by relying heavily on the rear speakers, but they aren’t powerful enough to deliver a truly immersive music experience. The Sonos system, on the other hand, excels at both music and movies, offering clear, detailed sound. * **Subwoofer Comparison:** The Sonos Sub 4 integrates seamlessly with the system and delivers deep, immersive bass that feels like it fills the room, adding a "wow factor" during intense scenes in movies like *Blade Runner* or *Dune*. The Samsung sub, while decent, lacks the depth and clarity, often sounding muddy. **Conclusion:** The Sonos Arc Ultra system is undoubtedly superior to the Q990d in sound quality, though it comes at a higher price. While the Q990d is a great value for an all-in-one system, it’s limited by its soundbar and less detailed bass. The Sonos setup, however, allows for future upgrades and delivers better, more detailed sound. My advice: If you have the budget and patience, invest in Sonos and build your system over time for the best long-term experience. If you’re on a tight budget and need everything in one package, the Q990d is a solid choice, but it won’t offer the same level of sound quality nor will you be able to improve it down the line even if you wanted to.

I shared my impressions above but if you want a more professional review What HI-FI pretty much nails my experience. [https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sonos-arc-ultra](https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sonos-arc-ultra) Key points for me when compared. Much more. detailed, much better bass and music sounds much much better than with the Samsung option.

Got mine today too and it’s now paired with a Sub 3 and Era 300’s. I have the speech enhancement on Medium cos that was the default when I switched it on. What do you have yours on?

Got mine a few hours ago. Came from the arc1. Only had an issue after setting up trueplay where I had no sound from the tv. Was resolved after turning the power off and on. Found the sound from the arc ultra itself a bit muddy with bass heavy voices. After pairing it with my sub gen3 it sounded much better.

Another noticeable change is that the sub3 is used less while listening to music. Most low tones seem to be coming from the ultra. Except for the really deep notes of course. I find that to be a very big improvement too as I always felt like having to turn the sub down when listening to music. If you’re able to get the ultra either with the 15 or 30% upgrade discount it would be be very worth it. Without that the price to upgrade is quite steep.

Hello guys. Sitting with my Ultra playing in the background and i thought i have a few words to say. I listen to a LOT of music, but i am not an audiophile. I just love a good frequency response and my ears are here to judge. Room is about 12 sq.m. No treatment except a rug and a basic furniture. **Context.** I am coming from a Beam 2 + One's + Sub 3 setup. Was a happy Sonos user just before the app fiasco. Decided to go full traditional HT setup about a year ago, because why not? Sold by Beam setup, went with Denon AVR (S760H), KEF Q550, KEF Q250C (center channel) and SVS SB1000. Long story short i was amazed at first. Front stage was something i have never experienced at home before - imaging, stereo separation is just on another level. And the bass, oh the bass! Switching from a tiny Beam was a revelation and of course it is - you can't cheat physics. But after a few days of listening i came to a conclusion that separation and low end is the only positive thing i can think of. The sound was just "not right". I'll address this later in the post. Ok, sold my Q550, bought LS50 Meta. I don't think that i need to introduce the speakers that are objectively praised anywhere. Same thing, but better image. Honestly these 2 babies made me feel like i have a 5.1 system already. But again - i was always tinkering. Something ALWAYS felt off to me. I just couldn't stop myself from using EQ even with room correction done. And believe me, i've done Audyssey a hundred times. Alright, done with KEF, got my Lintons 85. Beautiful, amazing speakers. Best pair i had an opportunity to listen to. BUT AGAIN! I would not go into details here, but i was not "into" the sound. The urge to tinker was constant and it was driving me crazy. P.S. Yep, the AVR is not that good, but we are talking diminishing returns here. I learned REW, i did EVO One (by master Serkan, google it, any iteration until this day). I was into everything an average person can imagine, it just didn't feel "right". AVS forum was my home for a couple of months thats for sure. Imagine my disappointment. Sold everything and treated myself with Naim Muso 2. Very, very good "speaker". But Ultra came out and Naim was sold. **Review, actually.** **1) Setup.** No issues here, despite known problems. The app worked flawlessly. Connected to Wi-Fi, did an update, all good. Took me 10 minutes. Yes, the app still needs some tweaks here and there, but overall i think it's absolutely fine. **2) Sound.** The juicy part, finally. No TP, no EQ, default settings. Apple music + YouTube + some movies via DLNA (LG CX) It sounds...amazing! For the first time in a VERY long time don't have any issues with it. Highs are smooth (looking at you, Muso), dialogue and mids are just the way they should be (no speech ench), and the bass is very, very nice. Do you know the feeling when you listen to something all day and when you return home it feels like something is off? Yeah i know, this is very arguable, but this is not the case. We all know that low end is the most problematic thing in smaller rooms, but honestly i don't have anything bad to say. Moving around the room doesn't make me feel like a listen to a different speaker. It is good, balanced, precise and punchy. I don't know what magic Sonos did, but it just works. Now, you can say that i am "used" to Sonos sound signature, but being a 38 y.o guy with a few different devices daily i can safely say that this is simply not true. **3) The bad.** As i already mentioned, i am coming from Beam 2. And Ultra feels like Beam 2 but BIGGER if i may. Testing a few good mixed stereo tracks (e.g Such Great Heights by Postal Service) there is very little stereo separation. The scene is wider, yes. But if you are looking for separation - look elsewhere, Tested Elton John"s Rocketman too in Dolby Atmos and it is just fine, not much to say. A-ha's Take On Me is the same. I am sure that it will change with adding Era 300 or 100's. Didn't test Atmos movies. **Conclusion.** Seeing Andrew Robinson's latest Q and A made me share a few thoughts. Sonos is NOT an audiophile segment, but is good enough for most people like me. Even my girlfriend who was nearby was surprised. Very, absolutely good enough. Home HT is a very, very steep rabbit hole, but Sonos (and other brands of course) gives you options. Do not expect miracles here, it's physics. And you must do your research before buying it. Yes it's premium, yes the app is shit yada yada. Yes, recent news about subscription are a disaster. I feel you. I feel bad for people who have app issues, but it works flawless for me. Yes, i know about Era 300 issues paired with Ultra. I was the person who bought Sub 3 just in time when TP was making the Sub non-existent. Ultra is a very good speaker, insanely good i would say. If you can buy it - buy it. It is a joy to listen and i would die on this hill. Thank you! P.S this may seem like an ad when i read this, but fuck me it's not. Long time lurker, not a huge poster. Apologies for punctuation here and there, english is not my native language.

I found out that Advanced TP bumps center channel on the Arc waaay to much. This kills dynamics with music. Bass is also very neutered. Advanced makes the Arc very lifeless and flat. This may be better for movies though. However Quick TP rounds up the Arc very nicely. Miles better in my experience. Bass is almost the same as stock, a little bit less boomy which I like.

I am coming from Beam and I also feel like some content sounds very artificial on Ultra, even sibilant at times. Which makes me feel it’s a firmware issue or a bug. However the bass on this thing is in a league of its own. I don’t understand how that thin stick can provide such good low frequencies. Ultra is not bad, but I do remember Beam fondly. To me Ultra sounds like Beam but bigger, wider. Can’t wait to try it with full setup with 300s and a Sub.

I think it was the thread created by me🙈 I am listening Ultra now at max volume and it sounds fantastic! But again I swear the sibilance issue persists from time to time, especially with dialogue like you mentioned. Most YouTube videos sound like shit with pronounced SSS is a prime example.

If you don't want to bother go with Sonos. Arc or Arc Ultra + Era 100 (or 300) + Sub of your choice. It is pricey but you can add components later when budget allows. Start with a soundbar, i would recommend Arc Ultra or Beam 2 depending on the space. You can go with decent AVR + KEF Q150s for example as a stereo pair but soundbars now can be very good with basic plug and play. No wires is a huge plus too. Most of the streaming content is in Dolby Atmos now and you can get a very good results with a soundbar without needing to drill the holes in the ceiling. Again, very space dependable but still. Audio is difficult, i've been in both camps. For a dedicated HT space i would definitely go with AVR. For a living room i would not bother and get a soundbar.

This is my anecdote. If you have an Arc or Arc Ultra and love it, please enjoy your system! But for those who feel like they can relate to anything I'm saying or are on the fence about what Sonos soundbar to purchase, this might help you make a decision. My home theater setup has been an absolute rollercoaster. Three years ago, my first Sonos product was a Beam Gen 2. I shared it with a roommate in a sparsely furnished apartment with tall ceilings and tons of echo, it sounded alright, but never great. We rarely used the living room, so there was zero incentive to add subs or surrounds. When the roommate moved out, they took the Beam with them, and it worked much better in their new space. They still love it to this day. Two years ago, I moved in with my SO and had full reign over our living room/home theater. I went all in and built what I considered my *dream setup* at the time: A high quality pair of standing speakers (went with Polk R500s) powered by a Sonos Amp. I absolutely loved the simplicity of the Sonos ecosystem. I added a Sub Mini and found a killer deal on 2x Ones with Sonos stands to use as surrounds. This system *kicked ass*. Music sounded sublime, movies with dynamic sound mixing felt lifelike, and even basic TV dialogue was incredible, it genuinely sounded like people were in the room with you. This past summer, my SO and I moved into a new space, and unfortunately, there was zero room for my beloved standing speakers I purchased just a year prior. By then, the Arc Ultra was supposed to be released based on leaks from December 2023, but thanks to Sonos nuking the app, it still wasn’t out by the time we moved. I found a local audio shop that took my standing speakers as trade, and I used the credit to get a Sonos Arc. I also sold my Amp, breaking even. Around the same time, I found another deal on Era 100s and broke even sellings Ones + OEM stands. By August, I had my full new setup: Arc, Sub Mini, and Era 100 surrounds. And all I could say was that it sounded fine. Well-mastered Atmos movies and music were *good*, but for regular stereo content (most music, podcasts, and general TV) it barely felt like a step above TV speakers, which I despise with a passion. Trueplay really carried the system, without it, I would’ve ditched the Arc immediately. It was a night-and-day difference after tuning, but I still knew the Arc wasn’t for me. When the Arc Ultra was finally announced in October, I pre-ordered within an hour because I just couldn’t stand the Arc anymore. One of my favorite things to do with my old standing speaker setup was to demo my favorite music on a quiet weekend day, and that just wasn’t possible with how poor the Arc sounded. Lows and mids were muffled, and highs felt overly tinny on most of my favorite tracks. When the Ultra arrived in early November, I eagerly set it up, and after performing Trueplay, it definitely sounded much better than the Arc. It was more “full” sounding, like a wall between the speaker and listener had been lifted ([I actually praised it in a first impressions post I made](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1gi89ch/upgraded_from_arc_to_arc_ultra_first_impressions/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)). The biggest improvement was the center channel, dialogue in movies and shows was elevated 2-3x over the other channels, which made it crystal clear, though at times it felt unrealistically over-exaggerated. I was generally enjoying the Ultra with no plans to replace it anytime soon... until Thanksgiving week. While staying at my parents’ house on a quiet day when no one else was around, I blasted some music through their setup: a Sonos Amp powering my old Polk T50 speakers (a pair I bought for just $150 on sale back when I was in college), a perfect system for them as they stream a lot of music, watch soley stereo TV content, and play their turntable through it from time to time. I couldn’t believe it. That $150 pair of speakers sounded *heavenly* compared to the Ultra. When I got home, I couldn’t unhear it. The Ultra sounded so processed and lifeless by comparison. I re-performed Trueplay, adjusted the EQ, everything! but nothing could make it sound right to me. I honestly felt disgusted listening to it again. I couldn’t justify the $750 I paid (with a 30% off coupon). I scrambled to request a return during the final days of the return window. I wanted that thing out of my sight ASAP. At this point, I still wanted to stick with Sonos because I had no qualms with my Sub Mini or Era 100s, and space constraints still ruled out a return to a proper standing speaker setup, even a small bookshelf setup was out of the question unfortunately. The Beam was the only option I could trust, It was $300 refurbished with recent sales and an absolute no brainer at that price (Ray was out of the question because IMO HDMI-ARC/CEC are essentials in 2024). If I was going to have a system that didn't sound *great*, I'd rather it sound *ok* for $300, rather than *ok* for $750 like the Ultra did for me, and I’d be able to pocket the savings for a future dream system. My Beam arrived last Thursday, and I set it up Friday night. After performing Trueplay, I was genuinely surprised at how good it sounded as part of the full surround setup with Sub Mini and Era 100s. Stereo content sounded much cleaner and far less processed than either the Arc or Ultra. I had been without the Ultra for just over a week, so I couldn’t compare directly, but to my ears, the Beam sounded slightly better. Sure, stereo separation is weaker, physics is physics, and the Beam is shorter, and honestly, the Atmos overhead effects on the Arc and Ultra were never apparent to me in my Arc setups anyway. The real magic moment came on Saturday when my SO was out. I sat down to demo some music, fully prepared to be underwhelmed. It was *unbelievable*. For the first time since my standing speaker setup, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to music again, cranking the volume and just in awe at how good it sounded (sorry neighbors). I sat there for hours playing through some of my favorite albums. No overly processed highs, no muddy mids, everything just sounded clean, direct, and enjoyable. The Beam synergizes beautifully with the Sub Mini, which picks up the lows at just the right point to where each component plays to its strengths. I also keep my surrounds set to ambient for music, as full surround just doesn’t sound right to me, music should come from in front, not all around, but that’s just a personal preference. I can’t get over the fact that spending *less* money gave me such a better experience. The only thing I miss about the Ultra is its strong center channel, but Apple TV’s recently added dialogue enhance feature solves that perfectly. It’s *magic*, it makes speech perfectly clear without altering the rest of the mix, even on god-awful built-in TV speakers it works surprisingly well. After five long months of battling what is admittedly the *biggest first-world problem* of all time, I can finally sit and enjoy my sound system without listening fatigue or disappointment. Here’s where I stand now: I can’t recommend the Arc at all anymore, (assuming it doesn't get discontinued soon) it just doesn't stack up unless you have a full setup and still sounds disappointingly thin most of the time. The Ultra has its place for two extremes: 1) if you want a standalone, all-in-one sound system without sub + surrounds (its sound motion driver is insanely good at producing bass, I would toggle sub on/off when demoing it the difference was near imperceptible at times) it's the best option from Sonos. or 2) you’re building the ultimate Atmos setup with a Sub and Era 300s, it will no doubt provide the best rendering of surround effects for well mastered content. For everyone else, the Beam Gen 2 is *king*: For half the price of the Ultra (and much less on sale/refurb) stereo content sounds fantastic, surround content is still plenty immersive, and music is in a league of its own (when paired with a Sub to fill in the lows) due to a significant, and very welcome, lack of over-processing.

I got an ultra and sub 4 yesterday, set up the ultra with my era 100's as surrounds to begin with, I had to set my ATV to DD5.1 otherwise it was only two channel audio but when using infuse I had to play and quit three times before I got any audio, I could not hear the surrounds doing much even with various adjustments made, so got very underwhelmed and it's being picked up for return tomorrow. Never even got the sub out of the box. Oh well....

Yeh I tried adjusting the distance and the volume for the rears as well. It does not help my oled tv is old now and only has an arc input, so I won't get the full potential anyway. Also for me the issue is I have a dedicated 5.1 setup with an av receiver and I dont think any soundbar is going to match this type of setup.

I’m hoping to use my 15% off code that I have from previous sales and sell my existing Arc, but so many people are suddenly selling theirs it’s difficult to get rid of mine to be able to upgrade to the Ultra.

I’m having trouble selling mine for £490. So many people are selling.

My thoughts entirely. I’m itching to get the Ultra for exactly that reason. I’m about 10 feet from my Arc. I also have the 300’s but with a sub mini, but it is only a small living room.

That’s not what tech radar and others say. A full Sonos set up pisses all over it for both movies and especially music; albeit it’s more expensive, like-for-like. The App is a pain in the arse though..very inconsistent.

https://preview.redd.it/mlaith9rvxhe1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78737601c8faeed0e1701ef8e8a9b98da28eeb84 That’s comparing the two.

Just replaced my Arc with my new Arc Ultra. Full setup: Arc Ultra 2x Era 300s Sub Gen 3 Connected to Apple TV 4K using a Samsung S90C 77" TV (eArc) Setup using Trueplay and iPhone 16 Pro Max First impressions: 1. Sounds a lot brighter/clearer than the regular Arc - this is a good thing (not so bright as to cause distortion). 2. A lot of the bass seems to be coming from the Arc rather than the Sub now when playing back music 3. Center channel is improved immensely and I don't need to use the "enhance audio" option on the Apple TV anymore - just a much better experience (this is the main reason why I wanted to upgrade and was not left disappointed). 4. The brighter clearer sound does have one drawback that I noticed though when watching movies - I'm well aware of where the sound is coming from. This is especially clear for the front (left and right) channels. I do however appreciate the difference in clarity though so for me it's still a major win over the regular Arc. Haven't had too much time testing it out yet due to it being a workday after all, but overall I'm really impressed and happy with the upgrade. Other thoughts: 1. Not as tall as the regular Arc so there's now a noticeable gap between the TV and the soundbar which isn't aesthetically pleasing (not a negative though). 2. The white version now comes with a white power cable and white HDMI cable.

I think apple’s implementation is better, but don’t think it’s necessary anymore with the Ultra as speech is much better now.

The Arc Ultra is not a 9.1.4 system on its own. You need the Era 300s for the extra rear and Atmos channels. On its own, even calling it a 5.1.2 system is generous. Don't buy into the marketing fluff. It may process 9.1.4 channels with the Era 300s grouped vs. 7.1.4 with the same setup for the Arc, but without properly placed discrete speakers, like you would use in a traditional AVR-based home theater, it's all simulated and dependent on your room's acoustics and reflections. The Arc Ultra may sound better than your Arc, but if it does, it will be because it has more drivers, better low end, and more power - it won't be because of the two extra channels processed.

Starting to have buyers remorse. It keeps losing Bluetooth pairing when I start up my TV every other day. Arc Ultra.

Exactly, I want the ultra because it’s better and dialogue isn’t great on the arc but it’s also not so bad that I would get rid of arc. Thinking if I get ultra I bring arc to other tv with my ones and maybe one sub and have ultra and 300s and just one sub for other setup.

I appreciate you sharing your post and to each their own, but it’s insanity to say that the Beam Gen 2 is better than the Arc, and especially the Arc Ultra. The sound processing across all of them is very similar — the difference is the drivers and arrangement. I will agree that the Beam Gen 2 punches above its weight class, but to say it bests the Arc Ultra especially in anyway is pretty ridiculous. And I say this as someone who recently made a similar jump from Beam Gen 2 to the Arc Ultra. Is the Ultra twice as good (being twice as expensive)? No… and yes. It makes such a difference for movies and dialogue, and music sounds great too. It just is the same great sound as before, but better and more full and most importantly, effortless.

The Beam definitely doesn’t have more bass than the Arc Ultra.

No. Do not follow this. The Beam Gen 2 and Ultra (I’ve owned both) have similar levels of dialogue clarity. Make sure your TV audio settings are changed to fully utilize the Beam (like it’s set to pass through, etc).

The Arc Ultra is fantastic but I would not say its dialogue clarify is leagues better than the Beam at all. Its other upgrades make it worthwhile compared to the Beam but likely not if you’re focused on dialogue clarity improvement.

This is my personal review of the new Sonos soundbar, the __Arc Ultra!__ * No I don’t work for Sonos, and no I don’t work in the media. * I will not be getting into super technical sound wave charts or using specific audio equipment in this review, I will let the YouTubers handle that level of detail. * This is broken into 4 topics: __My setup, Before setting up the new Arc Ultra, Testing Arc vs Arc Ultra, and Other Information__ * Please reference my [previous](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/elWIxHRpAW) lengthy post that goes into major detail around these 5 major topics, including: __Dolby Atmos Basics, Sonos Arc vs Sonos Arc Ultra, Paring additional rear speakers and Subs, Upgrade vs other Sonos soundbar options, and Other information.__ * I also recently created a detailed and thorough [Sonos Networking & Troubleshooting guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/fGOvP9lLR3) check if out if you need some networking advise or support. * Last update __Nov 4th, 2024:__ change log is at the bottom. * I did this on my spare time, so be nice. 😂 # 1. My setup ## what is your home setup. I think this information can provide great context for people who are trying to compare systems, or maybe troubleshoot. * phone/app: iOS (iPhone 16 Pro Max) * wifi router(s): 3x eero max 7 (WiFi 7 mesh) * network: all Sonos speakers are __fully__ wireless, none are hardwired, __NOT__ using SonosNet * streaming device: Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen) * gaming console: PS5 * Ultra 4K HD Blu-ray device: Xbox Series X * Sonos Firmware: 16.4.4 (build 81.1-58210) * Sonos iOS app: 80.11.39 > also, I currently have over 25+ Sonos speakers on my network, all working just fine. ## what TV are you using? * For this specific review, I setup and tested the Arc Ultra on a __Sony 77” A80K OLED.__ This TV has full eARC & hdmi 2.1 support, and can also pass all audio via the eARC > below is the Audio Passthrough compatibility of my Sony TV, from https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/a80k-a80ck-oled (this is a good site to check your TV’s ARC/eARC capabilities) * ARC/eARC Port : eARC * eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus: Yes * eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1: Yes * eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT: Yes * eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1: Yes * eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA: Yes * eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1: Yes * eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream): 7.1 * ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1: Yes * ARC: DTS 5.1: Yes * Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1: Yes * Optical: DTS 5.1: Yes ## what Dolby Atmos media are you testing against? * Disney+: Avatar 2, The way of the water (lossy Atmos) * AppleTV+ (digital movie store purchase): John Wick 4 (lossy Atmos) * Ultra 4K Blu-ray: Marvel, Endgame (lossless Atmos) * PS5 Game: Marvel Spiderman 2 (official “3D Tempest” audio game / lossless Atmos) * Apple Music: Various Dolby Atmos music tracks * Apple TV 4K - Dolby Atmos Surround Speaker Check (3rd party testing app): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/surround-speaker-check/id1052439918 ## quickly remind me what the difference between lossy and lossless Atmos is again? To keep it simple you basically have two types of Atmos * __lossy__ (compressed) via Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) * __lossless__ (uncompressed) via Dolby TrueHD To be clear, both of these formats support Atmos, but these different forms of Atmos are not necessarily the same audio quality. lossy (compressed) Atmos via Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) should sound technically worse than lossless (uncompressed) Dolby TrueHD Atmos… lossless uncompressed audio should technically be a higher audio quality over lossy, because it has increased bandwidth and the original audio source is typically a much larger audio file with no (or very limited) compression. __Now, can you actually tell the difference with your own ears between the two? That is a debate for another time, on another thread.__ > for more info on Dolby Atmos in general, check my other detailed guide > [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/elWIxHRpAW) ## What other Sonos home theater setup(s) do you have experience with, or can test against? I have 5 different Sonos Home Theater setups in my home, as I have been using & collecting Sonos home theater equipment since the original Sonos Playbar soundbar launch in 2013. I have outlined the different setups below. __Room 1__ (very large room) * TV: 77” OLED Sony A80K (hdmi 2.1+ eARC) * soundbar: Sonos Ultra (was previously an Arc) * rears: Era 300’s * sub: Sub 4 + Sub 3 (was previously a Sub 3 + Sub 2) __Room 2__ (medium size room) * TV: 65” Mini LED Sony X95K (hdmi 2.1 + eARC) * soundbar: Arc * rears: Era 100’s * sub: Sub 2 __Room 3__ (smaller room) * TV: 65” LED Sony 900H (hdmi 2.1 + eARC) * soundbar: Arc * rears: One SL’s (will be replaced by new Era 100’s, shortly) * sub: Sub Mini __Room 4__ (smaller room) * TV: 65” LED Sony 950G (eARC) * soundbar: Beam Gen 2 * rears: Play:1’s * sub: Sub mini __Room 5__ (smaller room) * TV: 55” LED Sony 850C (no Atmos support) * soundbar: Beam Gen 1 * rears: Play:1’s * sub: none > I moved all my Sonos speakers around into various rooms, once the new Arc Ultra was setup. This allowed me to also have different comparisons setups, and I did finally retire my original Playbar (from 2013)… I gave it a hug, but it’s going to a good home at a friends house. # 2. Before setting up the new Arc Ultra ## what was the first steps you did? Before setting any of the new Sonos products up, I updated my Sonos network to the latest firmware, and the made sure my Sonos iOS app was updated. Then I successfully unpaired (unbonded) my current rear Era 300’s and Dual Subs (Sub 2 + Sub 3) within the Sonos app > No I didn’t have any issues unpairing my sub or rears, the Sonos app just removed them after I followed the prompts, after one button press. If you are having issues bonding or unbinding, you are probably running an older Sonos app, or speaker firmware, or you are probably having an underlying network issue, check my > [Sonos Networking & Troubleshooting guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/fGOvP9lLR3) for more help. Or, maybe I am just super lucky… 🤷🏼‍♂️ ## how did setting up the new Arc Ultra go with the Sonos App, because I hear the Sonos app is broken and bugged… It went super smooth! Plugged the Ultra in, it automatically popped up in the Sonos app, created a new room, needed to be firmware updated, and then it was usable. Zero issues. ## how did repairing the rears and subs go? Again, super smooth. Just followed the prompts in the app, and everything re-bonded to the Arc Ultra. ## oh, did you reuse the power cable/hdmi cable from the Arc, and did it fit in your Arc wall mount? In my case, I used the new power cable and hdmi cable that came in the Ultra box. I also don’t have my Arc/Arc Ultra wall mounted, so I can’t comment on how it works with current Arc designed wall mounts, others seem to be having varying degrees of success, depending on the mount. # 3. Testing Arc vs Arc Ultra ## So how does it sound as a standalone soundbar? The Arc Ultra improvement was __very noticeable__ right from the start in compassion to the Arc as a standalone soundbar. Speech was much clearer than the Arc. The app now has 3 (Low, medium, high) settings that you can adjust, and the default one was just fine. I could clearly understand everything that was being said from the center channel, without needing any additional adjustments, and this was a __huge__ improvement over the Arc, imo. I would argue that having speech enhancement turned off on the Ultra, is better than the Arc, turning it to low or medium really kicks up even more. Bass has really improved as a standalone soundbar, and is much better than the Arc. You can really hear the sound motion sub (or micro sub, as I call it) kick in when testing different media > personally I would still want to pair it with some type of sub, it’s hard to not have any subs, once you understand how it can sound with a sub, especially coming from a Dual Sub setup. But if you are in a smaller room or an apartment, or can’t have sub for various reasons, it is an improvement over the Arc. The various specific Atmos content I tested, definitely felt more full, for a lack of better words. The 3D Atmos “bubble” felt more personal, with audio coming in from different angles that your ears can pickup. This makes sense as the Arc as a standalone soundbar is still only 5.0.2 vs the Ultra is 9.1.4, and it is using its additional speakers, and adding in additional virtualized __surround side, wide, and additional rear “height” channels__ that really help fill in the 3D effect much greater than the Arc could. ## could you tell the difference between lossless and lossy Atmos? Especially between the Arc and Arc Ultra? What I can say is that because the Ultra has a much clearer center channel, lossless audio sounds even cleaner (or richer) for a lack of better words. The Atmos effect is also slightly more noticeable especially when playing PS5 games. Listening to Spider Man 2, swing from building to building, you could clearly hear the “web slinging” just with more detail. This all makes sense due to the Ultra having additional physical channels, and providing those additional virtualized rear channels, that the Arc just doesn’t have. As a remember the Arc (not the Ultra) only does 7.0.4 Atmos when paired with Era 100 / 300’s otherwise it’s 5.0.2. You can also get a sense of the true “wide” channel, that the Ultra now supports in the 9.1.4 setup, when spinning around in the Spider Man 2 game. Watching 4K Ultra HD, Marvel Endgame via the Xbox Series X vs Endgame being streamed via Disney+ on the Apple TV 4K, you can slightly hear the difference and for a lack of better words, everything is just more refined and cleaner sounding? But could you really notice the audio difference in a blind test, maybe? but probably not… I am not a huge fan of the Xbox Series X Dolby Atmos implementation, regardless. PS5, imo, really nailed it with the 3D Tempest audio engine that they are using. ## okay, so did you add in subs? Yes, I actually tested with one of my sub minis first, and as I assumed the Ultra sounded better with a sub mini. Again the sound motion is good, but a real subwoofer is always going to be better. Then I tested my Sub 3 as a solo sub, again another step up in bass or low end frequency (LFE). Then I tested the new Sub 4 to compare against the Sub 3, no noticeable difference at all. > setting up the new Sub 4 was also easy, no issues, just needed to remove my MagSafe iPhone case to get NFC to work for the setup process. Finally, pairing the Sub 4 & Sub 3, and it brought back the same amazing full bass that I am used too with a dual sub setup. > no, I didn’t use TruePlay at this point, to do any of my testing, I will get into that later in the __other__ section of this review. ## okay, but what about adding in rears/ surrounds? First I tested with a pair of Sonos One’s. From what I could experience, these sounded like they do with any other Sonos soundbar, and it was very clear that the soundbar was doing all of the Atmos work from the front. I almost felt like I needed to turn up the TV output on the Sonos One’s in the surround settings to help them provided rears, as the Ultra was doing so much of the work. Then I tested with a new pair of Era 100’s that I also ordered. IMO, I could hear the Atmos virtualization changing between the soundbar and the rear speakers, and it became more balanced in the room, vs feeling more front loaded. Lastly, I paired my Era 300’s, and as expected now you can really feel the Atmos effect in a very different way. __What was clear to me, is that the Atmos “bubble” effect is the best I have experienced with a Sonos product yet.__ As I have said in the past, when paring Era 300’s with the Arc and (absolutely) with the Arc Ultra, it continues to provide the __best__ Atmos experience you can have with any Sonos soundbar. ## okay? But what about the hardware, design, and speaker differences between the two soundbars? I went into detail around all of that in my [previous](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/elWIxHRpAW) lengthy post. # Other Information ## Did you test TruePlay? I hear it’s currently broken? Yes I did. * Quick Tune: works great, super easy. You don’t need to move, you just sit where you normally would sit when watching tv. * Advance Tune: Same as the Arc you move around the room, waving your phone. Overall, TruePlay does balance the room more, than without, and you tend to sense the Atmos more correctly. Could I truly notice a difference between quick and advanced? Not really, maybe just slightly. > From a bass (or LFE) audio channel standpoint, no __major__ difference with the subs, but what I could tell is the Arc Ultra seemed to be providing slightly more additional upper level bass. Again that would make sense as the Ultra has the built in Sound Motion (again that micro sub) within the soundbar, and it is offloading most of the deeper bass to the subs. I am not sure if this is needed or wanted, and maybe it should all be going to the subs, especially in a dual sub setup? Not sure. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Also, I would like to add that, yes you can tell a difference in bass when using TruePlay, but I wouldn’t call it sub breaking (or fully nerfing) as others have called it, but it does seem to putout lower bass when TruePlay has been used regardless. I couldn’t really get a sense of it being different from quick tune vs advance tune after TruePlay was used, or turned off . __I have a feeling that newer firmware/app updates will come out overtime to tune the Ultra more, and adjust/improve the bass levels, Atmos, and other aspects of the soundbar, just like what happened with the original Arc over time.__ I also wonder if it is a bug with subs in general that are paired with the Ultra vs a specific TruePlay bug, but I am not sure yet… * Adding: for those with the bass/sub/TruePlay bugs, this was the original post that Nick & u/KeithFromSonos commented on (during the last AMA) > https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/m4ptgdKP9F - I would add to that post, and/or submit a diagnostic and contact Sonos support so they have record of it, so assuming it is some type of bass/sub/TruePlay related bug, they are collecting the data to get it fixed asap. After enabling TruePlay, I tested various Atmos media, and I also tested some lossless audio music and older Dolby Digital 5.1 movies to just see what I could notice, again, a slight deference between TruePlay on vs off. > did you make any EQ, sub, surround, or height adjustments? Yes. I manually adjust these to my liking, after TruePlay, you might not like these settings but it’s what I found best for me at the moment. * EQ Bass: +5 * EQ Treble: +8 * Heights: +6 * Surrounds TV: +4 * Surrounds Music: +10 * Surrounds Music Playback: Full * Sub: +10 * Heights: +6 > as with any manual adjustment setting, these are my personal preferences, currently… after less than 24 hours with the Ultra, and it doesn’t mean I won’t adjust them over time to find the correct balance for me, within a very large room, especially as Sonos releases new updates for the Ultra and potentially continues to balance the sound, and/or fix bugs. Also all room sizes are different and that impacts how you may want to adjust these settings, plus all ears are not created equally… what you like, and what I like could be very different, and that is completely fine, it’s a manual adjust for a reason. __Lastly, yes, the sub & bass being turned up so high specifically, could be due to the bass/sub/trueplay bug…__ ## How did you specifically test the 9.1.4 Atmos audio channels? On my Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen) I used an 3rd party called: Dolby Atmos Surround Speaker Check: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/surround-speaker-check/id1052439918 - __this is a paid app,__ but it’s something I have owned for along time, and it was recently updated to support 9.1.6 (9.1.2, 9.1.4) testing. They also recently updated it to support iOS 18/tvOS 18. > to be clear, you run this app __directly__ from the Apple TV 4K, __not__ from your iPhone. Yes, it is the same app, but it has different settings when using the app directly on the Apple TV 4K. When opening the app, you select “test connection” and it will run a diagnostics test to ensure you are outputting Dolby Atmos. Basically it’s making sure your Apple TV 4K is setup correctly, and your eARC is also enabled on your TV. You have two options in the app, test tones and demo videos. * Demo videos: 4 specific Dolby Atmos test videos; Amaze, Leaf, Shattered, and Universe Fury. These videos allow you to experience different Atmos samples content, it gives you a really good idea of how the 3D bubble sounds, these are great demos. * Test Tones: 5.1.2(3.1.2), 5.1.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4, and 9.1.6(9.1.2, 9.1.4) - this allows you to manually test each specific audio (speaker) channel. To focus on “test tones,” from what I can tell, when using the 9.1.6 (9.1.2, 9.1.4) all audio channels (speakers) and channels are in the correct place and location. The only thing (and this completely makes sense) as the test supports up to .6, the front and middle height channels have the same audio placement, but the rear height channel is separate, as the Ultra currently supports 9.1.4. > Doing this test tone without the Era 300’s, still allowed the 9.1.6 (9.1.2, 9.1.4) to work fine, but clearly you could tell the audio was more virtualized and coming from the soundbar, but still in the correct locations. The Era 300’s allowed the wide, surround, and rear heights to sound better and be more accurate. For testing, I also ran the test tones on the Arc paired with Era 100’s and One SL’s > it’s clear that the Arc is a 5.0.2 system with nothing paired, or with the Sonos One’s, and then moves to a 7.0.4 system when the Era 100’s get added. Without the Era 100’s, if you run the 7.1.4 test, many of the speaker channels are just duplicates. Example: Rear height is the same placement as the front heights as the Sonos One’s don’t add rear heights to the Arc. ## what about the other Dolby Atmos media you tested, how did it compare? As with many things Atmos, all Atmos audio mixes are not created equal… overall the Ultra just sounds better, no matter what media content I was listening to, when comparing it to any other Sonos soundbar. > yes, this included the Playbar, for those Playbar (& Playbase) lovers! This also included testing things like lossless music from Apple Music, older Dolby Digital 5.1 movies/TV shows, non Atmos supported games. > but what about music, specifically.. Soundbars in general are designed around home theater first, and music second. They are designed with the idea of you plugging it into a TV, and watching a movie. But specific for music, Dolby Atmos (spatial audio) music is always going to sound different than standard stereo mixes. With Dolby Atmos music you are going to feel music all over you, but the vocals are going to mostly come from the center channel, in front of you, from the soundbar. This is the idea as it’s supposed to give you a 3D sound all around you, as an example: think that you are live in the middle of a concert hall. Lossless music, or typical stereo music will use the soundbar and the rears differently, and will just create a more standard fuller, left and right audio channel. As a reminder, Sonos __currently__ only supports these two streaming services for Atmos music. * Apple Music * Amazon Music But again, music sounds fantastic imo, but not everyone “likes” Atmos music, but I personally do. > if you are truly worried about the overall music sound of the soundbar, or music is your main focus, then maybe you should look at a (stereo) pair of Five’s with a sub, or even Era 300’s and a sub, as that might be a better option than buying a soundbar in general. 🤷🏼‍♂️ ## yeah but, product XYZ from XYZ company is much better than Sonos… Look, this review is centered on Sonos products only, nothing else. I have said this a few times, if you are a true “hardcore” audiophile, Sonos is probably not the right product for you. Sonos creates a smart and wireless product first, and a speaker second. Now to be clear, that doesn’t mean that the speakers are bad, in fact I think they are damn great speakers in general, especially for the price point, but they are also smart and wireless products, and for many of us that allows for a different level of convince within our homes. Let’s be clear, Sonos ultimately has 3 Atmos soundbars. * Good: Beam (Gen2) * Better: Arc * Best: Arc Ultra. Not including the Sonos Ray, as it doesn’t support Atmos They design many speaker products (at various sizes and price points) that focus on music & multi room wireless audio playback. Sonos has never (at least from what I have seen) market themselves as an audiophiles dream audio product, that also has Dolby Cinema (same as the movie theater) quality Atmos. So sure, you can always find a better XYZ product from XYZ company. It is probably a “true” avr/home theater Atmos system, and it is probably way more expensive than this Sonos soundbar, including when you add in rears and subs, __but that isn’t the point of this specific review.__ ## fine, but the Sonos app is broken and just bad. I have already addressed my opinion towards that specific statement at the bottom of [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/elWIxHRpAW) # okay, sooooo do you recommend upgrading to the Ultra, from any other Sonos soundbar, especially the Arc? Simply put… If you want the __best__ Atmos experience that Sonos offers, then the __Ultra is nailing it.__ It’s as simple as that. > I would argue that adding rears and a sub(s) is what takes your surround sound home theater experience to the next level, so for many adding rears or sub(s) might improve your experience more than upgrading your soundbar, I go into more details on how subs and rears really change your surround sound experience [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/elWIxHRpAW). That is also assuming you have a TV that supports Dolby Atmos output. If your TV doesn’t support Dolby Atmos output, then I personally would be upgrading my TV first, before looking at adding or upgrading to a new soundbar. For more details on how to check if your TV supports Dolby Atmos, check out my [other guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/elWIxHRpAW). For those of you that have an Arc or a Beam (Gen 2) and have a TV that does support passing Atmos, and want to know if you should upgrade to the Arc Ultra, I would simply say __yes.__ It’s especially worth the upgrade for the better center channel dialog and better 9 channel Atmos if you felt the Arc wasn’t giving you what you wanted, __will it be an earth shattering change, no.__ > __As I said earlier, the Ultra is a better standalone soundbar than the Arc, that is pretty clear in my testing, but I personally couldn’t use it without my rear Era 300’s and dual subs.__ # __I hope you enjoyed my detailed review!__ __Posted on 11/4/24:__ fixed more typos, added more context for music tests, clarified that I used an Xbox Series X to watch a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, provided more clarity around some lossless tests, added wall mount & previous Arc power cable/hdmi cable usage. __Posted on 11/3/24:__ Original Post + fixed formatting, fix typos, then I fixed even more typos… Also added more details about the possible bass/sub/TruePlay bug, with the link to the original post from the AMA with the Sonos team.

I wrote this to try to provide some clarity and simple information for many that are asking questions. * No I don’t work for Sonos, and no I don’t work in the media. * __Arc Ultra:__ My official & separate __Arc Ultra Review__ is > [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/hMFnoOFJKO) * Sorry this is very long, but I did attempt to create 5 major sections: __Dolby Atmos Basics, Sonos Arc vs Sonos Arc Ultra, Paring additional rear speakers and Subs, Upgrade vs other Sonos soundbar options, and Other information.__ This should help with finding your specific answer to your question. * I recently created a detailed and thorough [Sonos networking & troubleshooting guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/fGOvP9lLR3) check it out if you need some networking advise or support. * Last update __Nov 3rd, 2024:__ change log is at the bottom. * I did this on my spare time, so be nice. 😂 # 1. Dolby Atmos Basics ## What is Dolby Atmos? To keep it very simple, it’s basically 3D audio. It is also referred to as “Spatial Audio.” In a basic nutshell, it allows for more bandwidth per audio channel, that improves the overall audio mix quality, especially over a standard 5.1 or 7.1 audio mix. It also allows for the placement of “meta” or “object based” sounds that can be placed around you, in specific locations for your ears to hear. Then you add in the additional “height” audio channels that tend to create even more of a 3D sound effect from above you. (Think: rain drops, falling from the sky) Again this is very simple explanation of what Atmos is, but it’s a huge audio improvement over the old “gold standard,” Dolby Digital 5.1. Most current home theater Dolby Atmos setups in today’s world, are usually based around 7.1.4. The simplest Dolby Atmos setup would be 3.1.2, and the most complex setup would be up to 24.1.10. This explains Dolby Atmos in way more detail > https://www.dolby.com/technologies/dolby-atmos/ ## Is all Dolby Atmos the same? No. To keep it simple you basically have two types of Atmos * __lossy__ (compressed) via Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) * __lossless__ (uncompressed) via Dolby TrueHD To be clear, both of these formats support Atmos, but these different forms of Atmos are not necessarily the same audio quality. lossy (compressed) Atmos via Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) should sound technically worse than lossless (uncompressed) Dolby TrueHD Atmos… lossless uncompressed audio should technically be a higher audio quality over lossy, because it has increased bandwidth and the original audio source is typically a much larger audio file with no (or very limited) compression. __Now, can you actually tell the difference with your own ears between the two? That is a debate for another time, on another thread.__ > Two examples: > * Disney+/Amazon Prime are using __lossy__ Atmos when streaming, the same way that __all__ streaming services currently support Atmos. > * 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray movie or a new PS5 game that supports native 3D Tempest audio, supports __lossless__ Atmos. ## Does my TV need to support Dolby Atmos? * Simple answer, no (but why are you looking to buy one of these new “Atmos” soundbars then? Sonos has other cheaper options that don’t support Atmos) * Better answer, yes, it really should. Let’s be clear, typically any TV that has an __eARC__ (enhanced Audio Return Channel) port, should support Dolby Atmos output, and it will also support lossless (uncompressed) audio. eARC allows for up to 48Gbps of bandwidth, and 32 channels of audio. Usually it is accompanied by a HDMI 2.1 port on the TV, but not always. If your TV does support eARC, each TV manufacturer typically has specific settings that also need to be enabled, or turned on within the TV software. Settings like eARC Mode: on or auto, or audio Pass-Through: on or auto. Each TV is different, and many do not enable these settings to on, by default. > to be clear, eARC allows for lossless Dolby TrueHD, Dolby TrueHD Atmos, and Dolby-MAT to work, plus it supports 7.1 multichannel PCM, and all lossy formats. __Some__ TV’s that have a standard __ARC__ (Audio Return Channel) port, can also output lossy (compressed) Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) Atmos, but that is very dependent on the TV manufacturer, and the year the TV was made. > to be clear, ARC will only work with lossy formats, like Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) Atmos (if your TV supports it), Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital 5.1, etc. Typically your TV will have some type of marketing on the box, manual, remote, or even within the settings that highlights Dolby Atmos support. __Usually this also means that the “built-in” apps within the TV, will also support outputting Atmos audio.__ > but, can I just firmware upgrade my TV to support Atmos? No, no you can’t. Besides a select few rare use-cases, with a few TV’s, made during a specific time. You will typically need to buy a new TV to gain Atmos support if your TV doesn’t already support it. If your TV only has an optical audio output, it does not, and will not, support Atmos. Optical is limited to basic Dolby Digital 5.1, a very old standard in today’s terms. For more specific details on TV support, read this > https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/2h7KoV88n9 as I wrote it a like 4 years ago when the Arc came out. > There are some 3rd party devices that can technically help with this, but I am not getting into that in this post. ## What other products outside of Sonos soundbars, support Dolby Atmos. This is a short list of products that support Atmos output, and I am sure there are way more… Some of these products only support lossy Atmos via DD+, others also support lossless. Some products like the Apple TV 4K, actually support a different technology called Dolby-MAT, that basically means it supports both lossy and lossless audio, depending on the app that is being used. Usually if a device uses Dolby-MAT, you must have a TV that supports eARC to get Atmos. * Apple TV 4K (all versions) * Roku Ultra (2022/2024), Roku Streaming Stick+, and Roku Express+ * Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube (gen 2 & gen 3), and Fire TV (gen 3) * Nvidia Shield Pro, Nvidia Shield TV * Google TV Streamer (4K), Chromecast with Google TV (4K & HD) * Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X (video only) * Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X (video & games) * PS4, PS4 Pro (video only) * PS5, PS5 Slim, PS5 Pro (video & games) * Kaleidescape (various models) * 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players (various models) Some of these devices would need the latest firmware/software update to add Atmos support (example: PS5 added Atmos recently with a firmware update) and typically you need to manually enable it via the device software settings. ## How do I find media or content that has Atmos audio? I will break this down into 5 buckets. __Physical Media__ * DVD’s: up to 5.1 audio, no Atmos * Blu-ray: up to 7.1 audio, can support lossless (uncompressed) audio mixes, no Atmos * 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray: can support full lossy or lossless Atmos, and various other audio formats __Video Games__ * __This is more dependent on the game developer, and what type of audio they want to include.__ Anywhere from 5.1 to 7.1 to full lossless Atmos support. * Xbox Series S/X: most native Atmos games are marked with Atmos branding, otherwise the Xbox is up mixing the audio to provide a virtualized Atmos mix. * PS5/PS5 Pro: Any native PS5 game that is labeled as having “3D Tempest” audio should include a lossless Atmos audio track. Otherwise the PS5 is up mixing the audio to provide a virtualized Atmos mix. * Both the Xbox Series S/X & PS5/PS5 Pro, support backwards compatibility with older games. For example; an PS5 will play PS4 games, but all PS4 games will be up mixed to Atmos, and no PS4 game will not have a true Atmos audio track. __Streaming Platforms__ (all require a paid subscription, not all content supports Atmos, and it is lossy Atmos) * AppleTV+ * Disney+ * Peacock: requires the “Premium Plus” plan tier * Paramount+: requires the “Paramount+ with SHOWTIME” plan tier * Amazon Prime: requires the “Ad-Free” plan tier * Max (HBO): requires the “Ultimate Ad-Free” plan tier * Netflix: requires the “Premium” plan tier __Digitally Buying or Renting: Movie/TV shows__ (the video should have an “Atmos” logo if it supports Atmos audio, and most of these are lossy Atmos, besides Kaleidoscape) * AppleTV+ store (previously called the iTunes Store) * Amazon Prime * Kaleidescape: requires Kaleidescape hardware * VUDU (Fandango At Home) * Microsoft Store __Dolby Atmos Music:__ Spatial Audio Music * Apple Music * Amazon Music Prime * Tidal: Not currently supported by Sonos. > __Currently, live TV does not support Atmos.__ Most live TV is sadly still in Stereo, or at best Dolby Digital 5.1. Recently CBS, Fox, and Peacock (NBC) have started to broadcast some major live sporting events in Atmos within their respective apps. (Example: The Super Bowl or Olympics). You can get a new over the air TV tuner (assuming your tv supports it) that supports Atmos, but again, most normal tv content is not broadcasted in Atmos. # 2. Sonos Arc vs Sonos Arc Ultra ## When did the Arc & Arc Ultra come out? * Arc: launched on May 6, 2020, US MSRP $899 * Arc Ultra: launched on Oct 15, 2024, US MSRP $999 ## What is really different between the Arc Ultra and Arc? From a review standpoint, most complaints for the original Arc, boiled down to three major things. * lack of bass (without adding a dedicated sub/sub mini) * it was only 5.0.2 and didn’t really support 7.1 channel audio, plus it didn’t provide anyway to add additional rear height channels for 7.0.4 Atmos (this was actually added later via a free firmware update, but only when specifically using the newer Era 100/300 as rear speakers) * center channel (dialogue/speech) was lacking overall, and sometimes sounded muddy. (this was slightly improved overtime via firmware updates, and speech typically sounded better when it was paired with a sub and rears vs a being used as standalone soundbar) The Ultra should improve on all 3 of these issues. * it now comes with Sound Motion, for added bass response (again, I refer to this as a built-in micro sub) and for many this will mean they might not feel the need to pair a sub with it right away. * it’s 9.1.4 out the gate, regardless of what it is or isn’t paired with. * the marketing implies that they have really improved (widen) the center channel for improved dialogue (speech enhancement) The other major improvements over the Arc * Arc Ultra has __14__ speakers (__with a new and improved acoustic architecture design, that provides an even better sound__) the Arc has __11__ speakers. * Arc Ultra uses 20% less power when idle * Arc Ultra is slightly smaller and has a slightly sleeker design over the Arc * Arc Ultra has a new and improved Smart Tuning feature (called: Quick Tune) that helps adjust the speakers specifically for your room, that now works on both iOS and Android * Arc Ultra supports Bluetooth, Arc does not. ## What about the other internal technology, what has improved with the Arc Ultra over the Arc? As a reminder, these are __smart wireless__ speakers, with internal tech hardware, just like a smart phone or a computer. So the Arc Ultra greatly improves the built in CPU, RAM, and flash storage, over any Sonos product currently sold today. It also brings the built-in WiFi card up to the WiFi 6 standard, now supporting 802.11ax. The Arc only supported up to WiFi 4 (802.11n) * Why does WiFi 6 matter on a smart speaker? Simply put, much faster speed (more bandwidth), less latency, additional range, and overall improved efficiency. > These are the only other current Sonos products that support WiFi 6 (802.11ax): Sub 4, Era 100, Era 300, and Move 2. These products support WiFi 5 (802.11ac): Roam, Roam 2, and Roam SL. All other Sonos products only support WiFi 4 or older. This should also allow for more “future proofing” as many call it, and it could add possible support for additional improvements and new features via firmware or special support for other __new__ products that might come out. If you are worried about keeping your smart speaker (soundbar) for as long as possible, you might as well get the Arc Ultra. ## Now, what are the major differences between the Arc and Arc ultra from a Dolby Atmos perspective. * Arc = is a 5 channel (5.0.2) audio device by itself as a standalone soundbar. * Arc Ultra = is a 9 channel (9.1.4) audio device by itself as a standalone soundbar __(yes, this has been confirmed by Sonos)__ > But what does that mean? The Arc without adding in rears, or subs, will default to 5.0.2 channel audio. That is 5 discreet channels (left, right, center, virtualized surround left, and virtualized surround right) and two physical front height channels to create 3D. When you pair any (non) Era speakers (including the Amp) to the original Arc, you stick with the same 5.0.2 audio mix. To be clear, 5.0.2 means: > * 5 = right, left, center, rear surround right, and rear surround left. > * 0 = sub (for this example, we have no sub) > * 2 = front height right, and front height left When you pair the Arc with an Era 100 you then __upgrade__ the Arc to a support a 7 channel (7.0.4) audio mix. The Era 100’s virtualize the additional left and right “side” surrounds, and two additional virtualized rear height channels to emulate even more 3D sound. When you pair the Arc with an Era 300, you also get 7.0.4, but the 300’s provide real physical speakers, including additional physical rear height speakers, so the sound is way better, and the 3D sound is more impactful over the 100’s. To be clear, 7.0.4 means: > * 7 = right, left, center, __side__ surround right, rear surround right, __side__ surround left, and rear surround left. > * 0 = sub (for this example, we have no sub) > * 4 = front height right, front height left, rear height right, and rear height left The Arc Ultra on the other hand is currently a 9.1.4 system as a standalone soundbar. It is virtualizing a lot of the 3D sound as it stands, and the “sound motion” technology basically includes a micro sub within the soundbar. The 9 channels add what Dolby calls “wide” side channels. In this example wide surround left, and wide surround right. To be clear, 9.1.4 means: > * 9 = right, left, center, __wide__ surround right, side surround right, rear surround right, __wide__ surround left, side surround left, and rear surround left. > * 1 = sub (the Arc Ultra has the built-in Sound Motion, micro sub as I like to call it) > * 4 = front height right, front height left, rear height right, and rear height left Regardless of the rears that are paired with the Arc Ultra, it can produce a 9.1.4 mix, but your experience could vary depending on the rears you are using. More details in the rear speaker section below. This is __very__ different to the Arc that needs specific speakers to allow for it to be upgraded to a 7 (7.0.4) channel audio mix. # 3. Paring additional rear speakers and Subs ## Do I need to pair (add) rears to the Arc Ultra? Especially if it supports 9.1.4? * Simple answer, no. * Better answer, yes. I personally am not a fan of virtualized anything… so Imo, if you are going to spend $1000 on a new Atmos enabled sound bar, you should be paring this with Era 100’s, or even better, the Era 300’s. These will allow you to truly experience Atmos in the way that it was designed. Clearly people have different space requirements, that they need to keep in mind, and virtualization typically sounds best in a more “square” room with side walls for the sound to bounce off. __For some the only option is just using it as a pure soundbar, and that is completely okay.__ __Sonos has now confirmed that the Arc Ultra, can output in a virtualized 9 channel (9.1.4) Dolby Atmos audio mix regardless of the rears that it is or isn’t paired with.__ > __BUT…__ (this is a simplified theory, on how it works, in an attempt to not over complicate how it technically creates surround sound with rears) When using something like the Amp, that could be providing Sonos connection to passive wall and/or in ceiling speakers, the Amp is still proving a __dedicated speaker channels for surround left & right.__ So what that means is the Arc Ultra is then __virtualizing__ the following channels: * __side__ surround left & right * __wide__ surround left & right * __rear height__ left & right This also applies to __most rear speakers__ that are compatible with the Ultra (Sonos One, SL, etc) If you pair the Arc Ultra with Era 100’s, the soundbar will then do less virtualization up front, and the Era’s will provide more rear virtualization for an improved and probably more balanced 3D sound. * __wide__ surround left & right (virtualization from the sound bar) * __side__ surround left & right (virtualization from the Era 100) * __rear height__ left & right (virtualization from the Era 100) If you pair the Arc Ultra with Era 300’s, the soundbar will then do even less virtualization up front, as the Era 300 do provide additional dedicated audio channels, due to the 300’s having additional physical speakers. * __wide__ surround left & right (virtualization from the sound bar) * __side__ surround left & right (virtualization from the Era 300 and the Ultra, but it does it even better than the 100’s due to the extra physical speakers) * __rear height__ left & right (uses the Era 300 physical upward firing speakers, for the best rear height effect) To repeat again and again, ultimately paring it with the Era 300’s continues to provide the __best 3D Atmos experience__ you can get with Sonos products. The point is, the overall less virtualization you do, the better the overall sound will be. __These are the current speakers that are supported as rears on the Ultra.__ * Amp (passive in wall/in ceiling speakers) * Era 100 (these provide a better Atmos experience) * Era 300 (these provide the best Atmos experience) * Five * One (Gen 1) * One (Gen 2) * One SL * SYMFONISK Bookshelf (Gen 2) * SYMFONISK Floor lamp * SYMFONISK Picture frame * SYMFONISK Table lamp (Gen 2) For additional info > https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/surround-sound-guidelines-and-limitations?product=arc-ultra ## Do I need to buy a sub with the Ultra? Because it now has “Sound Motion” (basically a __micro sub__ as I like to call it) * Simple answer, no. * Better answer, yes. One could assume adding just a __Sub mini__ will improve the low frequency bass response, over the built in sound motion, micro sub, and adding a real __Sub__ will improve it even more, especially for medium to larger size rooms. As a reminder, __ANY__ Sonos Sub (Sub 1, 2, 3, 4, +Sub mini) can be paired with the Arc or Arc Ultra. I am personally a __dual sub__ user, is it necessary, no! __BUT it DOES sound fantastic, imo!__ It doesn’t really add more deeper bass, it just fills the room with more overall bass, basically feeling like you have no gaps in the bass anywhere in your room, some say that you can basically feel the bass all around you. To be clear, these are the only supported hardware combinations for __dual sub__ on the Arc Ultra. * Gen 3 (Sub 3) + Gen 3 (Sub 3) * Gen 4 (Sub 4) + Gen 3 (Sub 3) * Gen 4 (Sub 4) + Gen 4 (Sub 4) __The Sub 1 & 2 have older hardware that limits the dual sub functionality on the new Arc Ultra.__ > The Arc allows for a few other combinations, including using the Sub 1 & 2 when paired with a Sub 4 or Sub 3. You will always need at least one Sub 4 or 3. ## Should I buy the Sub or rears first? IMO, the rears will provide more 3D sound, and based on the overall cost of a pair of Era 100’s vs a Sub, it seems like adding in rears could be the best choice. Plus any Sonos Sub can always be added later to provide more bass. The argument here comes down to your own personal wants, do you personally want more 3D sound, or do you want more low end bass? The best option is to get both. The fact is, based on your budget, buying a pair of Era 100’s and/or Sub mini will greatly improve your audio experience. Buying a pair of Era 300’s and/or adding dual subs will improve your audio experience even more. ## What is the best audio configuration on the Ultra to maximize my Dolby Atmos experience? Paring it with Era 300’s as rears, and adding two subs for dual sub support will provide the __best__ Atmos experience you can have with the Arc and the Arc Ultra. > Why are the Era 300’a the best rears? Simply put, the Era 300’s are currently the only Sonos speakers (outside of the soundbars) that were built & designed to support playing Dolby Atmos Music aka Spatial Audio. They are also the only Sonos music speakers that have a built in physical up firing “height” speaker, to help it create additional 3D sound. One day, I am sure Sonos will introduce and expand their collection of speakers that support Spatial Audio. ## What is the most basic audio configuration on the Ultra to get a Dolby Atmos experience? Simply using the Arc Ultra as a standalone sound bar hooked up TV that has Atmos output support. __You don’t need anything else,__ and in theory it should still sound great all by itself. I would add, by simply paring it with a pair of Era 100’s and/or paring it with a sub mini, you will improve your Atmos experience. The beauty of Sonos, is that you can always add these at a later time, as your budget allows. # 4. Upgrade vs other Sonos soundbar options ## Do I need to upgrade from the Arc to the Arc Ultra? * Simple answer, no * Better answer, maybe? Personally, I will be upgrading my Arc to an Arc Ultra. I will move my current Arc into another room. I already have Era 300’s as rears, and I ordered a new Sub 4 to work with my Sub 3 for dual sub support. I will move my older Sub 2 to another room as well. __I personally want the best Atmos experience I can get.__ But I am someone who subscribes to top tier streaming services because they provide Atmos support. I buy movies that specifically support Atmos, and I play PS5 games that now support Atmos. I am __hopeful,__ that going to 9 channel audio, it will improve Atmos even more for my setup, but it will probably be very subjective to the content you are actually watching or listening too. I am even more hopeful that it will improve the center channel (dialogue/speech) as that is my biggest issue with the current Arc. For me it makes sense, but I don’t know if it makes sense for everyone. If you have older rears you might need to consider if you want to upgrade those as well. I will continue to say this, but if you are still using those old Play:1’s as rears on your Arc, that go for about ~$50 these days, they will never sound as good from an Atmos perspective, as simply upgrading to Era 100’s. One could argue if you have the money to spend a $1000 on a new luxury sound bar, buying a new set of rears that work on the Ultra shouldn’t really mean much to you, in the grand scheme of things. > my official Arc Ultra review is > [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/hMFnoOFJKO) ## What about upgrading to the Arc Ultra over the Beam (Gen 2)? You will have a much more perceived audio upgrade experience when upgrading from a Beam (Gen 2) to an Arc Ultra. The Arc is already a big upgrade from the Beam (Gen 2) from a speaker and size standpoint, especially in medium to large size rooms. In most cases if your TV is larger than 55” then you should be looking at an Arc or Arc Ultra. * Arc Ultra has 14 speakers * Arc has 11 speakers * Beam (Gen 2) has 5 speakers ## Does Sonos offer other sound bars, that are not Atmos? Yes. * Ray is an entry level/basic Stereo to Dolby Digital 5.1 sound bar, requires a basic optical audio port on your TV. Also * Beam (Gen 2) also supports Dolby Atmos, it is heavily virtualized audio, but it does support 5.0.2, and will go up to 7.0.4 when paired with Era 100/300’s as rears. It is much cheaper than both the Arc and Arc Ultra, and is designed for a much smaller room. Lastly, these are “end of life” aka discontinued products. * Beam (Gen 1) similar to the Ray as it supports stereo to Dolby Digital 5.1, but it is better in many ways, and it did support audio over hdmi via ARC, but it does NOT support Atmos. * Playbar & Playbase - Also basic stereo to Dolby Digital 5.1 systems, that at the time sounded great, but were limited to optical audio input. * They all still work just fine, but they won’t be getting any new features or updates at this point, and they will NEVER support Atmos. # 5. Other information ## But wait, I want to just listen to music on my new Sonos soundbar?! 😅 I mean, okay… if you want to spend your money on a sound bar to just listen to music on it, then go right ahead.. but Sonos offers other products that are designed for music listening, but you do you. Both the Arc & Arc Ultra __do__ provide support for “Spatial Audio” music, aka Dolby Atmos music, but you will need to subscribe to either Apple Music and/or Amazon Music to take full advantage of this type of new 3D music format. Also, the Arc Ultra does support Bluetooth music. Both the Arc & Arc Ultra have AirPlay 2 support. > The question has been asked a few times, if Sonos will support the newly updated Dolby Atmos over AirPlay 2 that was introduced in iOS 18, and the response is that they are looking into it. Hopefully it could be a simple firmware update on the Ultra, as well as in select older products that have newer hardware inside them. ## Okay, fine, but I only care about DTS audio support, as I buy lots of Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray movies that mostly support DTS audio, and no Sonos soundbar supports that. Ultimately this soundbar is probably not right for you. __But,__ both the Arc and Ultra __do__ support DTS Digital Sound 5.1. They also support __7.1 multichannel PCM,__ and that is basically the same lossless audio format as DTS-HD, as long as your tv does in fact support eARC. But to be clear… Many (not all) newer 4K Ultra HD blu-ray movies tend to support lossless Dolby TrueHD Atmos audio tracks, most original Blu-ray movies tend to support DTS-HD and that is technically supported via multichannel PCM 7.1, as I said above. __No current Sonos soundbar supports DTS:X (DTS’s 3D audio standard, direct competitor to Dolby Atmos) and probably never will.__ In theory it is possible for either the Arc or more likely the Arc Ultra to get a firmware update in the future to support this format, but again doubtful. > A version of this format is also what is used in some streaming services that support “IMAX Enhanced” audio. Some devices like the Apple TV 4K basically take the IMAX enhanced audio format and remix (or replace) it to Atmos, or the streaming service might just remove the DTS:X audio track and replace it with lossy Atmos, or 7.1/5.1 Digital Digital Plus, or even a basic DD/DTS 5.1 audio track, when it can’t detect that you have a sound device that supports DTS:X. As a reminder, most streaming services use Dolby Atmos over DTS:X. ## Cool, but the Sonos app is broken, has been broken, and I will never buy any soundbar from Sonos, because the app is still bad. Look, the fact is, that around this community there are __many__ Sonos users (including myself) that use their __Sonos equipment mostly for Home Theater use,__ that continue to say they had very little, to no issues over the past 6 months since the new app rolled out, vs Sonos users who use their Sonos speakers to heavily listen to mostly music via the App itself, and use the App daily. The reality is, after your initial setup and configuration, in many cases when using Sonos __purely__ for Home Theater, you tend to not need to use the app very much. I will also continue to say, the App experience was different for everyone, and a blanket statement saying that the app was, and is broken, doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone’s reality, including myself. > To be clear with some examples: iOS users experience tended to be different than Android users. Users with newer WiFi Mesh routing equipment tended to have a different experience than users using SonosNet, or fully hardwired equipment, or a mix of hardwired and wireless. Users who use newer Sonos speakers with newer WiFi cards had a different experience than those with much older “end of life” products. A user who listens to mostly streaming music had a very different experience to someone who has a large local music library. A user who uses the Sonos built in Alarms via the app, had a very different experience than someone who didn’t even know that functionality existed. But __yes__ the app did have some bad (system breaking) bugs in it, that have __mostly__ been resolved at this point. I personally was not really affected by these major bugs with my fairly large Sonos home setup. I am also not claiming the Ultra will be a smooth breeze with no issues within the app either, especially when the product first launch’s, but one can hope. 🤞🏻 > update: it actually was a smooth setup within the app, read about it > [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/hMFnoOFJKO) ## Great info, but I am curious, what Sonos Home Theater setup(s) do you have at home? As a few of you have asked, I might as well share. Just for context I started buying Sonos products when the Play:3 originally came out, sometime around July - Sept of 2011. I did purchase my original Playbar and Sub 1 when the Playbar first launched back in Feb 2013. That ended up being my first complete Sonos Home Theater setup. (Playbar + Play:3’s + Sub 1) __Household__ * phone/app: iOS * wifi router: eero max 7 (WiFi 7 mesh) * network: all Sonos speakers are __fully__ wireless, none are hardwired, __not__ using SonosNet * streaming device: Apple TV 4K (yes, each TV has one, as I am personally not a fan of using the built-in TV apps) __Room 1__ (very large room) * TV: 77” OLED Sony A80K (hdmi 2.1+ eARC) * soundbar: Sonos Ultra (was previously an Arc) * rears: Era 300’s * sub: Sub 4 + Sub 3 (was previously a Sub 3 + Sub 2) __Room 2__ (medium size room) * TV: 65” Mini LED Sony X95K (hdmi 2.1 + eARC) * soundbar: Arc * rears: Era 100’s * sub: Sub 2 __Room 3__ (smaller room) * TV: 65” LED Sony 900H (hdmi 2.1 + eARC) * soundbar: Arc * rears: One SL’s (will be replaced by new Era 100’s, shortly) * sub: Sub Mini __Room 4__ (smaller room) * TV: 65” LED Sony 950G (eARC) * soundbar: Beam Gen 2 * rears: Play:1’s * sub: Sub mini __Room 5__ (smaller room) * TV: 55” LED Sony 850C (no Atmos support) * soundbar: Beam Gen 1 * rears: Play:1’s * sub: none Yes, I am a Sony TV fan. 😂 > I moved all my Sonos speakers around into various rooms, once the new Arc Ultra was setup. This allowed me to also have different comparisons setups, and I did finally retire my original Playbar (from 2013)… I gave it a hug, but it’s going to a good home at a friends house. This doesn’t include all the other various single and stereo paired speakers I have around my house. __The beauty of Sonos, is that over many, many years, you can really start to expand, and move your speakers around, as your situation changes.__ Oh, yes I still have the original play:3’s from over 13+ years ago, as a stereo pair above my kitchen. They actually still work great, but at some point they will probably be replaced. # Hopefully you found this helpful in some way. 🙏🏻 __Updated on 11/3/24:__ My official & separate __Arc Ultra Review__ is > [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/hMFnoOFJKO) and I have updated this to reflect some adjustments now that I have tested and setup the ultra. __Updated on 11/1/24:__ fixed a few minor issues, added a link to my new [Sonos networking & troubleshooting guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/fGOvP9lLR3), and my personal Ultra review should posted on 11/3/24. __Updated on 10/30/24:__ My personal Arc Ultra unit is in route, my personal review coming once I am back from vacation. __Updated on 10/20/24:__ added additional information and context to the “Sonos Arc vs Sonos Arc Ultra” section, also cleaned up some other minor things. __Updated on 10/19/24:__ re-organized into 5 main sections, added & expanded additional details around Dolby Atmos basics, cleaned up a few sections to highlight a few things, added my personal home setups, fixed more typos, ugh. 😅 __Updated on 10/18/24:__ added additional clarity around paring with rear speakers, including the Amp, dual subs, and the confirmation form Sonos around the Arc Ultra always being 9 channels, 9.1.4. Pervious updates: added the last section about the Sonos App. Fixed a bunch more typos and formatting, added (and rearranged) a few sections to answer additional questions, including information around DTS support, and provided some overall additional clarity. For anyone wondering, this post did get the u/MikeFormSonos stamp of approval! 🙏🏻 https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/VbMYLNb4hR 😂

My official & Separate __Arc Ultra Review__ is > [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/hMFnoOFJKO)

FYI: My official & Separate __Arc Ultra Review__ is > [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/s/hMFnoOFJKO)

As I have an ultra, and two arc’s in the house, the ultra (IMO) is worth the upgrade, and at some point I will upgrade at least one of the other arc’s to an ultra as well.

As someone who has an Sonos Arc, and the new Arc Ultra, the ultra is a great improvement over Arc.

I did this today. I bought the Ambeo Plus about a month ago and liked it. The big issue I had was the sound quality was only ok at lower volumes but really shined when it was at higher volumes. This was great for movies nights but not great for too much else when using during the day. I was still in my return window so I thought I would try out the Arc Ultra. I have been wanting to try Sonos but with the recent issues I thought I would wait but decided today to just go for it and hope for the best. Overall, I feel the Arc Ultra is better for movies and games. The sound stage feels bigger and I feel more immersed. The bass was better than the Ambeo Plus and I feel the dialog was clearer. I do feel the Ambeo Plus was better if playing music but I won’t being doing that too often with the sound bar.

I think I will just get one at Best Buy, try it and then decide with my ears. I don't need dialogue clarity. I want a notable (not giant) improvement in music. My ARC rears and sub mini are good for all movies and media. It's not great--good enough for music. My goal was to replace (and I did) a major separates system--Sonos checked those boxes---music is ok--but if I can get better, and have the same setup--soundbar, sub mini rears, and get the music even better --what a win!

Sonos soundbars as stand alones just won't do it---ARC/Arc Ultra. putting any rear on it will help immensely. Rear speakers are what they are rear speakers and will surround you with sound. the ikea stuff (sometimes even in their return bin) sound great. The lower end sonos speakers of course do a great job too. I was wholly unimpressed with my ARC alone--had very high hopes it would do more than it did alone for movies/music . I listened to the ARC --thumpier, I like it but there was no doubt it needed rears. Sub if you want sub 50hz

I bought the arc ultra and sub 4 on sale over Christmas and was super excited. My intention was to get the era300s once back in stock. I got it home and installed it but immediately realized it didn't sound great. Spent upwards of 10 hours playing with settings, googling and reading forums to try and figure it out but ended up returning it. It would be a great system for a specific use case, but it didn't work for me. Before considering the Sonos, make sure you have certain uses accounted for. - Music sounds bad. There is little mid-range to speak of, sounds very hollow. The sub 4 adds deep lows but the bar is very high-end heavy (presumably for voices in movies, but it really seems like the system is tuned for small spaces like condos). The bar claims to be 9.1.4 or whatever but music only comes out of 2 of it's speakers, there's no DSP settings or any way to have sound come from the rest of the bar. Also apparently with the 300s as rears music doesn't play out of them either. There are a couple music services that have spatial audio but it's still not their entire catalogues, and I'm not paying for yet another service to hopefully have some music sound decent. - No DTS support. Make sure your content will be Atmos - The Ultra claims to have Arc support but it's not true, at least with my slightly older Samsung tv. Could not get anything other than stereo sound to come out. Make sure you have eArc. - No surround from PC. The bar can't accept audio signal from gpu HDMI, even running thru Sonos optional optical adapter. No surround thru sound card or onboard optical even though they're 5.1 compatible. Sound must go thru tv, and my tv won't pass surround channels. - no HDMI pass thru. - Horrible mandatory app to control volume Many people seem to love Sonos but for me it wasn't a good fit. If I was worried about bothering the neighbors it would be great with clear and loud voices. The bar just isn't physically wide enough to make stereo music sound decent and really needs it's other speakers to share the work and fill out the room. My 20 year old Bose computer speakers next to it have a much richer and fuller sound and fill the space better. Music very much seems to have been an afterthought for Sonos. If you're exclusively watching Atmos movies with a very new TV then I'm sure the ultra would be great. I'll likely be waiting for Samsung 990f reviews and picking that up once it's available later this year.

This is sad to hear. I just returned the ultra because music sounded bad. You think Samsung is worse? I've read the opposite, but haven't heard the Samsung yet. Was planning on getting the 990f when available but might have to rethink that. Ultra definitely wasn't good for music though

I also upgraded from Beam Gen 2 to Arc Ultra, and same conclusions. I am thinking to give back the Ultra. There is some improvement, but honestly not as much as I thought. My setup: Beam 2 (upgraded to Arc Ultra), Sub Gen 3, 2 x Symfonisk Frame as rear. With this kind of setup, the upgrade is not drastically improving the experience. Perhaps the soundbar alone is much better, but after pairing the Beam 2 to the Sub and Rears, you already get an excellent setup benefits only marginally by the Soundbar upgrade. Now more in detail: - Dialogue are crisp on the Ultra, but they are also on Beam 2 (perhaps the old Arc was the worst one). So this is a MATCH - Soundstage is improved with Ultra, and there is more separation. In my opinion this is just due to the larger size of the bar, and higher number of speakers inside. But to be honest, Beam 2 did already an incredible job for its size and price. Conclusion: Arc Ultra 30% Better - Clarity: Arc ultra is perhaps a tiny bit better. Arc Ultra wins by 10% percent - Features; I do not care much about Buetooth, so ho early for me it is a MATCH Get your conclusion.. Mine is: if you have a Beam 2 already, do not upgrade the bar. Just pair a Sub (mini perhaps) and some Rears (any, sorry Sonos addicts, but I will never spend 1.000 Euros for 2 x Era 300 to be used just as rears.. my Symfonisk Frames are beautiful and sound awesome for this kind of use, even with Stereo music)

Got my setup yesterday. Arc Ultra, x2 Era 300’s and sub gen 4.  I actually had problems getting mine set up. The app is updated to the latest version but was glitching.  I had everything set up in one room but the sub wasn’t firing nor were the rears. I ended up unpairing everything and starting over.  Second time around I did get everything to work and was able to enable true play tuning.  I found the whole system to sound very hollow. That’s the best way to describe it. I played my usual test Atmos movies. Blade Runner 2049, Ready Player One, Dune 2….they all seemed extremely underwhelming. Dialogue is definitely clear but everything else seemed drowned out. I turned the audio enhancement off on the arc and Apple TV but it still overpowered everything.  I tried running the Trueplay tuning again but it crashes every time. I had to turn up the rears to max volume just to have them feel like an actual part of the system. I don’t know if I’m totally missing something here or if this is a tuning issue or what’s going on. All I can say is when I tried this full setup with the original arc I was BLOWN AWAY! Even my wife was amazed. I returned that system waiting for the ultra and as of right now I feel like it’s giving me 50% of what the other system had. Even my wife was asking me why it sounded so underwhelming…..if anyone has any suggestions I’d appreciate them. As of right now, I would not keep this system considering the cost. I feel like I paid over $3k for voice enhancement!

Sonos. Then you can add speakers to whatever room and create a whole home audio. Plus you can add a second sub if you really want some crazy bass or move the sub to a different room

Got my Sonos Arc Ultra today and am now sitting on the phone waiting for customer service. There is an issue with my unit, there is hardly any bass...very thin sounding. If they can't help me it's going right back to Best Buy tonight. Edit: I know there has to be an issue because I've read several places that the Arc Ultra is so good you may not even need the sub. I turn the bass EQ on the app to 10 and it BARELY rumbles. Very disheartened so far by this experience. I was really looking forward to this sound bar. Edit 2: So it seems that the trueplay was greatly diminishing the low end, however even with it off, it was sorely lacking. I am in a medium-to-large living room and while the surround effect was impressive, and the dialogue is very clear, I was let down big time by the low frequencies. I think some of the reports I have been reading of lots of bass on the Arc Ultra is greatly exaggerated. I went out today and picked up the Sub Mini and guess what? VERY nice low end now. If you get the Arc Ultra and are in a medium or larger sized room, *at the very least* the Sub Mini is a must have. I wasn't about to shell out an extra $900 for the Sub Gen 4. The mini seems to be giving me everything I was looking for.

Yep. Like I said, it barely even rumbles. I even played some of the bassist EDM tracks I have, car chase from Furiosa, the gun fight in the Continental on John Wick 3, all just super thin and flaccid. Definitely something going on here.

If you are watching youtube 99% of the time I’d avoid the dragon. You need something that is going to do a decent job of processing / upmixing audio. That pretty much puts you in the Sonos Arc Ultra / Sony Quad / Samsung Q990D group. Samsung has QC issues Sony is a nightmare for warranty service (personal experience) Sonos has been having app issues, but is working on resolving them. I’m waiting on an Arc ultra, era 300s, and two subs. Figured it was the least crappy option in the soundbar market at the moment.

The playbar just has better sound than the Arc overall. Unfortunately, this seems to be true for the ultra as well.

I have the same issue, I managed to install the ultra, two era 300 and the sub 4 but trueplay doesn’t work on my iPhone 16 Pro with iOS 18.1 and the latest Sonos App. I also tried on an older iPhone, same issue. The only way it worked is by uncoupling the surround + sub and I could trueplay the Arc Ultra on its own but you loose the settings when adding the surrounds again 🤷‍♂️

I tested a Sennheiser Ambeo Plus then a Devialet Dione. I sent them back. Finally, I chose an Arc Ultra with two Era 100 as surround speakers. Really impressive ! It works perfectly with my LG G4.

Arc Ultra and LG G4 (with era 100 as surround and sub mini) : no issues !

The beam 2 is great, but it definitely does not have more bass or a fuller sound than the arc ultra. The arc ultra is better in every possible way.

Yeah get the ultra especially if you didn’t have an arc to begin with.

Exact same setup now with one arc ultra, 4 era 300s and a sub 4. However the front 300s really overpower the arc ultra now as a center speaker and I see no way of balancing it out. Any work around for that or will we just have to wait for pinewood or a software update?

I upgraded from beam 2 to ultra too, the biggest difference is my era 300s sound bigger and fuller to match the ultra, it never sound with beam2 before

If you have beam 2 , you should have 15% off upgrade discount, buy it , worth it

For atoms Yes, too loud, but for non atoms it seems quieter

Just for the look , it worths it, beam2 is too small for my not big 65” LG C1, ultra matches C1 much better, but if you have budget, waiting for deeper discount , maybe at least a year it will

Yes , arc or beams owner should have 15% discount on Sonos website

im at this setup now, but I still preordered the ultra

I bought the Bar 8 and SW3 - the bar sounded so thin and hollow, the sub only kicked in at what seemed like a certain threshold so there was always what sounded like a huge gap in the freq response of no low mids, then a boom or rumble during louder instances. The ppl who like that sub call it “punchy” but I call it uneven. Got the Bar 9 and SW5. Much better. The sub is way more even and more natural across the lows. The actual bar is decent. Returned the 8 and SW3 and kept the higher models. $600 off on sale otherwise I wouldn’t have. I didn’t like the look of the Samsung at all, but that was important enough to me to not consider it. I thought the Sonos sounded the best, so full just on its own and then the sub added to it, while the Sony bars are so anemic and *require* a sub. I primarily game on my Bravia 8 so I opted to keep it in the Sony ecosystem and have that extra 2.1 port since all my HDMIs are used now - just couldn’t do that conveniently with the Sonos. No real customization of the settings but I’m happy with it. Hope that helps a little, at least knocking the 8 out the list.

I have tried the demo at one of the showrooms in Singapore, and I must say based off the sound alone, is quite different from the Arc. Performance has definitely been upgraded. Compared to other options in the market, soundbar alone wise, this is one of the best ones I have personally heard.

If you're talking about comparing the whole Q990D setup to just one Arc Ultra, it's definitely no comparison lol. But comparing just soundbar performance wise, Q990D is very clear, albeit sharp for my taste. The Arc Ultra sounds particularly warm, with a drastic boost in the lower-end frequencies compared to the Arc. That boost (imo) is equivalent to half the performance of the Q990D with Bass (excluding surrounds).

Yes I have. Other than the obvious bass enhancement, the clarity and atmos effect is much more pronounced when both are used together.

Hi, to be frank with you, though the jump from Arc to Arc Ultra is noticeable, you're better off just leaving your setup as it is. Most of the sound difference comes from the lower-end, and since you already have two Subs, you will notice more of the slightly enhanced clarity.

I didn't manage to test out all the instrumental/vocal centric songs I have in my library during the short demo session, but while I say there is improvement (louder and clearer), I won't say it's drastic.

I have upgraded from Beam Gen 2 to the Arc Ultra. The rears are Era 100. The worst thing is the 5.1 soundtrack issue (sonos confirmed it!). In this case the rear sound is coming from the front instead of the rears. You need more channels to use the rears properly. My Beam Gen 2 were better during normal TV streaming sessions, because they use mostly 5.1 soundtracks. And exactly this soundtracks sounds like stereo (with the Arc Ultra and Era 100 rears). Sonos will fix this serious issue in the next weeks or months, but at the moment I‘m very disapointed. My old Beam Gen 2 was much better with 5.1 soundtracks. The Arc Ultra is much better with Atmos soundtracks, but I barely watch movies with this soundtracks. https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-229129/arc-ultra-era-100-surrounds-6921198

not sure you have actually listened to an ARC setup then. or if you did the one you listened too had issues

generally with sonos the Arc soundbar plus Sub is what you would want BUT for the cost you would be better off just building a true HT. These and the sony bravia soundbars are not cheap at all. Also the bigger the room, the worst they are going to sound.

I recommend the Sonos arc plus sub It’s a delight and has the ability to get additional surrounding speakers

With a "77" inch screen you're at a crossroad. A mega screen with no audio or a bit flat. A sonos arc + sub is good but i would buy a av receiver and 2 stereo towers with woofers & tweeters. 700 $ gives you a few options but you can always upgrade. The prices for wireless speakers/subwoofer that sync with a soundbar are outragious. 2000€ or more for a sonos arc ultra + sub + 2 rear speakers. The quality is outstanding but a wired HT setup for that price is another level. And more options with an av receiver, my budget HT receiver from 2008 has more than 10 options for the output, 3 movie and 4 music effects.

With a "77" inch screen you're at a crossroad. A mega screen with no audio or a bit flat. A sonos arc + sub is good but i would buy a av receiver and 2 stereo towers with woofers & tweeters. 700 $ gives you a few options but you can always upgrade. The prices for wireless speakers/subwoofer that sync with a soundbar are outragious. 2000€ or more for a sonos arc ultra + sub + 2 rear speakers. The quality is outstanding but a wired HT setup for that price is another level. And more options with an av receiver, my budget HT receiver from 2008 has more than 10 options for the output, 3 movie and 4 music effects.

Sonos arc + two one’s rear + two subs is nice

I have a Sonos Arc + Sub that recently replaced an Insignia that was $100 ages ago. I am consistently impressed by the performance. I was using optical, had no access to Dolby Atmos, multichannel audio, etc. Whenever I was viewing a source with high bitrate audio, like Apple Music or 4K discs, there would be a delay. Now I get every feature that that my C3, XSX, ATV4K allow and it works perfectly. It’s obviously not a true home theater setup but it’s all I’ll need for a long time. Can’t recommend enough, a lot of people have recently upgraded their Sonos home theater due to new iterations, so the 2nd hand market could be a good place to look.

See my other reply. I've been messing around with being a lifelong AVR guy (mostly Yamaha and upper mid-level Klipsch) and spent a brief time with a full soundbar system (with rears and dual subs). They each have their merit. You didn't directly say it, but if you go the soundbar route, I would 100% beyond any question add rears on day one. For me, the Sony HT-A7000 with RS5 rears and using their "dual subs" hack is the way to go. I just sold all my soundbar stuff to get back to putting together a full 7.2.4 system (it's an obsessive hobby) and I can say I can't shame the A7000 after going back. It 100% held its own admirably. The Q990 does a great job at my son's house so that would be my second pick. The Sonos ARC with sub and rears that I had sounded nice, but was nowhere near as dynamic. If you go to a full system, do at least 7.1 with your receiver. Then you can experiment between 7.1 and 5.2 whenever you feel like mixing things up. I'm a lifelong Yamaha receiver guy (since the 80's) because of their sound quality and durability. So that's my current vote. I tried two new Sony receivers and they sounded Amazing and the setup is simplified and similar to a soundbar level of complexity. Unfortunately the "hissing" complaints are real, so I returned them (issue when enabling their EQ functions). I had an Onkyo briefly but couldn't get the nerve to open the box so I returned it. Too many complaints about reliability issues and setup quirks. So I'm back to Yamaha.

Short version for anyone reading this post for pre-purchase research - on last year's models, I tried the Arc, Q990c and HT-A7000. The Sony won out by a large margin in terms of dynamics, immersion, and reliability for my 85x90L and then 85x95L. Also, if price isn't an issue, the tipping point is pairing it up with a Sony tv (integrated menu and ability to you with using the tv as the center channel - I give this feature a solid "B"). For price, stick with the Samsung if your going with this years models.

There is no real value comparison, for the price difference it's not worth thinking about. Samsung is a simple decision, no upgrades (other than possible software fixes/tweaks) but Sonos is hugely more expensive for no major uplift in overall experience. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the Sonos Arc full package and wished I could've afforded it but I'm glad that I didn't and got the Q990C instead because at the time I saved hundreds that I've been able to spend on other home cinema (media player) upgrades since.

I must say I agree with this, I own an Arc + Sub + Ones in my living room and just a Ray in the bedroom and I am more satisfied by the Ray as a purchase based on bang for my buck. It's soo much speaker for 150€ (got it on sale). Sure the Arc beats it at many things, but we're talking 1500€ vs 150€ - and yes, I'm saying 1500€ because the Arc without a sub sucks, maybe the ultra doesn't, but the normal Arc does. Meanwhile, the Ray without a sub is very good.

No. I’m testing out a Sonos arc with the sub as we speak and for music it’s terrible. The vocals and mids just sound poor. Going to return it.

The bass is worse on the 990D, I can only describe it as clumsy and unrefined. Definitely the weak/cheap link in the overall package. Just note, though, that overall, even taking that into account, the sound is easily a step up than an equivalent sonos arc/sub/era300 surround setup because the Sonos relies on the sub to keep up, the 990D is held back by it. The Sonos sound has a hard limit in terms of quality and sounds stuck inside itself. That's how I see it coming from being nearly 20 year sonos person....to not.

I also had the same set b&o beoplay 18 2.1 prior to getting the Arc/sub/rear. The Sonos is superior when running movies with Atmos support. However, for regular movies with no atmos support and music; it pales in comparison. Tbh, it’s not even close. If you are a movie enthusiast and are actively seeking out atmos supported movies, go for it. The Sonos are worth it. For mix usage? Don’t bother with the Sonos’s. For around 3-4k you could get some good b&o/Kef that will sound far superior.

Before buying my arc and sub I compared it back to back in the shop with a Cambridge audio Evo 75 and a pair of KEF LS50. I spent almost an hour in the demo room and we struggled to get the Arc connected properly. This was before the new app. Anyways after a bit of fiddling we got the system going and I was impressed. But the Cambridge Audio absolutely blew the Arc out of the water for Music, especially with the Kef speakers which on their own was the same price of the arc and sub. But for TV listening I could barely find a difference. So reluctantly I chose Sonos as I knew 90% of my listening would be through the TV. I often wonder whether I made the right choice? Don’t get me wrong I’m super happy with the setup and even considered upgrading to the Ultra. But I’ve decided it’s not the way to go. I feel it would be better to upgrade my 65inch LG and get better visuals before sorting the sound. It’s an expensive business trying for perfection in a system. One definitely has to decide what you want, a banging sound system for music or sound system that complements your TV. The two can’t quite meet in the middle.

Sonos arc serves me well and I have it paired with the sub and two rear speakers

For existing full setups it seems the biggest catch that most are calling out is the dialogue enhancement. So much as some people are saying either “I can have my volume at 10 instead of 15!” Or “I don’t need to press the speech enhancement button anymore!” Why not save the money and just have your default volume slightly louder. Or simply just keep the speech enhancement on? I haven’t seen a good reason yet for upgrading from the OG Arc in a full surround sub setup yet. Seems like the solution Ultra addresses is already a free existing solution in the app or on your remote. Alternatively, upgrade to an AppleTV 4K. It has a dialogue enhancement option as well. I have this and I have almost zero dialogue issues on my arc, era 100s and sub3.

It really does, agreed. My experience is still amazing on my AppleTV 4K in my full arc setup. Personally, I bought a cheap Blu-ray reader for my PC and through Handbrake you can pull the raw video & audio and extract it into an MKV file and use that on your own home media server for Plex. So I watch my (very small) collection of Blu-ray’s on Plex via my AppleTV 4K instead of having a completely separate Blu-ray player.

My room is around ~20x15, with about a 6foot archway into the separate kitchen, and the balance still works out great for me. If I could have afforded the 300’s and had WAF I’d have done those but only because I’m a fan of overkill on electronics. So yes I’d consider the 300’s overkill. After TruePlay, I set the 100’s and the Arc’s height channels to +8 on a recommendation in this subreddit and it made a big difference in immersion balance.

If you want a sound bar without a sub, the best option is Sonos beam 2 or Arc/ultra. But if you want better sound, a sub is always needed. Connecting a sound bar via Bluetooth is a waste of time and money. Bluetooth connections are never reliable, and if you want to maximize a sound bar, it has to be connected via eArc. Bluetooth will give you only Stereo PCM at best, but you won't get Dolby Digital or Atmos. I would skip the sound bar in your case and buy a better TV with the saved money. But if you're set on it, then you'll have to buy a HDMI switch to keep an HDMI eArc port open .

If this Arc fixes the ongoing Atmos popping issue I will be pissed. I’ve been waiting years for it never to get fixed and if their solution is having to spend $1300 Cdn for a new version that’s some hot garbage.

I’ll have to re-enable to check again if that’s the case. I checked and had it pop had it pop not too long ago so I’ve pretty much had it off the whole time I’ve owned it.

Agreed on Sonos soundbars. We have a Ray and its great. Obviously we'd take an Arc or Arc Ultra and I don't deny for a second that they better, but the Ray does a great job for a 1/3rd of the price if budget is an issue.

Anything in that price range will be a disappointment. Try to step it up to the 250+ range, something with ARC support. I personally like Sonos. However, their price range starts at 400.

I liked the a7000 soundbar and their sw3 subwoofer but their rear speakers really disappointed me and I bought the rs5’s. Cannot play music through the rear speakers and they didn’t make much sound when I would watch sports. Returned my whole set up for Sonos and was very pleased. Sub mini packs a punch and the arc soundbar is much more reasonable of a size for me. I thought the arc had slightly better clarity too but I don’t play my stuff very loud since I live in an apartment

I got the Klipsch Flexus Core 200 recently and love it, though I see it is apparently rather pricey near you. I also really liked the Sonos soundbars when I was listening to them in-stores. I wasn't able to listen to the Arc Ultra and the Arc side-by-side, but I listened to them at two different stores and thought they sounded fairly similar so I'd recommend the Arc out of what you listed. If you could find the Arc Ultra within your budget, even used or open-box, it might future-proof your setup a bit, though.

It's funny. For me it was different. I went from TV speaker to beam Gen 2 and was impressed. Then my Dad got a cheaper but not bad "Dolby Atmos" Soundbar. I realized that the true secret sauce is Trueplay. That is what's makes the Sonos Bar better Imho. Overall, if you want to have better surround while not spending to much money, get a pair of Ikea Bookshelves and use them as surrounds. Your Beam will then have more headroom as it doesn't need to simulate the rears anymore

Yep, that spot is just screaming for a Sonos bar.