The Sonos Arc Ultra was first unveiled back in October last year but the soundbar didn’t reach our lab until earlier this year. I’ve had a chance to sit down with it right and proper, and here’s what I think of it.
What Am I Looking At?
When it comes to its soundbars, Sonos, as with other brands in their own right, rarely deviate from their own tried-and-true designs. With the Arc Ultra, the main difference in aesthetics is the more pronounced control bar at the rear of the product.
Rather than making it the length of the soundbar, as it did with the non-Ultra Arc, the one on the Arc Ultra is shorter and stands out more prominently. Inside the speaker, you get Sonos’ Sound Motion technology that acts as its independent woofer.
The Arc Ultra is also Dolby Atmos certified, with a 9.1.4 speaker layout that is capable of driving all the pitches without the need for a dedicated woofer, although adding in a Sub 4 wouldn’t hurt.
Connectivity-wise, you’ve got an eARC HDMI port but more importantly, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to connect to it via the Sonos app or play whatever it is you’re itching to hear from your mobile device.
What’s Good About It?
From the standpoint of a stereo speaker, the Arc Ultra, as any premium soundbar does, delivers on almost all fronts. Almost. Its dynamic range sounds and feels solid, with tracks like Alter Bridge’s Down To My Last sounding bright and Miles Kennedy’s vocals being carried.
Vocals, to that end, are a highlight of the Arc Ultra. There is a warmth listening to Rufus Wainwright’s Old Tom Bombadil, and again, his voice sounds crisp and clear. On another note, it does a bang-up job in opening up tracks with haunting vocals like Caislean Oir by Clannad. Oh, and it’s the same for Digging My Potato by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts, with no breaking in the harmonica’s highs.
Low frequencies are certainly present but at this stage, I can honestly say I’ve felt better oomphs from other soundbars. Unless you’re specifically listening to bass-heavy tracks like Flight of the Cosmic Hippo by Bel Fleck and the Flecktones, a track that sounds like the bassist is taking the notes out on a stroll, you’re not going to feel the thump in your chest or feel the stomping of a foot as hard. Case in point, the unplugged version of Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven.
And that Dolby Atmos function? Provided your content is Dolby-ready, the immersion and sounds from this 9.1.4 soundbar will hit you square in the chest. Granted, the built-in woofers don’t have the same raw energy that you get with a dedicated sub-woofer like, say, the Sub 4, but these aren’t squeaky mice – they punch you moderately hard in the chest.
What’s The Catch?
One of the problems with the Sonos Arc Ultra is the lack of HDMI In, putting it at a disadvantage against its rivals, such as Sony. The lack of the physical feature means you’re tethered to the Sonos App to navigate content and outputs.
Speaking of app dependency, I am just a little miffed that Sonos didn’t include an EQ setting with this soundbar, especially with how nice its stereo function sounds.
The other drawback is, of course, its price point. Look, premium soundbars are always going to be expensive; that’s just a fact of life. For the Arc Ultra, you’ll need to fork out RM5,899. If you want the optional Sub 4, by the way, that’ll be an extra RM4,799.
Should I Buy It?
There would be a few parameters you’ll need to consider. The first is only if you’re heavily invested into the Sonos ecosystem – you’re effectively paying close to RM6,000 for the Arc Ultra and at this point, I’m assuming that you’ve got a full ensemble of other Sonos speakers to complement this speaker. The second is if you plan on adding more speakers from the brand’s portfolio.
Photography by John Law.
