Sonos is updating its popular compact soundbar with the new Sonos Beam Ultra, the successor to the Sonos Beam, one of the brand’s best-sellers. True to the spirit of its predecessor, this new generation—priced at €699—retains a discreet design and simple setup, while significantly enhancing the home theater experience. Still just as compact at only 75 cm wide, it promises a much more immersive audio experience in Dolby Atmos 7.1.2 channels, made possible by the integration of dedicated drivers for vertical effects. It also introduces an AI-powered dialogue enhancement feature, while retaining Sonos’s signature technologies such as Trueplay calibration, multi-room playback, and access to streaming services.
A Beam that thinks bigger
The Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar builds on the philosophy that made the Beam line a success: offering a relatively compact soundbar that’s easy to place in front of a TV, yet capable of delivering a much richer sound than its size would suggest. Measuring 75 cm wide, 6.5 cm tall, and 10.5 cm deep, the new Sonos Beam Ultra remains significantly more discreet than the top-of-the-line Sonos Arc Ultra.
Beneath this apparent simplicity, however, Sonos has put a great deal of effort into refining the acoustic architecture. In fact, the Beam Ultra now features nine Class D digital amplifiers, paired with nine drivers to create a much more immersive soundstage.
Finally, real Atmos drivers
One of the most significant improvements involves the reproduction of vertical sound. The Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar now features a 7.1.2-channel configuration, with dedicated drivers designed to reproduce vertical sound. It combines five tweeters with four woofers, with a central tweeter aimed directly at the listener to enhance the clarity of dialogue, while the two side tweeters are housed in horns to widen the soundstage. Two additional tweeters are directed upward to reproduce the overhead effects of Dolby Atmos soundtracks by reflecting sound off the ceiling. This allows sounds like a helicopter, rain, or an object flying across the screen to seem as though they are moving above the listener.
Sonos even accounts for setups in which the top of the soundbar is partially obstructed. In such cases, a simulated height mode can be enabled from the app to maintain a certain degree of verticality in the soundstage.
Dolby Atmos, TrueHD, and DTS are on the program
This architecture naturally comes with broad compatibility with major home theater formats. Dolby Atmos can be received via a Dolby Digital Plus stream—as is often the case on streaming platforms—or from a Dolby TrueHD track to enjoy a lossless soundtrack when using a compatible source. The soundbar also supports multichannel PCM and DTS Digital Surround. Dolby Atmos isn’t limited to movies, either, since the Beam Ultra’s vertical drivers also support Dolby Atmos Music. Albums and tracks available in this format can therefore benefit from three-dimensional spatial imaging.
Artificial intelligence for dialogue
Sonos is also tackling one of the most common issues with modern movies and TV shows: dialogue that can sometimes be hard to understand when sound effects and music dominate the mix. The new AI-powered voice enhancement feature is designed to specifically identify human voices and make them stand out from the rest of the soundtrack. Users can choose from four levels of voice enhancement in the Sonos app, allowing them to tailor the processing to their listening preferences or the different shows they’re watching. This feature can be complemented by Sonos’s traditional Night Mode. This mode reduces the intensity of the loudest passages while bringing out the quietest sounds. It’s a convenient solution for watching a movie late at night without having to constantly adjust the volume.
TruePlay calibration
Another essential feature of the Sonos ecosystem, Trueplay calibration is, of course, included. This system measures the room’s acoustic properties to automatically adjust the soundbar’s equalization. This is particularly important for a soundbar, whose performance can vary significantly depending on whether it’s mounted against a wall, placed on an open shelf, or set up in a more confined space. Trueplay calibration is compatible with iOS and Android devices. The app also lets you manually adjust the bass, treble, and Loudness settings.
Wireless home theater
Like its predecessor, the Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar can be paired with the brand’s various multi-room components to create a customizable wireless home theater system. In particular, you can pair it with a pair of Sonos Era 100 speakers for surround sound, or ideally the Sonos Era 300 speakers, which, in addition to surround sound, reproduce rear Atmos effects thanks to dedicated drivers. Fans of deep bass will enjoy pairing it with the Sonos Sub Mini or the all-new Sonos Sub (Gen 4), featured below. Finally, the Sonos Ace headphones or their new version, the Sonos Ace Ultra, can be paired for late-night Dolby Atmos sessions.
Streaming and connectivity
The other features of the Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar remain unchanged, with full access to the brand’s wide range of streaming options available on its connected speakers. You can access files shared on the local network, internet radio stations, and most streaming services such as Apple Music, Deezer, Qobuz, and Spotify. Streaming is also supported via AirPlay 2 and, now, Bluetooth. Finally, the soundbar connects to the TV via HDMI eARC/ARC. The Beam Ultra also features a USB-C port. With optional Sonos adapters, this port can accommodate a 3.5 mm mini-jack analog source or enable a wired Ethernet connection.
With the Beam Ultra, Sonos seems intent on pushing the boundaries of its compact soundbar. In particular, the addition of true up-firing drivers represents a significant step forward in delivering a more authentic Dolby Atmos experience, while the 7.1.2-channel configuration promises a much more immersive soundstage. AI-enhanced dialogue, Trueplay calibration, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and AirPlay 2 round out this exceptionally versatile offering. All of this is packed into a device that’s just 75 cm wide.
Now available to pre-order on Son-Vidéo.com for €699, the Sonos Beam Ultra promises to be a particularly attractive option for users looking to experience a true home theater feel while maintaining a more compact design than the Sonos Arc Ultra.
