Sonos’s Beam Ultra Soundbar Hits a Sweet Spot Between Small Size and Big Sound

5 min readThe Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar is the whole-home audio brand’s attempt to find a middle ground in the home theater space. Wedged between its compact Sonos Beam and flagship Arc Ultra soundbar, the Beam Ultra sits in the middle in terms of size, power, and price.That’s an intriguing proposition: The Beam Ultra has many of the advanced features I loved in the Arc Ultra, including Dolby Atmos with up-firing speakers and A.I.-powered speech enhancement to boost dialogue in the mix. But the Arc Ultra is made for big TVs and carries a $1,099 price tag: It’s an upgrade for serious home theater fans with a big budget. At $699, the Beam Ultra is still a serious investment, but seems far more attainable than the tubular Arc.And, after a few weeks of testing, I feel comfortable saying that Beam Ultra sounds more like the Arc Ultra’s little brother than a slightly bigger Beam. Its stellar audio performance, which I’ll break down shortly, deserves the Ultra name. And the Beam Ultra delivers it in a much smaller footprint than the Arc Ultra—at about 30 inches wide, it’s only 4 inches wider than the second-generation Beam, but more than a foot narrower than the Arc Ultra.If you are a serious cinephile with the budget to upgrade, but don’t have a stand or space to accommodate a full-size soundbar, the Sonos Beam Ultra almost certainly sets a new gold standard for compact soundbars, delivering top-tier audio with minimal compromises.ProsLoud and clear for its sizeLow-key design that's perfect for small spacesIntuitive controlsConsAI speech enhancement feature can interfere with general sound profileKey SpecsSound9 audio drivers, 7.1.2-channel setup, Dolby AtmosConnectivityWiFi, Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay 2, USB-C inputWidth29.5 in.OtherCompanion app, TV Audio SwapBig Sound, Small BarCompared to other small soundbars, the Sonos Beam Ultra has tremendous firepower behind it, which may explain why it sounds bigger than it is. It’s a 7.1.2 system, which means it has seven forward-facing speakers, a single down-firing unit, and two up-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound. That’s more than the Bose Smart Soundbar (five audio drivers in a 3.0.2-channel layout) and the Denon Home 550, which I previously would’ve called the top compact options in the space.More audio drivers don't automatically mean better sound. Still, they do let the Beam Ultra project a wider soundstage and reduce the number of audio channels that need to be combined and condensed. The results are, in a word, powerful. It generates an impressive soundstage, simultaneously expansive and precise. It is certainly more immersive and capable than any soundbar I’ve ever considered describing as “compact.”At the same time, it can convey incredible nuance. The eclectic selection of music I played—from bass-heavy downtempo tracks to classical jazz albums—came through with clear separation across bass, treble, and midrange, unlike lesser-equipped alternatives from other makers. For folks who plan to stream music from their phone, the Beam Ultra supports lossless audio files and can play them over WiFi without compression. (If you connect your soundbar to your phone via Bluetooth, you'll get some audio degradation, whether the soundbar supports lossless or not.)The more varied your audio diet, the more important it is to fine-tune the soundbar with EQ settings that match the music, movies, sports, or video games you’re listening to. The Sonos companion app makes it easy to swap modes or tweak settings on-the-fly, including the height of the sound from the up-firing speakers. This trick can further enhance scenes in Dolby Atmos content, especially action sequences (e.g., explosions, flying aircraft, etc.).Stefan VazharovThe Sonos app’s speech enhancement controls.You can also adjust advanced features like Sonos’s signature AI-powered voice enhancement. The voice enhancement feature, which was introduced in the Arc Ultra, works wonders when you’re watching movies or sports, cranking up the volume and clarity of dialogue amid other sounds so you can hear clearly. The feature comes with some drawbacks: Cranking up voice enhancement to “high” takes a toll on overall sound quality. I would avoid going above “medium.” This was not specific to Beam Ultra, though; I experienced similar issues with the Arc Ultra as well.Little Features I LovedBeyond audio playback via the Sonos platform, the Beam Ultra soundbar supports Apple AirPlay 2 for streaming audio from an iPhone, a MacBook, or an iPad. Basic Bluetooth is built in, just in case, and, to my surprise, you can also connect a device directly to the soundbar via a USB-C cable.Like the Arc Ultra soundbar, the Beam Ultra can deliver a truly private Dolby Atmos audio experience by connecting to the excellent Sonos Ace and Ace Ultra wireless headphones. The feature, known as “TV Audio Swap,” is easy to set up and works seamlessly. It allowed me to watch late-night movies and live NBA games without disturbing those around me.Stefan VazharovYou can upgrade the Beam Ultra into a full surround sound system.The revamped Sonos app is much better and easier to navigate than the previous edition. Its learning curve is minimal compared to before, and it brings a host of thoughtful extra touches. My favorite is the addition of Live Activities to the iOS app, which lets me access playback and volume controls directly from my iPhone’s lock screen or by long-pressing the Dynamic Island.And, as ever, one of the biggest advantages of Sonos is its modular wireless connectivity, which allows you to build out a whole-home audio system over time. A soundbar can turn into a proper surround-sound system by adding a Sonos Sub Mini and a pair of Era 100 rear surround speakers for a full private-theater sound experience. And a home theater system can turn into audio for the whole house if you add more speakers in other rooms.Who Should Buy the Sonos Beam Ultra?There is an obvious customer for the Sonos Beam Ultra: a discerning audiophile/home theater devotee with limited space who wants to compromise on quality as little as possible. This is a noticeable upgrade over just about any compact soundbar, and it may sound better than many full-size models, too. It’s very powerful, just as acoustically proficient, and offers processing features that I generally associate with larger bars.As impressive as it is, the Arc Ultra remains the most impressive Sonos soundbar, though. With 14 onboard audio drivers, it's simply more capable than the Beam Ultra: You’re getting similar sound, but it’s bigger, punchier, and more expressive. If you have the room, it’s the option to beat. (And Sonos specifically recommends the Beam Ultra for 65-inch TVs and smaller. If you have a 75-inch TV or larger, Beam Ultra may not meet the spec.) Ultimately, the Beam Ultra is incredibly impressive, though, and should open the door for many upgraders who want something that sounds special but, for whatever reason, would not be able to break that four-figure price barrier.Check Out the Full Sonos Soundbar LineupStefan is an award-winning consumer technology editor with over a decade of experience in reviewing gadgets, particularly smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, desktop and laptop computers across multiple form factors and platforms, as well as accessories for them. He also covers televisions and audio equipment, including headphones, earbuds, wireless speakers, and soundbars. Since joining Hearst in 2015, Stefan has contributed to BestProducts, Popular Mechanics, and numerous other publications. Prior to his current role, he served as the US Editor for GSMArena.com.