Sonos Arc Ultra

Not even offering a pass through HDMI is an immediate no go. I still use my 12 year old Sony bar because I still haven't found a modern one that not only gives 3 pass through HDMI ports but also lets your universal remote select specific ports to change to.

[...] I know that in some way that “defeats the purpose”, but I’ve tuned 1 speaker that I’ve kept that tuning on and used different places for years - it sounds awesome. Last time I bought and tuned a Sonos stereo pair I put them on the wrong Sonos network. After reset and new tune they sounded completely different. Also depending of which device you use to tune it can change the sound dramatically 😢 Makes it harder to a/b test a new speaker cuz the tuning can be SOO different.

I do like my Sonos setup (have a pair of Era300s, an Arc Ultra, Sub4, and Sub Mini) and now that they've fixed the app issues, it works really well. And the sound quality is good enough for me. I just wish the Amp product was about half the price. [...]

[...] They can blame the source but that is still a flaw with the soundbar. Did not happen with old soundbar and doesn't happen with headset. [...] I have tested with headset and other soundbars and again the volume is much more even like I expect. With the arc ultra the left and right speakers play voices much louder than the center for unknown reasons. Tested with 2 different arc ultras on 2 different TVs, and it has nothing to do with any setting.

What they dont tell you is that you'll be required to have internet access, download their proprietary app, create an account, and also connect the devices to a local WIFI network. I was setting up my cinema in a rural home with no internet where even cell service is spotty. Possibly requiring app updates and internet access in the future to use my premium priced electronics is a deal breaker so I sent it all back to Amazon.

Got the Arc and sub mini and 100,s as rear and a great home theatre experience. I love Sonos!!

The best sound I've ever heard for a home theatre was using a nobsound 2.1 amp with some 90s B&W 602's in the subwoofer channel and some 90's Mission 73s in the stereo channels. £260 total.

my exact setup but i have one sub front left and sub rear right with the two rear speakers

10:15 "If you're not a huge basshead then [the Sub Mini does] provide a little bit of bass..." WTF?? 😂 I have a Sub Mini + 2x Era 300 as surrounds + an Arc Ultra in a fairly big room and I just can't turn the sub much above 0 before it's totally overwhelming. And I'm definitely a basshead. "Little bit of bass" must be the understatement of the decade lol.

I have to disagree with the Arc Ultra being superior to the Arc. Yes, it has much better bass, but the rest is a DSP hot mess. The replaced full range drivers with tweeters, so you lose a lot of mid range sound and voices are now quieter and unnatural. [...] If you are adding a subwoofer to your system, why would you need better bass in your soundbar? [...] It is simply a marketing scam to get people to buy another sound bar when their current one is already better, except for the bass. Use that money for a subwoofer instead and the system will sound better and more natural overall.

I went through dozens of sub $1K systems for years before I finally splurged on the Arc... It's literally the best sounding audio device I've ever had in my home theater.

[...] I just can’t seem to have this set up to sound good. [...]

Not only was this valuable for me as I just purchased an ultra, it was also valubale to help me learn how to use my Remarkable tablet better! haha thanks a ton loved it. liked and subscribed

Awesome review! Bought my Ultra and sub 4 back in Dec 2024. Saved up and bought the dual 300s in Feb 2025. Been enjoying the setup very very much. Now all I do is buy 4K blu-rays. Maverick, Dune 1-2 & Blade Runner 2042 are INSANE!

I have extra large great room and went with Arc (later upgraded to Arc Ultra), dual Gen 3 subs, and Fives as surrounds. The primary sitting position is about 18 feet from wall mounted 77" LG OLED and Fives are around 12-14 feet behind the sofa. [...]

[...] Do you think adding 2 more era 100’s next to the arc will be worth it? I love my setup right now even though the era 100 don’t have up firing speakers. [...]

Hi God bless you and your family too and friends too I am new in the channel how you setup the another 2X sonos era 300 for have 4X sonos era 300 because I have the sonos arc ultra and 2X sonos era 300 and 2X sonos sub gen 4 sorry my English is not to strong I loved your video is great amazing awesome i am from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

I bought the original ARC to replace their first gen soundbar, and to this day I still regret it with regard to sound quality alone. Here’s hoping they got it right with the arc v2

I have true 7.1.4 theatre and an office setup with a Sonos soundbar. I am always amazed with how good the Sonos bar is. They really have an amazing product.

something cool that I've noticed is that you can manipulate the tuning of the sonos systems using different microphones. I realized that my sound was harsh and that was because my iPhone mic was clogged up. I then proceeded to test with the cleaned up iPhone mic as well as the microphone on some old apple earbuds and even AirPods. [...] Basically if you want less highs, you can use a microphone that has more highs, or the opposite.

Your the reason why I went full dive into the Sonos universe all those years ago... $3000 later it's still so amazing.

I have the Arc Ultra with a sub mini and two Era 300s for rears. Sonos ftw

I use this same setup in my living room and have been absolutely loving it!

I bought the Arc Ultra when it released and have been impressed by its quality. IKEA speaker lamps as surrounds enhance the setup with even better bass, even though I had to connect the speakers with a LAN cable for perfect functionality.

I had never heard of Sonos, bought my first soundbar last week (beam 2), overwhelmingly surprised how good the sound quality is for a soundbar with no additional subwoofer. Went to the store looking to buy a cheaper model from a good brand, tested it, and it sounded awful, tested all the soundbars in the store, went home with a Sonos. Very happy with my purchase - Im not sponsored btw

Got Arc Ultra with Sub Mini and Rear Era 100s and It’s so Good that even my partner Now notices when We don’t have full Atmos on a movie/show 😂

I have the OG Arc paired with a Sub Mini and it is an amazing experience! Pro tip, I bought both units refurbished from Sonos and they looked absolutely brand new. Totally worth it the insane savings!

Re needing the sub: I'm really pleased with my Sub Mini in a large-ish living room. I even have it turned down two or three clicks. But for movies, the rumble is very much appreciated. Tried the setup in my buddy's huuuge living room, and even there I only turned it to like +3. IDK who the big Sub is for. I'd encourage everyone to get the Mini.

I have the sonos arc ultra, Sub 4, and 2 era 300s. [...]

Sonos are perfectly fine audio-wise; their hardware is good... [...] The software side of things is now total dog sht. [...]

The thing with Sonos is that it is modulair, I Bought the Arc with Sub v3 and Era 100's, planning to upgrade to Era 300's eventually and maybe add a second Sub. Later i could even upgrade the Arc to whatever is next. They sound great (yes arguble but i'm happy) and are esthetic.

I have had SO many issues with their app and speakers not functioning. Never buying one of their products again 😠

Started the return of my Sonos Arc Ultra. Going with a Q990D Airplay is buggy. I have to use my phone app to change anything. I can’t get any mid-bass out of it. The Q990D sounds 95% as good, comes with rear speakers and a remote, and is $350 cheaper.

[...] Watching bumblebee on 4k disc is mind blowing for a soundbar system.

14:07 the best argument in favor of Sonos in my opinion. I now have a Sonos Arc + 2 Ones as surrounds. Now I can upgrade to 2 Era 300 as rears and keep the 2 Ones for other rooms. That's great and something you can't do with any other brand!

[...] The ultra’s l/r channels sounded like they were only coming from the bar directly not reflecting. [...] The one thing going unnoticed is arc ultra has neutered older Sonos surrounds. When using the original arc the sound from test channels transition seamlessly between channels. [...] The ultra using , fives, ones, and the IKEA lamps would not transition, it combines l/r surrounds and rear l/r into the same channels so you get no transitions, instead a harsh jump from speaker to speaker. Only the 100/300 transition channels with the ultra like all other Sonos speakers do with the original arc. [...] I’m this case we were simply told it was working fine by the initial support team member then asked to give them a good score in a customer service survey. [...] Being forced onto your wifi means the devices are now competing with in some cases hundreds of other devices. [...]

I have one. I love it. No issues with the app. [...]

I have always been sceptical towards sonos, but having heard a Arc + Sub recently, I am blown away. I ALWAYS find some time to listen to some music on it, because it is that good.

Sonos just has so many little things that I love. That app thing was rough for sure. But it seems okay now. The simplicity of setup and use are huge pluses. And I cannot stress enough the Apple Music being native is the single biggest reason that I continue to buy their products. Have a great week love what you are doing!

first off....Sonos makes wonderful gear. that being said, thee number 1 reason I've never bought into their eco system? they force me to use....their subs! no disrespect. but the subs I have...beat the absolute st out of them! whether I'm using one, or depending on which system we're playing, up to four. and no, it has nothing to do with the amount of rumble! it has all to do with ...depth! once you've listened to the best depth, you can achieve. you'll never, ever want to go back! it feels...empty! I tried the amp they have. when I tore it apart, you'll see the limiter, that never allows you to fix the delay....pretty smart. [...]

I have a Sonos Arc Ultra. [...] If I raised the volume on the 100's, the sound would also increase on the Arc Ultra. [...] No matter what I did I could barely hear the rear speakers, I I returned them. I love the Arc Ultra, but it does not seem to work well with surrounds.

For my case trueplay sort of dampened arc ultra's sound for my room so I had to play around with eq in stock mode for the sweet spot. Maybe trueplay works better when more components like the sub or eras are added.

[...] The calibration sound check is more surround than anything else. As soon as you just use your device for content or surround options it never sounded as surround as that first calibration sound check haha. [...] Still good sound tho 🤗

I bought an Arc Ultra for my studio, it is pretty small, had it bundled with Sub Mini and it was such overkill for the room. Ended taking the sub to my bedroom with a Beam. The only thing I’m thinking on adding are a couple of Era 100’s.

Listened to the arc, read the reviews. I hope this one is better, I considered the Arc was a downgrade from my Playbar v1. Combined with 2 play 1s in stereo surround and no Sub. I paid 300 even for the kit. It's the only Sonos I have that doesn't sht itself and need a full reset every 3 months.

The only reason I returned the Sonos Arc Ultra was the lack of a single hdmi pass through and era 300s being too big but still wanting to have upfiring rears. The Sonos Ultra soundstage was fantastic but my theater bar 9 and RS5s have been amazing and at least to my ears is more accurate sounding so there’s that.

[...] most blurays are with dts x or dts hd, and very few support dolby atmos, and it is a shame that you have to "fallback" to dts, which doesnt sound bad, but it cannot be compared to dts-hd, x or dolby atmos. and no, they havent started supporting it on the arc ultra

[...] Sounds amazing when it works. [...]

We had an LG soundbar hooked up to the TV when I got the CX a few years back. Just got a pretty crazy deal for the Sonos Arc Ultra. I really want a couple of the gen 4 subs to go with it but £2000 is a bit much 😂

So is sonos worth it? I currently have a polk magnifi max pro sr