Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar + Sonos Sub 4 review: The ultimate shake-the-room home theatre experience
Scott Hocking
STACK Senior Editor
The latest home theatre gear from Sonos is a killer combination that elevates bass to thunderous new heights.
At a glance
Simple set up
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
Groundbreaking ‘Sound Motion’ tech
Immersive spatial audio and Dolby Atmos
Bass you can feel
Centre channel customisation for clear dialogue
Sonic specialists Sonos are renowned for premium audio gear and acoustic innovation, and the next generation of their popular Arc soundbar and wireless Sub – the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 – are the brand’s most powerful soundbar and subwoofer to date.
We paired them up for this review, and the result was the ultimate shake-the-room home theatre audio experience!
The look
Measuring 1.173m long, the Arc Ultra is a great fit for larger TVs and slim enough so as not to obstruct the bottom bezel, creating pleasing home theatre uniformity. It can also be wall mounted if required.
Discreet touch controls are mounted at the top for play/pause and track selection, along with a handy volume slider.
Super swish with a matte finish and wraparound grille to fire sound in all directions, the Arc Ultra is a beautiful addition to any home theatre system, and nicely complemented by the sculptural Sub 4. Both are available in black or white.
The innovation
Soundbars can deliver middling bass without the added punch of a separate subwoofer, but the Arc Ultra more than holds its own with the low end, offering double the bass output of its predecessor.
It’s the first soundbar to utilise groundbreaking Sound Motion tech, which significantly reduces the size of the transducer (the bit that converts electric current into sound waves), enabling more powerful bass to be delivered from smaller internal components.
And when linked to the Sub 4, movie sound mixes and music come to life with a deep and resonant presence.
The simple set-up
One of the things we love about Sonos gear is the simplicity of set up and use.
Connect the Arc Ultra to the TV’s HDMI eARC/ARC port, download the newly refreshed Sonos app, and follow the prompts. Sonos Voice Control, or Alexa, can also be enabled for hands-free use.
Trueplay tuning will cleverly scan a room’s layout for sound optimisation, and once the Arc Ultra is active, the Sub 4 can be simply paired using the ‘add device’ option in the app.
The best location
The Arc Ultra’s immersive sound field works to equal effect in a large open living area and smaller spaces such as a media room or bedroom.
A bigger room results in a wider soundscape, while the simulated surround technique of bouncing audio off the walls and ceiling can be more effective in a smaller space. Either way, the immersive effect is remarkable.
The Sub 4 can be placed upright, on its side, or slid under the couch to really feel the rumble from the dual, inward facing woofers pulsing within.
The sound
Equipped with seven angled tweeters – including two upward firing ones for height channels – the Arc Ultra fully immerses you in 9.1.4 channel spatial audio.
If you’ve been using your TV’s speakers, or are upgrading from a smaller bar like the Sonos Beam, the vastly expanded soundscape will be a revelation!
Simulated surround sound can often be hit and miss, but the Arc Ultra excels at delivering immersive multichannel audio with distinct separation and rear channel activity that will have you looking behind the couch for speakers that aren’t there.
Home theatre audiophiles have their go-to movies to test the grunt of new sound gear, and with so much bass on offer, we couldn’t go past Jurassic Park, Star Wars: A New Hope, and Dune: Part Two to give the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 a proper workout.
So, how did they sound? In a word – wow! It’s a combination that brings cinema-quality audio home, with bass that you can truly feel.
The Arc Ultra also enhances movies with a highly detailed sound design. We viewed A Quiet Place: Day One in 4K with Dolby Atmos engaged and the nuances in the mix were often startling. And with the Sub 4 handling the lower end, we noticed greater detail in the Ultra’s mid-range, as well as an uptick in dialogue clarity.
Speaking of dialogue, the centre channel can be adjusted in-app to enhance vocals, although we found the factory setting to be sufficient, with dialogue remaining loud and clear during noisy action scenes.
Bass, treble, and sub levels can be easily tweaked in the app’s EQ, which also includes adjustment for spatial audio height channels.
There is also a Night Sound option to reduce loudness during late night binges or, alternatively, the audio can be seamlessly switched from the soundbar to a pair of Sonos Ace headphones for private listening.
It’s not just movies and shows that are elevated by this combo’s epic sonic punch; music also benefits from the enhanced detail, and tracks mixed for spatial audio gain extra dimension. And the Ultra’s dedicated Bluetooth button allows easy pairing with devices for streaming playlists.
The bottom line
The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 is one of the best home theatre audio combos we’ve tested to date, delivering everything you want from a premium sound system – and then some.
Movie buffs and audiophiles alike will relish the spatial audio immersion and prominent bass, and owners of the original Arc can confidently upgrade.
^Discounts apply to previous ticketed/advertised price prior to the discount offer. As we negotiate, products will likely have been sold below ticketed/advertised price prior to the discount offer. Prices may differ at airport stores.
