Sonos Arc Ultra review: bigger bass, better sound

Sonos Arc Extremely

MSRP $999.00

“The Arc Extremely improves nearly each side of Sonos’ flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar.”

Professionals

• Huge, highly effective bass
• Clear and intelligible dialogue
• Immersive Dolby Atmos
• Nice for music and flicks
• Misplaced of enlargement choices
• Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay

Cons

• No HDMI enter
• No distant
• Highs could be barely harsh
• Sonos app continues to be buggy

By any measure, it’s been a lousy year for Sonos. The corporate’s much-anticipated entry into wireless headphones — the Sonos Ace — ought to have been a triumphant second (the Ace are excellent). Sadly, the Ace’s debut was overshadowed by the corporate’s botched app replace, which continues to canine the corporate regardless of a slew of patches which have largely (however not completely) mounted the issues.

The app fiasco forged such a pall over the corporate’s usually ebullient new product launches that Sonos introduced its new flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar — the $999 Sonos Arc Extremely — not with a splashy in-person press occasion, however with a press launch.

I do know that Sonos’ wounds are 100% self-inflicted, however I can’t assist feeling dangerous for the parents who introduced the Arc Extremely into existence as a result of, similar to the Sonos Ace, it’s a very good audio product.

It’s not excellent — I’ll contact on a few of its weaknesses in a second — and it’s not a large step up from the original Arc (which it replaces), however there’s an plain enchancment in sound high quality that makes the Extremely price the additional $100 — particularly should you’re already all-in on Sonos.

In case you’re acquainted with the Sonos Arc, the Arc Extremely is almost an identical. It comes within the two commonplace Sonos colours (black and white) and its dimensions make it laborious to inform the 2 aside at a distance. At 46.3 inches in width, the Extremely is simply about two inches wider than the Arc, and but it’s shorter, with a peak of two.9 inches as an alternative of the unique’s 3.4 inches. The Extremely is even a little bit shallower.

The all-matte-plastic, cylindrical physique and built-in grille protect what’s arguably one of many best-looking soundbar designs. The place most individuals will discover a distinction is the brand new central housing. It acts as a plinth, creating the impact — when seen from the entrance — that the cylinder’s “wings” are floating a couple of millimeters above the floor.

That housing can be the place you’ll discover the contact controls. In step with Sonos’ most up-to-date audio system (the Era 100, Era 300, and Move 2), these now embody a devoted quantity slider, which some could discover simpler or extra intuitive than the earlier dual-function quantity/monitor skipping controls. I didn’t thoughts the earlier structure, however having them on the very prime floor resulted in quite a lot of unintended touches. Thus far, that hasn’t been the case with the Extremely’s controls.

The specs

The Arc Extremely features Bluetooth connectivity, one thing the Arc lacked. When pals drop by, it’s a useful function that provides them the power to stream to the speaker with no need your Wi-Fi password or the Sonos app. Higher but, turning on Bluetooth and pairing a telephone doesn’t interrupt Wi-Fi options like utilizing the Sonos app or streaming by way of AirPlay — the 2 can coexist. Simply understand that Bluetooth streaming received’t sound fairly nearly as good as streaming by way of the app.

Sadly, the position of the Bluetooth button is awkward. Not like the identical buttons on the Period 100, Period 300, and Transfer 2, that are positioned for simple attain on the prime of the speaker’s rear floor, it’s nestled in the identical small rear cavity that homes the HDMI and energy connections, in addition to the Ethernet port and bodily microphone swap. The Sonos-supplied HDMI cable is thinner and extra versatile than most, which can assist with the crowding, but when your setup requires a third-party cable, issues might get tight. It’s an excellent factor you solely have to press it when pairing a brand new machine — navigating that house blind is difficult.

In case you wall mount the Extremely (which you are able to do with an authentic Arc wall mount should you’re upgrading), it’s simpler to get to these controls — the cavity has a backside opening designed for doing so.

It could be nice if Sonos added not less than one HDMI enter to its flagship soundbar, however the firm is clearly against doing so. To be honest, there are solely two causes for wanting an HDMI enter: Your TV’s remaining three HDMI inputs aren’t sufficient to deal with your assortment of related gadgets, and/otherwise you desire to ship a sign on to your soundbar as a result of your TV is older and may’t passthrough codecs like Dolby Atmos. In case you don’t fall into these classes, transfer alongside — nothing to see right here.

Within the field, you’ll discover the soundbar, an influence cable, and an HDMI cable — basically all the things it’s worthwhile to get going. What you received’t discover is the optical-to-HDMI adapter that used to ship with the Extremely. Sonos nonetheless sells them, nevertheless it reckons (rightly I think) that the majority of us received’t want one. Moreover, should you use an optical connection, you’ll miss out on Dolby Atmos.

Regardless of the latest complications with the Sonos app, I arrange the Extremely simply as shortly and painlessly as every other latest Sonos product. The app acknowledged the speaker nearly as quickly as I plugged it in.

Inside a couple of minutes, it added it to my Wi-Fi, carried out the primary software program replace, and gave me a quick tour of its options. It then inspired me to carry out Sonos’ TruePlay room tuning and gave me the choice of enabling one or each elective voice assistants (Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa).

Google followers take be aware: Not like the Sonos Arc, the Extremely doesn’t provide Google Assistant for direct voice management, nevertheless, it’s nonetheless controllable from Sonos’ older Google Assistant-compatible merchandise. It’s also possible to management it by way of Apple’s Siri.

Sonos app struggles

It’s been seven months since the new app design rolled out. Glitches apart (oh, so many glitches), my greatest criticism is that I nonetheless have hassle navigating its interface.

The app used to have separate tabs that allow you to soar between what you had been listening to, what you had been searching for, and a view of the Sonos audio system in your house. At first, I didn’t thoughts their absence, however the extra I take advantage of it, the extra I miss them.

Now, these previously separate features slide over one another, layering one view over one other. Beforehand, even should you’d by no means used the Sonos app, you can intuit your manner by way of it. The brand new design has a steeper studying curve that rewards memorization, not instinct. I nonetheless battle with it, as does my household.

I carry this up for 3 causes. First, Sonos has all the time made good wi-fi audio system. Nevertheless it was the software program that made them nice. It made the doubtless daunting activity of managing and controlling a number of audio system and music sources simple. This new app design is a step backward, and it makes Sonos merchandise a little bit tougher to suggest because of this.

Second, the Arc Extremely doesn’t include a distant management. The Sonos app is the distant.

Apart from energy, quantity, and muting, which could be managed by way of your TV’s distant, all different settings should be performed with the app. The app can be the one solution to affirm the sound format the Extremely is taking part in. You could suppose you’re listening to Dolby Atmos content material, however except you see the Atmos brand within the Sonos app, there’s no different affirmation.

Lastly, if you wish to get the perfect sound high quality from the Extremely when streaming music, you will need to use the Sonos app. The speaker helps Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay, and whereas each are handy, each are lossy connections. It’s also possible to play instantly from Spotify and Tidal apps, however once more, these aren’t high-quality streams. For lossless audio, hi-res, or Dolby Atmos Music, you will need to add your subscription service to the Sonos app.

OK, I’m performed choosing on the app. Moreover, should you’re already a Sonos proprietor, I’m preaching to the choir.

Now for the true motive you’re right here: the sound.

All about that bass (and treble)

Beneath the grille is a completely new driver association. The Arc’s 5.1.2-channel, three-tweeter/eight-woofer/11-amp configuration has been changed with a seven-tweeter/six-mid-woofer/13-amp combo, plus the star of the present, Sonos’ new Sound Motion dual-membrane, quad-motor, bi-amped woofer.

It’s a exceptional little bit of tech. Although the Extremely is shorter and shallower than the Arc, and has extra drivers taking over its inside room, it produces much more low-end. Place your hand in entrance of the speaker grille (simply to the left of the quantity controls) and you’ll really feel the air being pushed out by that driver, even at average quantity ranges.

It’s not simply louder or extra highly effective — it’s extra articulate, too. With the Sound Movement driver taking the lead on lows, the mid-woofers focus their vitality on the midrange, one thing the Arc’s woofers had been by no means free to do. This steadiness creates an audible enchancment in precision and readability.

With this stage of bass on faucet, the Arc Extremely turns into a real all-in-one soundbar, becoming a member of the ranks of the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Plus and Sony’s Bravia Dwelling Theater Bar 8. You’ll be able to nonetheless considerably improve bass efficiency by including a subwoofer (or two), nevertheless it’s not obligatory. In reality, I’m positive quite a lot of of us — particularly these with smaller rooms or condominium dwellers — will query whether or not they want a sub in any respect.

I’ll admit, I mentioned one thing related in my review of the original Arc, when it debuted in 2020. On the time, I feel it was a good evaluation — few soundbars again then might enhance on the Arc’s bass with out the assistance of a subwoofer. Within the 4 years since, nevertheless, soundbar bass has improved rather a lot — and the Extremely implies that Sonos has saved tempo.

The Extremely’s elevated variety of tweeters produces a noticeable distinction in readability, particularly for dialogue. The all-important heart channel is cohesive and voices are extra intelligible, even with out experimenting with the Extremely’s new three-level Speech Enhancement settings.

Earlier than my Extremely evaluation unit arrived, my spouse and I watched Netflix’s Kaos— a unusual, Jeff Goldblum-led reimagining of Greek gods in fashionable occasions — utilizing the Sonos Arc. However I had a tough time understanding lots of Dionysus’ traces. As is usually the case, a mix of accent and audio high quality had me reaching for my Apple TV distant to do the “what did he say?” trick the place it repeats the previous few traces with subtitles turned on.

Going again to the identical problematic traces with the Arc Extremely was like pulling away layers of gauze — abruptly there was readability.

Turning on Speech Enhancement will possible assist those that want better separation of voices from background sounds, however you could not like what it does to the remainder of the soundtrack, particularly at its highest stage. That is the place Sonos may benefit from a bodily distant. It could be useful to shortly swap Speech Enhancement on or off (or change the extent) with out reaching for my telephone.

Multichannel and Dolby Atmos are each improved on the Arc Extremely. The brand new driver association gives a extra outlined sense of width, depth, and peak, plus higher precision for particular person sound results. However as soon as once more, the additional bass from the Sound Movement driver caught my consideration.

Working by way of my traditional take a look at clips, I completely loved the extra affect — actually. Within the iconic first set piece from No Time To Die, the place James Bond sits calmly inside his classic Aston Martin because the automobile is slowly became Swiss cheese by a hail of bullets, you’ll be able to really feel every shot viscerally.

There’s a equally thrilling vibe to the roar of engines in Mad Max: Fury Street and Ford v Ferrari.

There’s no query that the Extremely can course of 9.1.4-channel audio — I ran it by way of a collection of take a look at tones to confirm — however it’s best to in all probability mood your expectations on this entrance. As with every single-speaker setup, quantity is your buddy. The louder the Extremely will get, the extra vibrant and immersive the expertise.

The Extremely, just like the Arc earlier than it, does a good job of peak channel replica, nevertheless it’s nonetheless not as completed at recreating a way of width and depth because the Bose Extremely Sensible Soundbar (beforehand often known as the Bose Smart Soundbar 900) or the Sony Bravia Dwelling Theater Bar 8.

By itself, it doesn’t exchange a discrete speaker residence theater system or perhaps a multispeaker soundbar package deal just like the Samsung HW-Q990D. For that form of efficiency, you’ll want a set of Sonos Period 300 as rear audio system and a Sonos Sub.

Including these to the combo creates that lacking sense of width and depth, improves peak results, and delivers highly effective ranges of bass. It’s an excellent setup, nevertheless it’s removed from a budget-friendly funding at $2,696.

My one critique of the Extremely’s sound is that it tends to exhibit some harshness and sibilance within the greater frequencies. It’s most noticeable when taking part in Atmos content material — each for motion pictures and music. My unscientific perception is that utilizing tweeters for each the up-firing and side-firing drivers (as an alternative of the Arc’s full-range/tweeter combo) implies that some sounds that want extra midrange aren’t getting it.

My take a look at case for that is the excellent Atmos mixture of The Doorways’ Riders on the Storm. A few of Jim Morrison’s lyrics are echoed ethereally by the peak channels. It’s imagined to sound just like the eerie whispers of disembodied voices, however as an alternative, they sound shrill … like cartoon ghosts making an attempt to scare you.

You’ll be able to mitigate this a little bit utilizing the EQ settings (transferring the treble slider into the destructive values), however since this additionally impacts the remainder of the combo, it’s an imperfect answer.

That is partially as a result of Atmos Music is a hit-and-miss format. There’s an Atmos model of Diana Ross’ I’m Coming Out that sounds loopy good on the Extremely. If I didn’t know higher, I’d say it was blended for the Arc Extremely: no hint of sibilance, the snare and cymbal hits are tight, and the horns (plus Ross’ distinctive voice) are very clear. It’s not stunning that Sonos advisable it as a pattern monitor for Arc Extremely reviewers.

I additionally didn’t detect any harshness when the Extremely rendered stereo. The place the Arc’s tuning favored vibrant highs and deep lows — considerably undermining its musicality — the Arc Extremely has extra nuance and element by way of the mids and creates a pure, relaxed sound. It’s a balancing act you’ll recognize should you use the Extremely for extra than simply TV audio.

One fast be aware on utilizing the Sonos Ace headphones with the Arc Extremely by way of TV Audio Swap. Similar to with the Arc, the Ace can obtain a fully rendered Dolby Atmos mix from the Extremely, together with head monitoring to assist with the realism of listening to audio system in a room. Nonetheless, the Extremely doesn’t mimic its personal 9.1.4 processing for the Ace’s combine. As an alternative, it will get the identical 7.1.4 combine because the Arc delivered. That’s hardly an issue. It sounds simply superb and I’m unsure I’d be capable to distinguish one other two channels within the combine.

Furthermore, we’ll in all probability hear an even bigger enchancment when Sonos releases its TrueCinema function for the Ace, which makes an attempt to imitate your room’s real-world acoustics. When it launched the Ace, Sonos mentioned TrueCinema was coming later this 12 months (2024). However that was earlier than the corporate needed to reassign just about all of its engineering expertise to the epic activity of fixing the damaged Sonos app.

My solely gripe is that Sonos doesn’t provide a lot flexibility when utilizing the Ace and Arc Extremely. “Swap” is strictly what occurs — you commerce soundbar audio for headphones audio. That’s not useful if you need to watch in a bunch setting, however one particular person wants headphones. And, for now, when you can arrange a couple of Sonos Ace to do TV Audio Swap with the Extremely, just one set of headphones at a time can obtain the sign.

The longer term is Extremely

Now that it has been changed by the marginally dearer Arc Extremely, the Sonos Arc will solely stay obtainable whereas provides final. In case you can rating a giant low cost — say 30% or extra — it’s nonetheless a terrific soundbar. However the Arc Extremely is healthier in nearly each manner that counts.

With new Bluetooth streaming, clearer dialogue, extra precision and element, and that further punch of low-end bass, it’s a greater speaker for TV audio and music.

The dearth of an HDMI enter (particularly now that Sonos is asking $999) or a bodily distant are small, however notable drawbacks. The true trigger for hesitation, particularly should you’ve by no means owned a Sonos product, is the corporate’s ongoing app woes. You could need to watch for issues to enhance earlier than taking the plunge. However should you’re already all-in on Sonos, the Arc Extremely makes a terrific addition to your TV setup, whether or not it’s your first Sonos soundbar or an improve.