Sonos Arc Ultra
Exact average 88.1 · 15 printed, 6 estimated · printed scores only: 89
Image: SonosAll 21 reviewers recommend Sonos's flagship soundbar, mostly for its deep bass and convincing Dolby Atmos from a single bar. It is expensive, it's large, and it has no HDMI passthrough, so you lose a TV input.
Reviewed by The Independent, Homes and Gardens, Expert Reviews and 18 more
The catch: Expensive, and no HDMI passthrough.
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What 21 critics said
Highest score first · all converted to 0–100- 95The Independent
The reviewer calls the Arc Ultra the best soundbar Sonos has made, with much improved bass and dialogue, and thinks the upgrade is worth it.
Read The Independent review - 95Homes and Gardens
The reviewer finds the soundbar full, immersive and powerful, with strong bass and excellent music quality.
Read Homes and Gardens review - 95Expert Reviews
A brilliant-sounding upgrade with better bass and more convincing surround effects that just about justifies its higher price.
Read Expert Reviews review - 95Tom's Guide
Delivers an expansive, cinematic sound with excellent dialogue and surprisingly good built-in bass, making it the reviewer's new top soundbar pick despite the high price.
Read Tom's Guide review - 94GadgetGuy
A premium Atmos soundbar that is a clear upgrade over the original Arc, with fuller sound, clearer dialogue and strong music.
Read GadgetGuy review - 90WIRED
An excellent soundbar with clear, immersive sound and strong bass that beats everything in its class.
Read WIRED review - 90Gaming Trend
An enthusiastic review calling the Arc Ultra an improvement on its predecessor in nearly every way, especially bass and dialogue clarity.
Read Gaming Trend review - 90SlashGear
The reviewer finds a clear step up in Atmos and bass over the original Arc, and even better as part of a multi-speaker system.
Read SlashGear review - 90The Ambient
A superb one-box soundbar with convincing Atmos, great bass and clear vocals that the reviewer will miss after returning it.
Read The Ambient review - 90PCMag Australia
An Editors' Choice review praising the Arc Ultra's bass, Atmos immersion and dialogue, recommended if you can afford it.
Read PCMag Australia review - 87Engadget
New woofer technology brings clearly better bass, clarity and immersion than the original Arc for only a modest price increase.
Read Engadget review - 81CNET
The Arc Ultra has strong bass and is great for music, but the tester found its movie sound less room-filling than the cheaper original Arc.
Read CNET review - 80The Verge
An excellent soundbar and a big step up from the original, among the best all-in-one options.
Read The Verge review - 80TechRadar
The best one-box Atmos soundbar at its price, with much clearer speech and better Atmos positioning than the Arc.
Read TechRadar review - 80Digital Trends
Improves nearly every aspect of Sonos' flagship soundbar, with bigger bass, clearer dialogue and good Atmos.
Read Digital Trends review - 89est.What Hi-Fi?
Called a hit and a huge upgrade on the original Arc, with tighter bass and more detailed, spacious sound.
Read What Hi-Fi? review - 89est.CNN Underscored
After months of use the reviewer finds the Arc Ultra tremendous for movies and music and worth the splurge.
Read CNN Underscored review - 89est.Trusted Reviews
A clear upgrade on the Arc with deeper bass, clearer dialogue and expandability; excellent for Dolby Atmos streamers.
Read Trusted Reviews review - 85est.Business Insider
A strong recommendation for the Arc Ultra as a powerful all-in-one Atmos soundbar with big bass and clear dialogue.
Read Business Insider review - 83est.Gear Patrol
The tester calls it a fantastic Atmos soundbar with punchier bass and clearer dialogue, but the gain over the original Arc is modest.
Read Gear Patrol review - 83est.NBC Select
Picked as the best standalone soundbar, with powerful multi-direction Atmos sound from one unit.
Read NBC Select review
"Est." means the outlet printed no score, so we estimated one from its verdict and checked our estimates against ratings outlets print. How we check estimates
How it compares
Direct comparisons by professional outlets, exact models only, in our words. Shown as evidence; they never change the critic score.
vs Samsung HW-Q990F89
- What Hi-Fi?: it depends. Choose this one if: you want a premium single bar that is strong on music and precise spatial sound.
- ZDNET (2026): it depends. Choose this one if: you want strong sound from one bar, already use Sonos, or prefer simple minimalist setup you can expand later.
What critics praise most
What critics dislike most
Other soundbars critics rate highly
Common questions
Is the Sonos Arc Ultra worth it?
Most critics think so: 21 of 21 recommend it. Expensive, and no HDMI passthrough.
Do critics agree about the Sonos Arc Ultra?
Broad agreement: scores range from 80 (The Verge) to 95 (The Independent), a spread of 15 points across 21 reviews. Most reviewers land fairly close together.
What do critics dislike about the Sonos Arc Ultra?
Price (14 of 21 reviews), Controls and app (6 of 21 reviews).
What is the best alternative to the Sonos Arc Ultra?
The Samsung HW-Q990F (critic score 89), top pick, narrowly.