Sonos has a new soundbar, and it sits right in the middle of the range. The Sonos Beam Ultra costs 699 dollars. That is 200 dollars more than the Beam (Gen 2) and 400 dollars less than the Arc Ultra. It is on pre-order now, and Crutchfield expects stock on September 29.
The Sonos Beam Ultra in black, 750 mm wide and 65 mm tall
Crutchfield still has almost no specs for it. So I took the numbers from Sonos’s own spec sheet and added the Beam Ultra to our database today. Then I counted, and one number stood out.
Quick facts
- 699 dollars, in black or white. Sonos and Crutchfield both list it at that price.
- 750 mm wide, 65 mm tall, 105 mm deep, 2.88 kg. It is a little wider than the Beam (Gen 2) but lower.
- 7.1.2 channels from 9 drivers: 5 tweeters (one centre, two side-firing, two up-firing) and 4 low-profile woofers, each with its own Class D amplifier.
- Connections: HDMI eARC, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, AirPlay 2 and one USB-C port.
- Optional extras: a Sonos subwoofer, and a pair of rear speakers.
The number that stood out
We hold 61 soundbars. 35 of them have real up-firing drivers for Atmos, the kind that bounce sound off your ceiling. The rest fake the height effect with processing, or skip Atmos altogether.
But the up-firing bars are almost all big bars. Only 12 of our 61 soundbars are 80 cm wide or less. And of those 12, just two have up-firing drivers: the Bose Smart Soundbar and now the Beam Ultra.
The 12 soundbars we hold that are 80 cm wide or less, and the two with up-firing Atmos drivers
That matters if your TV is 43 to 55 inches, or your room is small. Until now, a small bar with real height channels meant the Bose. Now there are two to choose from.
Beam Ultra or Beam (Gen 2)
The old Beam is 651 mm wide and 70 mm tall. It has 5 drivers and no up-firing ones, so its Atmos is virtual. The Beam Ultra adds 4 drivers and two real height channels, for 200 dollars more.
It is also 5 mm lower, which helps more than you would think. Many TVs sit only 2 to 3 inches above the stand. At 2.56 inches, the Beam Ultra fits under a lot of TVs that the 2.75 inch Beam (Gen 2) would partly cover. Try it with your own TV below. Change the TV size and the stand to see how it fits.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) (solid) and Sonos Beam Ultra (dashed outline), drawn to scale in front of a TV. Change the TV size and stand to see how it fits yours.
Open in the soundbar size simulator
Here is the full Beam (Gen 2) vs Beam Ultra comparison. And if your TV is 65 inches or bigger, look at the Beam Ultra vs Arc Ultra instead. The Arc Ultra is 1,180 mm wide, with 14 drivers.
Beam Ultra or Bose Smart Soundbar
The Bose Smart Soundbar, the only other bar under 80 cm we hold with up-firing drivers
The Bose costs 549 dollars, 150 less. It is 695.5 mm wide and even lower, at 55.6 mm. But it is a 3.0.2 bar with 5 drivers, against 7.1.2 and 9 on the Sonos.
The Bose has two things the Sonos does not: a remote in the box, and an optical input. If your TV has no HDMI eARC or ARC port, that settles it. Here is the Bose vs Sonos comparison.
The Sonos Beam Ultra in white, the same 699 dollars as the black
What you give up
This is a good spec sheet. But here is what it does not do.
- The height drivers are tweeters. Sonos's own spec sheet calls them two upward-firing tweeters in a horn. So the overhead layer is the upper range only, and it depends on your ceiling. A flat ceiling at normal height works best. A vaulted or very high ceiling will weaken the effect.
- Bass is limited. Four low-profile woofers in a 65 mm tall bar will not shake the room. For real bass you will need a Sonos subwoofer, which costs extra.
- No remote. It works with your TV remote over HDMI-CEC, or the Sonos app.
- No DTS:X, and no optical or HDMI input. The TV has to handle every source, and older TVs without eARC or ARC need an optical adapter, sold separately.
- The USB-C port needs adapters. Line-in and wired Ethernet both go through it, and both adapters are sold separately.
- You need a Sonos account. Setup goes through the Sonos app, and you have to sign in.
If you want a remote and simple setup, the Bose is the easier choice. If you already have Sonos speakers around the house, the Beam Ultra fits right in.
Who it is for
Someone with a 43 to 55 inch TV, a small or medium room and a normal ceiling, who wants real Atmos height without a big bar. That is a narrow group. But for them, there are now only two small bars to pick from, and this is the one with more channels.
Tell me in the comments: what size is your TV, and how much space is there under the screen?