Sonos Beam Ultra review

How do you live up to the high expectations set by your talented siblings? You could rebel against your parents and get some ill-advised ink, or you could work yourself into the ground trying to prove you’re just as good.

The Sonos Beam Ultra has a similar challenge. It sits directly between two Award-winning soundbars from the US-based brand, the Beam (Gen 2) and Arc Ultra, so we have high expectations for the new model.

But rather than buckling under the pressure, this new middle child proves to be a near-perfect blend of the two.

Price

The Sonos Beam Ultra will set you back £699 / $699 / AU$1099. As we said, that puts it directly between the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) (£449 / $449 / AU$649) and the Arc Ultra (£999 / $999 / AU$1799), both of which have scored What Hi-Fi? Awards and five-star reviews.

Despite pre-announcement expectations, the Beam Ultra isn’t a replacement for the Beam (Gen 2), which is staying in the Sonos soundbar range. That feels like a good move to us, as it leaves a more affordable Dolby Atmos soundbar (albeit without dedicated up-firing drivers) in the range.

Design

The Beam Ultra feels lightweight yet well-built and sturdy. Despite it being a little longer than the Beam (Gen 2), the new model comes in at the same weight of 2.8kg. It’s slightly thinner as well, meaning it fits nicely under our 55-inch TV screen in the test room. You can also mount the bar on your wall if you prefer.

The soundbar comes in two colour options: black and white. That’s the same as the rest of Sonos’s soundbar models, and the matte finish looks quite stylish, although the black model we have in our room quickly shows fingerprints after handling.

The Beam Ultra features perforated grilles on the top. On the lip of the bar, you will find a press-button to activate Bluetooth, as well as touch controls for volume and play/pause.

Features

Those perforated grilles on the top are there to allow the two up-firing drivers on either end of the bar to work their magic. That’s an upgrade on the Beam (Gen 2), which relies on virtualisation for Dolby Atmos rather than physical drivers.

In fact, the Beam Ultra has nine drivers in total – four more than the Beam (Gen 2). These are arranged in what Sonos says is a 7.1.2-channel configuration.

Sonos states that the centre channel has been redesigned to feature a coaxial transducer, which embeds a tweeter into a woofer. With this new arrangement, the brand says the Beam Ultra makes “movies sound wider” and “dialogue sound clearer”.

While the new bar supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X is still not on the cards. That’s not a big surprise considering this has been the case with all of Sonos’s products, but it could be a drawback for those wanting fully comprehensive surround sound options.

There’s just a single HDMI eARC port on the back of the bar. The lack of dedicated HDMI inputs and passthrough functionality is no surprise (no previous Sonos products have had it either), but it's still a shame for those who are already running out of HDMI sockets on their TV.

There is also a USB-C port, which the Beam (Gen 2) doesn’t have. This works in conjunction with the optional Line-In Adapter, which features a 3.5mm aux input, via which you can connect pretty much any audio source, such as a turntable or CD player. Alternatively, you can opt for Sonos’s Combo Adapter, which features both the 3.5mm input and an Ethernet socket for wired networking.

Unlike some rivals, but very much like previous Sonos soundbars, the Beam Ultra doesn’t come with a remote control. For everyday use with your TV, the only controls you really need are volume up, down and mute, all of which are handled by your TV’s remote.

For more advanced operation and initial set-up, the newly updated Sonos27 app is on hand. This is where you can link your various music streaming services for playback via the Beam Ultra, and access EQ settings.

The latter includes sliders to adjust height, bass and treble levels, but in our experience, the automatic Trueplay calibration renders these fine adjustments unnecessary.

As with the Arc Ultra, Trueplay is provided in two flavours: Quick and Advanced. With the Quick Tuning option, the soundbar tunes its sound by measuring its output via its own microphones. It takes seconds and is very effective.

If you want the very best sound for your room, though, it’s worth using the Advanced Tuning option, which involves measuring the output from the soundbar using an iOS device. It takes slightly longer and involves moving around your room to get measurements from all corners, but it can improve frequency response and spatial accuracy, particularly if your room is large or unusually shaped.

In addition to the aforementioned EQ options, there is a Loudness setting, which is on by default and is designed to boost bass and treble, particularly when listening at lower volumes, where these frequencies can become less prominent. In practice, though, we find that the effect is noticeable at most volumes, adding a little extra heft to the sound. We prefer to leave it on, but your mileage may vary, so it’s worth experimenting with the toggle yourself.

The Sonos app also contains a Night Sound setting, which can be used to reduce bass and dynamics for those times when you don’t want to disturb your housemates or neighbours.

As well as being able to control your music via the Sonos app, as with previous Sonos soundbar models, music can be sent directly from apps such as Spotify and Tidal. Bluetooth 5.3 is on board, too.

There is the option to switch from listening out loud to enjoying movies or music privately by linking the soundbar to a pair of Sonos Ace or new Ace Ultra headphones

Like Sonos's other soundbars, the Beam Ultra can also be upgraded with a pair of wireless speakers (such as Era 100s) as surrounds, and you can add a Sonos subwoofer to the mix.

Sonos has even released an update that allows the brand's portable speakers – the Move 2 and Play – to be used as surrounds.

Sound quality

Right from the off, it’s clear that the Beam Ultra’s added up-firing drivers deliver the upgrade we were looking for over the Beam (Gen 2).

When watching Blade Runner 2049 in Dolby Atmos, flickering digital adverts pop up as Officer K marches across the street, and each accompanying sound effect is portrayed with precision. It’s impressive how the bar places these effects so exactly, almost above the listening position, especially considering its compact footprint.

Whether it's the spritely voice of announcements or the thrum of the street sweeper, each sound is delivered with an excellent amount of detail while being tied into a cohesive overall audio experience.

Later, when Officer K returns home to Joi, the spatial placement of the two voices is excellently portrayed. This makes it clear that K is at the forefront of the scene, whereas his digital companion is in the background. You could watch the scene with your eyes closed and still get an excellent sense of where each character is.

There is also an expansive sense of width and height. In No Time To Die, as an onslaught of helicopters moves in from above in pursuit of Bond, the overhead effects go much higher than our TV screen. Then, when a phalanx of cars zooms across an open field, the sound extends to the corners of our test room and makes for an even more enveloping experience than the Beam (Gen 2) can provide.

The Beam Ultra’s muscular bass lends the sound of the helicopters a meaty thrum. Each rotation of the chopper’s blades has a strong leading edge, which makes it feel powerful and punchy. While it is not the deepest bass we have heard at this level, its precision, rhythm, tonality and control are ample compensation.

Switching to our 4K Blu-ray of Bumblebee demonstrates the Beam Ultra’s talent for dialogue, which is tonally accurate and brilliantly expressive. John Cena’s baritone voice is easy to differentiate from his whining colleague’s higher vocals, and even in scenes in which lots of characters are talking over each other and loud background effects, the dialogue remains clear and characterful.

If you still need a little more dialogue clarity, perhaps because of hearing limitations, Sonos’s AI Enhancement feature is on hand to prioritise voices over effects, with several levels of boost available.

Our only slight criticism of the Beam Ultra’s movie performance is that it doesn’t project sound out into the room and towards the listening position quite as much as some rivals. That can make certain elements, most notably voices, sound a little less direct and engaging than they otherwise might. Interestingly, the Beam (Gen 2) is a little more direct-sounding, perhaps primarily as a result of it having only forward-firing drivers.

In every other respect, though, the Beam Ultra is a clear upgrade on its smaller, cheaper sibling, delivering a bigger, weightier, more expansive and more detailed performance.

As you would hope from a Sonos soundbar, the Beam Ultra is a cut above its rivals when it comes to music, too. Listening to Divinize by Rosalia via Qobuz, the singer’s expressive vocals and the detail in the instruments make for an immediately engaging experience.

The bass is refined and provides a strong foundation for the track, with the fluttering low-frequency notes delivered with a powerful kick at the beginning of each beat to drive the song forward.

In Childish Gambino’s This Is America via Qobuz, each element – whether that’s the layered choral vocals or the drum machine – is excellently organised, resulting in an open, cohesive overall sound. Then, the gradual diminuendo at the end of the track is handled with delicacy and nuance to bring the song to a careful close.

This transparent, emotive performance puts the Beam Ultra at the top of its class with music as well as with movies.

Verdict

The Beam Ultra is a significant step up from the Beam (Gen 2), delivering a bigger, weightier and more expansive performance thanks to its additional up-firing drivers and upgraded speaker configuration.

The Arc Ultra still remains a step beyond the Beam Ultra, particularly in terms of authority and sophistication. But given the Beam Ultra's more compact dimensions and lower price, that is neither a surprise nor a criticism.

Instead, the Beam Ultra occupies a useful middle ground in Sonos' soundbar range: it delivers a substantial upgrade over the Beam (Gen 2) while retaining much of the compactness and simplicity that makes that model so appealing.

More importantly, set aside the inevitable comparisons with its super-accomplished siblings, and the Beam Ultra is an exceptional soundbar in its own right. Sonos has struck Dolby Atmos gold yet again.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Design 5
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony Theatre Bar 7 + S

Also consider the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Best Dolby Atmos soundbars: our reviewers' five recommendations