Every so often, we are treated to a discount on our overall top pick for the best soundbars we have tested. And when that time comes around, we’re sure to shout about it.
Right now, the Sonos Arc Ultra is down to just £799 at Amazon. That’s a whopping £200 off but only for a limited time.
If you’re looking to upgrade your home cinema set-up, now seems like the perfect time to strike. The deal is available on both the White and Black models, so you can take your pick.
The Sonos Arc Ultra had big boots to fill, replacing the original Sonos Arc. Thankfully, our expert testers found it to be a five-star, What Hi-Fi? Award-winning upgrade.
The Arc Ultra looks very similar to its predecessor, though slightly less tall, meaning it is less likely to obstruct the bottom of your TV’s image. It also has a new ‘ledge’, which houses most of the touch controls.
As has always been the case with Sonos soundbars, simplicity is key. There’s no remote control or display – you simply connect it to your TV via HDMI eARC and you’re good to go. While that simplicity is a great advantage for many, others may feel limited by the lack of any HDMI inputs for external equipment – you’ll have to connect extra products directly to your TV. And the lack of DTS:X support might bother some people – although it’s not a huge omission in our book.
It’s worth overlooking these slight omissions, because the sound quality is superb. The Arc Ultra boasts a 9.1.4-channel configuration, up from the 5.0.2 arrangement of the original Arc. There are 15 Class D amplifiers powering 14 drivers that are all Sonos-engineered. There are seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a ‘Sound Motion’ woofer; and it’s the last of those that is the really big deal.
Markedly different from a typical speaker driver, it allows the Arc Ultra to produce, Sonos claims, ‘double the bass’ of its predecessor. The big question, of course, is how did our expert review team rate it on sound?
Well, they had this to say: “The Sonos Arc Ultra is a hit. Perhaps contrary to expectations, it’s not vastly bassier than the original Arc, but its low end is significantly more controlled, tuneful and better defined. And that’s just the start of the improvements. It really is quite amazing how much more crisp, spacious, precise and detailed the Ultra sounds.”
For a solo soundbar, this is an impressive buy and you can always add surrounds and a dedicated subwoofer to the Arc Ultra at a later date – especially with the saving you’ll make picking it up for just £799 at Amazon.
MORE:
Read our full Sonos Arc Ultra review
Check out the best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts
And the best budget soundbars: cheap bars, tested by our experts
