Is the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar worth its price tag?

Going the ‘Ultra’ route allowed Sonos to showcase its brilliant audio tuning alongside the brand-new Sound Motion technology to a much broader customer base. It won't be light on the pocket, but then again, it’s competing with ‘flagship’ products in this segment.

The whole package

The Arc Ultra comes in at ₹99,999, but alongside it, you’ll probably want to pick up the Sub 4 subwoofer. That’ll set you back by ₹84,999—that's a whopping ₹1,84,998 for the bundle, though in line with the Bose Smart Ultra & Bass Module 700 (approximately ₹1,89,900). There’s also Sony, which offers the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 and SA-SW3 subwoofer (approximately ₹1,79,800).

The point is that Sonos is in a class where there are few players, even fewer buyers (Indian consumers are heavily price-conscious) and many with decades more experience in producing audio products. However, what Sonos nails, right from the start, is the sound quality. It’s simply top-notch. Simply put, you’re getting a more detailed and immersive surround sound experience along with the Dolby Atmos touch. Immediately after unboxing and plugging in the soundbar and subwoofer, I played the Mission Impossible theme sound. That loud thud, the bass, it just rocked my room. Yes, the doors were quite literally quaking, and there was a rumble all along the floor.

This is, in part, thanks to Sound Motion technology, which helped create a smaller subwoofer with equal bass output. A smaller woofer means that there is more space for other drivers. The Arc Ultra has 14 individually powered drivers, three more than the Arc. The drivers include seven tweeters, six midrange drivers and the new ‘Sound Motion’ woofer. As has always been the case, there is support for lossless Dolby Atmos and DTS surround.

What the Arc Ultra does best is replicate a surround sound speaker. It is just one soundbar, but it bounces the sound at varying angles to imitate a surround sound experience. To my surprise, it was pretty good. The Arc Ultra is a little longer than the previous version, the sonos Arc (so make sure the table is long enough to accommodate it), has a smaller profile, and the controls are a bit further back. In fact, the controls are in a dedicated block at the rear of the soundbar.

A familiar sound signature

It was the opening scene of Mad Max: Fury Road (which I had put on for testing purposes and also cause it’s one of my favourite movies of the 21st century), and the soundbar nailed it all: the explosions, the voices, and the bass. The movie took over the entire room, which shook as though I was in the thick of things. This is what Sonos has been good at for many products now, and it’s gotten that much better.

Sonos has refined the sound even further. There’s a very detailed soundstage, and the bass just hits right. Then there is the subwoofer (more on that in a bit) if you want more bass. The Sonos Arc Ultra has been tested for a wide array of genres, and it shows. The instrument separation is excellent. The only downside was that some dialogues felt a little more screechy than they should have. There is a feature called Speech Enhancement, which has three levels of adjustment. I set it to medium, and the dialogues become clearer without overpowering the other sounds.

The sound signature is warm, fuzzy, and welcoming. And if you need to amp it up a notch, you can go into the app and adjust the settings.

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Back to that bass

The Arc Ultra, on its own, is a fantastic soundbar. It’s comparable to the Sony and Bose models I presented earlier. While those models tend to become fuller and more immersive, the Arc Ultra holds its own. And while the Arc Ultra is fantastic on its own and suitable for most people, the Sub 4 is a superb add-on (albeit pricey). The lows hit hard, and the bass consumed the entire floor. The Sub 4 takes things down a notch (and makes you quiver in your room). The explosions have more depth, and the voices are more pronounced. It truly is a room-shattering add-on. You might just have to tone it down lest the rattling get to you.

Where the Arc Ultra falters

The one area where the Arc Ultra (and the Sub 4) fall behind the competition is in terms of the app. Sonos has been experiencing app issues, and one hopes a new overhaul is forthcoming soon. It was back in January when Sonos CEO Patrick Spence stepped down after the disastrous app launch. I had problems connecting the Arc Ultra to my app despite both being on the same network. Many times, the Arc Ultra would simply disappear from the app, and thereafter, I’d have to power cycle the device to get it to reappear. It was more frustrating than not.

The other problem I had, and this is a general rant about Sonos, is the lack of a remote in the package. For a product of this cost, that’s an expensive miss.

Would I buy it?

The Arc Ultra is an excellent upgrade over the original Arc. But, at this point, there is far more competition than before in this segment. And Sony and Bose prove just how good you have to be to make a dent. The Arc Ultra provides a theatre-like immersive sound experience (with a very good Speech Enhancement feature) and thumping bass that outdoes its rivals. It’s a good step forward for the company. Arc users needn’t upgrade, but if you’re coming in fresh, then be prepared to be bowled over by the Arc Ultra—clearer dialogues, deeper bass, and a more immersive experience equal to a fantastic purchase. I would get the Sub 4 alongside it, but the combination will just clean out your wallet.

If you can withstand the app troubles and are a believer in the company and its promise to “fix them", then you won’t be disappointed with the Arc Ultra. But, for a product costing over ₹1,00,000, that’s a precious decision to be made.

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