When you’re building out your home entertainment spaces like your living, rumpus and even bedrooms, the TV is often where most of your attention and budget goes. It is important to consider the audio side of the equation, which often comes a distant second in the priority list.
With an amazing TV sorted, you should pair that with an equally great sound system and SONOS’ latest is here to compete for that spot.
I’ve used SONOS products for years even back to the original PlayBar and have always been impressed by the audio quality, design and features of their products. As someone with the Sonos Arc with the original SONOS Sub, it provides a great opportunity to compare and contrast these against the brand new Arc Ultra and 4th generation Sub.
Having used the new setup in the living room, comparing it against our rumpus setup has been an exercise in walking between the two rooms and it’s time to break down my thoughts in a full review.
Design
When it comes to audio equipment you have a choice to make, do you want this technology to stand out, or blend in? Some people take the approach that the audio is important, expensive and intentionally showcase it as part of the entertainment solution. Other people take the approach that these devices should be heard and not seen, tucked away, hidden away, or at least, blend in as to avoid drawing attention away from the TV.
SONOS does a great job of engineering a lot of audio technology in an elegant industrial design and went with an exterior design that features thousands of little holes that allows the soundwaves escape its container.
There’s some nice new touch controls on top, along with the connections hidden away at the back of the device, still designed to allow wall-mounting for those looking to that option.
The review units are in the newer white finish and I have to say, I really love it. These would definitely blend in if you have a white low-line unit, or even wall-mount, but compared to the default black electronics, it’s a really nice touch. If you had the opportunity to pair this with the likes of Samsung’s frame TV that featured white bezels on the display, this would all come together in a cohesive design.
The Sub is an interesting device, now in it’s 4th generation, the product looks virtually identical to the original. This speaks to how good the original design was, and hey if it works, why change it. I’m personally glad that Sonos didn’t make changes for change sake, the Sub does what it does and looks good doing it. You can easily tuck the sub away in the corner, at the side of your low-line unit or the end of your couch and all you need is access to a power outlet and your WiFi network.
Performance
The SONOS Arc Ultra paired with the Sub 4 delivers a sonic experience that stands out as one of the best in its category. From the moment you hit play, the Arc Ultra impresses with its expansive soundstage and precise spatial audio capabilities. Leveraging Dolby Atmos, it creates an immersive environment where sound truly feels multidimensional, bringing movies, music, and gaming to life. Whether it’s the subtle rustle of leaves or the thunderous roar of an explosion, the soundbar’s clarity and dynamic range ensure every detail is captured with pristine accuracy.
The Sub 4 complements the Arc Ultra beautifully, adding depth and power to the lower frequencies. Its advanced acoustic architecture delivers bass that’s punchy yet controlled, avoiding the muddiness that plagues lesser subwoofers. From deep cinematic rumbles to the groovy basslines of your favorite tracks, the Sub 4 enhances the auditory experience without overpowering the mid and high frequencies. This balance is critical, as it ensures the vocals and treble elements remain clear and prominent.
In real-world testing, the system handled a variety of content flawlessly. Watching movies like Dune or Top Gun: Maverick showcased its ability to reproduce cinematic-quality audio at home, while TV dramas benefited from crisp dialogue delivery, even in scenes with overlapping sound effects. For music, the Arc Ultra demonstrated impressive versatility, excelling across genres from acoustic ballads to bass-heavy EDM tracks. Paired with the SONOS app’s Trueplay tuning feature, the system adapts seamlessly to your room’s acoustics, maximizing performance regardless of your setup.
Features
The SONOS Arc Ultra and Sub 4 come packed with features designed to enhance your audio experience:
Dolby Atmos Support: The Arc Ultra supports Dolby Atmos, providing a 9.1.4 spatial audio setup that creates an enveloping sound environment. This technology allows for sounds to be placed precisely around and above you, offering a theater-like experience at home.
Sound Motion Technology: One of the headline features of the Arc Ultra is the incorporation of Sound Motion™ technology. This innovative transducer technology significantly enhances bass output while maintaining a compact form factor, claiming to deliver up to double the bass of its predecessor, the original Arc.
Advanced Speech Enhancement: The soundbar includes an advanced Speech Enhancement feature, allowing users to adjust dialogue clarity to three different levels through the SONOS app. This is particularly useful in ensuring that voices are clear amidst complex soundscapes, enhancing the movie watching experience.
Trueplay Tuning: Both iOS and now Android users can benefit from Trueplay tuning, which uses your phone’s microphone to analyze your room’s acoustics and adjust the sound output accordingly. This feature ensures that the audio performance is optimized for your specific environment.
Bluetooth 5.3: Unlike previous models, the Arc Ultra includes Bluetooth connectivity, making it easier to stream audio from any Bluetooth-enabled device directly to the soundbar.
AirPlay 2 Compatibility: For Apple users, AirPlay 2 support continues to be a feature, allowing seamless integration with Apple devices for music streaming and more.
Voice Control: The system supports both Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa, providing hands-free operation for changing tracks, adjusting volume, or even controlling other smart home devices.
Design and Connectivity: The Arc Ultra maintains SONOS’s signature design with a sleek profile, available in white or black, with touch controls for ease of use. It connects via HDMI eARC, Wi-Fi 6, and now Bluetooth, ensuring high-quality audio playback from various sources.
Sub 4 Enhancements: The Sub 4, while maintaining its iconic design, has been internally updated with stronger processing power, more memory, and new Wi-Fi radios for better connectivity. It features dual inward-facing woofers for a force-canceling effect that minimizes distortion, providing deep, clear bass.
These features collectively position the SONOS Arc Ultra and Sub 4 as a top-tier option for those seeking to elevate their home audio setup, particularly for those valuing both aesthetics and audio fidelity.
The combination of advanced technology for sound processing, user-friendly features like Trueplay tuning, and seamless integration capabilities through smart home ecosystems make this duo a compelling choice for premium home theater experiences.
Issues and Opportunities
While there’s a lot to love, not everything is perfect. The following items are suggestions for improvement in future editions of the device.
Price: As mentioned earlier, the cost of the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 is significant. This may be prohibitive for many buyers, especially when compared to more affordable soundbars on the market.
Limited Connectivity: The Arc Ultra primarily relies on HDMI eARC for connectivity. While this is the standard for modern TVs, it might present compatibility issues with older TVs that lack this port. If you’re chasing an optical audio port, you won’t find one. This can also be handy if you’re connecting the system to a PC.
Price and Availability
The SONOS Arc Ultra and Sub 4 are premium audio products with a price tag to match. In Australia, the Arc Ultra retails for A$1,799, while the Sub 4 comes in at A$1,299. This places them at the higher end of the soundbar and subwoofer market, but their performance and feature set justify the investment for serious audio enthusiasts.
Both the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 are available for purchase directly from the SONOS website as well as through authorized retailers across Australia. These include major electronics stores like JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, and Videopro. You can also find them at specialist audio retailers and online marketplaces.
If you’re looking for a complete Sonos home theater setup, consider the “Premium Entertainment Set” offered by Sonos. This bundle includes the Arc Ultra, Sub 4, and a pair of Era 300 speakers for surround sound, offering a discounted price compared to buying each component individually.
Before making your purchase, it’s worth checking with different retailers for potential sales, bundles, or promotions that could offer some savings. Keep an eye out for special events like Black Friday or Boxing Day sales where you might find these products at a reduced price.
Overall
Overall, SONOS have done it again, another couple of amazing products that will complete any home theatre setup. The Arc Ultra is long and may not fit all setups, but the audio quality you get for trading that realestate is most definitely worth it.
There’s not heap of difference that I could discern between the original Sub and the Sub 4, but the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 together creates one hell of an impressive setup that’ll turn the on screen content into a cinema-like experience.
The app has been through it’s ups and downs recently, but ultimately it works, guiding you through the setup of new devices well and allowing you to switch sources easily. For those of us with Sonos speakers in multiple rooms, there’s always party mode (plays through all speakers) for big events, allowing you to walk around your home and never loose the audio.
The exceptional audio performance, combined with the features and design, goes a long way to justify the premium price tags, although I’d love the to be more affordable so more people could experience just how good this is.
Be sure to consider pairing these with 2x rear speakers and if you’re entering the Sonos ecosystem for the first time, consider the Premium Personal Entertainment Set which includes Sonos Arc Ultra, Sub 4 and 2x Era 300, as well as Sonos Ace headphones for music on the go (A$5,030).
The thing about Sonos is that great audio can and is simple, making it easy for people looking for an audio upgrade to your living room, rumpus or even bedroom. Whether you’re into movies, TV series, YouTube videos, are a music enthusiast, or gamer, this combination will elevate your audio experience to new heights and something I definitely recommend you stretch for.
