Sonos Beam Ultra review: one of the best compact Dolby Atmos soundbars around

Date:
Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:30:00 +0000

Description:
The Sonos Beam Ultra is an excellent compact Dolby Atmos soundbar that offers expansive, immersive, and clear audio for movies and music alike.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Sonos Beam Ultra review The Sonos Beam Ultra doesnt merely feel like an evolution
of the pre-existing Beam products. Instead, it feels like something of a middle child between the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and the Sonos Arc Ultra. After all, it sits bang in between its sibling models when it comes to channel configuration, boasting a 7.1.2 setup with nine drivers, and while it has up-firing drivers for true Dolby Atmos, it still maintains a fairly compact design.

But the Beam Ultra certainly isnt an awkward middle-child; its a highly capable mid-range option that provides striking cinematic sound, while still being able to fit into a smaller setup. But is the Sonos Beam Ultra worth its $699 / 699 / AU$1,099 asking price?

Like most of the best soundbars , the Sonos Beam Ultra supports Dolby Atmos (though notably Sonos omits DTS:X), and it handles the format very effectively. When watching a 4K UHD Blu-ray of The Mask , the soundbar seamlessly tracked the titular character as he tornadoes across the screen, with audio sounding as if it far exceeded the limited confines of the soundbar. When The Mask jumped upwards, diagonally, his upward trajectory was captured with precision. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: (Image credit: Future) And the Beam Ultra continued to impress me with its height effects across multiple movies. For instance, in Godzilla Minus One , the sense of a plane flying overhead was replicated more naturally than I expected from a mid-range bar. When Godzilla first appeared, the width of the kaijus movement was handled brilliantly it sounded as if the creatures stomping and destruction were emanating from different corners of the testing room, rather than a set of speakers, even without the help of surround speakers. Sonos Beam Ultra (Black) at Amazon for 699 Whats more, the Sonos Beam Ultra nails the fundamentals. Watching Top Gun: Maverick , the roar of jet engines was palpable, and I found this to be the case across multiple films. For a mid-sized standalone bar, the Beam Ultra produces incredibly regimented, deep, and responsive low-end sound, which is excellent for movies with high-octane action sequences and dark, impactful scores. The Beam Ultra can also get seriously loud if you want to fill a more open space, but I
never noticed any tinniness or harsh compression.

Still, this doesnt come at the expense of sounds elsewhere in the frequency range. I found dialogue to be generally clear and detailed too, though I will note that turning on the Speech Enhancement mode and setting it to Medium
gave me the best results. This means you can bring voices forward without hampering the fidelity of other elements in the mix.

The Beam Ultra even proved to be a hit for music, whether I was listening to an Atmos or stereo mix. With an Atmos mix of Im Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby by Barry White, there was tremendous width to the guitars, the vocals were perfectly clear in the center, and the bass had pleasant warmth
to it. Moving over to First Summer by H.K., deep bass came through with attention-grabbing impact, sounding more full-sounding than Id anticipated, yet keys and vocal chops in the mid-range still maintained excellent clarity, as did articulate drums in the treble. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: Future) The Sonos Beam Ultra isnt just a great performer; its also rammed full of useful features.
TruePlay is here, which can optimize sound for your room in mere seconds, but there are also ways to manually adapt audio. For instance, you can adjust height effects to your choosing, and theres even a height-effect simulation mode if theres less than four inches of space above your soundbar ideal if youre placing the Beam Ultra on a shelf in your TV stand, say.

I've already mentioned the Speech Enhancement mode, which has multiple levels to emphasize speech as little or much as you need, but theres also a Night mode if you dont want to disturb others. You can turn these options on in the Sonos app, but theres also an option to add a voice assistant if you want to make adjustments on the fly.

The Beam Ultra can, as you'd expect, also interact with other components in your Sonos system. You can pair compatible speakers, such as the Sonos Play , and use them as surround speakers. TV Audio Swap is also back, and enables
you to transfer sound from your Beam Ultra to your Sonos Ace or Sonos Ace Ultra headphones. I tried this out with the latter cans, and found that switching was speedy and responsive, while the quality of spatial audio was exceptional make sure to read my Sonos Ace Ultra review for a deeper dive.

There are a fair few ways to connect to your Sonos Beam Ultra too. Of course, HDMI eARC is the most important this is what youll use to hook the soundbar up to your TV and experience Dolby Atmos movies in all their glory. Theres also Wi-Fi 6 for streaming content over a local connection, allowing you to use services like Tidal Connect and Spotify Connect. And, unlike with the
Beam Gen 2, you also get Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity as well as USB-C line-in.

One thing I would have really have loved to see, though, is an HDMI input, which has been left off of the Sonos Beam Ultra. Given that connecting the soundbar up to your TV already takes away one precious HDMI slot, it wouldve been great to get a passthrough port on this model its something I use on my Marshall Heston 120 at home, given that I have multiple game consoles connected up.

Something that does not disappoint, though, is the Beam Ultras design. Its sleek, modern, and stylish but understated enough to seamlessly slot into just about any living space. It also has a great standard of build, intuitive touch controls, and handy status indicator lights to signify connection status. Theres also a microphone slider, which you can deactivate if you dont want your soundbar listening in on you.

But here comes the big question: is the Sonos Beam Ultra actually worth the money? While $699 / 699 / AU$1,099 is by no means cheap, I still think the answer is yes. Its priced right in between the Beam Gen 2 and Arc Ultra, and feels like a true best-of-both-worlds option the height channels give it
much more convincing Atmos performance than the Beam Gen 2, but you also get amazing power in a single, compact package.

Sure, you could get a soundbar and sub combo like the Samsung HW-Q800F for a similar price, and that will give you even deeper, more cinematic bass. But that model has a more restrictive 5.1.2 configuration, and if you want something more low-profile, it wont fit the bill. You also get an excellent suite of features from the Beam Ultra, and you can add a compatible sub and other other Sonos speakers for surround sound if you wish.

As a result, the Sonos Beam Ultra might just be the best compact Dolby Atmos soundbar Ive tested. In spite of its modest size, it plates up powerful, immersive, and clear audio, so if you want a simple plug-and-play solution to get amazing audio into just about any space, this is my top recommendation. (Image credit: Future) Sonos Beam Ultra review: Price and release date Priced at $699 / 699 / AU$1,099 Released in September 2026 The Sonos Beam Ultra is priced at $699 / 699 / AU$1,099, placing it mid-way between the Sonos Beam
Gen 2 and the Sonos Arc Ultra. While you can get some multi-box options for a similar price, like the Sony HW-Q800F, for instance, the Beam Ultra features an extensive 7.1.2 driver configuration, and its compact nature is a central part of its appeal. Sonos Beam Ultra review: specs Swipe to scroll horizontally

Dimensions

29.5 x 2.6 x 4.1 inches / 750 x 65 x 105mm

Speaker channels

7.1.2

Connections

HDMI eARC, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X

Yes / No

Sub included

No

Rear speakers included

No (Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Sonos Beam Ultra? Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attribute

Notes

Score

Features

Good connectivity options, great sound modes, can add sub and surrounds, no DTS:X or HDMI passthrough.

4.5/5

Performance

Expansive sound in a compact package with imposing bass and clear dialogue.

5/5

Design

Stellar looks, slim build, neat touch controls.

5/5

Setup & usability

Plug and play set-up, easy to connect to via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

5/5

Value

Not cheap, but a perfect marriage of the standard Beam and Arc thats priced accordingly.

4.5/5 Buy it if

You want a compact soundbar with amazing Dolby Atmos So many compact Dolby Atmos soundbars fall flat when it comes to Dolby Atmos. Often, thats due to a lack of dedicated up-firing drivers to provide convincing height effects. But the Beam Ultra has those and it also conjures up an impressive sense of width.

You already own a Sonos system If you already have a compatible sub and speakers like the Sonos Play or Sonos Era 100 , you can connect them to the Beam Ultra to open up even more immersive, three-dimensional audio. TV Audio Swap is also available if youve got the Sonos Ace or Sonos Ace Ultra headphones. Dont buy it if

You need HDMI passthrough The Sonos Beam Ultra does not offer HDMI passthrough, which might be troublesome if, like me, you have multiple games consoles, a 4K Blu-ray player, and other devices that use HDMI.

You need DTS:X The Sonos Beam Ultra supports Dolby Atmos, but not DTS:X,
much like other Sonos soundbars, including the Sonos Arc Ultra. A number of
4K discs make use of DTS:X, so if youre someone who often makes use of that format, it may be worth looking elsewhere. Sonos Beam Ultra review: also consider Swipe to scroll horizontally Header Cell - Column 0

Sonos Beam Ultra

Samsung HW-Q800F

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar

Price

$699 / 699 / AU$1,099

$1,099 / 799 / AU$1,099

899 / $899 / AU$1499

Dimensions

29.5 x 2.6 x 4.1 inches / 750 x 65 x 105mm

Main soundbar: 43.7 x 2.4 x 4.7 inches / 1110.7 x 60.4 x 120mm; subwoofer:
9.8 x 9.9 x 9.8 inches / 249 x 251.8 x 249mm

2.3 x 41 x 4.2 inches / 58 x 1045 x 107mm

Speaker channels

7.1.2

5.1.2

5.1.2

Connections

HDMI eARC, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C

1x HDMI input, 1x HDMI eARC, digital optical, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3

HDMI eARC, digital optical, Ethernet, USB (service only), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X

Yes / No

Yes / Yes

Yes / No

Sub included

No

Yes

No

Rear speakers included

No

No

No

Samsung HW-Q800F This multi-box Samsung soundbar can now be found for a similar price to the Sonos Beam Ultra, if not less. It supplies exceptional sound, with impeccable bass from its dedicated sub, clear dialogue, and engrossing Atmos effects. It doesnt offer the Beam Ultras compact size, but
it does have DTS:X and HDMI passthrough. Read my full Samsung HW-Q800F review .

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is a great 5.1.2 soundbar with wide, detailed sound, excellent build quality, and an effective companion app. It doesnt quite offer the height or bass weight of the Sonos Beam Ultra, but it can often be found on sale for less than $700 / 500. Read our full Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar review . How I tested the Sonos Beam Ultra (Image credit: Future) I spent one week testing the soundbar in our TV
testing space at Future Labs I watched a variety of movies, and listened to music in both Dolby Atmos and stereo formats I spent one week testing the Sonos Beam Ultra at our TV testing space at Future Labs, during which time I exhausted its various features, watched a variety of movies, and listened to music in both Dolby Atmos and stereo formats.

To test the Beam Ultra, I hooked it up to the Samsung R95H TV via HDMI. I
also made use of the Panasonic DP-UB820 to view Dolby Atmos-enabled 4K UHD Blu-rays. When listening to music, I streamed tunes over Tidal Connect via Wi-Fi, and made use of the TV Audio Swap feature to transfer audio from the soundbar to the Sonos Ace Ultra headphones.

I also compared the Sonos Beam Ultra directly against the Sonos Beam Gen 2 to assess improvements to height effects, expansiveness, and general functionality.

Ive spent several years testing audio-visual gear at TechRadar, where I'm a Senior Reviews Writer. Ive tested a vast number of soundbars specifically, from compact models like the Marshall Heston 60 to grand surround systems
like the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro . Read TechRadars reviews guarantee First reviewed: September 2026 Sonos Beam Ultra: Price Comparison 699 View 699 View 699 Preorder voucher gift 699 View voucher gift 699 View Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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