TheSonos Archas long brook as the flagship soundbar from theAmerican networked audio giant . Upon its release in 2020 , the Arc established itself as one of the most lineament - rich products in its category . It was Sonos ’s first soundbar to support Dolby Atmos , which was a meaning step forward at the meter .

Four years later , theSonos Arc Ultrawas released , intended to take up the mantle of a premium flagship soundbar . The Arc Ultra represent the next coevals for Sonos , features breakthrough engineering like “ Sound Motion , ” and impart Bluetooth backup for the first meter in anySonos soundbar .

If you ’re in the grocery for an upscale soundbar , the newSonos Arc Ultrarelease present an opportunity . With the Sonos Arc soon go the way of the dinosaur , you ’re bind to see its remaining stock undergo some usurious sales . So , should you snatch one up for a steal ( or even discover one used ) or go with the latest and greatest ? To help you make that conclusion , we ’ve compared the two generations of this premium intersection to see how much daytime there really is between them .

Design

At first coup d’oeil , the Sonos Arc and Sonos Arc Ultra share unco similar flesh factors , making them difficult to distinguish from afar . The new Arc Ultra is just unsure of a pound light than the original Arc , weighing just over 13 pounding compared to 13.8 pounds , and about half an in thinner from top to bottom , evaluate 2.9 inches in tiptop versus 3.4 inches .

The Arc Ultra also measures roughly a quarter in shallower than the Arc , with a depth of 4.3 in compared to 4.6 inches , meaning it would deposit out just a touch modality less from the paries when mounted . Overall , the newer genesis carry a slimmer and more compact design , if only just .

Both models boast capacitive touch modality controls and are available in smutty and white last . If aesthetic are a antecedence for you in piece the unadulterated soundbar , you ’ll find little difference between these two .

Winner : Tie

Setup

The setup process forSonos speakersis always a piece of cake , and truthfully , this is one of Sonos ’ greatest strengths . Once users have download the Sonos app on their iOS or Android twist , they will be walked through an unproblematic set of step and have their soundbar up and running in just a few mo . This is also where users will be prompted to take vantage of features like Trueplay to optimize the soundbar ’s audio for the elbow room it ’s being used in .

Performance

As we began testing the sound and performance of the Sonos Arc Ultra , the upgrades from its precursor became more manifest . Right off the bat , the Arc Ultra boasts 15 amplifier , whereas the Arc has only 11 .

Where the Arc have just three silk - dome tweeter , the Arc Ultra has seven , which help have superscript clarity and bulk with less distortion . The contribute driver also shine when watch content that supportsDolby Atmos . The Arc Ultra offers a spacial audio recording masterclass in 9.1.4 environment , while the Arc is specify to 5.0.2 , lack the extra superlative channels . For an even more immersive Atmos environment sound experience , tote up a pair ofSonos Era 300sas rear channel , and you will be blown away .

On the lower end , the original Arc used its eight ovate woofers to handle both mids and lows ; the new Arc Ultra divide up this work with six dedicated midwoofers and its newfangled “ Sound Motion ” system , compose of a four - motor , three-fold - tissue layer woofer serving as a dedicated driver for bass on the soundbar . This Modern design , in particular the addition of “ Sound Motion ” and more immersive Dolby Atmos , render a substantially refine speech sound with vastly improved bass execution .

you could , of course , add aSonos Sub or Sub Minifor truly deep and room - filling low-down end , but both Sonos Arc soundbars deliver surprising bass — with the Ultra take in a pegleg up .

Winner : Sonos Arc Ultra

Features

Sonos has often stand out at setting itself apart from competition by extend product that are as lineament - fertile as they are user - favorable . From features like Trueplay tuning , which uses onboard mike to optimize audio for the acoustic of the room , to its new Sound Motion tech , Sonos remains one of the most innovative instrumentalist in the game .

For the purpose of comparison , the four years between the release of the Arc and the Arc Ultra were just enough to introduce a few added features with which the Arc Ultra sets itself apart yet again .

first , the Arc Ultra is the first soundbar from Sonos tosupport Bluetooth , making it that much easier to expend your Arc Ultra as a dedicated speaker from various machine without having to connect to Wi - Fi or through the Sonos app .

The Arc Ultra also offers advanced speech sweetening preferences , leverage its added tweeter to highlight the frequencies most used by talks in television and film . This help see to it clarity of duologue even among complex soundscapes .

The Arc Ultra has addedTrueplaysupport for users with Android devices , too , as the original Arc only hold up this feature of speech when set up the soundbar with an iOS gimmick . Both coevals of the soundbar support a “ Night Sound ” musical mode , which lose weight the book of loud sounds while raising the volume of quieter speech sound . Anyone who has tried watching an military action - filled movie at nighttime while their spouse is sleeping knows the pain of turning the mass up so that you’re able to learn the quieter dialogue , only to have a blaringly tatty scene on the spur of the moment wake the whole house .

Giving some more thought to nighttime screening , the Arc Ultra features something of an Easter egg for its sister Cartesian product ,   theSonos Ace headphones . proprietor of both the Arc Ultra and the Ace headphones can seamlessly flip-flop their sound between the two twist , though mostsmart TVsandstreaming devicesoffer wireless headphone support as a standalone feature .

Price

The Sonos Arc is probable to be discontinue soon , but it is still available directly from Sonos for $ 899 and can already be found for less than that at various online retailers likeAmazon and BestBuy . It ’s likely that as stock dwindles , more aggressive sales event will come out until all new units have been sold . The raw Arc Ultra is useable from Sonos and all majorelectronic retailers for $ 999 .

Look around for the best sales , and you ’ll well find the original Arc on cut-rate sale for over $ 100 less than the Arc Ultra .

Winner : Sonos Arc 1st Gen

The verdict

The Arc and Arc Ultra both exemplify the top - of - the - phone line soundbars in their several eras . The original Arc endures as an impressive speaker with its musical accompaniment for Dolby Atmos , Trueplay tuning , and 11 high-pitched - end number one wood , though the reality stay that four eld in the worldly concern of consumer contraption can feel like a lifespan in terms of feature of speech and performance .

With an MSRP of just $ 100 more , the Arc Ultra delivers improved sound with a consecrated bass number one wood , a 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup that feels far more future - substantiation , improved dialog sweetening , added Bluetooth capableness , and expanded Android living that all make it worth the orgy for the newest tech . If you ’re front for a large deal on a top - nick soundbar , then by all mean , keep your center peeled for an fast-growing sales event on the original Arc , but if $ 100 is all that separates the honest-to-god from the new , thenthe Sonos Arc Ultra is the way to go .