Sonos Beam Ultra: A Promising First Listen

Sonos used its open house event to unveil the Beam Ultra soundbar, priced at $699, alongside the $449 Ace Ultra headphones and a collection of forthcoming app updates. The show floor proved a poor environment in which to assess audio quality, but a private demonstration in a smaller, more controlled room gave members of the press a clearer sense of what the Beam Ultra might be capable of.

The 7.1.2 soundbar was positioned roughly six feet in front of the assembled press, with Dolby Atmos content used to illustrate its range. A sequence from Widow's Bay was cited as a showcase for the Beam Ultra's enhanced bass, improved vocal clarity, and finer ambient detail: walkie-talkie chatter, background sound effects, and the swelling of the score all remained intelligible rather than collapsing into an undifferentiated mix. This reflects a meaningful hardware difference from the Beam Gen 2, which lacks side- and upward-firing drivers and is therefore limited to virtualising its spatial audio effect.

A second demonstration paired two Play portable speakers wirelessly to the Beam Ultra, positioning them behind the audience as rear channels for a scene from Sinners. Sonos suggested this configuration as a practical option for those with smaller living rooms who are reluctant to mount permanent rear satellites. According to the journalist's account, routing additional speakers appeared to allow the Beam Ultra to concentrate on delivering balanced, directional sound rather than compensating for its own positional shortcomings.

The journalist acknowledged the inherent limitations of a press-event environment: demonstrations are curated, conditions are optimised, and a professional is guiding the product. The presence of Sonos subwoofers and supplementary speakers in the demo room was difficult to discount entirely, the report noted, despite assurances from the Sonos team that they were not in use. The writer drew a personal comparison with a Vizio Elevate SE system purchased the previous year, describing surprise at how punchy the Beam Ultra sounded — at times, perhaps suspiciously so.

In terms of positioning, the Beam Ultra sits between the Beam Gen 2 — currently available at $399, down from its standard $499 — and the Arc Ultra, which retails at $1,099 and is currently on offer at $899. The Beam Ultra offers a route into genuine Atmos hardware without approaching four-figure expenditure. As part of the same announcement, Sonos also unveiled the Ace Ultra headphones and the Sonos 27 AI software update.

A full review from The Verge's John Higgins is expected in due course. The Beam Ultra launches on 29 September, with preorders already open at Best Buy, B&H Photo, Sonos, and Amazon.