Sonos has finally announced a successor to its Award-winning, Hall of Fame inductee Arc soundbar, and I for one couldn't be more excited. I have become well acquainted with the Arc, as it has served as the benchmark in many of our soundbar reviews; so a new model promising a plethora of audio upgrades is an encouraging sign. Sonos has had a rocky year thus far, thanks to a disastrous app relaunch and a lacklustre pair of pricy ANC headphones; still, I have high hopes for the Arc Ultra – it could serve as a turning point for the American audio brand.
However, as you should know by now, my inner AV geek is simply never satisfied, so I am already thinking about what the Arc Ultra could mean for the future of all Sonos soundbars. This led me to think about one of my favourite products in Sonos's current roster (and one of my favourite soundbars on the market in general), the Beam (Gen 2). This compact, charming soundbar sounds brilliant – and while it doesn't have dedicated height channels, it is still capable of reproducing Dolby Atmos effects convincingly. There is very little I would change about the Beam… except for maybe this one thing.
One criticism we note in our full review, and something that I accept as a flaw (albeit not, for me, deal-breaking) is that the Beam (Gen 2) isn't the bassiest 'bar on the market. While that is understandable, due to its petite chassis – and remembering that this is an area where many soundbars stumble – it's something I would like to see Sonos address with the next iteration of the Beam. And I think the solution has presented itself with the Arc Ultra.
The headlining feature of this new flagship model is the inclusion of Sonos's new Sound Motion drivers. The company is calling these speaker units "one of the most significant breakthroughs in audio engineering in nearly 100 years" – a very bold claim – thanks to their ability to create a more expansive and weightier sound from smaller drive-units. The structure of the drivers with their lightweight motors in each corner allows for greater amounts of air to be displaced, thus (it is claimed) resulting in deeper bass presentation.
If any soundbar in Sonos's lineup could benefit from enhanced bass weight, it's the Beam. So my hope is that Sonos implements these new drivers into a next-generation Beam as quickly as it can. A Beam (Gen 3), or perhaps more appropriately a Beam Ultra, with the Sound Motion drivers installed could be an easy solution to my one nitpick with this soundbar. The smaller drive units should suit the compact footprint of the Beam perfectly too; it's a match made in heaven.
It's also worth mentioning, of course, that the Sonos Ray, a more basic soundbar than the Beam, would also hugely benefit from the more expressive and punchier sound that Sonos claims these new drivers can deliver.
It's safe to say that a lot is riding on the Arc Ultra: it could shape the future of Sonos's soundbar series. If Sound Motion lives up to the hype, we could see other soundbar manufacturers scrambling to create their own solutions for improving bass performance too. I'm impatiently waiting for the Arc Ultra to land in our AV testing room to see if it can deliver the goods. And, if it does, how it could impact Sonos's soundbar landscape for future models.
MORE:
Read our full Sonos Arc review
Everything you need to know about the Sonos Arc Ultra: price, release date and specs
Check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars