Sonos Beam Ultra Soundbar Review: True Atmos, Compact Soundbar
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The Sonos Beam has always been an interesting soundbar because of how much Sonos manages to pack into such a small package, and the new Beam Ultra takes that idea considerably further: it still looks like a Beam, but now includes actual upward-firing speakers, a completely redesigned nine-driver architecture, better dialogue processing, and true 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos, all while staying about 30 inches wide. It fits right into Sonos' modular approach to home theater, where you can start with a soundbar and build around it over time by adding a Sub for more bass or surrounds for more immersion. At $699, Beam Ultra sits in the middle of that lineup, above Ray and below the $1,099 Arc Ultra, bringing a lot of what makes Sonos' flagship home theater experience interesting into a much smaller package rather than trying to replace it.
Table of Contents
What's in the Box
Setup here is refreshingly simple. Inside the box, you get Beam Ultra, a six-foot power cable, a 4.9-foot HDMI cable, and the documentation. Connect power, run HDMI to your TV's ARC or preferably eARC connection, and the Sonos app walks you through the rest — your existing TV remote should work automatically. eARC is worth having, since it's how you get the highest-bandwidth formats like Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Atmos via TrueHD into the soundbar.
Summary:
- Box includes Beam Ultra, a power cable, an HDMI cable, and documentation
- Setup walks through the Sonos app; existing TV remote works automatically
- eARC connection enables Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Atmos via TrueHD
Fit, Finish & Design
Visually, Beam Ultra is still unmistakably a Beam. It comes in matte Black or White, and at roughly 29.5 inches wide, 4.1 inches deep, and about 2.5 inches tall, it's still remarkably compact — only about four inches wider than Beam Gen 2. That matters if you have a 55- or 65-inch TV, where something the size of Arc Ultra might visually dominate the setup.
The one obvious design change is a new grille across the top, there because Beam Ultra finally has dedicated upward-firing speakers. If you're setting it on furniture, give the top and sides some breathing room — Sonos recommends at least four inches of clearance above it so those height channels can do their job. If you're wall mounting instead, Beam Ultra gets its own new wall mount, since the dimensions have changed from Beam Gen 2.
Summary:
- Available in matte Black or White; roughly 29.5" W x 4.1" D x 2.5" H
- Only about 4 inches wider than Beam Gen 2 despite the new internals
- New top grille houses upward-firing speakers; needs ~4" of clearance above
- Requires a new wall mount, different from Beam Gen 2
Tech & Features
This is where Beam Ultra becomes considerably different from the Beam it replaces. Inside are nine Class-D amplifiers driving nine speakers: four low-profile woofers for bass and five tweeters, including one for the center image, two horn-loaded tweeters firing toward the sides for stereo separation, and two more firing upward through directional horns for Dolby Atmos.
Those last two are a pretty big deal. Beam Gen 2 supports Dolby Atmos, but its height channels are virtualized, using psychoacoustic processing to convince your ears that sound is coming from above you. Beam Ultra can now physically direct sound toward the ceiling instead, creating what Sonos calls a true 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos presentation from the soundbar itself. Picture a movie scene where a helicopter passes overhead or rain falls around a character — instead of processing suggesting that height, Beam Ultra now has actual speakers dedicated to creating that overhead information.
You don't need a Sub or surrounds to decode Atmos, since Beam Ultra can do that on its own, though you can add them later. Every generation of Sonos Sub and Sub Mini is compatible, and the surround options are extensive: Era 100s, Era 300s, Ones, Fives, or even an Amp paired with traditional in-wall or in-ceiling speakers. You can even use compatible Sonos Play or Move 2 portable speakers as surrounds, so a pair of speakers you normally use elsewhere in the house can become part of the theater when you want them.
Summary:
- Nine Class-D amps drive nine speakers, including two upward-firing for Atmos
- True 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos with physical height channels, not virtualized like Beam Gen 2
- Works standalone — no Sub or surrounds required to decode Atmos
- Expandable with any Sonos Sub/Sub Mini, Era, One, Five, Amp, or Play/Move 2 as surrounds
Dialogue & Everyday Viewing
Atmos isn't necessarily the upgrade everyone will notice first. Beam Ultra also gets a redesigned center channel and a feature Sonos calls AI Speech Enhancement, which detects human voices and offers four levels of dialogue enhancement in the Sonos app. Having that adjustable matters, since someone watching a movie at reference volume has very different needs than someone trying to follow dialogue while their kids make noise in the next room.
During testing over the opening weekend of the NFL football season, Beam Ultra delivered surprisingly substantial bass even without a subwoofer. The announcers' dialogue came through rich and clear, and the crowd noise from the stadium created a surrounding effect with nothing more than Beam Ultra playing — no additional rear or overhead speakers required. There's also Night Sound, which reduces big volume swings while bringing quieter details forward, useful for watching something late at night without an explosion suddenly blasting three times louder than the conversation before it.
Summary:
- Redesigned center channel plus AI Speech Enhancement with four adjustable levels
- Delivered solid bass and clear dialogue in testing, even without a subwoofer
- Stadium crowd noise created a surround effect using Beam Ultra alone
- Night Sound smooths volume swings for late-night viewing
Trueplay, Connectivity & The Sonos System
Once Beam Ultra is in the room, Trueplay measures the room's acoustics and adjusts the sound accordingly, and it's now compatible with both iOS and Android — an important upgrade. You also get Wi-Fi 6, AirPlay 2, and, unlike Beam Gen 2, Bluetooth 5.3, plus USB-C connectivity for an optional Line-In or Ethernet adapter, making Beam Ultra considerably more flexible as a music speaker than its predecessor.
For anyone who's seen the Ace Ultra review, the two products work together too. TV Audio Swap lets you move whatever you're watching from Beam Ultra into compatible Sonos headphones, including Dolby Atmos, so if everyone else goes to bed halfway through a movie, you can move the soundtrack into the headphones and keep watching privately.
Summary:
- Trueplay room calibration now works on both iOS and Android
- Wi-Fi 6, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth 5.3, and USB-C connectivity (Line-In or Ethernet adapter)
- TV Audio Swap moves audio, including Dolby Atmos, into compatible Sonos headphones
Final Thoughts
That's ultimately what makes Beam Ultra interesting. Beam Gen 2 already proved you could get a surprisingly immersive home theater experience from a very small soundbar, and Beam Ultra doesn't abandon that idea — it expands on it, with actual upward-firing speakers instead of virtualized height, a wider 7.1.2 presentation, more bass, a redesigned center channel, AI Speech Enhancement, Bluetooth, Android Trueplay, and more ways to expand the system over time, all while remaining physically a Beam.
For anyone who wants the biggest Sonos home theater experience, Arc Ultra still sits above it, with a wider soundstage, more channels, deeper bass, and Sonos' Sound Motion technology, but that's not really the point of Beam Ultra. This is about how much of that immersive home theater experience Sonos can fit into a soundbar that's roughly 30 inches wide, and based on what's happening inside this one, there's a lot more Beam here than there used to be.
Summary:
- Meaningful upgrade over Beam Gen 2, not a replacement for Arc Ultra
- Real upward-firing Atmos speakers, more bass, a redesigned center channel, and AI Speech Enhancement
- Arc Ultra remains the bigger, more powerful option for larger home theaters
- Packs a lot of home theater capability into a compact ~30-inch soundbar
Browse the full Sonos soundbar and home theater lineup at World Wide Stereo to see where Beam Ultra fits alongside Arc Ultra and Ray.
Shop the Sonos Beam Ultra
FAQs: Dolby Atmos Soundbars & Home Theater Basics
What is Dolby Atmos, and how does a soundbar create it?
Dolby Atmos is an object-based surround format that adds height to a traditional surround mix, so sounds like rain, aircraft, or explosions can seem to come from above as well as around the room. Soundbars can create this either by physically firing sound upward at the ceiling to bounce it back down, or by using processing to simulate the effect without dedicated upward-firing drivers.
What's the difference between virtualized height channels and true upward-firing speakers?
Virtualized height uses psychoacoustic processing to trick the ear into perceiving sound above the listener, without any driver actually pointed upward. True upward-firing speakers physically direct sound toward the ceiling, which bounces back down into the room — generally producing a more convincing and precise sense of height.
Do you need a subwoofer or surround speakers to get Dolby Atmos from a soundbar?
Not necessarily. Many modern soundbars can decode and play Dolby Atmos entirely on their own, using multiple built-in drivers. Adding a dedicated subwoofer and rear surround speakers later can expand the system further, but it's often optional rather than required.
What is eARC, and why does it matter for a soundbar?
eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) is an HDMI connection standard that allows a much higher bandwidth audio signal to pass from a TV to a soundbar than the older ARC standard. That extra bandwidth is what allows formats like Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD to be sent to the soundbar uncompressed.
What does AI-based dialogue or speech enhancement actually do?
Dialogue enhancement features use audio processing to isolate and boost the frequencies associated with human speech, making conversations easier to understand without simply raising the overall volume. This is especially useful when background music, sound effects, or household noise would otherwise compete with dialogue.
Can a soundbar be expanded into a full surround system over time?
In many connected ecosystems, yes. A soundbar can often be paired later with a matching subwoofer and rear surround speakers — sometimes even repurposing portable or bookshelf speakers already in the home — to build out a more complete home theater system gradually rather than all at once.
What does room calibration (like Trueplay) do for a soundbar?
Room calibration features measure how sound reflects off the walls, furniture, and other surfaces in a specific room, then automatically adjust the soundbar's tuning to compensate. The goal is more accurate, balanced sound regardless of the room's shape or size.
