The Sonos Beam Ultra costs $699, which is $200 more than the Beam it replaces at the top of the compact range. Early reviews say the extra money buys a real change in sound. We haven’t tested the soundbar. This piece draws on published reviews and Sonos’s own specifications.
What Sonos is selling
Sonos describes it as a $699 compact soundbar with true 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos, nine drivers, AI Speech Enhancement, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.
It went on general sale on September 29, 2026,
and it sits between the $499 Beam (Gen 2) and the $1,099 Arc Ultra, according to Gearbrain’s buyer guide.
The key change is height.
It has nine drivers, four more than the Beam, including two upward-firing tweeters that aim effects at the ceiling.
The earlier Beam only simulated overhead sound. Sonos’s spec page lists four low-profile woofers and five tweeters.
The bar measures 29.53 inches wide and 2.56 inches high, and weighs 6.35 pounds.
It comes in black or white.
TechRadar’s spec table lists
HDMI eARC, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and USB-C connections, and no subwoofer in the box.
What reviewers liked
Engadget’s verdict is that
it looks like previous Beams but sounds more like the high-end Arc.
The site singled out the Prince track “Let’s Go Crazy”, saying voices were clearer and the low end hit harder than on older Beams.
TechRadar called it
an excellent compact Dolby Atmos soundbar that offers expansive, immersive and clear audio for movies and music.
Its reviewer picked out the bass on action films such as Top Gun: Maverick.
T3 compared it directly with the Beam (Gen 2) and found
a clear step up in general sound quality, even before height effects.
It credited the new centre channel with clearer dialogue.
Gizmodo gave it 4.5 out of 5. It praised the software, including Speech Enhancement, Night Sound and TV Audio Swap. It also liked that the bar can pair with other Sonos speakers for surround sound.
The complaints
Price comes up in nearly every review. Engadget notes that
it is close to the $799 original cost of the Arc, which the Arc Ultra replaced two years ago.
Gizmodo says it is a bit pricey once you add a Sonos subwoofer. SoundGuys rates its value for money 7 out of 10.
Other points are narrower:
- TechRadar wanted HDMI passthrough, which the bar lacks.
- Sonos leaves out DTS:X. TechRadar warns that many 4K discs use it, so heavy disc buyers may want to look elsewhere.
- Engadget says Atmos works best with flat ceilings, since the height effects bounce off them.
- T3 says the bar is chunkier than earlier versions and that upgraders will need new wall-mount fittings.
- Gizmodo says the buttons could be better.
Who it suits
Gearbrain pitches it at
apartments, bedrooms, dens and medium-size living rooms
where a full-size flagship is too big. TechRadar lists the Samsung HW-Q800F ($1,099) and the Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar ($899) as alternatives, both priced higher in its comparison.
Reviewers broadly agree on one point. Owners of the first-generation Beam get the biggest jump. Engadget says Beam (Gen 2) owners should check their ceilings before upgrading. Sonos’s own store page shows a 4.8 out of 5 customer rating. That is a company page and not an independent test.
The one-week test TechRadar describes and the other write-ups are early impressions. Long-term reliability and app behaviour will take longer to judge.