Sonos launches Beam Ultra and Ace Ultra

Beam Ultra is now better equipped for Dolby Atmos while the Ace Ultra headphones deliver improved sound and easier pairing with soundbars.

Beam (2nd Gen) will remain available after Beam Ultra joins the lineup as a compact soundbar, now featuring nine drivers, including two upward-firing units, for 7.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos and improved bass, explained Sonos – up from 5.1.2 on the regular Beam.

The center channel has been designed to deliver clearer dialog and now features Sonos' AI Speech Enhancement – speech enhancement – which Flatpanels was given a demonstration of last summer when the feature was added via a software update following our Sonos Arc Ultra review.


Beam Ultra and Arc Ultra
Sonos Beam Ultra sits below the larger and more expensive Arc Ultra in terms of both price and performance. Arc Ultra remains the only soundbar with Sonos' new Sound Motion technology for deeper bass.

Beam Ultra can of course be expanded with additional Sonos speakers, such as rear speakers and a subwoofer. This remains Sonos' strongest selling point, which competitors have yet to fully match.

However, DTS:X is not supported. Sonos only supports basic DTS.


Arc Ultra for movie surround sound
Just like a pair of regular Ace headphones (review here), Ace Ultra can be used for surround sound from movies and series via a Sonos soundbar, allowing you to enjoy movies when sitting alone on the couch.

That's because, in addition to serving as headphones for music, Ace Ultra supports spatial audio together with an Atmos-compatible Sonos soundbar. Spatial audio takes a surround soundtrack and converts it into surround sound through the headphones' stereo drivers. It works surprisingly well.


The over-ear headphones also feature Headphone Engine 2, 40mm drivers, improved ANC noise cancellation and up to 35 hours of battery life with ANC enabled, according to Sonos. You can also easily switch the audio playing through your Sonos system to the Ace Ultra at the press of a button.

- "Beam Ultra and Sonos Ace Ultra are physical manifestations of what we mean when we say 'sounds like Sonos' – they combine next-gen innovation, acoustic design, and audio engineering into something only decades of learning in real homes can create," said Tom Conrad, CEO of Sonos. "But the real magic happens when they take advantage of the system around them to fit your mood, whether that's the awe of movie night, or the joy of carrying its soundtrack into your headphones the next morning."

Sonos Beam Ultra costs $699 / £699 / €699 while Ace Ultra costs $449 / £399 / €449. Both will begin shipping on September 29.

Sonos Beam Ultra – specifications
 Flatpanels