We Tested the Sonos Arc Ultra + Sub 4: Great Sound, but Does It Beat the Competition?

In India, home entertainment scenes are evolving. People are slowly and gradually looking beyond TV speakers to get a better audio experience. According to some statements, the soundbar market size in India reached USD 186.4 million in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 423.2 million by 2033, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.06% from 2025 to 2033. It makes brands like Sonos double down in the Indian market. Keeping this in mind, Sonos Arc Ultra, the top-of-the-line sound bar from the premium audio brand, launched in India earlier this year.  

The Sonos Arc Ultra is a soundbar that aims to deliver a better and more immersive audio experience for movies and music both. For those who want the best, there’s the Sonos Sub 4 and Sonos Era line-up of optional companions to take your listening experience to the next level.

Now, the question arises here: does the Arc Ultra live up to the hype? Can it deliver that elusive “wow” factor that makes you want to revisit your entire playlist just to hear what you’ve been missing? Is it better than the Samsung HW-990F?

Sonos Arc Ultra + Sub 4 Review: Design and Build

The best soundbar designs are the ones that quietly blend into your living space or bedroom, improving your audio experience without drawing attention away from what’s on screen. Sonos nailed this ethos with the original Arc, and now, with the Arc Ultra, it’s taking minimalism and performance-focused design even further.

The Sonos Arc Ultra isn’t the kind of soundbar that screams for attention; it just draws you in. It has a sleek, curved design of the original Arc but adds some cool updates. It’s now available in matte black and white, measuring 118 cm wide, slightly broader than the original Arc at 114 cm. The height is lower too, at 7.5 cm compared to the original’s 8.7 cm, so it won’t block your TV’s IR sensor or its bottom edge, which is a common worry for folks on Reddit and AV forums. Plus, it weighs about 350 grams less, making it easier to mount on the wall with the optional Sonos bracket. Else, it fits well right at home beneath a 55-inch or larger television, whether it’s in a modern apartment in India or a US suburban living room.

While the aesthetic is understated, the internal architecture is we thought out. The Arc Ultra boasts 15 Class-D digital amplifiers and 14 speaker drivers — up from 11 in the original Arc. Out of these 14 speakers, 7 are silk dome tweeters for crisp highs, 6 mid-range drivers for warm, balanced mids, A new Sound Motion woofer for richer low-end presence, and a front-firing speaker array to improve dialogue clarity.

The perforated grill wraps the entire chassis, offering near-360-degree sound dispersion, creating an enveloping soundstage even in irregularly shaped rooms.

One subtle yet impactful update is the redesigned back panel. It now includes easier-to-reach touch controls — including play/pause, volume slider, track skipping, and microphone toggling for voice assistants. This fixes a common complaint about the original Arc’s inconvenient top-mounted buttons, especially when wall-mounted.

Sonos also sent us the Sub 4, which frankly looks more like a piece of modern furniture than an audio component. In its glossy white finish, the Sub 4 blends effortlessly into the living rooms of your home.

Sonos Arc Ultra + Sub 4 Review: Sounds

The Arc Ultra sounds noticeably better than the original Arc. Sonos has clearly reworked the internal tuning. Where the original Arc often sounded boomy and overly theatrical, the Ultra is more restrained. Dialogue is tighter and more present, with a dedicated center array that helps in both streaming and lossless formats. In Dune: Part Two, you hear the subtle whispers of the Bene Gesserit clearly over the thunderous roar of a Sandworm. In The Fall Guy, the witty banter lands without getting buried under explosive stunt sequences.

Bass, too, gets a meaningful overhaul. The Arc Ultra now includes the Sound Motion Woofer — which moves more air with less distortion — and it makes a difference. Without a sub, the soundbar can dip cleanly into the 40Hz range. With the Sub 4 added, that drops to 25Hz, with no cabinet rumble and no mud. In our tests, the seismic charge scene in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones delivered shocking impact without drowning out vocals or midrange textures.

Still, Sonos’ insistence on closed systems is a trade-off. There’s no DTS:X, and limited high-bitrate multichannel formats. For the average viewer, that may not matter. But for enthusiasts, it’s a gap.

In our testing across content platforms – Disney+Hotstar, Apple TV+, and Blu-rays — the Arc Ultra held its own. It presents a convincing soundstage, especially in Dolby Atmos tracks. And unlike many “virtual” Atmos soundbars, this one has real up-firing drivers, which helps. When a starship flies overhead in The Mandalorian, the motion feels real. When it rains in Blade Runner 2049, it feels like it’s coming from above.

That said, without rear speakers (like Era 300s), the effect is limited. Sonos didn’t provide them for this review, and while the front stage is wide and deep, it’s not a full wraparound. A Samsung Q990D with included rears still has a spatial edge.

The Arc Ultra shines on PS5, especially in games like Demon’s Souls or Resident Evil 4, where spatial cues and tight bass are critical. But on some older stereo-only games, the soundfield can feel flat without Era 300s.

Sonos Arc Ultra sounds great for music. The Beatles’ Abbey Road (Atmos) feels big, open, and dynamic. Even stereo tracks like “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk or Miles Davis’s trumpet show strong stereo spread and clean tonal balance. But if your priority is music listening over movies, traditional stereo speakers — including Sonos’ own Fives — still do better.

And Sonos’ smart features, like multi-room playback, Apple AirPlay 2, and voice assistant integration, remain best-in-class — if you’re bought into the Sonos universe.

Overall, the Sonos Arc Ultra, when paired with the Sub 4, delivers a deeply immersive, room-filling, and finely balanced home theater experience. It’s a significant leap forward from the original Arc, particularly in dialogue clarity, bass performance, and Atmos immersion. When expanded with Era 300s or another subwoofer, it stands on firm feet when compared with heavyweights like the Samsung HW-Q990D and Sony’s Bravia Theater Quad.

Sonos Arc Ultra + Sub 4 Review: Setup and Connectivity

The Sonos Arc Ultra takes a minimalist approach as it only has one HDMI eARC port, no passthrough, no USB, no analog inputs, and only limited support for older devices (via an optical adapter). Thankfully, Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6 is there.

If you’re just streaming Netflix, Hotstar, or Apple TV+, it works brilliantly. Setup is dead simple. But power users — gamers, physical media enthusiasts, or anyone with more than one HDMI source — will hit the wall fast. There’s no room to grow. For context, Samsung’s HW-Q990D offers multiple HDMI ins and better lossless audio flexibility. Even Sony’s Bravia Theatre Quad gives you more connection options through its control box.

Sonos also dropped Google Assistant support, thanks to ongoing legal drama. You’re limited to Alexa or Sonos Voice Control — and for Android, that’s a real ecosystem mismatch, especially in India, where Google smart homes are more common.

There is one standout: TV Audio Swap. With the new Sonos Ace headphones, you can instantly shift TV audio from the soundbar to your headphones — great for late-night watching or shared spaces. But it only works if you buy into the Sonos ecosystem, and that’s not cheap.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Sonos Arc Ultra with Sub 4?

If you want simplicity, smart design, and audio that fills a room without visual clutter, the Sonos Arc Ultra is an easy recommendation. Its sound is refined, immersive, and intelligent — especially for Indian users navigating poor audio mixes on local OTT platforms, or for U.S. streamers chasing Atmos without rear-speaker chaos.

But if you want better format support, tweakability, or seamless integration with consoles, physical media, or legacy gear, the Arc Ultra’s minimal ports and closed ecosystem can feel like a walled garden. No HDMI passthrough, no Google Assistant, and limited input options mean this you will have to compromise with your choices dispite paying a premium price.

If your setup is modern, minimal, and mostly streaming, the Arc Ultra shines. It calibrates itself, sounds phenomenal, and stays out of your way.

Smartprix ⭐ Rating: 8/10

• Setup Process: 8.5/10
• Overall Clarity: 8.2/10
• Bass Performance: 8.1/10
• Dialogue Clarity: 8.1/10
• Spatial performance: 8/10
• Aesthetics: 8/10
• Connectivity: 7.6/10
• Remote & App support: 7.5/10

First reviewed in May 2025.

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Sonos Arc Ultra with Sub 4 FAQs:

Can the Sub 4 be laid flat or mounted?

Yes. Sonos has been designed to work vertically or horizontally, depending on your space. You can even tuck it under a couch or cabinet, and your audio quality won’t suffer.

Is the Sub Gen 4 better than Sub Gen 3?

Yes and no. While not a major generational leap over the Sub (Gen 3), the Sub 4 refines airflow, housing, and heat dissipation, and it integrates seamlessly with the Arc Ultra using Sonos’ Trueplay and wireless sync tech.

The Sub 4 delivers distortion-free, room-filling bass, especially when paired with the Arc Ultra. It also eliminates rattling or bloating, a frequent issue with cheaper subs.

Does the Arc Ultra work well in open or non-symmetrical rooms?

The answer? Yes. Combined with Trueplay tuning, which adapts the sound profile to your room’s acoustics (now supported on Android too), the Arc Ultra is designed to thrive in real-world spaces.