Sonos has unveiled the Beam Ultra, a $699 soundbar designed to bring more convincing Dolby Atmos audio to the middle of its home cinema range. An early demonstration suggested stronger bass, clearer dialogue and more directional sound than the Beam Gen 2, although a full assessment will depend on testing in a normal home environment.
The new 7.1.2-channel soundbar was demonstrated at the company’s open house event before a smaller group of journalists. Positioned around 1.8 metres from the listeners, it was put through a series of film clips intended to show how its side- and upward-firing drivers handle spatial audio.
In a sequence from Widow’s Bay, the Beam Ultra reproduced background details including radio chatter and incidental sound effects, while maintaining the swelling score and dialogue. The compact design inevitably limits the scale of the sound, but the room appeared to help the drivers spread audio around the listening position.
Sonos also wirelessly connected two Play portable speakers and placed them behind the audience as rear channels during a scene from Sinners. The arrangement produced ample volume and appeared to give the system a fuller, more balanced presentation, with clearer directional effects than the Beam Gen 2.
That earlier model creates its spatial effect through virtualisation and does not have dedicated side- and upward-firing speakers. The Beam Ultra is intended to offer a more hardware-led Atmos experience without reaching the price of Sonos’s larger Arc Ultra.
The demonstration came with important qualifications. The soundbar was being operated by Sonos specialists in a carefully selected room, while the presence of additional Sonos speakers and subwoofers nearby made it difficult to judge exactly how the Beam Ultra would perform as a standalone product. Sonos said those extra components were not being used in the demonstration.
The Beam Ultra sits between the Beam Gen 2, priced at $499 and currently discounted to $399, and the $1,099 Arc Ultra, which is currently available for $899. It is due to launch on 29 September, with pre-orders available through Sonos, Amazon, Best Buy and B&H Photo.
