Our verdict
The Sonos Beam Ultra is a 75cm soundbar that sits between the smaller Beam (Gen 2) and the larger Arc Ultra. It supports Dolby Atmos, a surround format that adds sound from above, and unlike the Beam (Gen 2) it has two upward-firing tweeters that bounce sound off your ceiling. Nine speakers are driven by nine amplifiers. It connects to your TV with one HDMI eARC cable, included in the box, and has four levels of speech enhancement for clearer dialogue. What Hi-Fi? and T3 praised it highly, while Expert Reviews called it “classy but pricey”. Its UK RRP is £699. We have not tested it ourselves: this review draws on Sonos’s specifications and those three reviews.
Buy it if
- You want overhead Atmos effects without a large soundbar
- Dialogue is hard to follow on your TV’s own speakers
- You already own Sonos speakers or plan to add them later
Skip it if
- Your room is small and the Beam (Gen 2) would be enough
- You need to plug devices into the soundbar rather than the TV
- You watch a lot of DTS:X content
Everyday use
Films and series with Atmos soundtracks
What Hi-Fi? found overhead effects in No Time To Die rose well above the TV screen, which is the main reason to choose this over the Beam (Gen 2).
Following dialogue in busy scenes
Speech enhancement has four levels. Expert Reviews found it “cleared up the worst of the mumbling” without sounding harsh.
Building a Sonos system over time
You can add a Sub Mini and a pair of compatible Sonos speakers as rear surrounds later, though that adds considerably to the cost.
The details, in plain English
Sound for films and TV
Sonos describes it as a 7.1.2 system, meaning it simulates seven surround channels plus two overhead ones. What Hi-Fi? scored sound five out of five, with “tonally accurate and brilliantly expressive” dialogue and precise placement of effects. It noted voices project towards you less directly than on some rivals. T3 found dialogue clearer than on the Beam (Gen 2). Expert Reviews described the bass as “immensely impressive”, while What Hi-Fi? said it is not the deepest at this price.
Atmos height and width
The two up-firing tweeters bounce sound off the ceiling to create height. What Hi-Fi? heard overhead effects reach almost above the listening position, and sound that filled the room to the corners. Expert Reviews described “a much more enveloping bubble of sound” than the Beam (Gen 2), which lacks height. T3 also praised the height effect. Results depend on your ceiling height and room shape.
Music
Reviewers disagreed here. What Hi-Fi? called it “a cut above its rivals” for music. Expert Reviews found a stereo rock track sounded “considerably less bassy and more compressed than it should do”. If music matters as much as TV, it is worth listening before you buy.
Connections and setup
There is one HDMI eARC port and one USB-C port. eARC is the HDMI connection that carries full-quality sound, including lossless Dolby TrueHD, from your TV. With only one HDMI port, consoles and set-top boxes must plug into the TV, not the soundbar. Optical, Ethernet and 3.5mm line-in need Sonos adapters, sold separately. It supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and AirPlay 2. Trueplay tunes the sound to your room using an iPhone or Android phone. It works with your TV remote; none is included.
Formats, voice and size
It plays Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and multichannel PCM. Sonos lists DTS Digital Surround but not DTS:X, the DTS version of overhead surround. Sonos Voice Control is built in; T3 reported that Alexa+ and AI voice features were not yet available. It measures 65 × 750 × 105mm and weighs 2.88kg. T3 noted that existing Beam wall mounts will not fit.
Strengths and drawbacks
What it does well
- Two upward-firing tweeters for overhead Dolby Atmos effects, unlike the Beam (Gen 2)
- Clear dialogue, with four levels of speech enhancement
- Bass far stronger than the Beam (Gen 2), according to Expert Reviews
- Wi-Fi 6, AirPlay 2 and room tuning with Trueplay on iPhone and Android
What to watch out for
- Only one HDMI port, so there is no HDMI passthrough for a games console or set-top box
- No DTS:X support
- Optical, Ethernet and line-in connections need adapters sold separately
- No remote in the box, and T3 noted existing Beam wall mounts will not fit
- £250 more than the Beam (Gen 2)
The Beam (Gen 2), at £449, is smaller and has no upward-firing speakers; Expert Reviews still recommends it for most people, and T3 suggests it for small rooms. The Arc Ultra, at £999, has more authority according to What Hi-Fi?. Expert Reviews points to Samsung’s HW-QS90H for about £100 more, and T3 mentions the Marshall Heston 60. We have not tested these soundbars side by side.
Alternatives we have reviewed
| Product | Our verdict | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 Sonos Beam Ultra (this one) | A strong step up from a TV’s own speakers for medium-sized rooms, with real overhead Atmos effects from a compact bar. | £699RRP · black, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
 Sonos Beam (Gen 2) | A very good compact soundbar for clearer dialogue and music, best bought at a lower price and with realistic expectations of bass and rear effects. | £449RRP · black, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
 Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 HT-A7100 | A good pick for clear dialogue and room-filling Dolby Atmos from one bar, provided you accept thin bass unless you add Sony's separate subwoofer. | £699RRP, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
 Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar | A good choice if you want wider, more cinematic TV sound from one bar with no rear speakers, provided your room and TV placement suit it | £899.95RRP, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
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Where our findings come from
This review is based on Sonos’s UK product page and specifications, the Currys listing, and hands-on reviews by What Hi-Fi? (Robyn Quick with Lewis Empson, Tom Parsons and Harry McKerrell, 22 September 2026), Expert Reviews (Jonathan Bray, about a week of use with a Beam (Gen 2) for comparison, 25 September 2026) and T3 (Max Freeman-Mills, 22 September 2026). Their findings are credited to them in the text, and where they disagree, as on music and value, we say so. Prices were checked on 12 October 2026.