It’s safe to say that 2024 has not gone to plan for Sonos. This was meant to be the year that the leader in wireless home audio released its first pair of noise-cancelling headphones and finally offered a real alternative to Apple's all-conquering AirPods Max . As things turned out, the Sonos Ace were.
.. actually pretty great and are even more so now they’ve dipped beneath their initial £449 asking price.
The problem? Sonos also decided to redesign its app at the exact same moment it diversified its product lineup and that did not go well. At all. Sales dropped, its share price tanked, there was a public apology from the CEO and it was all extremely messy.
What does any of this have to do with the new Sonos Arc Ultra? Well, this seriously premium soundbar is a welcome reminder of what the Santa Barbara-based brand actually does well. The long-awaited successor to 2020’s excellent Arc, it’s designed to be a great big speaker that you can plug into your TV to instantly upgrade its sound. Of course, that’s the promise of any soundbar of note but it’s particularly the case for the £999 Arc Ultra, which packs seven tweeters, six midwoofers and a built-in subwoofer into its 46-inch frame.
If that sounds like a hell of a lot of speaker to be getting on with, then you would be absolutely correct in thinking so. Truthfully, it’s too much for anyone who doesn’t already have a top-of-the-line TV and pay extra for both 4K visuals and Dolby Atmos audio from their streami.
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