Sonos Arc Ultra Soundbar

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Movieman

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#323951 6-Feb-2026 23:16

I recently dismantled my Dolby Atmos/DTS:X 5.1.2 system to create more room in my Man Cave. I replaced it with a pair of Apple Homepods Gen. 2 which perform surprisingly well when paired with my Apple TV 4K Gen 2.

However, I am missing the immersion that I had with my old system, and I have been looking for a stand alone soundbar that can create some surround effects. Having spent most of yesterday watching videos on You Tube and reading every article that I could find on the subject, I decided to make the Sonos Arc Ultra my target.

From the many reviews that I read, It seems that I may be happy with the bass output from the bar, and probably won't need a subwoofer add on as I like some bass, but I'm not bothered about hitting the really low frequencies. The surround experience could be another story, and I may have to bite the bullet and buy a pair of rear cordless speakers to get the sound that I want.

All of this will cost a pretty penny, so I was hoping that one or more members in the forum actually own this soundbar, and what are your thoughts.

MAN CAVE: 2025 TCL C7K 75" QD Mini LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (2nd Gen) - Samsung HW Q990F Soundbar - Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray Player - Apple Airpods Max - LIVING ROOM: 2021 Sony 75” X95J LCD/LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (1st Gen) - 2 x Apple Homepods Gen.2 (paired) - TECH: iPhone 15 Plus, iPad Gen. 10, Apple Watch SE.

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#3459443 7-Feb-2026 09:49

I have tried all 3 variants you mention (Yamaha home theatre, Sonos and Apple Homepod). As you mention nothing beats the full HT amp and surrounds experience.

The Sonos is next ‘best’. I have the Ultra, sub, Era 300 (rears). Sounds pretty good but I would like to get Era 100 fronts (L/R) at some point. The 300s are big and do require power etc. it would be great to have PoE one day.

My Sonos Sub is an older model (maybe Gen 2) it makes a difference but the mini sub is pretty good from what I have read.

I had a LOT of issues with the Sonos app last year. Those have largely been sorted (prob a combo of the app and changing my wifi at same time).

Sonos can be a black rabbit hole of money spend, but it is good overall 🤣

Movieman

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#3459452 7-Feb-2026 11:18

Thanks for your reply @mailmarshall.

I am aware that Sonos can be a "black rabbit hole" when it comes to upgrades and additions, so I will hold off for a while.

I am hoping that Apple will come to the party and add rear surround to their Apple TV 4K experience (maybe two Homepod mini's) and possibly a centre speaker and sub (or is that too much to hope for) 😁. There is a strong rumour that a 4th Gen. Apple TV 4K is coming soon, so I will wait for that before entering the Sonos system.

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#3459463 7-Feb-2026 12:55

I can't get rid of my Sonos stuff soon enough.

Stu1

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#3459504 7-Feb-2026 17:28

Would you consider bose, the wireless speakers are pretty good I have just the 500 sound bar, amp and wireless rears been really good

Movieman

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#3459507 7-Feb-2026 17:52

gehenna:

I can't get rid of my Sonos stuff soon enough.

Why!

Movieman

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#3459508 7-Feb-2026 17:56

Stu1:

Would you consider bose, the wireless speakers are pretty good I have just the 500 sound bar, amp and wireless rears been really good

I haven’t considered Bose as reviewers don’t rate them as good as the Sonos.

I will do some research on them

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#3459522 7-Feb-2026 19:02

gehenna:

I can't get rid of my Sonos stuff soon enough.

Put it up for sale here, I'll buy it.

Stu1

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#3459585 7-Feb-2026 22:05

Movieman:

Stu1:

Would you consider bose, the wireless speakers are pretty good I have just the 500 sound bar, amp and wireless rears been really good

I haven’t considered Bose as reviewers don’t rate them as good as the Sonos.

I will do some research on them

there are some good ones for sale on trade me

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/electronics-photography/home-audio/home-theatre/listing/5763420391

Movieman

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#3459710 8-Feb-2026 10:52

Well, I've done a complete about turn. Due to the amount of money that I was going to have to spend on Sonos products, I had another think about it and I now believe that the Samsung HW Q990F is the sweet spot taking into account price and performance. I was hoping to get by without rear speakers, but it has become clear that, to get decent surround sound, rear speakers are a must. The Soundbar comes with "wireless" rear speakers, but they each need to be plugged into a power outlet; and an upgraded subwoofer from the last model, which was the Q990D. The Sonos would cost more for the soundbar alone, before adding their expensive rear speakers and/or subwoofer.

Harvey Norman and Heathcotes have the Samsung at $1598 this weekend, which is a significant price reduction from it's initial RRP. The soundbar has three HDMI ports; one is the eARC and all three support HDMI 2.1. I won't be using the ports for gaming, I will connect my Apple TV 4K and 4K Blu-ray Player. All of the sound codecs are supported including DTS:X which is not present on the Sonos nor are any extra HDMI ports. I am going to pick one up from HN this afternoon.

Thanks for your replies and suggestions in this thread.

networkn

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#3459719 8-Feb-2026 11:29

I have the LG (two actually but one is for sale when I get around to it) which comes with the rear wireless speakers. It's incredible for the price.

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#3459768 8-Feb-2026 16:09

Have you looked at soundbar offerings from JBL which have detatchable surround speakers? These detatchable surrounds are battery powered & charged from the main bar when not in use. If I remember correctly, these are found on the Bar 800 and upwards models.

Wireless sub too with these models.

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#3459778 8-Feb-2026 17:53

Mehrts:

Have you looked at soundbar offerings from JBL which have detatchable surround speakers? These detatchable surrounds are battery powered & charged from the main bar when not in use. If I remember correctly, these are found on the Bar 800 and upwards models.

Wireless sub too with these models.

Yes, the JBL Bar 1000MK2 was the first one that I looked at, and I almost bought one as they were about $400 cheaper than the Samsung. However I was swayed by many reviewers stating that the Samsung is the best all around value.

I have now ordered the Samsung. Harvey Norman and Noel Leeming ($100 more) are sold out in my area but HN are taking orders, with up to 2 week delivery time.

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#3459781 8-Feb-2026 18:28

Movieman:

Well, I've done a complete about turn. Due to the amount of money that I was going to have to spend on Sonos products, I had another think about it and I now believe that the Samsung HW Q990F is the sweet spot taking into account price and performance.

Seems a bit bizarre to me that this has separate rears but a single soundbar up front. It’s been some years since I had to downsize my 5.1, but having the 3 speakers up front was way more important to me than the rears.

Will be interested to hear what you think given you are coming from a 5.1.

networkn

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#3459796 8-Feb-2026 20:26

My biggest gripe with soundbars is that you don't get enough volume from them, even the big boys just lack a lot of grunt.

gehenna

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#3459936 9-Feb-2026 12:10

Movieman:

gehenna:

I can't get rid of my Sonos stuff soon enough.

Why!

Inconsistent software. Thrice over the past year (separately from the app update debacle) I've sat down in the lounge only to hear nothing from my speakers, then check the app and the whole room config is gone and none of the speakers can be added again until they are factory reset. Not a unique problem based on anecdotal evidence online. Also picks and chooses when it likes my wifi vs when it flat out refuses to do anything unless ethernet connected. All with no changes in the wider environment causing the Sonos issues. Also every 13 mins the audio briefly cuts out on Atmos content because the first gen Sonos Arc has an eARC bug with Samsung eARC traffic. This issue has been there since the start and no amount of Samsung TV or Sonos updates has addressed it. Might not be an issue on the 2nd gen. It's all a shame really as the audio quality is excellent when it works.

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