Sonos
Sonos Arc Ultra
9.1.4 Atmos · Sound Motion woofers · eARC
92
/ 100
From $999
VS
Sonos Arc Ultra wins by 6
Sonos
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Dolby Atmos · HDMI eARC · Compact
86
/ 100
From $499
Specdex verdict
Sonos Arc Ultra takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, Sonos Arc Ultra lands at 92 and Sonos Beam (Gen 2) at 86. That puts Sonos Arc Ultra ahead by 6 points — a decisive margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Sonos Arc Ultra if…
- ✓Massive bass without a sub
- ✓9.1.4 channel processing
- ✓Easy TrueCinema tuning
Pick Sonos Beam (Gen 2) if…
- ✓Atmos in a compact bar
- ✓Trueplay room correction
- ✓Expandable with Sub + rears
Score breakdown
Sonos Arc Ultra
92 sound 94
features 90
design 92
ease 90
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
86 sound 86
features 88
design 92
ease 90
Specs side-by-side
Spec
Sonos Arc Ultra
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Channels
9.1.4
5.0 (virtual Atmos)
Drivers
14 + Sound Motion woofers
—
Connectivity
eARC HDMI, Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.0
eARC HDMI, Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.0
Atmos
Dolby Atmos
—
Sonos Arc Ultra
Pros
- +Massive bass without a sub
- +9.1.4 channel processing
- +Easy TrueCinema tuning
Cons
- −No DTS:X
- −App glitches
- −Expensive
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Pros
- +Atmos in a compact bar
- +Trueplay room correction
- +Expandable with Sub + rears
Cons
- −No upward drivers (virtual Atmos)
- −No DTS
- −App glitches
FAQ: Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Which is better, Sonos Arc Ultra or Sonos Beam (Gen 2)? +
Sonos Arc Ultra scores 92 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 6. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Sonos Arc Ultra worth the price? +
At $999, Sonos Arc Ultra delivers a Specdex score of 92 — strongest in sound.
Is Sonos Beam (Gen 2) worth the price? +
At $499, Sonos Beam (Gen 2) delivers a Specdex score of 86 — strongest in design.
Does Sonos Arc Ultra or Sonos Beam (Gen 2) last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.