Sonos Arc Ultra

Guides > Arc Ultra

Overview

Featuring Sound Motion technology, the Arc Ultra soundbar brings your home entertainment to life with superior clarity, depth, and dimension.

Next-level immersion: With an all-new acoustic architecture powered by 14 Sonos-engineered drivers and advanced technologies like Sound Motion, Arc Ultra fills every inch of the room and precisely places sounds all around you.
The only soundbar with Sound Motion: One of the most significant breakthroughs in audio engineering in nearly 100 years, Sound Motion allows Arc Ultra to pack unprecedentedly clear, deep, and balanced sound into an unbelievably sleek design.
Experience Dolby Atmos like never before: Dolby Atmos takes your entertainment to another dimension, enveloping you in a 9.1.4 spatial audio experience. Add a Sonos Sub and Era 300 rear speakers for unparalleled surround sound, with bass you can feel and jaw-dropping detail from every direction.
Ultra-clear dialogue: Arc Ultra maximizes center channel performance for vocal clarity so you never miss a word. Make dialogue even clearer by choosing your preferred level of Speech Enhancement in the Sonos app.
Effortless setup and control: Just plug in the power cable, connect your TV with the included HDMI cable, and open the Sonos app to complete setup. Control with your TV remote, the Sonos app, the touch controls, Sonos Voice Control, and Amazon Alexa.

Controls and Lights

Playback

Play/Pause: Tap to play or pause audio.

Group: When another Sonos speaker is streaming audio, press and hold Play/Pause (about 1 second). You'll hear a tone and your speakers will begin playing the same content.

Sound Swap: When another Sonos speaker is streaming audio, press and hold Play/Pause (about 2 seconds). You'll hear a tone and content will stop streaming from the other Sonos speaker and start streaming on your Arc Ultra.

Volume

Volume up (slide right, or tap ➕)

Volume down (slide left, or tap ➖)

Note: When music is playing, press and hold + or - to quickly change the volume.

Next/Previous (music only)

Press ▶️ to skip to the next song.

Press ◀️ to go to the previous song.

Note: You can't skip forward or go back when listening to a radio station.

Voice control

Press the voice services icon ? to turn voice services on or off.

When the indicator light is on, voice control is available.
When the indicator light is off, voice control is off.

Note: The microphone switch located on the connector panel (back) must be turned on to use voice services.

Status light

Displays the state of the product in various situations, such as connecting to WiFi or Bluetooth, and signals errors.

Gives feedback when buttons on the product are pressed and when a command is sent from a remote.

Connector Panel

1 HDMI port

ARC or eARC: Connect your soundbar to your TV's HDMI eARC or ARC port with an HDMI cable (included).

Optical: Connect your soundbar to your TV's optical port with a Sonos Optical Audio Adapter (sold separately) and an HDMI cable (included).

2 Bluetooth button ?

Pair a new device:

Turn on Bluetooth in your device's settings.
Press and hold until (about 2 seconds) you hear a tone and the status light blinks blue.
Go to the device's Bluetooth settings and select Arc Ultra from the list.

When your Arc Ultra successfully connects to Bluetooth, the status light will show solid blue.

3 Ethernet port ?

Use an Ethernet cable if you want to connect to a router, computer, or network-attached storage (NAS) device (optional).

4 Microphone switch ?️

Toggle to turn all product microphones on or off.

When the switch is off (down), the microphones are disabled so microphone-enabled features like Trueplay quick tuning and voice services are unavailable.
When the switch is on (up), microphone-enabled features are available.

Note: To use voice services, both the microphone switch and the voice services indicator light must be on.

5 AC power (mains) input ?

Use only the included power cable (using a third-party power cord will void your warranty).

Note: Insert the power cord firmly until it is flush with the speaker.

Placement

Here are some recommendations to get the most out of your Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar:

Place Arc Ultra on a stable, horizontal surface. Don't place it vertically or on its side.
Don't enclose Arc Ultra in a cabinet or in a corner.
Make sure the controls are facing up.
For best sound quality, place Arc Ultra in front of and below your TV. Alternatively, you can mount it above your TV.
If placing Arc Ultra below your TV, keep 4 in (10 cm) of space (minimum) between the top of the soundbar and the bottom of your TV.
Position the front of Arc Ultra as close to the edge as possible.

Connect the Cables

When your soundbar is securely where you want it, use the included cables to set up your Arc Ultra.

Before you start:

Disconnect existing home theater or surround sound equipment from your TV.
Connect any external devices, like a streaming box or DVD player, directly to your TV.
Turn your TV on.

Installation Steps

1. Connect Power

Connect the power cable to Arc Ultra and plug it in to power.

Note: Use only the included power cable (using a third-party power cord will void your warranty).

2. Connect HDMI/Ethernet

Connect the HDMI cable (included) to Arc Ultra.

If you're using an Ethernet cable, connect that to Arc Ultra too.

3. Connect to TV

Connect the other end of the HDMI cable to your TV:

If your TV has an HDMI ARC or eARC port, connect the HDMI cable to it.
If your TV doesn't have an HDMI ARC or eARC port, connect the HDMI cable to your TV's optical port with the Sonos Optical Audio Adapter (sold separately):

Remove the protective cap from the optical adapter, then attach the optical adapter to the HDMI cable.
Connect the optical adapter to your TV's optical digital OUT port.

Note: Make sure the optical adapter aligns correctly into the port before securely plugging it in. Inserting the adapter incorrectly may damage the adapter.

Wall Mount

Use the Sonos Arc Ultra Wall Mount (sold separately) to mount Arc Ultra to the wall below (recommended) or above your TV. Sonos recommends:

Keep 4 in (10 cm) of space (minimum) between the mounted soundbar and your TV.
Make sure the controls are facing up.
Keep both ends of the soundbar at least 1 in (2.5 cm) from a wall or other obstructions.

Note: Arc Ultra is also compatible with Sonos Arc Wall Mount.

Wall material	Pre drill
Wood stud	1/8 in / 3 mm bit
Drywall (no stud)	5/16 in / 8 mm bit
Plaster	5/16 in / 8 mm bit
Concrete or brick	5/16 in / 8 mm bit

Installation

1. Mark Screw Locations

Use the wall mount bracket to mark screw locations. Align the top edge with the bottom of your TV. There should be 5.5 in (14 cm) between the top of the wall mount bracket and the TV.

Mark the screw locations and remove the wall mount bracket for now.

2. Drill Pilot Holes and Insert Anchors

If you're using the included wall anchors, use a 5/16 in / 8 mm drill bit to drill the pilot holes and then insert the wall anchors. Don't use the anchors if you're drilling into wood or plastic.

3. Position and Screw Bracket

Position the wall mount bracket over the marked screw locations, using a level to confirm accuracy. Use a Phillips-head screwdriver or a power drill to screw the bracket to the wall, making sure the arrows in the center are pointing up.

4. Attach Knobs to Soundbar

Screw the 2 knobs (thumb screws) into the back of the soundbar until they are fully tightened.

5. Connect Cables to Soundbar

Connect the power and HDMI cables to the back of the soundbar.

Note: If you're connecting the cables to the TV at this time, be sure to plug the HDMI cable into the HDMI ARC or eARC port on your TV.

6. Mount Soundbar

Slide the soundbar down so the knobs fit into the slots on the wall bracket. Make sure the touch controls are facing up and the soundbar is fully seated.

Home Theater

Start with Arc Ultra and expand your system over time with Sonos speakers that easily connect over WiFi. Use the Sonos app to configure your home theater and set up helpful features.

Place your compatible Sonos products around your room.
Set up your Sonos products in the Sonos app (if you haven't already).
Go to System Settings ⚙️ and select your Arc Ultra.
Select + Connect Sub or + Set up Surrounds to get started.

Home Theater Settings

Use the Sonos app to adjust home theater settings:

Go to System Settings ⚙️.
Select the room.
Navigate to Home Theater to get started.

Product Settings

Use the Sonos app to adjust product settings for your Arc Ultra:

Go to System Settings ⚙️.
Select the room.
Select Arc Ultra under Products ? to get started.

Setting	Description
Status	Indicates if the microphone switch is on or off.
Microphone	Indicates if the microphone switch is on or off.
Network	See WiFi connection status and other network information.
Connection
Disable WiFi / Enable WiFi ?	Toggle WiFi on and off. Note: An Ethernet cable, wired to your router, is required to allow WiFi to be disabled.

TV Audio Swap

Instantly swap TV audio from a Arc Ultra to your Sonos Ace and feel enveloped in exhilarating surround sound and spatial audio.

Note: Only TV audio (via HDMI or optical) can stream to Sonos Ace.

Use the Sonos app (iOS only) to set up the connection between your Arc Ultra and Sonos Ace. Make sure your products are up to date and WiFi is enabled. Check out the Sonos Ace page to learn more about TV Audio Swap.

Specifications

Audio


Amplifiers	Fifteen Class-D digital amplifiers perfectly tuned to the soundbar's unique acoustic architecture.
Tweeters	Seven precisely angled silk-dome tweeters create crisp high frequencies and clear dialogue. Two of these fire upward, creating dedicated height channels for spatial audio.
Midwoofers	Six woofers ensure faithful playback of mid-range frequencies.
Woofers	Sound Motion, a four-motor, dual-membrane woofer, delivers exceptional bass in a revolutionary flat, compact design.
Microphones	The far-field microphone array uses advanced beamforming and multichannel echo cancellation for quick and accurate voice control and Trueplay tuning. Disconnect by toggling off the mic switch.
Adjustable EQ	Use the Sonos app to adjust bass, treble, and loudness.

Trueplay™	This software measures the acoustics of the room then fine-tunes the EQ. Compatible with iOS and Android devices.
Speech Enhancement	Choose your preferred level of dialogue clarity in the Sonos app.
Night Sound	Turn this setting on in the Sonos app to reduce the intensity of loud sounds and enhance quieter sounds.
Home Theater Audio Formats	Stereo PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos (Dolby Digital Plus), Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos (True HD), Multichannel PCM, Dolby Multichannel PCM, DTS Digital Surround* The Sonos app's Now Playing screen will display what type of audio is being decoded. HDMI eARC connection required. *This is not an indication of a licensed decoder.
Dolby Atmos Music¹	Requires compatible content.
TV Audio Swap	Swap TV audio between the soundbar and Sonos Ace headphones.

Details & Dimensions

Dimensions	Height: 2.95 in (75 mm) Width: 46.38 in (1178 mm) Depth: 4.35 in (110.6 mm)
Weight	13 lb (5.9 kg)
Colors	Black, White
Finish	Matte
Mounting	M5 x 0.8 mm thread pitch L6.5 mm
Controls	Use the capacitive touch controls to play, pause, skip, replay, adjust the volume, turn off voice assistants, and group or ungroup Sonos products.
Bluetooth button	Press to pair a Bluetooth device.
Mic switch	Toggle off this switch on the back of the product to disconnect power to the mics.
LEDs	Lights on the product indicate connection, microphone activity, and mute status.

Power & Connectivity

WiFi ?	Compatible with WiFi 6. Connect to WiFi with any 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4 GHz/5 GHz broadcast-capable router.
HDMI ARC/eARC	Connect to your TV's HDMI EARC/ARC port with the included HDMI cable. Optical adapter sold separately.
Bluetooth ?	Bluetooth 5.3 supports audio streaming from any Bluetooth-enabled device.
Voltage	100-240V 50/60 Hz internal power supply
CPU	Quad Core 4xA55 1.9 GHz
Memory	16 GB SDRAM 8 GB NV
Voice	Works with Sonos Voice Control and Amazon Alexa. Availability of voice assistants varies by language and country.
Apple AirPlay 2 	Works with AirPlay 2 on Apple devices iOS 11.4 and higher.

What's in the box?