The Sonos Arc's long-awaited replacement, the Sonos Arc Ultra, finally graced our testing room late last year; and it delivered a show-stopping performance.
We were already huge fans of the Arc, so expectations were high – and the Ultra barely broke a sweat in smashing those.
Unfortunately, something else was also high: the price. At £999, the Arc Ultra was on the pricey side, and it has remained there since its launch. Sonos opted to discount the original Arc, presumably to clear shelves, leaving the Ultra's price pretty much untouched in the process.
Thankfully, that has just changed; the Arc Ultra is on sale for the first time since it launched. The discount knocks £100 off the asking price, bringing it down to £899, and it can be found at a range of retailers including Amazon, John Lewis, Richer Sounds, Sevenoaks Sound and Vision, Currys and Sonos's official website.
The Sonos Arc Ultra, available in either black or white, is a shining example of how to do a premium Dolby Atmos soundbar right.
It replaces a fan-favourite soundbar, but improves in practically every sense, making this a worthy addition to Sonos's portfolio.
It features a neater design with a panel featuring touch controls, and a new Bluetooth pairing button for connecting phones and tablets to the 'bar. It is wider but slightly shorter than its predecessor, too.
The real upgrades can be found within the Arc Ultra, with its 15 Class D amplifiers powering 14 drivers, all of which are Sonos-engineered. The 9.1.4-channel system, up from the 5.0.2 configuration on the original Arc, features seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a 'Sound Motion' woofer.
The Sound Motion driver is the big news, as it's a unique Sonos-derived design that claims to deliver punchier bass from a much smaller driver unit. In practice, the Arc's low-end effects were greatly improved, hence our glowing review.
Furthermore, the Ultra offers a more precise, dynamic and detailed performance over its Award-winning predecessor, which helped it to secure the top spot in our best soundbars list.
At £899, the Arc Ultra is by no means a steal, but it's a decent saving nonetheless. A £100 saving isn't to be sniffed at, especially on a premium 'bar that is only six months old.
MORE:
Check out our full Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar review
As well as our list of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
And our best soundbar deals page for more soundbar savings
