Sonos Beam Ultra at $699 Adds Nine Drivers and Dedicated Atmos Height Channels But No DTS:X

Five years is a long time to wait for a soundbar upgrade, especially in a category where Dolby Atmos logos have multiplied faster than actual height speakers.

Sonos introduced the Beam Gen 2 in September 2021. While the compact soundbar supported Dolby Atmos, it relied on processing to create its height effects rather than dedicated upward-firing drivers. We reported in August that a new Sonos product called S59 “Gambit” had cleared the FCC and appeared to be its replacement.

Now we know exactly what it is.

The Sonos Beam Ultra arrives at $699 with a redesigned nine-driver architecture, dedicated upward-firing Dolby Atmos drivers, updated processing, Bluetooth, WiFi 6 and new features tied to the Sonos 27 operating system. Preorders begin September 1, with general availability scheduled for September 29, 2026.

The price has also climbed by $200, so this needs to be considerably more than Beam Gen 3 wearing an “Ultra” badge.

Fortunately, it is.

Beam Ultra Finally Gets Real Height Drivers

Beam Gen 2 used five Class D amplifiers, one center tweeter, four elliptical midwoofers and three passive radiators.

Beam Ultra increases the amplifier count to nine and uses five tweeters and four low-profile woofers. Two tweeters fire upward through directional horns for Dolby Atmos height information, while another pair fires toward the sides to increase stereo separation. A forward-facing tweeter handles the center image.

Sonos describes the result as a 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos presentation.

DSP and acoustic projection are still doing considerable work here, as they do with virtually every single-chassis immersive soundbar, but the addition of physical height transducers represents a meaningful architectural change from Beam Gen 2.

The new soundbar is also larger at 29.53 inches wide, 2.48 inches high and 4.13 inches deep, compared with 25.63 x 2.68 x 3.94 inches for Beam Gen 2. Both weigh 6.35 pounds.

Sonos also claims stronger and warmer bass from the revised woofer arrangement. We will reserve judgment until somebody at eCoustics gets one into a room where the Sonos marketing department cannot adjust the volume.

Dialogue Gets More Control

Beam Ultra introduces AI Speech Enhancement with four selectable levels, allowing users to determine how aggressively dialogue is brought forward in the mix. Night Sound remains available for reducing louder peaks, while Trueplay room correction now supports tuning from both iOS and Android devices.

Those improvements may sound less exciting than Atmos bouncing off the ceiling, but dialogue intelligibility remains one of the biggest reasons consumers replace television speakers with a soundbar.

Sonos 27 Adds More Flexibility

Beam Ultra is one of the first products designed around the expanded capabilities of the Sonos 27 operating system.

One of the more unusual additions is portable surrounds. Owners can use a matched pair of Sonos Play or Move 2 speakers as wireless rear channels with compatible Sonos soundbars, including Beam Ultra, and return them to portable-speaker duty afterward.

That is clever because conventional wireless surrounds tend to become permanent pieces of furniture whether you planned on that or not.

Beam Ultra also supports TV Audio Swap with compatible Sonos headphones for private listening.

Connectivity includes HDMI eARC/ARC, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and Apple AirPlay 2. USB-C can accept an analog source through the optional Sonos Line-In Adapter or provide wired Ethernet through the Sonos Combo Adapter.

There is still only one HDMI connection, so anyone hoping for HDMI passthrough will remain disappointed.

Supported audio formats include Dolby Atmos through Dolby Digital Plus or Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, multichannel PCM and DTS Digital Surround.

One glaring omission? DTS:X support. Really, Sonos?

Where Does Beam Ultra Fit?

Sonos now has a clearer soundbar hierarchy.

The inexpensive Ray remains the entry model, Beam Ultra becomes the compact immersive option, and the $1,099 Arc Ultra remains the flagship with its larger 14-driver architecture and claimed 9.1.4 spatial presentation.

Beam Ultra therefore isn’t a discounted Arc Ultra. It is intended for systems where space matters but immersive audio still matters more than it did with Beam Gen 2.

At $699, however, it faces considerably tougher competition.

Sonos Beam Ultra Competitors

Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar

The Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar is the most obvious alternative. Bose also uses a nine-speaker architecture with two upward-firing drivers, Dolby Atmos, ADAPTiQ room calibration and AI Dialogue Mode.

Its regular price is $999, although Bose is currently selling it for $699, placing it directly against Beam Ultra while that promotion lasts.

Bose brings an established dedicated-height design and includes its ADAPTiQ calibration headset. Sonos offers deeper whole-home integration, optional wireless surrounds and subwoofers, TV Audio Swap and portable surround support.

Samsung HW-QS700F

The Samsung HW-QS700F takes a different approach at $799.99.

It is a 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos system with dedicated height channels, Wireless Dolby Atmos, Q-Symphony integration with compatible Samsung televisions and a wireless subwoofer included in the package.

Samsung therefore offers more hardware in the box for the money. Beam Ultra is smaller and more deeply integrated into a multiroom ecosystem, but adding a Sonos Sub Mini or full-size Sub changes the value equation rather quickly.

The Bottom Line

Beam Gen 2 was overdue for replacement, and Sonos has made meaningful architectural changes rather than merely updating the processor.

Beam Ultra adds dedicated height hardware, more drivers and amplification, improved dialogue processing, WiFi 6, Bluetooth and deeper integration with the evolving Sonos ecosystem.

The $699 price is considerably higher than Beam Gen 2, while the lack of HDMI passthrough and DTS will remain legitimate complaints for some home theater users. The larger question is whether its new hardware can deliver enough sonic improvement to justify moving Beam into a substantially more competitive price category.

Price & Availability

The Sonos Beam Ultra is priced at $699 in Black or White. Preorders begin September 1, 2026, with general availability starting September 29, 2026.

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