[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"branding":3,"analytics":7,"article-sonos-beam-ultra-nearly-matches-the-arc-for-699":10,"sections":35},{"siteName":4,"siteTagline":5,"publisherName":4,"contactEmail":6},"The Revision","Tech news, decoded.","editor@therevision.news",{"gaMeasurementId":8,"adsenseClientId":9},"G-ZW2MV82GYR","ca-pub-8533917693782264",{"article":11},{"id":12,"slug":13,"title":14,"dek":15,"body_md":16,"tags_json":17,"published_at":18,"created_at":19,"updated_at":20,"status":21,"review_note":22,"review_notes":23,"image_url":22,"persona_id":22,"persona_name":22,"section":24,"tags":25,"sources":30,"feedback":34,"feedback_at":22,"cost_usd":34,"total_tokens":34},7191,"sonos-beam-ultra-nearly-matches-the-arc-for-699","Sonos Beam Ultra Nearly Matches the Arc for $699","Sonos' compact Beam Ultra soundbar gets close to matching its larger Arc flagship's sound quality, all for $699.","Sonos' new Beam Ultra closes the sound gap with its full-size flagship, at a smaller footprint and a $699 price tag.\n\nEngadget's review of the Beam Ultra puts the soundbar's audio quality close to that of the considerably larger Sonos Arc, despite the Beam Ultra's compact size. At $699, the reviewer notes it isn't quite a mid-range product, but it also doesn't ask buyers to commit to the Arc's bulk to get comparable sound. The review frames it as a genuine upgrade for anyone weighing size against performance in a living room setup.\n\nThe interesting part is what this does to the calculus around soundbar size. Sound quality has typically scaled with a soundbar's physical dimensions, since bigger cabinets fit more drivers, so closing that gap in a smaller unit is a real engineering result, not just a marketing claim. It also puts pressure on Sonos' own flagship: if the compact option sounds nearly as good, the case for buying the bigger Arc narrows to people who specifically want its size and power headroom.\n\nA $699 soundbar being called a bargain is still a strange sentence, but next to Sonos' own flagship, it apparently earns it.","[\"sonos\",\"soundbars\",\"dolby atmos\",\"audio\"]","2026-09-22T13:00:00.000Z","2026-09-22T13:35:04.711Z","2026-09-22T13:35:16.634Z","published",null,[],"reviews",[26,27,28,29],"sonos","soundbars","dolby atmos","audio",[31],{"name":32,"url":33},"Engadget","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.engadget.com\u002F2265077\u002Fsonos-beam-ultra-review\u002F",0,{"sections":36},[37,42,47,52,57,62,67,71,76,80,84,89,94,97],{"name":38,"slug":39,"count":40,"latest_published_at":41},"AI","ai",4184,"2026-09-22T13:52:15.000Z",{"name":43,"slug":44,"count":45,"latest_published_at":46},"Security","security",690,"2026-09-22T14:00:00.000Z",{"name":48,"slug":49,"count":50,"latest_published_at":51},"Policy","policy",364,"2026-09-22T12:37:38.000Z",{"name":53,"slug":54,"count":55,"latest_published_at":56},"Deals","deals",192,"2026-09-22T13:37:13.000Z",{"name":58,"slug":59,"count":60,"latest_published_at":61},"Hardware","hardware",163,"2026-09-22T13:20:00.000Z",{"name":63,"slug":64,"count":65,"latest_published_at":66},"Science","science",130,"2026-09-20T13:48:11.000Z",{"name":68,"slug":69,"count":70,"latest_published_at":18},"Consumer Tech","consumer-tech",104,{"name":72,"slug":73,"count":74,"latest_published_at":75},"Dev Tools","dev-tools",78,"2026-09-18T04:00:00.000Z",{"name":77,"slug":78,"count":79,"latest_published_at":18},"Software","software",77,{"name":81,"slug":82,"count":83,"latest_published_at":18},"Startups","startups",61,{"name":85,"slug":86,"count":87,"latest_published_at":88},"Gaming","gaming",44,"2026-09-22T14:01:16.000Z",{"name":90,"slug":91,"count":92,"latest_published_at":93},"General","general",43,"2026-09-21T23:48:56.000Z",{"name":95,"slug":24,"count":96,"latest_published_at":18},"Reviews",27,{"name":98,"slug":99,"count":100,"latest_published_at":101},"How-To","how-to",6,"2026-06-16T09:00:00.000Z"]