Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 Australian review: Cousin Sia never sounded so good

With a brother who founded one of Australia’s biggest music exports and a cousin who has been Unstoppable in writing great hits, it shames me to say I can barely clap in time. But I know a good sound system when I hear it.

Peter Furler on stage in Queensland, bottom left, songwriter and singer Sia Furler and the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar.

With a brother who founded one of Australia’s biggest music exports and a cousin who has been Unstoppable in writing great hits, it shames me to say I can barely clap in time.

I can sing in the shower and once tried to play the guitar but I’m no match for my brother Peter who can sing, play drums, guitar, keyboards and pretty much anything else that produces a note.

Peter founded Newsboys, a band which like Sia Furler, started in Adelaide before annoying our neighbours in Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

They were very glad to see them head overseas to the US where they recorded their first album, one of now about 30 which together have amassed more than 10 million sales.

While my brother got my share of the musical talent, one thing I kept is the ability to recognise great music - and the sort of equipment needed to produce it.

Even in Christian music scenes, Peter quickly learnt that the second, third or fourth act in a line-up could be given a terrible sound mix to make the main act sound even better when they came on. So he made sure he had his own sound engineering and decent equipment when they could afford it.

Easterfet 2008: Peter Furler of Newsboys. Photo: Kevin Famer / The Chronicle

As a music fan, I’ve grown to love a big variety from the classic music featured in a Vienna concert, to the sounds of Israeli musicians (after a visit there), and of course bands like U2, Midnight Oil, INXS as well as solo artists as diverse as Elvis and Adele to Lauren Daigle and Louis Armstrong.

For me, listening to great music through an exceptional soundbar is one of the most relaxing ways to finish the day.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been checking out the Sonos Arc Ultra, along with the Sonos Sub 4 subwoofer.

Sia Furler has a lot more musical talent than the writer. But she also sounds pretty good on the Sonos speaker.

I first stumbled across the Sonos brand years ago at a mate’s place. Himself a drummer, with a great ear for music, I knew he would have done a lot of research and testing before splashing out on the setup he had.

For him, it was about hearing the sounds as they were produced in the studio.

Having the sound fill the room, having different instruments or vocals coming out of left and right channels and a nice bass with a bit of beef to it.

For me, one of the tests of a great soundbar is being able to hear things you have never heard in a song you’ve played a hundred times.

The Sonos Arc Ultra delivers all of that in a surprisingly small package.

The Sonos Arc Ultra has a RRP of $1799.

Sonos says its new transducer technology, Sound Motion, reduces the size of what is needed while delivering a bigger, better sound.

The sleek design housing a 9.1.4 spatial audio experience looks classy in white or black.

Even by itself, the soundbar had more than enough bass, but once combined with the Sonos Sub 4, you could literally feel the vibrations if you cranked it up enough.

It’s the sort of bass that really does rumble particularly in the big moments of your favourite movies, while punching the bass and snare beautifully in songs like INXS’ Kick or Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy.

The sculptural shape of the Sub 4, which is similar to its predecessor, now has an updated matte finish in either black or white. You can stand it upright, lay it on its side or even tuck it under the couch.

While Sonos has been canned over recent years for its app, it has made some decent improvements in that department, so we found the speaker set up pretty easy, once I worked out the speaker had to be reset before connecting with the app.

Sonos says its new app has been designed to improve system identification, the set up of new devices and the ability to group Sonos devices together.

“We’ve worked tirelessly to resolve the most critical app issues and most requested legacy features,’’ Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos said.

“As we laid out in our commitments we will continue to improve the software regularly, and are determined to make the Sonos experience better than it’s ever been.”

Interesting Wi-fi drop outs with my mate’s old Sonos system was one of the reasons he switched to an old school wired set up.

The Sonos app can be used as place to play your favourite music, listen to podcasts and other audio services.

As well as connecting your speakers with your TV, as well as music services like Apple Music and Spotify, the app can also become your home page for podcasts and favourite playlists.

Sonos Arc Ultra features 15 Class-d amplifiers, seven silk-dome tweeters for sharp high frequencies (two upward for spatial audio) and six midwoofers for mid-range frequencies and a four-motor dual-membrance woofer for exceptional bass.

Trueplay technology lets you use the app to tune the speakers for the best performance in your room, regardless where you put them.

I spent most of my time testing them in our front room so the wife wanted them tucked away a little so being able to bounce the sounds of the walls, furnishings and other surfaces in a room meant for a better sound.

Trueplay technology lets you use the Sonos app to tune the speakers for the best performance in your room, regardless where you put them.

The speakers also have Speech Enhancement to improve dialogue from your favourite shows, while Night Sound reduces the intensity of loud sounds to keep the neighbours happy.

As you expect, you can also use the Sonos app to adjust bass, treble and loudness.

The speakers are also voice-controlled, allowing you to quickly turn the volume up or down or stop the music if the wife calls out.

Sonos says it has worked hard to provide an even better cinema-like experience, collaborating with movie producers and creators like Chris Jenkins and

Onnalee Blank to fine-tune Arc Ultra for Dolby Atmos.

Sonos says it has worked hard to improve its app to ensure easy pairing.

The slimmer, curved profile is designed to work well and look great when it is mounted below your TV.

The easiest way to connect to your TV is via a HDMI eARC connection. You can then control your sound via your TV remote, the Sonos app, Sonos.

When it comes to the Sub 4, Sonos says both woofers face inward to create a ‘force-cancelling effect that neutralises distortion’.

Sonos Ultra Arc can also be used with Sonos headphones so you don't disturb others.

The Sub 4 includes increased processing power and memory, as well as new WiFi radios for better connectivity.

The sculptural shape of the Sub 4, which is similar to its predecessor, now has an updated matte finish in either black or white.

You can stand it upright, lay it on its side or even tuck it under the couch.

The Sonos Ultra Arc features 15 Class-d amplifiers, seven silk-dome tweeters for sharp high frequencies (two upward for spatial audio) and six midwoofers for mid-range frequencies and a four-motor dual-membrance woofer for exceptional bass.

The Sonos Arc Ultra has a RRP of $1799 while the Sub 4 retails for $1299.

One of the best endorsements comes from my musical mate who told me how he was literally stopped in his tracks by the sounds coming from a local cafe.

He went in to see what sound system they had and it was a Sonos Arc Ultra with the Sub. My mate, who is the sort of guy who is that fussed about his sound he takes his own speakers with him, couldn’t believe it.

The latest Sonos speakers are definitely on his radar.

For me, my brother and cousin Sia never sounded so good.

Originally published as Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub 4 Australian review: Cousin Sia never sounded so good