When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn moreThe Sonos Beam Ultra offers expansive 3D audio from a surprisingly small form factor.Tyler Hayes/Business InsiderSonos' latest soundbar might be small in stature, but it's kind of a big deal. It's called the Beam Ultra, and it's a step-up version of the brand's popular Beam Gen 2. This new model adds four more audio drivers to deliver larger, more expansive home-theater sound without compromising a modest footprint. It dials up its Dolby Atmos performance with much more convincing overhead effects, so even listeners in small spaces can get full, cinematic sound.I've used nearly every Sonos speaker the company has released, including all of its soundbars dating back to the original Playbar. The Beam Ultra exemplifies what the company does best, providing a solid upgrade over the standard Beam, in both raw power and dialogue enhancement.Given its convenient size, the Sonos Beam Ultra is perfect for apartments and smaller living rooms. But you don't need to be short on space to appreciate what it offers. After spending a couple of weeks with the Beam Ultra, I found its immersive performance ample for a variety of rooms. For $699, the Beam Ultra is an excellent alternative to the bigger, more expensive Sonos Arc Ultra, offering a more affordable way to dive into the brand's premium home theater ecosystem.Looking for more soundbar recommendations? Check out our guides to the best soundbars and best Sonos soundbars.What's new about the Sonos Beam Ultra?The Sonos Beam Ultra (front) is a bit wider than the Beam Gen 2 (back), but its height and depth are nearly the same.Tyler Hayes/Business InsiderThe new Beam Ultra is aptly named, upping both the specs and price over the standard Beam Gen 2. That older model isn't going anywhere (at least for now) and remains positioned as the brand's lower midrange soundbar, coming in at $499. But the new $699 Beam Ultra is decidedly more premium, offering an experience that comes closer to the flagship Arc Ultra, which costs $1,099.The Beam Ultra features more internal components than the Beam Gen 2, and it delivers more power under the hood, allowing its sound to reach new heights — literally. One of the biggest differences between the Beam Gen 2 and Beam Ultra is the latter's use of up-firing audio drivers.The Beam Gen 2 was limited to virtualized Dolby Atmos playback, relying on processing and psychoacoustics to simulate overhead audio effects from forward-facing drivers. The effect was decent, but there's only so much that this kind of processing can do.With the Beam Ultra, you get much more convincing Dolby Atmos audio effects via two up-firing drivers that bounce sound off your ceiling and back down to your ears. If you're coming from the standard Beam, this change is instantly noticeable when playing Dolby Atmos content. You can learn more about the benefits of up-firing audio drivers in our Dolby Atmos explainer and our guide to the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.The Beam Ultra has up-firing audio drivers integrated on top, along with a handy volume control slider.Tyler Hayes/Business InsiderInterestingly, the Beam Ultra also gains a USB-C line-in, a connection that even the flagship Arc Ultra doesn't have. The USB-C line-in lets you connect a 3.5mm, Ethernet, or RCA cable when paired with the right Sonos adapter. This is handy for people who want to use the Beam Ultra with a record player, CD player, or wired internet connection. There's also Bluetooth wireless streaming support, which was missing from the standard Beam.Other physical design elements remain very similar, but an indented volume control slider is now integrated into the bar's front right. It's a practical placement and easy to use for quick control. When it comes to dimensions, the Beam Ultra is about 4 inches wider than the Beam Gen 2, but their depth and width are nearly the same, and both weigh 6.35 pounds.Though the added width may look substantial in images, in practice, I only noticed the difference when switching between the two and posing them side by side. At just under 30 inches wide, the Beam Ultra is still compact enough to be a space-saving alternative to many rival soundbars.The Beam Ultra sounds much bigger than it looksThe Beam Ultra delivers room-filling spatial audio.Tyler Hayes/Business InsiderI tested the Beam Ultra with several movies that are well known for their excellent surround sound mixes, including "Dune," "Gravity," and "Interstellar." I also used it to watch sitcoms, prestige dramas, and everything in between. It worked well in all cases, but really flexed its muscles with movies that feature big, impressive sound design.Its wide audio capabilities constantly caught me off guard. Despite the speaker's modest size, its sound easily spanned the width of my 20-foot living room wall, making it seem like there were multiple speakers around me.Similarly, the Beam Ultra's Dolby Atmos overhead sou
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