Buying guide
Sizing a Sonos Home Theater: Ray, Beam or Arc Ultra?
The best Sonos home theater isn't always the biggest one. It's the one sized to your room, your TV and how loud you actually listen. Here's how we match them in Southwest Florida living rooms, from condos to open great rooms.
Start with the room
Smaller bedrooms, offices and compact condo living rooms are well served by Sonos Ray or Beam. Typical family rooms suit Beam, especially with a Sub Mini. Large open great rooms with high ceilings and media rooms are where Arc Ultra and Sub 4 make the difference you'll hear.
Open floor plans need more output than the square footage suggests, because sound spreads into the kitchen and dining areas too.
Match the TV
Beam and Arc Ultra connect by HDMI eARC/ARC, which carries Dolby Atmos from compatible TVs and lets the TV remote control volume. Ray connects by optical cable and is a good match for bedroom TVs.
Arc Ultra is a long bar that looks best under larger TVs. If your TV is wall-mounted, a matching wall bracket or a TV mount with a soundbar bracket keeps everything aligned.
Add bass, then surrounds
A subwoofer is the biggest single upgrade for movies and sports. Sub Mini suits Ray and Beam in smaller rooms; Sub 4 pairs with any Sonos soundbar for larger spaces.
Rear surrounds come next. A pair of Era 100s is the simple choice; Era 300s add height effects for Dolby Atmos. Each surround needs a nearby power outlet.
Installation details that matter
Before installation we confirm the TV has an HDMI eARC or ARC port, that outlets are where the sub and surrounds will sit, and whether you want cables hidden in the wall. Hiding power for wall-mounted TVs requires an approved in-wall power kit and is quoted separately.
Products mentioned
Common questions
Can I start with a soundbar and add a sub later?
Yes. Every Sonos soundbar can add a sub and surrounds later in the Sonos app; we set them up the same way.
Do I need a receiver?
No. The soundbar is the amplifier and speaker for the TV, and the sub and surrounds connect wirelessly.