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For Sonos Beam Ultra movie and TV sound, turn on Speech Enhancement when dialogue is difficult to follow, use Night Sound for quiet viewing, and run Trueplay to tune the soundbar to your room. For Dolby Atmos titles, adjust Height Audio while content is playing—and check that the Sonos app actually reports Atmos before judging the effect.
Which settings should you change first?
Start with the problem you want to solve. Speech Enhancement and Night Sound address different listening situations; Trueplay accounts for your room; Height Audio is relevant when the soundbar receives Atmos content. There is no single official EQ curve or Height Level that Sonos recommends for every room and program.
| What you want to improve | Setting to try | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Dialogue is hard to understand | Speech Enhancement | Boosts frequencies associated with the human voice. |
| You are listening at a low volume | Night Sound | Reduces loud-sound intensity and raises quieter sounds. |
| The soundbar is in a different room or the setup changed | Trueplay | Tunes sound based on reflections from walls, furnishings, and other surfaces. |
| You want to adjust Atmos height effects | Height Audio | Lets you change the Height Level and toggle simulated overhead sound. |
How do you make dialogue easier to hear?
While TV audio is playing through the Beam Ultra, open the Sonos app’s Now Playing view and toggle Speech Enhancement on. Sonos says the feature boosts frequencies associated with the human voice. Compare it on and off with a familiar scene; keep it enabled only if it helps you follow speech.
Sonos documents selectable Low, Medium, High, and Max Speech Enhancement levels for Arc Ultra, not Beam Ultra. Do not look for those levels as Beam Ultra controls; the documented Beam Ultra option is a toggle. Sonos: Use Speech Enhancement and Night Sound.
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- Enrich your entertainment experience with vibrant bass, crystal clear dialogue, and a panoramic soundstage.
- Experience a 3D surround sound effect with Dolby Atmos.
- Stream music, radio, podcasts, and audiobooks from all your favorite services when the TV is off.
- Control with the Sonos app, your TV remote, Apple AirPlay 2, and your voice.
- Effortless setup with only two cables and smart Trueplay tuning.
When should you use Night Sound?
Turn on Night Sound from Now Playing while TV audio is playing when you need to watch at a lower volume. Sonos describes it as reducing the intensity of loud sounds while raising quieter sounds, including dialogue, so you can hear speech without turning up the overall volume. The trade-off is less contrast between loud and quiet moments.
Use the toggle for quiet viewing rather than treating it as a general-purpose dialogue setting: Speech Enhancement targets voice frequencies, while Night Sound changes the relative level of loud and quiet material. Sonos explains both controls here.
Rank #2
- Enrich your entertainment experience with vibrant bass, crystal clear dialogue, and a panoramic soundstage.
- Experience a 3D surround sound effect with Dolby Atmos.
- Stream music, radio, podcasts, and audiobooks from all your favorite services when the TV is off.
- Control with the Sonos app, your TV remote, Apple AirPlay 2, and your voice.
- Effortless setup with only two cables and smart Trueplay tuning.
How do you tune Beam Ultra to your room?
Run Trueplay from the Beam Ultra’s Sound settings in the Sonos app. Trueplay measures how sound reflects from walls, furnishings, and other surfaces, then adjusts the speaker for the room. Beam Ultra supports Quick tuning on iOS and Android; Advanced tuning is available on iOS.
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Sonos advises running Trueplay again after moving the soundbar or changing the configuration. You can make EQ adjustments afterward; they layer on top of the Trueplay tuning. The official instructions do not establish standard bass or treble values for movies, so treat EQ as personal fine-tuning rather than a preset every Beam Ultra owner should copy. Sonos: Tune your Sonos speakers with Trueplay.
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- Take your TV, music, and gaming to the next level with this compact smart soundbar and subwoofer.
- This set is ideal for smaller or medium-sized rooms and low to moderate volume levels.
- Use the Sonos app to easily set up your home theater system and sync with your existing TV remote.
- Sub Mini balances out the lowest frequencies so Beam sounds even better.
- When the TV is off, stream music and more over WiFi from hundreds of services using the Sonos app, your voice, and Apple AirPlay 2.
How should you adjust Dolby Atmos height audio?
With Atmos content playing, open Settings > My System > [Beam Ultra room] > Sound > Height Audio in the Sonos app. Move the Height Level slider to taste while listening. Sonos does not prescribe one ideal slider position for all rooms or programs.
Height Audio also includes Overhead Sound Mode, which toggles simulated overhead sound. Sonos recommends this mode when there is less than four inches of space above the soundbar. The setting cannot make a non-Atmos signal into Atmos, so first confirm that the app identifies the input as Atmos. Sonos: Change height audio settings.
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- HEAR YOUR TV BETTER: Designed with simplicity in mind, the Bose TV Speaker is an all-in-one soundbar that clarifies speech and is a simple fix for better TV sound
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- BLUETOOTH TV SPEAKER: Pair your device to this Bluetooth soundbar to wirelessly stream your favorite music and podcasts. Connect up to 3 devices through the inputs (HDMI, Optical in, and AUX in); the first powered on device will automatically connect
- SIMPLE SETUP: A single connection from this compact soundbar to the TV via an optical audio cable (included) or an HDMI cable (sold separately) has you up and running in minutes
Why is Dolby Atmos not showing in the Sonos app?
Atmos playback depends on the whole signal chain: the title and streaming service, source device, TV capabilities, and connection to the soundbar. A service that supports Atmos does not necessarily deliver an Atmos track for every title. Check the format Sonos reports before changing Height Audio settings.
- Check the title and source. Confirm the specific program has an Atmos track and that the device playing it is configured to send Atmos.
- Check the TV and connection. Confirm the TV supports the relevant format and that the HDMI connection uses ARC or eARC as appropriate.
- Know the ARC/eARC distinction. ARC can carry most Atmos over Dolby Digital Plus. Lossless Dolby TrueHD Atmos requires eARC.
- Check the Sonos app’s reported format. If Atmos is not shown, troubleshoot the source, TV, and connection before concluding that a Height Level change will help.
See Sonos: Listen to Dolby Atmos audio on Sonos and Sonos: TV requirements for Sonos home theater products.
Do surround and music settings affect TV sound?
If Beam Ultra is part of a system with surrounds, you can adjust their TV Level. That control is relevant to the surround speakers’ contribution during TV playback. The Ambient/Full Music Playback option concerns music playback and does not apply to TV audio. Sonos: Change surround audio settings.
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