There was a mix-up in the finalization of this video so the wrong slides are included, and this is why you'll notice the values differ from our written review. Our views about the Beam and the conclusion remains accurate - it's a great small bar, but limited by the lack of bass. If you don't mind a larger setup with a sub and surrounds then check out the Vizio M, or if you want the best performance in a standalone bar then look at the Sonos ARC or Bose 900.
It’s an amazing soundbar, coming from Sony HT-Z9F soundbar set. Wide soundstage with 5 directions, excellent detail and center channel with really good bass. If you would like more bass than the bar already gives, well get the Sonos Sub Gen 3. The bar gets really loud too without compromise, especially when using a dedicated player. You definitely hear the difference and that it’s made for Atmos content, but it also does a wonderful job with other formats and streaming content. The app is easy to use and gets regular updates together withe soundbar itself. If you need one, don’t sleep on it, but don’t get the Gen 1. It’s worth the extra cash.
Thanks for such a detailed comment. I'm debating vs the HT-Z9F, G700 and the Beam 2. Would you say that the Beam 2 is okay for a 65inch TV and in a 16 by 12 foot room (5m by 4m)? Concerned about it lacking in the soundstage department and volume. No intentions of getting a sub and rarely push my TV past 15 for volume. I mainly want clear, detailed sound to enjoy my TV shows and quiet music to.
beam is just one part of your home theater, for full experience you always have to complete the full sets. sonos have solid build, nice look, and last for years. every single speaker have its own processor, ram and rom and wifi/lan connection makes sonos smart speakers. sonos improve its apps year after year makes it one of the best smart home sound system. sonos old products still can be update and join the new system. all these things you can not mark them as points.
Not if you need one only or mainly for clear speech dialogue, as everything else merely detracts from that (like many of the 100m over 50's with hearing decline or loss in the US alone).
that are mostly ignored or forgotten about by the manufacturers... to the latters loss (too), as many of the over 50's have the most money to spend on this stuff...
I have mine in a smaller room and it sounds great. I think the bass on it is fine. I did get the sub mini but couldn’t get it to connect and ended up returning it.
I bought a Beam Gen 2 and can't tell a difference between it and the old Vizio sound bar I had. I plugged it in expecting amazing sound, and to my ear it just sounds the same. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not.
@@SABR3TRONTv Does it have HEOS? I own two Denon Home Cinema bars and for the size of my living room and bedroom they together with the subwoofers are perfect but I’m always looking to upgrade my living room setup. HEOS for me is vital though as I love yo connect all rooms so they play simultaneously when having a party. Edit: I have the now 516 previously called Cinema bar I think. Only lacking Atmos but looks to be more expensive than the 517.
We've only reviewed one Denon soundbar so far which was the Home Sound Bar 550. We do have some listed on our suggestion tool though here: www.rtings.com/soundbar/suggestions
Hey Rting for my room should I go for a Sonos Beam Gen 2 or get a Marshall Woburn II the Marshall will be connected via blutooth to my tv and the Sonos via eARC
Unfortunately we haven't bought and tested the Marshall Woburn II, so we can't say how they compare or which is best. Without having our own data, we wouldn't feel comfortable speculating because we wouldn't want to provide incorrect information. Sorry about that!
would the BEAM 2 + SUB MINI + ERA 100's be sufficient for a 12x14 foot room with 7.5 foot ceiling ? like to watch sports / movies / news channels or would just the ARC ULTRA by itself be just as good ? thx a bunch cheers from Canada
Unfortunately there's no port on the beam that you can add a 3rd part sub too. Sorry about that. You could always try something like this though: www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/ab7tg0/connecting_a_non_sonos_subwoofer_to_use_with_beam/
Using a LG SN9YG with rear kit on my 65inch qn95a ( qn90a with ocb ) and I’m very very happy with it. Bought it 3 month ago for very cheap money. Had also a Samsung q800a with rear speaker but there was a big issue with 5.1 pcm via earc.. so basically 2021 soundbar from Samsung with 2021 ( high end ) tv from Samsung didn’t work together as strange as it sounds. Lg bar + Samsung tv instead works like a charm.
Is it worth it without the rear speakers and sub? I will mainly use it for gaming PS5 and Xbox Series X. I'm currently using logitech z906 and Steel Series Nova Pro headset so I really don't have experience with real home theater and atmos.
That's something that will honestly vary between users. The standalone bar could be sufficient for most users, but if you want to see how they compare we do have reviews for the standalone bar + a full setup. Here's the comparison, hope it helps! : www.rtings.com/soundbar/tools/compare/sonos-beam-gen-2-vs-sonos-beam-gen-2-with-sub-mini-one-sl-speakers/28293/35233?usage=8767&threshold=0.10
@@HTadd1ct wrong you need speakers installed in your ceiling to get real Dolby atmos sound. up firing speakers cant do this though they do an alright job. realistically nothing is going to give you the directional sound of height and hearing above your head unless you have actual speakers on the ceiling.
Hi, Really appreciate your great work, I have a question: Is the beam gen 2 5.0 or 3.0.2 or 3.0 sound bar? It is really confusing as I was under the impression that it is 5.0 from your review but other reviewers mentioned that it is only 3.0 !! Can you please clarify
Hey! We took a quick look and can't seem to find a US retailer for this model. If you find one, you can add it to our Suggestion Tool here: www.rtings.com/soundbar/suggestions
Hi, I am a regular follower or Rtings and I purchased Sonos beam gen2 by only looking to your detailed review on your website and it’s a cool product. Which is the digital audio output setting to be chosen on my tv to get the best out of my beam? Whether it’s RAW or Dolby digital? Sometimes it seems RAW sounds louder than Dolby digital. Could you please clear my doubt.
Without knowing what TV you have, it's tough to make a suggestion. So, feel free to let us know what TV you have. Generally speaking though, you should go with what sounds best to you!
Hey! Thanks for pointing this out. We clarified this in a pinned comment, but we wanted to reply directly to you as well. There was a mix-up in the finalization of this video so the wrong slides are included, and this is why you'll notice the values differ from our written review. Our views about the Beam and the conclusion remains accurate - it's a great small bar, but limited by the lack of bass. If you don't mind a larger setup with a sub and surrounds then check out the Vizio M, or if you want the best performance in a standalone bar then look at the Sonos ARC or Bose 900.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a bit better than the Sony HT-G700. Both soundbars have similar Atmos performances, but the Sonos has better soundstage and surround performances. Also, the 5.0 Sonos is better built, and it comes with built-in voice assistant support. That said, the 3.1 Sony has a dedicated sub, so it can reproduce a slightly more extended low-bass. Unlike the Sonos, it comes with a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough. It might also help to check out our comparison here: www.rtings.com/soundbar/tools/compare/sonos-beam-gen-2-vs-sony-ht-g700/28293/13985?usage=8767&threshold=0.10
@@RTINGSdotcom really helpful, thanks very much. Would you put more premium on better soundstage and surround performance or more extended low-bass? Does the Sonos not have a full hdmi port with eARC?
Hey Martin, Since we haven't tested the iLoud Micro Monitors, we can't say how they compare. Without having our own data we don't like to speculate because we wouldn't want to provide incorrect information. If you have any specific questions about products we've bought and tested though, feel free to follow up! :)
We haven't tested it in this sort of setup, so we really can't say for sure how it'll perform. In theory, it could work, but it may be best to simply opt for a specific gaming soundbar!
@@RTINGSdotcom Could you recommend a soundbar to get for PC gaming and music ? Creative katana v2 is not available in my country so i am searching for other options before going back to speakers.
Thank you for your reviews. I have a question. How does the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) sound inside of a wooden tv cabinet with closed glass doors? I’d like to hide it away in my TV cabinet.
Since it uses side firing drivers, I would advise against placing inside a cabinet. You'll miss a large part of the sound being able to expand beyond it's dimensions.
Any sound system in an enclosed cabinet would be like putting your phone in a shoebox and trying to talk to someone on speaker phone from 15 ft away. It won't work.
@@lubczyk you won't get any sound stage and the sound will become muffled. Also the sound bar much more sleek them you would expect, put it outside first then put it inside if you don't like it, although it won't look very good when the doors are opened while your watching a tv show.
Due to delays from the holidays, we’re using our forums to get caught up on user questions. So, our experts are happy to answer your whestions there! www.rtings.com/forums
There was a mix-up in the finalization of this video so the wrong slides are included, and this is why you'll notice the values differ from our written review. Our views about the Beam and the conclusion remains accurate - it's a great small bar, but limited by the lack of bass. If you don't mind a larger setup with a sub and surrounds then check out the Vizio M, or if you want the best performance in a standalone bar then look at the Sonos ARC or Bose 900.
I’m very happy with my Beam gen2 with 2 One’s as rears. Great sound for my living room!
what's a Ones. thinking of getting extra speakers
Can also try the IKEA Symfonisk as rears.
I got the same build, it is awesome
@@barkevvv Sonos One is the name of a speaker.
This is what I want to do. So the beam and the 2 ones sounds great? Do you feel like you may get want to add the mini sun or not necessary?
good review and I appreciate the comments down at the bottom. this is the first time I'm buying a sound bar so I want as much info.as possible
It’s an amazing soundbar, coming from Sony HT-Z9F soundbar set. Wide soundstage with 5 directions, excellent detail and center channel with really good bass. If you would like more bass than the bar already gives, well get the Sonos Sub Gen 3.
The bar gets really loud too without compromise, especially when using a dedicated player. You definitely hear the difference and that it’s made for Atmos content, but it also does a wonderful job with other formats and streaming content.
The app is easy to use and gets regular updates together withe soundbar itself.
If you need one, don’t sleep on it, but don’t get the Gen 1. It’s worth the extra cash.
Thanks for such a detailed comment. I'm debating vs the HT-Z9F, G700 and the Beam 2. Would you say that the Beam 2 is okay for a 65inch TV and in a 16 by 12 foot room (5m by 4m)? Concerned about it lacking in the soundstage department and volume.
No intentions of getting a sub and rarely push my TV past 15 for volume. I mainly want clear, detailed sound to enjoy my TV shows and quiet music to.
@@dimitargatev9861 simple answer is a definite yes! 😉
beam is just one part of your home theater, for full experience you always have to complete the full sets. sonos have solid build, nice look, and last for years. every single speaker have its own processor, ram and rom and wifi/lan connection makes sonos smart speakers. sonos improve its apps year after year makes it one of the best smart home sound system. sonos old products still can be update and join the new system. all these things you can not mark them as points.
Not if you need one only or mainly for clear speech dialogue, as everything else merely detracts from that (like many of the 100m over 50's with hearing decline or loss in the US alone).
that are mostly ignored or forgotten about by the manufacturers... to the latters loss (too), as many of the over 50's have the most money to spend on this stuff...
I have mine in a smaller room and it sounds great. I think the bass on it is fine. I did get the sub mini but couldn’t get it to connect and ended up returning it.
Thanks for that, I didn't even know there WAS a sub-mini-- and I would probably have purchased it.
Best review ive seen for a soundbar
I bought a Beam Gen 2 and can't tell a difference between it and the old Vizio sound bar I had. I plugged it in expecting amazing sound, and to my ear it just sounds the same. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not.
Great review.. do you review Denon Soundbars? Wondering if you will be reviving the DHT-517 Atmos soundbar? Cheers
I have a denon system in my whole house, connected with Denon HEOS and I love it!
@@Turboguard Nice.. I have owned Denon AVRs but never had a soundbar until I picked up the 517. Great soundbar, especially for the price
@@SABR3TRONTv Does it have HEOS? I own two Denon Home Cinema bars and for the size of my living room and bedroom they together with the subwoofers are perfect but I’m always looking to upgrade my living room setup. HEOS for me is vital though as I love yo connect all rooms so they play simultaneously when having a party.
Edit: I have the now 516 previously called Cinema bar I think. Only lacking Atmos but looks to be more expensive than the 517.
@@Turboguard Great, no the 517 doesn't support HEOS capabilities. It's a single bar/sub solution with no upgrade options. Great sound though
We've only reviewed one Denon soundbar so far which was the Home Sound Bar 550.
We do have some listed on our suggestion tool though here: www.rtings.com/soundbar/suggestions
Hey Rting for my room should I go for a Sonos Beam Gen 2 or get a Marshall Woburn II the Marshall will be connected via blutooth to my tv and the Sonos via eARC
Unfortunately we haven't bought and tested the Marshall Woburn II, so we can't say how they compare or which is best. Without having our own data, we wouldn't feel comfortable speculating because we wouldn't want to provide incorrect information. Sorry about that!
Sounds amazing but some very annoying connectivity issues
Green light flashing issue
It would have been helpful to show all the mounting options available.
That's a good point, thanks for the feedback. We'll keep this in mind for future videos!
would the BEAM 2 + SUB MINI + ERA 100's be sufficient for a 12x14 foot room with 7.5 foot ceiling ? like to watch sports / movies / news channels or would just the ARC ULTRA by itself be just as good ? thx a bunch cheers from Canada
I have a wireless sub with my current non sonos set up. Am I able to use it with this?
Unfortunately there's no port on the beam that you can add a 3rd part sub too. Sorry about that. You could always try something like this though: www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/ab7tg0/connecting_a_non_sonos_subwoofer_to_use_with_beam/
Yes.
the width of these speakers do NOT rival home theater towers. Stop.
Using a LG SN9YG with rear kit on my 65inch qn95a ( qn90a with ocb ) and I’m very very happy with it. Bought it 3 month ago for very cheap money.
Had also a Samsung q800a with rear speaker but there was a big issue with 5.1 pcm via earc.. so basically 2021 soundbar from Samsung with 2021 ( high end ) tv from Samsung didn’t work together as strange as it sounds.
Lg bar + Samsung tv instead works like a charm.
The app and the lack of bluetooth connectivity kill this thing for me.
which one to choose between the sonos beam 2 vs JBL bar 500?
www.rtings.com/forums/insider-advice personalized buying advice is available via our insider forums!
Is it worth it without the rear speakers and sub? I will mainly use it for gaming PS5 and Xbox Series X. I'm currently using logitech z906 and Steel Series Nova Pro headset so I really don't have experience with real home theater and atmos.
That's something that will honestly vary between users. The standalone bar could be sufficient for most users, but if you want to see how they compare we do have reviews for the standalone bar + a full setup. Here's the comparison, hope it helps! : www.rtings.com/soundbar/tools/compare/sonos-beam-gen-2-vs-sonos-beam-gen-2-with-sub-mini-one-sl-speakers/28293/35233?usage=8767&threshold=0.10
I’ve had one I wouldn’t use it for anything more than a bedroom
let me know why since i am using my one since 3 days
@@HTadd1ct wrong you need speakers installed in your ceiling to get real Dolby atmos sound. up firing speakers cant do this though they do an alright job. realistically nothing is going to give you the directional sound of height and hearing above your head unless you have actual speakers on the ceiling.
Do you keep loudness on with that eq settings?
That’s entirely up to you and will vary between users. Try it out, if you like it, keep it on. If not, just turn it off! 😊
Hi,
Really appreciate your great work, I have a question:
Is the beam gen 2 5.0 or 3.0.2 or 3.0 sound bar?
It is really confusing as I was under the impression that it is 5.0 from your review but other reviewers mentioned that it is only 3.0 !!
Can you please clarify
We touch on this in our full review on our website, but it’s 5.0!
Hope you can review Philip Fidelio B97.
Hey! We took a quick look and can't seem to find a US retailer for this model. If you find one, you can add it to our Suggestion Tool here: www.rtings.com/soundbar/suggestions
@@RTINGSdotcom No worries. Now I looking forward for your review in B&W Panorama 3.
Hi, I am a regular follower or Rtings and I purchased Sonos beam gen2 by only looking to your detailed review on your website and it’s a cool product. Which is the digital audio output setting to be chosen on my tv to get the best out of my beam? Whether it’s RAW or Dolby digital? Sometimes it seems RAW sounds louder than Dolby digital. Could you please clear my doubt.
Without knowing what TV you have, it's tough to make a suggestion. So, feel free to let us know what TV you have. Generally speaking though, you should go with what sounds best to you!
It has eARC compatibility issue with Samsung QLED. Horrendously latency
Which QLED model do you have that has this latency problem? I have the QN90A 65" TV and thinking of buying the Sonos?
Nooooooo that’s the TV I have. Thank you for commenting this
any recommendation for desktop soundbar?
Why are your latency results different when compared to the text review on the website?
Hey! Thanks for pointing this out. We clarified this in a pinned comment, but we wanted to reply directly to you as well. There was a mix-up in the finalization of this video so the wrong slides are included, and this is why you'll notice the values differ from our written review. Our views about the Beam and the conclusion remains accurate - it's a great small bar, but limited by the lack of bass. If you don't mind a larger setup with a sub and surrounds then check out the Vizio M, or if you want the best performance in a standalone bar then look at the Sonos ARC or Bose 900.
Green light flashing what to do
Consulting your user manual or reaching out to tech support would be be the best start!
Broblem solved... Thanks enyway
Sonos beam gen 2 or Sony HT-G700?
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a bit better than the Sony HT-G700. Both soundbars have similar Atmos performances, but the Sonos has better soundstage and surround performances. Also, the 5.0 Sonos is better built, and it comes with built-in voice assistant support. That said, the 3.1 Sony has a dedicated sub, so it can reproduce a slightly more extended low-bass. Unlike the Sonos, it comes with a Full HDMI In port for high-quality passthrough.
It might also help to check out our comparison here: www.rtings.com/soundbar/tools/compare/sonos-beam-gen-2-vs-sony-ht-g700/28293/13985?usage=8767&threshold=0.10
@@RTINGSdotcom really helpful, thanks very much. Would you put more premium on better soundstage and surround performance or more extended low-bass? Does the Sonos not have a full hdmi port with eARC?
Sonos Beam or iLoud Micro Monitors?
Hey Martin,
Since we haven't tested the iLoud Micro Monitors, we can't say how they compare. Without having our own data we don't like to speculate because we wouldn't want to provide incorrect information. If you have any specific questions about products we've bought and tested though, feel free to follow up! :)
Any one purchased this and realized you couldn’t Bluetooth the sound??? That’s what my original plan was
Would you recommend the beam gen 2 to use as a pc speaker without subwoofer for gaming and music ?
We haven't tested it in this sort of setup, so we really can't say for sure how it'll perform. In theory, it could work, but it may be best to simply opt for a specific gaming soundbar!
@@RTINGSdotcom Could you recommend a soundbar to get for PC gaming and music ?
Creative katana v2 is not available in my country so i am searching for other options before going back to speakers.
No use at all (to me or many) if you need a smartphone to use it or set it up... good to know it doesn't have one though!
No idea why, these days with e.g. eARC / ARC-HDMI, this can't all be done via the TV and TV remote?
After heard only ios has the selected function then is no for me.
hi..is it possible to use denon 3700avr (or any other 7.2.4 avr) in series with 7 channel old avr (for front channels)?
no
@@albertofranco5619 ☹️thanka for the reply 🙌🙏👍
Thank you for your reviews. I have a question. How does the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) sound inside of a wooden tv cabinet with closed glass doors? I’d like to hide it away in my TV cabinet.
How does the sound going to come out from the cabinet. 🙄
Since it uses side firing drivers, I would advise against placing inside a cabinet. You'll miss a large part of the sound being able to expand beyond it's dimensions.
Any sound system in an enclosed cabinet would be like putting your phone in a shoebox and trying to talk to someone on speaker phone from 15 ft away. It won't work.
@@blessedvillain Through the glass doors of the media cabinet? I can also open the glass doors of the media cabinet when I use it. Maybe.
@@lubczyk you won't get any sound stage and the sound will become muffled. Also the sound bar much more sleek them you would expect, put it outside first then put it inside if you don't like it, although it won't look very good when the doors are opened while your watching a tv show.
No remote have to think about that can I use my TV remote
It depends on how you connect to it, but yes you can! support.sonos.com/en-ca/article/control-sonos-home-theater-with-your-tv-remote
So this is a great soundbar for the money but there is no Android app?
Due to delays from the holidays, we’re using our forums to get caught up on user questions. So, our experts are happy to answer your whestions there! www.rtings.com/forums
@RTINGSdotcom lil bit late for that now unfortunately, I ordered a Samsung Q900C instead
But! Isn't their customer service terrible if not actually non-existent!? So even if it's that best for the money by far, that would be a NO for me.
Once again it looks like soundbars are useless for wanting to watch music concerts and have a lousy sound for guitar based music.
RTINGS seems to miss a huge subjective and long terms Usage satisfaction to its reviews.
Hey Elbert, any chance you could elaborate a bit more on what you feel like we're missing? We'd love to hear your thoughts! :)
You are talking with your hands a little too much - otherwise, decent.
How much is just enough?
Sir Sonos Era 100 Denon 150 Compare Plz Reply 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻