I just recently picked up the ARC and Sub. I can say without a doubt, the sub adds a lot to the overall audio experience. If the Beam is as close to the ARC as you say, I think most people are going to be happy either way, but if you can, I'd say go the extra mile and add the sub and rears. I recently downsized in homes and am coming from a standard 5.1 surround sound that cost about 10 times what I've paid for the SONOS and I can honestly say you will be happy with new SONOS products... I am shocked at how well they perform.
We got the ARC, but went to a friend who had the Beam and I was really impressed with how good the Beam was and thought it was nearly as good. The price point of the Beam is much more competitive, I think the Arc is a bit expensive for what it is.
I can't think how this review could have been done any better...and that is rare for me. Great watch. Just bought one of these by the way. Not delivered yet as DPD suck.
@@xAfroMetalHead1990x you don't have to purchase them all together.. that's the beauty of sonos. soundbar first, subw second and then fill your room with surround speakers
I bought one and I am blown away! I connected my Sonos play one speakers as surrounds and with DTS surround it is amazing. For its size I am amazed with the sound that comes out of it. Can’t wait for a sub mini. To anyone thinking of getting one, do.. I love it! Thanks for the brilliant reviews 👍🏻
Just want to second this. I don’t have the surrounds yet but just bought the sub for tomorrow! I have had the Bose 700 before and a fancy LG atmos set and the clarity out of the Beam 2 is simply a cut above. I see people harping Bose is better and while Bose for their 500 bar can generate an overall warmer bass in the mid and lower range the rest of the sound gets muddied in there. I have a hearing loss equal in both ears and that clarity (not talking treble but ability to distinguish all the sounds) is critical for me . Otherwise I have to turn the entire thing up on the Bose which just makes everything too loud. Our LG sounds mini to this and it was their $700+ first atmos set. We don’t have the room for the arc nor did I want something that big on the wall. The beam 2 is just excellent.
Thought this was a dedicated review chanel. But you also sell these products. Really great review. One question.. if you don't want a Sonos SB... what is the best alternative
@@G_Money_ I absolutely love it, mind you I have also added the Sub Gen 3 and 2 Sonos One’s as rears. I had a Onxyo 5:1 set up and I missed the BASS! It sounds absolutely incredible now 👌🏼
Very comprehensive. It would be nice to see a frequency reproduction graph so that we can understand the sound reproduction levels across different frequency ranges. Thanks anyways for what was a very well rounded review.
our upstairs tv recently moved for... reasons.. and now that it's crammed in my gaming room/home office, i really needed different speakers as it's now a lot more in use. Was gonna order a beam and to my surpise there's now a gen 2. Preordered it straight away. If it's anywhere near my Arc on the living room tv, i'll be more than pleased.
I consume a lot of TH-cam content and honestly this was a very impressive review. You covered all of the most interesting and logical questions an audio file would want to hear about. Do you have my subscription and thank you for the great content. I will do everything to share your work, thank you!
Hi David, thanks so much for the fantastic feedback! We work hard on our content so it’s great to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for the sub and welcome to the community!
Great review- really appreciate the content. I currently have the Gen 1. I use it mostly for music and live concerts on blu ray or dvd. Would it be money well spent to upgrade to Gen 2.?
I remember the first time I experienced one of these I was high as a kite didn't know the brand until that day had me looking all around the room for raindrops and other sounds was an experience.
Sounds very impressive! I have a gen 1 (purchased from Smart home Sounds!) but the increased vocal clarity and Atmos on the gen 2 sounds like it will be just what we need and I’m seriously thinking of purchasing one 😀👍🏻
Really helpful and well presented review. I’ve just ordered the Gen 2 as a Christmas treat for myself. For my budget the Sonos was the standout choice. I look forward to receiving it.
Quick question… What is the influence of the performance if the beam is positioned in a cabinet, slightly in the rear and partly blocked by two slim ‘pilars’.
An amazing review from a guy who works at a company that is trying to sell you sound equipment. I’m not saying that makes this review inaccurate, just saying I’m seeing a lot of people saying take my money. He doesn’t really say much about how well it performs. He just talks about the features.
Thanks for the review. I will use my system for 60% music and 40% tv/movie. Will I be better off with the ARC or Beam + 2 ones? I have a bigger living room and leaning towards the beam + 2 ones as I expect the separation of the speakers will create a bigger stereo image when setup for music. I might at some point consider adding the sub as well. Cheers
I’d vote for Beam and 2 ones to get the surround sound. It’s totally immersive for music listening too. The sub was one of the best investments I personally made to my system on Black Friday deals last year. Best!
I'm mildly frustrated having bought the Arc only a couple months ago purely for the Atmos sound. I'd have made do with a Beam otherwise for its more compact form. The Arc is nice sounding, though.
Been using a pair of 2nd gen ones for a year for streaming music and have recently updated my tv and added a 2nd gen beam. Music just got better and I am loving 4.1 surround and have got back into watching films. Do I need a sub? Or will that just annoy the neighbours 🤔
Does it make sense to use one of these in a gaming setup, e. g. where you sit really close to it? I figure it can't really do it's "sound field" magic when sitting too close? Any thoughts?
Thanks for the great review. Have never had a surround sound system for TV and have a Beam gen2, 2xOneSL for rears and the sub mini en route to my house right now. From the sounds of your review, I’m gonna be doing pretty well.
Just picked one of these up and I'm shocked by the sound. I returned the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus because it was super glitchy and a tad overrated sound wise. As a bedroom soundbar, the Sonos is awesome. I'd like to pick up the subwoofer next but $430 is a little steep. Great review too!
Hi there, great question! Yes, there is still a noticeable difference in the clarity in the Arc over the Gen 2 Beam as those additional tweeters can provide more layering and detail. However, the Gen 2 Beam definitely closes the gap between the Gen 1 and the Arc for sure. Hope that helps!
One thing I see missing in almost all reviews (for various products) is the size and shape of the AC power brick. Many of these products have adapters that will never fit in recessed receptacles.
I had and got rid of the first gen beam. There was so many issues with mine I had to. I work away a lot so because I'm only home a couple of weekends a month I don't have WIFI instead using my phone for internet tasks. Unfortunately this means I can't stream to the beam, get updates etc. Why does a modern soundbar not have bluetooth! Also another big problem was the sound it was so average both with the volume for my room, not an especially big room, and expectation of hyped sound that didn't live up to it. It is better than TV speakers but not by a huge amount. And I also had problems with the arc hdmi not turning and also no sound being output so I had to actually go back to the TV sound. However when I go back to my old receiver with its hdmi I don't have these problems. Sonos do have one positive and that's the ease of use through its app. But other than that I would not recommend their gen 1 beam which has some of its negatives on the new gen 2. Also very overpriced in comparison to its opposition which have much better sound.
I've pre-ordered thru you guys and have ebayed my Gen 1 :-) I experienced lip sync issues with the Gen 1, especially in 4K HDR. I'm hoping the new processor will now cope with this. Should I use the HDMI that comes with or invest in a more expensive one?
Hi Paul, thanks very much for your pre-order! In most cases, lip sync issues are fixable with a bit of adjustment of the settings of all the devices involved. I would highly recommend using the HDMI cable that comes with the Beam as you won't experience any significant improvements by upgrading the cable. We're all on track for delivery on release day so look out for your notification on Monday! Thanks again.
@@smarthomesounds Adjusting the lip sync issues on the first gen was like chasing your tail. And dialogue was not near as good as the hype. This sounds like a big improvement. Maybe 🤔
Question. Since you can the google assistant hands free on the Sonos gen 2, won’t it be confusing when you connect it to the A80j or A90j since these 2 Sony models also have a hands free google assistant feature? It’s like talking to 2 assistants at the same time.
Great review! As I’m on a tight budget (but as they say, my eyes are bigger than my belly) .. I’m going for a new TV first, then Arc, then Sub. It’ll take longer, but will be more satisfying in the long run 👍
The Sub is filled with magic pixies. I have two Fives and a Sub for music listening in my living room, and the Sub punches well above its weight. I’ve been considering getting one of the sound bars and another Sub for the family, as I don’t really do a lot of television.
Just don't go for Sonos. Soundwise it isnt that good. The better choise for u is to go voor the Klipsch Cinema 600 (or higher, if u want dolby atmos, go for Cinema1200). Soundwise those soundbars are so much better, and budget wise they are cheaper...
@@gerdiwelink1744 The biggest advantage of going with Sonos is if you are already considering whole home audio. They aren’t the best sounding, but they sound decent. What they do nail is the technology and integration side, though. To be fair, though, I thought my Sonos system sounded fine until I got my KEF’s.
@@smarthomesounds excellent, thank you! One qs, will the LG tv remote work automatically to adjust volume and mute function? Wouldn’t want to use the app to control these two functions.
Hi, that was very informative. Pardon me for the lack of knowledge regarding the settings on TV. Recently I bought a Sonos bean gen2 and it’s been connected to my Hisense TV via hdmi arc (my tv lacks eARC). The tv shows 3 digital audio out settings; PCM, RAW & Dolby Digital. My doubt is that which one should I choose among RAW & Dolby digital, because sometimes Raw sounds louder when I watch Netflix contents and DD sounds louder when I watch videos or movies on my usb. Please guide me to put the correct audio setting on my tv so that I can get the best from the Sonos beam gen2.
Any thoughts on using this soundbar in a mostly enclosed shelf. To be clear, it would be a 5” shelf covered on the top and sides but not the front. Please answer the same question for the arc. Thanks so much! Great review.
Really informative review, I'm still a little confused about what to choose, I'm planning on purchasing a new TV later this year (oled 55 inch probably sony a80 or a90) and I have a small living room. I'm leaning towards a beam 2 but the temptation for the arc with the upward drivers is also strong.
I've also been mulling this over during Christmas and i've just this minute pulled the trigger on the Beam 2. Hopefully it'll be good and I wont regret not getting the Arc
One thing I would love to know... How much of a step up is this device compared to the Bose Solo 5 Sound bar. I suspect it's a huge upgrade but I would love some confirmation. Thanks
Hello Thank you very much for this great review. I have a question, if you could please comment, I might go for this sound bar, paired with a Sub Mini. I probably can get my hands on this pair by around 670€. The question is, is there any other solution on the market with a sub-woofer included that could match this setup by the price range I mentioned? Maybe also with up-firing drivers? Thank you in advance.
Thanks for the Info on the New Sonos 2 Generation Beam , Great Product! Was trying to hookup my LG OLED TV with the 2nd Gen Beam however I could not get The Play1’s to Receive Surround Sound in my Bedroom Can you give some Ideas on what is the Problem??? Thank You!
Thank you for this great and complete review ! The polycarbonate grille alone is a big step up for me ! Not the most important improvement here though 😉
Question - I have a 75" Sony XBR-75X90CH with only a Arc input. The room is 18'X14' with vaulted ceilings, Would you recommend the Sonos Arc or the Beam Gen 2 with 2 Sonos SL? Love your channel, very informative. Thank you
The people who would be most impressed by this soundbar are people looking to replace their built tv speakers with something better. This would be great for an apartment living room, bedroom, with the upside of having Dolby Atmos and being a wireless setup should one want to get the additional speakers for true surround.,
The Gen1 had issues of lip sync with SkyQ boxes that you were unable to fix due to the video arriving before the audio (changing audio delay actually makes it worse). Be interesting to see if there are still issues with this Gen2
Nope. Still had lip sync issues on my Beam as you describe and I don't even have a SkyQ box. As you say, the audio is already delayed so delaying it even more makes things worse.
The same problem exists with the Gen2. Simple connect hdmi arc to 2022 Samsung Qled tv, but sound from Beam lags behind the video despite all efforts. Im about to return the Beam to store.
Have been using the new Sonos voice control which works very well no need to have your phone at hand to change controls with voice control I can just say hey Sonos turn night mode on or turn off and so on The new voice control is great with Apple Music just ask to play an album and it just works - just need to add your albums and playlist to Sonos library and insure Apple Music is your default music streaming service within Sonos. Unfortunately BBC sound’s doesn’t work at present - so much better than have Google or Amazon voice controls on.
hello, since I see that you have an Apple TV on your setup (and I imagine it is the 4K one) how did you set it up? did you connect it to another HDMI port and the Beam Gen 2 to the eARC port? I'm having a little bit of trouble figuring it out and I'd like to do so before I purchase it. Cheers.
Just bought one but sadly, I'm gonna have to send it back. Relying on just iOS devices for calibration is a dealbreaker for me. I'm not expecting them to be able to deal with all the Android permutations but they should provide a dedicated option of their own calibration microphone or something even if it costs extra. If we can't auto-calibrate it properly, then at least give us sliders in the app for balance, center channel and separation. Also, it doesn't play nice with my Chromecast for Google TV, is lacking DTS support and pretty much everything I tried to stream on it (Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer) got downmixed to stereo. I managed to get things working properly using Kodi but that's only a tiny portion of what I need out of a soundbar. If you have an iPhone, have a modern TV, only watch modern shows in modern formats, then it might be great for you. For me, it's hot garbage.
@@sovo94 That's the Sonos equivalent excuse to Apple's 'You're holding it wrong'. Most of my friends live miles away and I would rather buy something else than have to call someone over every time I move the furniture around. Most of my content got downmixed to PCM Stereo and honestly my £30 Sony speakers sound way better than the Sonos in stereo mode. I'm not going to lie, when the Sonos could read 5.1, it sounded great but unfortunately, the vast majority of stuff I wanted to watch ended as PCM Stereo.
Great review. I am looking to get a clearer sound from my current TV. I want to replace an aging Denon AVR with 4 speakers and subwoofer, and all the cabling. I also want to use headphones occasionally. Is it possible to connect up headphones, and how please if it doesn't have Bluetooth?
Hey, I recently just got 2 sonos one gen 2’s and now I’m thinking about getting the Beam gen 2 also. But do you think it would be better than my JBL 5.1 sound bar?
Thanks for the review! You mentioned that one of the key deciding factors is that the bass is lacking comparing the beam to the arc. How would you rate getting the beam + sub vs arc standalone?
Thanks for the great review QUESTION THOU I have the 1st gen beam and one Sonos one can I get a Sonos SL for the other added rear or does it have to be the same as in the pair of rears have to be the same ? Many thanks 🙏🏻
I wanted to connect this to my laptop, but it seems this does not work with normal hdmi and my monitor doesn't have arc. Any suggestions of a similar soundbar with hdmi in and hdmi passthrough?
Aright mate.. I'm about to order one, but I've been reading about a sound delay when using dolby from consoles? I'll be using c1 and series x.. any thoughts?
Did you experience any sound delay? For me it's terrible right now and seems impossible to fix it. With ps5 and dolby codec it's almost impossible to watch/listen because of the delay increasing a lot more. Considering to resend back the product
Great question! You do get an additional 2 tweeters in the Arc and this translates to crisper and clearer vocals than the Beam Gen 2. Although the Gen 2 closes the gap between the Gen 1 and the Arc, I'd still say the Arc comes across as even clearer than the Beam Gen 2. Hope that helps!
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
Here’s me, working for Sonos, very impressed with the review. Perfect capture of its features and capabilities.
I have a full sonos surround setup for my theatre room. Just picked up this for better sound quality in my living room. Great review!
Glad you enjoyed!
I just recently picked up the ARC and Sub. I can say without a doubt, the sub adds a lot to the overall audio experience. If the Beam is as close to the ARC as you say, I think most people are going to be happy either way, but if you can, I'd say go the extra mile and add the sub and rears. I recently downsized in homes and am coming from a standard 5.1 surround sound that cost about 10 times what I've paid for the SONOS and I can honestly say you will be happy with new SONOS products... I am shocked at how well they perform.
We got the ARC, but went to a friend who had the Beam and I was really impressed with how good the Beam was and thought it was nearly as good.
The price point of the Beam is much more competitive, I think the Arc is a bit expensive for what it is.
I can't think how this review could have been done any better...and that is rare for me. Great watch.
Just bought one of these by the way. Not delivered yet as DPD suck.
How i went?
Highly recommend pairing the new Beam with the 2 Sonos SL as surround speakers, it sounds EPIC when they are all firing
and the sonos woofer
Too bad it costs damn near 1800 bucks to do that
@@xAfroMetalHead1990x honestly LMAOOOO I would get the Ray for the bedroom and the beam for the living room
@@xAfroMetalHead1990x You don't have to buy them all at the same time. Sound bar, then sub, then surround speakers.
@@xAfroMetalHead1990x you don't have to purchase them all together.. that's the beauty of sonos. soundbar first, subw second and then fill your room with surround speakers
I bought one and I am blown away! I connected my Sonos play one speakers as surrounds and with DTS surround it is amazing. For its size I am amazed with the sound that comes out of it. Can’t wait for a sub mini. To anyone thinking of getting one, do.. I love it! Thanks for the brilliant reviews 👍🏻
Sorry for the stupid question but isn't atmos meant to remove the need for surround speakers?
Just want to second this. I don’t have the surrounds yet but just bought the sub for tomorrow!
I have had the Bose 700 before and a fancy LG atmos set and the clarity out of the Beam 2 is simply a cut above. I see people harping Bose is better and while Bose for their 500 bar can generate an overall warmer bass in the mid and lower range the rest of the sound gets muddied in there.
I have a hearing loss equal in both ears and that clarity (not talking treble but ability to distinguish all the sounds) is critical for me . Otherwise I have to turn the entire thing up on the Bose which just makes everything too loud. Our LG sounds mini to this and it was their $700+ first atmos set.
We don’t have the room for the arc nor did I want something that big on the wall. The beam 2 is just excellent.
Now this right here is a textbook example of a great tech review.
Top review..... was able to pick up the difference on the sound quality during the test, well done getting that through!!!! Keep up the good work.
Glad it was helpful!
Thought this was a dedicated review chanel. But you also sell these products. Really great review. One question.. if you don't want a Sonos SB... what is the best alternative
Really balanced, honest review. Thank you!
Adding the Beam 2 to a 55” LG C1…cannot wait! 🙌🏼
how are you liking it? I just bought the beam 2 at Bestbuy for my 77" LG C1
@@G_Money_ I absolutely love it, mind you I have also added the Sub Gen 3 and 2 Sonos One’s as rears. I had a Onxyo 5:1 set up and I missed the BASS! It sounds absolutely incredible now 👌🏼
@@G_Money_ I’m still waiting for my 55” LG C1, long story! So I haven’t been able to try Dolby Atmos yet so please let me know your thoughts! 👍🏼
I would like to say thank you on your advice. Yesterday I went to Bestbuy and purchased 2 sonos one sl and gen 3 subs. Mann, it sounds incredible.
@@G_Money_ awesome! 🙌🏼
Very comprehensive. It would be nice to see a frequency reproduction graph so that we can understand the sound reproduction levels across different frequency ranges. Thanks anyways for what was a very well rounded review.
our upstairs tv recently moved for... reasons.. and now that it's crammed in my gaming room/home office, i really needed different speakers as it's now a lot more in use. Was gonna order a beam and to my surpise there's now a gen 2. Preordered it straight away. If it's anywhere near my Arc on the living room tv, i'll be more than pleased.
It’s not it’s terrible
I consume a lot of TH-cam content and honestly this was a very impressive review. You covered all of the most interesting and logical questions an audio file would want to hear about. Do you have my subscription and thank you for the great content. I will do everything to share your work, thank you!
Hi David, thanks so much for the fantastic feedback! We work hard on our content so it’s great to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for the sub and welcome to the community!
Grateful MP3s, huh?
Great review- really appreciate the content. I currently have the Gen 1. I use it mostly for music and live concerts on blu ray or dvd. Would it be money well spent to upgrade to Gen 2.?
I remember the first time I experienced one of these I was high as a kite didn't know the brand until that day had me looking all around the room for raindrops and other sounds was an experience.
I've watch few of your reviews and liking them very much. Well done, subscribed!
Much appreciated 👍
I’ve just bought the Beam gen 2 with x2 one sl’s from you guys. Can’t wait to get set up!
Sounds very impressive! I have a gen 1 (purchased from Smart home Sounds!) but the increased vocal clarity and Atmos on the gen 2 sounds like it will be just what we need and I’m seriously thinking of purchasing one 😀👍🏻
It’s tempting, and if you watch a lot of Atmos content it may be worth the upgrade.
Do you need a Subwoofer? Do you think I'd get a great experience without a Subwoofer?
@@davoncci if you have a small room you can easily just spend the money on rear speakers, if you have a medium to big room buy one.
@@smarthomesounds would I get anything out of it if I have rear speakers already?
And did you get the gen 2? And if so, is it worth it?
Really helpful and well presented review. I’ve just ordered the Gen 2 as a Christmas treat for myself.
For my budget the Sonos was the standout choice. I look forward to receiving it.
How is it going after 8 months with the Beam?
@@colors6692 also like to know this lol how are you liking them? My gen 2 beam and 2 SL are coming this week.
@@NFTwizardz And how do you like it?
@Rooted Rotor I love my setup, for a small apartment and being a complete junkie for tech is still amazes me daily!
Just paired this up with my LG C1 48 and Series X. Very happy with this setup in my small area in my spare room for gaming.
i have the c1 65 and xbox series x is the beam gen 2 worth the upgrade from tv audio
Quick question… What is the influence of the performance if the beam is positioned in a cabinet, slightly in the rear and partly blocked by two slim ‘pilars’.
An amazing review from a guy who works at a company that is trying to sell you sound equipment. I’m not saying that makes this review inaccurate, just saying I’m seeing a lot of people saying take my money. He doesn’t really say much about how well it performs. He just talks about the features.
Thanks for the review. I will use my system for 60% music and 40% tv/movie. Will I be better off with the ARC or Beam + 2 ones? I have a bigger living room and leaning towards the beam + 2 ones as I expect the separation of the speakers will create a bigger stereo image when setup for music. I might at some point consider adding the sub as well. Cheers
I’d vote for Beam and 2 ones to get the surround sound. It’s totally immersive for music listening too. The sub was one of the best investments I personally made to my system on Black Friday deals last year. Best!
@@MarissaWilkins thank you for the recommendation.
I'm mildly frustrated having bought the Arc only a couple months ago purely for the Atmos sound. I'd have made do with a Beam otherwise for its more compact form. The Arc is nice sounding, though.
The arc is next level
Arc will be so much better I bought this and I’m returning it very underwhelming.
@@lorenzohardy5212 amazed me for a soundbar!
Would you say it is better to have it on the TV bench or wall mounted? Would it sound equally good?
Wonderful addition by Sonos. The beam 2 and the Sub will definitely be a popular choice for years to come ! Kudos to SONOS !!
If you have high ceiling or a Fan then I would suggest to go for Bean Gen 2 with rear SLs otherwise Arc with SLs.
This is one of the best tech reviews I’ve ever watched. Great work! 👏
Been using a pair of 2nd gen ones for a year for streaming music and have recently updated my tv and added a 2nd gen beam. Music just got better and I am loving 4.1 surround and have got back into watching films. Do I need a sub? Or will that just annoy the neighbours 🤔
You do, believe me. As for myself, I cannot imagine watching movies without a deep bass.
It sounds surprisingly good for the size.
Does it make sense to use one of these in a gaming setup, e. g. where you sit really close to it? I figure it can't really do it's "sound field" magic when sitting too close? Any thoughts?
Should be using a headset for gaming anyway
You da man! Keep going, this channel has wheels brother!
Thanks for the great review. Have never had a surround sound system for TV and have a Beam gen2, 2xOneSL for rears and the sub mini en route to my house right now. From the sounds of your review, I’m gonna be doing pretty well.
Thanks! Enjoy your new setup 😊
I pre-ordered this baby with a 15% discount cant wait to hear it!
Where did u get the 15 per cent discount ?
@@paulgal from my job
Just picked one of these up and I'm shocked by the sound. I returned the Sennheiser Ambeo Plus because it was super glitchy and a tad overrated sound wise. As a bedroom soundbar, the Sonos is awesome. I'd like to pick up the subwoofer next but $430 is a little steep. Great review too!
This was a very detailed and thorough and well presented review.
Thank you for the review! Is there any difference in a sound clarity between Arc and Beam-2, as the Arc has 3 tweeters vs one in the Beam gen.2?
Hi there, great question! Yes, there is still a noticeable difference in the clarity in the Arc over the Gen 2 Beam as those additional tweeters can provide more layering and detail. However, the Gen 2 Beam definitely closes the gap between the Gen 1 and the Arc for sure. Hope that helps!
Great review, answering almost all of obvious questions. Fantastic job, as always guys. You are the best in Sonos business.
The Beam 2 has better bass though and can stand alone without a subwoofer where as the Arc needs the sub.
One thing I see missing in almost all reviews (for various products) is the size and shape of the AC power brick. Many of these products have adapters that will never fit in recessed receptacles.
Good question, we do highlight if there are large power bricks, but one is not required for this product as it’s all internal. Hope this helps.
The power cord plugs directly into the soundbar - no external brick power supply for these Sonos products.
This is the kind of review I expect. No fluff. All great content.
If no speaker is firing upward, how do they mange to make it perform that trick?
virtual means simulated
I have old non-eARC Philips TV, which works great, how could I use it with Sonos and Atmos sources? Should I look for an HDMI splitter or so?
I had and got rid of the first gen beam. There was so many issues with mine I had to. I work away a lot so because I'm only home a couple of weekends a month I don't have WIFI instead using my phone for internet tasks. Unfortunately this means I can't stream to the beam, get updates etc. Why does a modern soundbar not have bluetooth! Also another big problem was the sound it was so average both with the volume for my room, not an especially big room, and expectation of hyped sound that didn't live up to it. It is better than TV speakers but not by a huge amount. And I also had problems with the arc hdmi not turning and also no sound being output so I had to actually go back to the TV sound. However when I go back to my old receiver with its hdmi I don't have these problems.
Sonos do have one positive and that's the ease of use through its app. But other than that I would not recommend their gen 1 beam which has some of its negatives on the new gen 2. Also very overpriced in comparison to its opposition which have much better sound.
I've pre-ordered thru you guys and have ebayed my Gen 1 :-) I experienced lip sync issues with the Gen 1, especially in 4K HDR. I'm hoping the new processor will now cope with this. Should I use the HDMI that comes with or invest in a more expensive one?
Hi Paul, thanks very much for your pre-order! In most cases, lip sync issues are fixable with a bit of adjustment of the settings of all the devices involved. I would highly recommend using the HDMI cable that comes with the Beam as you won't experience any significant improvements by upgrading the cable. We're all on track for delivery on release day so look out for your notification on Monday! Thanks again.
@@smarthomesounds Adjusting the lip sync issues on the first gen was like chasing your tail. And dialogue was not near as good as the hype. This sounds like a big improvement. Maybe 🤔
Such an informative and comprehensive review. thanks a ton.
Question. Since you can the google assistant hands free on the Sonos gen 2, won’t it be confusing when you connect it to the A80j or A90j since these 2 Sony models also have a hands free google assistant feature? It’s like talking to 2 assistants at the same time.
Great review! As I’m on a tight budget (but as they say, my eyes are bigger than my belly) .. I’m going for a new TV first, then Arc, then Sub. It’ll take longer, but will be more satisfying in the long run 👍
Hi Ken, that’s for the feedback, that will be a great set-up and worth the wait I’m sure 📈
The Sub is filled with magic pixies. I have two Fives and a Sub for music listening in my living room, and the Sub punches well above its weight. I’ve been considering getting one of the sound bars and another Sub for the family, as I don’t really do a lot of television.
Just don't go for Sonos. Soundwise it isnt that good. The better choise for u is to go voor the Klipsch Cinema 600 (or higher, if u want dolby atmos, go for Cinema1200). Soundwise those soundbars are so much better, and budget wise they are cheaper...
@@gerdiwelink1744 The biggest advantage of going with Sonos is if you are already considering whole home audio. They aren’t the best sounding, but they sound decent. What they do nail is the technology and integration side, though. To be fair, though, I thought my Sonos system sounded fine until I got my KEF’s.
@@ephektz, could you please name the model of your KEFs?
Hi Smart Home Sound, great review! However, I would like to ask what your opinion is on, Beam Gen 2 vs Playbase? It wasnt mentioned here. thanks!
I’d like to know this too, considering upgrading my old playbase
I really want this Gen 2 soundbar but Jesus... That Gen 3 sub is $750! 😱
Great review, I've also pre ordered this from you guys & am looking forward to trying this out, sounds really great it has exceeded your expectations!
How is it?
How is the dolby atmos?
Do we get the Bass effect without a subwoofer? or should I go for a Polk Signa S4
Thanks for the review I've pre ordered from you guys but would like to know if I can use symfonisk shelf speakers as rears?
Cheers
Hi Mike, that’s great thanks, and yes the Symfonisk speakers will work great as rears 👍🏻
@@smarthomesounds Thanks for the quick reply I'll order some now cheers.
Well done! You helped me make the right decision!
Really really great and in-depth review, good stuff!
great review from a very clear speaker. Thank you
Much appreciated!
Thank you for your review, I'm looking at this unit vs Sony HT-X8500, which would you say performs better?
Very helpful. Preordered. Still on track for dispatch 5th October?
Your in for a treat, and yes this will be with you on the launch day (5th October)
@@smarthomesounds excellent, thank you! One qs, will the LG tv remote work automatically to adjust volume and mute function? Wouldn’t want to use the app to control these two functions.
Hi, that was very informative. Pardon me for the lack of knowledge regarding the settings on TV. Recently I bought a Sonos bean gen2 and it’s been connected to my Hisense TV via hdmi arc (my tv lacks eARC). The tv shows 3 digital audio out settings; PCM, RAW & Dolby Digital. My doubt is that which one should I choose among RAW & Dolby digital, because sometimes Raw sounds louder when I watch Netflix contents and DD sounds louder when I watch videos or movies on my usb. Please guide me to put the correct audio setting on my tv so that I can get the best from the Sonos beam gen2.
Any thoughts on using this soundbar in a mostly enclosed shelf. To be clear, it would be a 5” shelf covered on the top and sides but not the front. Please answer the same question for the arc. Thanks so much! Great review.
Great review! You sold me
So helpful! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Really informative review, I'm still a little confused about what to choose, I'm planning on purchasing a new TV later this year (oled 55 inch probably sony a80 or a90) and I have a small living room. I'm leaning towards a beam 2 but the temptation for the arc with the upward drivers is also strong.
I've also been mulling this over during Christmas and i've just this minute pulled the trigger on the Beam 2. Hopefully it'll be good and I wont regret not getting the Arc
@@69kentyboy have you gotten the Beam in yet? Going back and forth between Beam + 2 One’s vs stand-alone Arc
@@69kentyboyany regrets with the beam ?
@@brkfstinbed Yes. Tried 2 and they both had faults. Ended up building a full blown home theatre with a 'proper' amp and speaker set-up
One thing I would love to know... How much of a step up is this device compared to the Bose Solo 5 Sound bar. I suspect it's a huge upgrade but I would love some confirmation. Thanks
Hello
Thank you very much for this great review.
I have a question, if you could please comment, I might go for this sound bar, paired with a Sub Mini. I probably can get my hands on this pair by around 670€. The question is, is there any other solution on the market with a sub-woofer included that could match this setup by the price range I mentioned? Maybe also with up-firing drivers?
Thank you in advance.
That slat wall is amazing, did you guys do it yourself?!
Thanks for the Info on the New Sonos 2 Generation Beam , Great Product! Was trying to hookup my LG OLED TV with the 2nd Gen Beam however I could not get The Play1’s to Receive Surround Sound in my Bedroom Can you give some Ideas on what is the Problem??? Thank You!
Thank you for this great and complete review ! The polycarbonate grille alone is a big step up for me !
Not the most important improvement here though 😉
Question - I have a 75" Sony XBR-75X90CH with only a Arc input. The room is 18'X14' with vaulted ceilings, Would you recommend the Sonos Arc or the Beam Gen 2 with 2 Sonos SL?
Love your channel, very informative. Thank you
The people who would be most impressed by this soundbar are people looking to replace their built tv speakers with something better. This would be great for an apartment living room, bedroom, with the upside of having Dolby Atmos and being a wireless setup should one want to get the additional speakers for true surround.,
The Gen1 had issues of lip sync with SkyQ boxes that you were unable to fix due to the video arriving before the audio (changing audio delay actually makes it worse).
Be interesting to see if there are still issues with this Gen2
Nope. Still had lip sync issues on my Beam as you describe and I don't even have a SkyQ box. As you say, the audio is already delayed so delaying it even more makes things worse.
The same problem exists with the Gen2. Simple connect hdmi arc to 2022 Samsung Qled tv, but sound from Beam lags behind the video despite all efforts. Im about to return the Beam to store.
more impressed with the wood grille wall that looks sick dude
Cracking review as always. You guys are on top of your game 👌💪🇬🇧👍
Great review. Off topic but where is that Green Barcelona Chair from on the right of the TV in your test room?
Hi Ben, great spot it was old white Barcelona chair but we’ve had some SHS green custom cushions made. Hope this helps.
@@smarthomesounds looks 🔥
Have been using the new Sonos voice control which works very well no need to have your phone at hand to change controls with voice control I can just say hey Sonos turn night mode on or turn off and so on The new voice control is great with Apple Music just ask to play an album and it just works - just need to add your albums and playlist to Sonos library and insure Apple Music is your default music streaming service within Sonos. Unfortunately BBC sound’s doesn’t work at present - so much better than have Google or Amazon voice controls on.
Thanks for the feedback, and yes we are also looking forward to BBC sounds coming to Sonos Voice.
Thank you for the review.
One question : can I have Atmos content with an Apple TV 4K and stream with airplay 2?
Unfortunately Airplay 2 doesn’t support Atmos so the only way to get it to the Soundbar is through eARC.
hello, since I see that you have an Apple TV on your setup (and I imagine it is the 4K one) how did you set it up? did you connect it to another HDMI port and the Beam Gen 2 to the eARC port? I'm having a little bit of trouble figuring it out and I'd like to do so before I purchase it. Cheers.
I believe this is the way the ARC/eARC works. The audio signal goes to Sonos (or other audio device) from TV, not from a movie player
great review, wheres the green chair from?
Just bought one but sadly, I'm gonna have to send it back. Relying on just iOS devices for calibration is a dealbreaker for me. I'm not expecting them to be able to deal with all the Android permutations but they should provide a dedicated option of their own calibration microphone or something even if it costs extra. If we can't auto-calibrate it properly, then at least give us sliders in the app for balance, center channel and separation.
Also, it doesn't play nice with my Chromecast for Google TV, is lacking DTS support and pretty much everything I tried to stream on it (Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer) got downmixed to stereo. I managed to get things working properly using Kodi but that's only a tiny portion of what I need out of a soundbar.
If you have an iPhone, have a modern TV, only watch modern shows in modern formats, then it might be great for you. For me, it's hot garbage.
You only need to do it once… just invite a friend over.
@@sovo94 That's the Sonos equivalent excuse to Apple's 'You're holding it wrong'.
Most of my friends live miles away and I would rather buy something else than have to call someone over every time I move the furniture around.
Most of my content got downmixed to PCM Stereo and honestly my £30 Sony speakers sound way better than the Sonos in stereo mode. I'm not going to lie, when the Sonos could read 5.1, it sounded great but unfortunately, the vast majority of stuff I wanted to watch ended as PCM Stereo.
Fantastic review. Thank you 👍🏻
Great review. I am looking to get a clearer sound from my current TV. I want to replace an aging Denon AVR with 4 speakers and subwoofer, and all the cabling. I also want to use headphones occasionally. Is it possible to connect up headphones, and how please if it doesn't have Bluetooth?
We have to swing our TV out from the wall when viewing. Can this unit be mounted to the bottom of a TV when the TV is on a swing wall mount?
Editing is 👌
Which room Fragrance is the one on the Sideboard?
Nice Review
www.narbethcandles.co.uk 👍
Hey, I like the tv stand. Who is made by and where can I purchase it?
If I order the Soundbar, is Lui in the price included?
I dont usually comment on theae kind of reviews. However this was an extremely well presented review. Well done.
Great review guys. Deciding wether to sell the gen 1 and buy this 🤔
I NEED that TV stand in my life! Please tell me where I can order one of those!!
Hey, I recently just got 2 sonos one gen 2’s and now I’m thinking about getting the Beam gen 2 also. But do you think it would be better than my JBL 5.1 sound bar?
JBL is terrible, I took mine back today and got the gen 2, stay away from JBL
JBL is actually sucks
@@cchan6858 it does! I now have a Sonos beam and 2 speakers and I really like it, glad I took it back the same day lol
Great review as always
Great review, you hit on everything I was concerned about.
Excellent review - Out of curiosity what is the TV/AV unit that you use in your review?
Hi there, thanks for the feedback the TV unit is from www.made.com hope this helps.
Thanks for the review! You mentioned that one of the key deciding factors is that the bass is lacking comparing the beam to the arc. How would you rate getting the beam + sub vs arc standalone?
If you TV is massive c.65in then arc will look a bit better but the sub makes the beam amazing!
Thanks for the great review QUESTION THOU I have the 1st gen beam and one Sonos one can I get a Sonos SL for the other added rear or does it have to be the same as in the pair of rears have to be the same ? Many thanks 🙏🏻
Hi there, you can actually pair a Sonos One with a One SL so no need to buy another Sonos One. Hope that helps!
I wanted to connect this to my laptop, but it seems this does not work with normal hdmi and my monitor doesn't have arc. Any suggestions of a similar soundbar with hdmi in and hdmi passthrough?
Aright mate.. I'm about to order one, but I've been reading about a sound delay when using dolby from consoles? I'll be using c1 and series x.. any thoughts?
Can you pair this sound bar with Amazon Echo devices to create a 7.1 surround sound?
Did you experience any sound delay? For me it's terrible right now and seems impossible to fix it. With ps5 and dolby codec it's almost impossible to watch/listen because of the delay increasing a lot more. Considering to resend back the product
Preorder here as well :)
I have a choice between 1 Sonos beam 2gen. Or a Sonos beam 1gen + 2 Sonos one. What would be the choice? I would have space for rear speakers.
Great review guys, thanks a lot. I am just wondering how is the vocal clarity compared to the arc? Is the same or even better the on the arc?
Great question! You do get an additional 2 tweeters in the Arc and this translates to crisper and clearer vocals than the Beam Gen 2. Although the Gen 2 closes the gap between the Gen 1 and the Arc, I'd still say the Arc comes across as even clearer than the Beam Gen 2. Hope that helps!
@@smarthomesounds thanks for your answear, it helped a lot.