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Two minute review
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is the latest soundbar from multi-room audio giant Sonos, updating the company's original mini soundbar with virtual Dolby Atmos, HDMI eARC compatibility, and a refreshed design.
Although slightly more expensive than the first Sonos Beam, the new soundbar offers excellent value for money and, thanks to its integration with the wider Sonos ecosystem, you can combine it with speakers to expand your setup. The Beam (Gen 2) sounds great on its own, but you can improve the audio performance by connecting it to the Sonos Sub or using a pair of Sonos One SL speakers as the left and right rear channels.
- Sonos Beam (Gen 2) (black) on Amazon for € 534.88
Setting up the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is easy: all you need is the Sonos S2 app, and you can connect the soundbar to your Wi-Fi network and set up any voice assistant you want. The S2 app also gives you access to the company's TruePlay technology, which calibrates the soundbar's sound to the dimensions of your room, using its built-in microphones.
It's a shame TruePlay still only works with iOS devices, as it makes a difference to the sound. Still, you can borrow a friend's iPhone for the setup process, and we think it's worth it.
Unlike its predecessor, the new Beam supports eARC, a feature fans of the original soundbar have been asking for for some time. This allows the soundbar to handle more advanced audio formats than before, including Hi-Res Audio codecs.
However, the notable new feature of the Beam (Gen 2) is support for Dolby Atmos. While the soundbar doesn't contain the upstream drivers you'd need for "real" Atmos, it does use psychoacoustic techniques to give the impression of height from your movie soundtracks.
In theory, this should give the impression that the sound of your movies is coming at you from all angles; however, we were not entirely convinced. While the Beam (Gen 2) has a remarkably wide soundstage and powerful audio performance for its size, we don't feel the kind of airy sound you get from its big brother, the Sonos Arc (which has these pilots). ). ).
However, we hesitate to judge the Beam (Gen 2) too harshly for this. You still get a much more immersive experience than a non-Atmos bar, and there's a small amount of vertical information coming in - it's just not as engaging as other virtual Atmos bars like the Sony HT-X8500.
Sonos Beam (Gen 2) also works great for listening to music, with a clear, well-balanced soundstage and impressive bass, and the S2 app makes it easy to navigate your favorite music streaming services without switching between many apps and platforms. .
All in all, if you're looking for a mid-range soundbar that won't fit in your living room and want to be able to upgrade in the future with a subwoofer or rear speakers, the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a great choice - don't wait. a super convincing Dolby Atmos experience.
UPDATE: Black Friday 2021 falls on November 26 this year, but there are already plenty of tech deals online. We anticipate the deals will continue through at least Cyber Monday on November 29, and possibly into early December, but don't wait if you find a great deal.
We can never say which devices will be on sale during the sale season, but we'll be keeping an eye out for the best soundbar deals, and it's possible the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) will go down.
Keep checking out our Black Friday soundbar deals guide and Sonos Black Friday deals page if you're looking to upgrade your home audio setup and want to see our pick of the best Black Friday deals.
Sonos Beam (Gen 2) price and release date
- €399 / €339 / AU$599
- Available for purchase from October 5, 2021
The second-generation Beam will be available to purchase from October 5 for €449 / €449 / €699, which is more expensive than the original; At launch, the first-gen Sonos Beam was priced at $399 / £339 / AU$599, though it's often discounted these days.
Compared to other soundbars with virtual Dolby Atmos, the Beam (Gen 2) is slightly cheaper than the Sony HT-G700, and about $400 / £400 / AU$800 cheaper than the best soundbar around. . TechRadar's Sonos Arc 2021, which offers "real" Atmos through rising tweeters.
Integrated
- Compact construction
- New plastic grill
- Touch controls
Like the original Beam, the new Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a compact soundbar that can easily fit under most TVs in a cabinet or mount to a wall to keep your living room tidy.
At 2.72 x 25.63 x 3.94 inches (H x W x D), it's much smaller than the company's flagship Sonos Arc soundbar, making it ideal for small spaces.
Like other Sonos speakers, the Beam (Gen 2)'s design relies on clean lines and subtle branding; This soundbar isn't flashy, but it does look stylish, and since it's available in a variety of black and white finishes, you can find just the right look to match your decor.
One of the main differences between the new Sonos Beam and its predecessor is the design of the grille, which is now made of plastic instead of woven fabric. This design choice is more in keeping with the Sonos Arc and, as the company points out, it's much easier to clean than a dust cloth. We asked Sonos if the new grille offered any acoustic benefits, but the company told us it was a purely aesthetic choice.
At the top of the soundbar, you'll find a touchscreen control panel. Capacitive touch sensors let you control your music playback, adjust the volume, and turn off the built-in microphones for privacy. We've found these controls to be very responsive, though you'll likely find yourself reaching for your TV's remote to do most of these things.
You'll also find a small LED light strip on top of the soundbar, which lights up when you interact with it, along with another LED below the microphone icon to let you know when the soundbar's microphone is on.
On the back of the soundbar there is a port to connect it to a power outlet and HDMI, optical and Ethernet ports.
Configuration and connectivity
- Works with a larger Sonos ecosystem
- TruePlay Room Calibration
- Easy to use app
Setting up the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is very simple; just download the Sonos S2 app and follow the instructions to connect the soundbar to your Wi-Fi network and any music streaming services you want to use.
You can also choose between Alexa or Google Assistant. Thanks to the soundbar's built-in microphones, you'll be able to control playback using just your voice, as well as ask the voice assistant of your choice questions and control your other smart home devices.
Once this is done, you will be able to use Beam's room calibration feature, TruePlay, which adjusts the sound of the beam to the dimensions of your room.
As it progresses through the TruePlay process, the Beam emits a series of beeps and ticks throughout the frequency range; then you will be invited to walk around his room waving his smartphone.
The S2 app uses your smartphone's built-in microphones to analyze audio; Sonos says it's important to cover as much space as possible and minimize any other ambient noise that might affect results. Unfortunately, TruePlay is currently only compatible with iOS devices, but it's worth borrowing a friend's iPhone to get the most out of your new Beam.
The app also gives you the option to pair the Beam with any other Sonos speakers you might have, like the Sonos Sub, or a pair of Sonos One SL speakers that could be used as speakers. Left and right rear speakers.
Integration with the Sonos network gives the Beam (Gen 2) something many other soundbars don't: an easy way to upgrade your home theater system. While the new Beam works great on its own, adding a subwoofer and rear speakers is a great way to enrich your setup over time; and if you already have a Sonos Roam portable speaker, you can "throw" your audio between the Bluetooth speaker and the Beam using the Sound Swap feature.
In terms of wireless connectivity, Beam (Gen 2) supports Wi-Fi and Apple AirPlay 2 with compatible iOS devices. It is also possible to connect it to your router with an Ethernet cable if you want a more stable connection to your home network.
A new connectivity feature for the Sonos Beam is HDMI eARC support, which the company says will deliver a "richer, more immersive, higher-definition sound experience." Compared to the HDMI ARC connectivity found on the original Beam, eARC can handle more advanced audio formats and deliver higher audio quality.
It's a shame there's no HDMI 2.1 support, which would allow 4K at 120Hz and even 8K at 60Hz pass-through, which in turn would make Beam ideal for 8K-capable consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Still, the new Beam can handle 32 channels of audio and even eight channels of uncompressed 24-bit/192kHz data at 38Mbps. In other words, in addition to supporting Atmos, it can play hi-res audio files of your songs. favourites.
If your TV doesn't have an HDMI port, you can also connect the Beam through the optical port; Sonos provides all the cables you need in the box.
The S2 app also makes streaming music easy, allowing you to add your desired music streaming platforms and browse them without leaving the app.
Audio performance
- Great soundstage
- ideal for music
- Dolby Atmos could be more convincing
Despite its small size, Sonos Beam (Gen 2) delivers powerful audio performance and is more than capable of filling your living room with sound.
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