The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is the best soundbar you can buy for 499 euros. Period. That is nice to know if you are considering the soundbar, but of course there is much more to say about the product. After three weeks of testing, you can read our Sonos Beam (Gen 2) review here.
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Price
€ 499,-
Connections
HDMI eARC, Ethernet port
wireless
Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Google Assistant, Spotify Connect
Sound bar dimensions
65.1 × 6.9 × 10 centimeters
Sound bar weight
2.8 kilo
Website
www.sonos.com
9 Score 90 
- Pros
- Ease of installation
- Ease of use
- Sound quality
- Lots of smart features
- Negatives
- No remote control
- no bluetooth
- Does not support DTS:X
The original Sonos Beam dates from 2018 and was – also by Techzle – labeled as one of the best soundbars you could buy for 449 euros. Now there is a successor: the Beam (Gen 2), with a suggested retail price of 499 euros. Sonos lent me a white copy for three weeks for this Sonos Beam (Gen 2) review.
Installation is a breeze
After unpacking the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), place the soundbar near your TV, connect the power cable and connect the HDMI cable to your television. Optionally, you can also connect an Ethernet cable.
Grab the Sonos app, create an account if you don’t already have one, and follow the easy setup steps to use the Beam (Gen 2) with your wifi network to connect. As an existing Sonos user, the entire process took less than ten minutes for me.
After installation, you can set additional things, such as linking your favorite music app to the Sonos system and activating the Google Assistant voice assistant on the speaker.
Modern design
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) has a recognizable Sonos design and looks sleek in my opinion. The soundbar is available in black and white, with a matte finish and sturdy non-slip feet. You can also hang the soundbar on the wall – the required wall bracket can be purchased separately.
Is the Beam (Gen 2) big? I don’t think so, for my 55 inch TV. A few friends agree with me, where the elderly in particular find the soundbar on the hefty side. A point of attention is the height of the soundbar. My TV sits on minimal feet on my dresser, so the Beam (Gen 2) blocks the subtitles of movies and series when I’m on the couch. With a TV that has higher feet, this problem is less of an issue. Wall mounting the Beam (Gen 2) gives you even more freedom.
Excellent sound
On the most important part, the sound quality, the Beam (Gen 2) scores excellent. The bar was set high, because the original Beam produces good sound. Sonos has made some adjustments to the speakers to improve sound quality and added support for Dolby Atmos. After three weeks of testing, I am very excited about the sound of the new Beam.
First of all, there is much more sound from the relatively compact soundbar than I expected. And that sound also impresses with the powerful volume, a lot of bass and clean vocals. Several people who have watched a movie with me in the past few weeks or who drank a beer with background music are amazed at the musical possibilities of the Beam (Gen 2). I previously tested the Sonos Arc for 999 euros, but I don’t think that soundbar is much better than the Beam (Gen 2). In any case, I wouldn’t pay more for the Arc myself, but rather invest the price difference in two Sonos Ones or One SLs. You can connect it to the soundbar and place it behind you to create a surround setup. I already own two One’s and find the surround experience very pleasant. You can also connect a Sonos Sub to the soundbar, but it is very pricey with a street price of 799 euros. I don’t miss any bass when watching action movies or listening to modern music so wouldn’t buy the Sub in a hurry – having to say I haven’t tested it.
Please note that the Beam (Gen 2) does not support DTS:X, a digital surround principle. I don’t miss it, but for some it’s a point of interest.
Lots of smart features
As you would expect from a Sonos device, the Beam (Gen 2) integrates perfectly within the Sonos ecosystem. It’s very easy to play music on all your Sonos speakers or – as just mentioned – connect the soundbar to One’s for surround sound.
The accurate microphones in the soundbar are also nice. You can activate the Google Assistant and give the Beam (Gen 2) voice commands or ask things. This works just as well as with my Google Nest Hub and significantly better than with the Sonos Arc, whose microphones I would rate as mediocre.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is also suitable for streaming music via services such as Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay 2. This also works properly.
While I’m very excited about the capabilities of the Beam (Gen 2), I personally miss two things that I also miss on other Sonos soundbars like the Arc. Namely a remote control to change the music and volume and the possibility to listen to audio via bluetooth. While watching TV I use my TV remote, but while listening to Spotify I regularly miss a remote. For example, if I have visitors, because then I don’t think it’s very nice to talk to the soundbar, grab the app or get up to operate the soundbar itself. A remote control to quickly adjust something is my preference in such a situation. Bluetooth functionality is simply useful in a soundbar, but Sonos invariably refuses to build it in.
Conclusion: Buy Sonos Beam (Gen 2)?
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a modern-looking soundbar with many smart features, easy operation and perfect integration into the Sonos ecosystem. On the most important point, the sound quality, the Beam (Gen 2) impresses more than the competition. Points of attention such as the lack of bluetooth and DTS: X do not detract from the fact that the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is the best soundbar for many at 499 euros.
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