While the Playbar and Playbase offered only a digital optical connection, the Beam (like the newer Arc) has HDMI (there's an optical adapter too). The sole purpose of the Beam’s one HDMI connection is to receive audio from the TV, using ARC (Audio Return Channel). There's no support for eARC as there is on the Sonos Arc, but because the Beam doesn't support Atmos of any type, let alone the high bitrate Dolby TrueHD version of it, eARC isn't necessary. Located above the logo; displays the speaker's connection to WiFi, indicates when the volume is muted, and signals errors. Like the original Beam, the new Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a compact soundbar that can easily fit under most TVs on a cabinet or be mounted to a wall to keep your living room clutter-free. The app also allows you to pair the Beam with any other Sonos speaker, such as the Sonos Sub, or a pair of Sonos One SL speakers that could be used as left and right rear speakers.

In this time of age brand loyalty and word of mouth are very important to any company. I will never ever in my life buy another Sonos product or recommend it to anyone. All the trust I had on Sonos is now destroyed. Integration with the Sonos network gives the Beam (Gen 2) something many other soundbars don’t have: an easy way to upgrade your home cinema system. While the new Beam works very well on its own, adding in a sub and rear speakers is a great way to add to your setup over time. If you already have a Sonos Roam portable speaker, you’ll be able to ‘throw’ your audio between the Bluetooth speaker and the Beam using the Sound Swap feature. Gunshots echo and ricochet far out to the left and right, and much further into the room than you’d expect.This is an affordable soundbar that most could find space for, and that will prove a transformative upgrade on the sound coming from a TV's own speakers. The presentation simply smashes expectations, particularly in terms of width, depth and three-dimensionality. And while the Beam is almost unbelievably spacious for its size, it doesn’t quite fool you into thinking you’re listening to a proper surround sound system. Effects stretch right across the front of the room, well beyond the dimensions of the screen but they don’t stretch up the sides of the room. One new connectivity feature for the Sonos Beam is HDMI eARC compatibility, which the company says will bring a “richer, more immersive, and higher definition sound experience”. Compared to the HDMI ARC connectivity found on the original Beam, eARC can handle more advanced audio formats and deliver superior audio quality. While the general audio performance of the Beam (Gen 2) was impressive, we weren't fully convinced by the virtual Dolby Atmos. As vending machines propelled soda cans over the heads of the characters on screen, the sound did provide a sense of height, but we didn't get the feeling that it was coming from above our heads.

Sonos Beam : Read moreUsually, I do lots of research before buying a tech product and I always select the one for its quality rather than the cost. So, I bought my first Sonos products "Beam" and "Sub" in November of 2018 thinking that it is one of the quality products in the market. Still, the new Beam can cope with 32 channels of audio and even eight-channel 24-bit/192kHz uncompressed 38Mbps data streams. In other words, as well as supporting Atmos, it can play hi-res audio files of your favorite songs. Much like the Playbar and Playbase, you can connect two smaller Sonos speakers (One, Play:1, Play:3, Play:5, or even the Ikea Symfonisk Bookshelf or Symfonisk Lamp speakers) to act as rear speakers in a cinema system, or add a Sonos Sub.This product does not have any user-serviceable parts. Do not open or disassemble or attempt to repair it or replace any components. Refer all servicing to Sonos qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cable or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

Use the included Sonos Optical Audio Adapter to connect the soundbar to your TV if you don’t have an HDMI ARC port.TV with HDMI ARC / eARC port or optical digital audio output, broadband internet, and the Sonos app. It’s a shame there’s no HDMI 2.1 support, which would allow for 4K at 120Hz and even 8K at 60Hz pass through—which, in turn, would make the Beam ideal for 8K-supporting consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox Series X.