The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is the most recent sound bar from the multi-room audio firm, Sonos. Delivering improved options, HDMI eARC compatibility, a clear design and now Dolby Atmos, on paper, the refreshed Beam delivers in all areas a brand new purchaser might hope. Whereas it could be a bit dearer than previous choices, Sonos has delivered within the ways in which depend on this iteration, making the Beam Gen 2 an incredible choice for anybody searching for nice audio for gaming and media.
The Sonos Beam was one in every of CGMagazine’s prime picks for sound bars because of the pricing, compatibility with present Sonos {hardware}, and its measurement, which inserts most setups. The Beam Gen 2 on the floor is a good evolution of the {hardware}, delivering within the areas that it was missing, whereas maintaining the essence that made the primary iteration so compelling.
Unboxing the brand new Beam, and you will see that Sonos has managed to take care of the benefit of setup that the model is thought for. After you have the Sonos Beam Gen 2 out of the field and attached through HDMI, you merely open the app and let the wizard information you thru the method. Because of the corporate’s TruePlay expertise, which calibrates the soundbar’s audio to your room’s dimensions utilizing its built-in microphones, the method was painless. As soon as every thing was in place, and the wizard completed updating, the brand new Beam was able to play some audio.
“The Sonos Beam Gen 2 feels similar to the primary iteration of the soundbar.”
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 feels similar to the primary iteration of the soundbar. At 2.72 x 25.63 x 3.94 inches (H x W x D), it is a gadget made to suit most setups and nonetheless appears nice even in smaller areas. Coming in both black or white (as most Sonos merchandise), it has the clear traces and stylish look we now have come to count on from the model.
Leaping from the primary era to this model of the Beam, little has modified general. Probably the most noticeable change is the selection to maneuver away from the fabric grill discovered on the Gen 1 to a plastic grill discovered on the Gen 2. Whereas it is not going to have many acoustic advantages, it will imply the Beam Gen 2 will likely be a lot simpler to scrub every day, one thing I can attest to throughout testing.
The highest of the Sonos Beam Gen 2 has a really related set of buttons when you have used a Sonos product over the previous 5 years. One can find a microphone for the voice assistant, a set of play, pause, quantity up and down contact buttons, together with a button to mute the microphone for privateness. All of them work as anticipated, they usually preserve with the minimalistic look Sonos brings with the Beam general look.
“Sonos made the correct alternative, delivering every thing you want, with not one of the bloat seen in lots of different manufacturers’ choices.”
Wanting in the back of the Sonos Beam Gen 2, you will see that energy, HDMI, optical and Ethernet ports. Sonos has saved the I/O to a minimal, making the general unboxing and preliminary setup course of so simple as attainable. I’m all the time a fan of inputs, particularly for audio gear, however on this case, Sonos made the correct alternative, delivering every thing you want, with not one of the bloat seen in lots of different manufacturers’ choices.
As soon as you’re all attached, very like the primary iteration, the Beam Gen 2 has the choice so as to add rear audio system or a sub to broaden your audio expertise. By the Sonos app, the method is painless, and if you have already got a pair of audio system kicking round, you possibly can add them to the room with a number of button presses. It is without doubt one of the finest points of Sonos {hardware}, and it’s good to see it nonetheless current on this newest gadget. For testing, I paired it with a set of Sonos One audio system, and it labored flawlessly.
As famous earlier than, in contrast to the primary era Beam, the Gen 2 now options eARC compatibility, giving the Beam entry to many extra audio codecs, together with high-end audio codecs for crystal clear sound. It additionally brings Dolby Atmos help, one thing the primary beam was missing. Granted, this isn’t true Dolby Atmos, for the reason that beam does lack the up-firing drivers seen on the Sonos Arc, however the acoustic wizardry at play manages to simulate the impression of top out of your video games and flicks, at the very least to a point.
“The Sonos Beam Gen 2 may be very highly effective for its measurement, and it delivers a large soundstage that can fill most small rooms.”
Evaluating it to its greater brother shouldn’t be totally honest, they’re very totally different merchandise. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 may be very highly effective for its measurement, and it delivers a large soundstage that can fill most small rooms. The sensation of top that Dolby Atmos manages is there, and it feels good. It isn’t almost as immersive and whereas not so good as the corporate’s top-end ARC soundbar, the Beam Gen 2’s providing is a notable enchancment, and one thing very welcome for all of the players and film followers on the market that have been solely experiencing a chunk of the audio expertise.
The brand new Beam tackles as much as 32 channels of audio, together with eight-channel 24-bit/192kHz uncompressed 38Mbps knowledge streams. So, past the addition of Atmos, it may additionally play all of your hi-res audio recordsdata which will have been restricted up up to now.
As with every Sonos gadget, you count on the Beam Gen 2 to be nice for music, and fortunately the corporate doesn’t disappoint. The Sonos app makes it simple to hear from all of your favorite audio sources, and the well-balanced soundstage makes most audio performed by it sound crisp, clear, and true to the intent of the artist. It is not going to be as loud because the bigger Sonos choices however ought to fill even bigger rooms with ease and readability.
“I used to be pleasantly shocked at how nicely the Beam managed the Atmos audio from the Xbox Collection X.”
With gaming, I used to be pleasantly shocked at how nicely the Beam managed the Atmos audio from the Xbox Collection X. As talked about earlier than, it is not going to be close to as immersive as you may discover on the ARC, or many different high-end audio choices, nevertheless it does handle to really feel implausible, and a serious step above what the first-generation Beam delivered.
Leaping into some Forza, I might really feel the audio wash over me as I went by some races. Granted, some immersion was misplaced once I stood up, having the simulated top audio misplaced when a lot above sofa degree. Even saying that, with its value and the way simple the Beam is to arrange, it is a main step ahead and one Xbox Collection X and PlayStation 5 house owners ought to think about.
Sonos has managed to ship an audio expertise that feels implausible, immersive, and, mixed with the $699 value level, exhausting to beat. With the addition of eARC, Dolby Atmos and all the brand new {hardware} below the hood, it is a worthy improve of an already nice soundbar.
For everybody that has already loved the first-generation Beam from Sonos, it will not be price making the leap. For anybody who calls for the very best audio expertise attainable, likes to recreation, or just can’t afford the Sonos ARC, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a soundbar that will likely be exhausting to beat. Nice audio, expandability, and the Sonos app expertise, make the Sonos Beam Gen 2 top-of-the-line soundbars of the 12 months.
