Sonos Beam (2nd gen)

Effective handling of Dolby Atmos ; Warm, refined sound ; Streaming smarts

No additional HDMI ports ; Doesn’t support DTS:X

The Beam Gen 2 delivers with a mature and polished sound and effective virtual Atmos performance

Deft, poised and weighty sound ; Expansive and well-defined presentation ; Good control options and app

No HDMI passthrough ; Not the sonic height you might hope for

The Sonos Beam 2 delivers delivers mild but definite improvements on the (outstanding) product it replaces, with performance that defies its dimensions. It’s not quite as emphatically Dolby Atmos-y as might have been hoped, and the lack of HDMI...

Wide soundstage HDMI eARC support Hi-res audio compatibility Compact design Easily upgradeable

Slightly more expensive than the original No upfiring tweeters TruePlay only works with iOS devices

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a great upgrade compared to the original soundbar, coming with Dolby Atmos support, HDMI eARC compatibility, and a refreshed design. Although we weren’t entirely convinced by the virtual Atmos on offer, this soundbar sounds...

Compact size and excellent sound ; Multiple voice assistants supported ; Virtual Dolby Atmos support enhances immersion ; Adds HDMI eARC for easier setup

Not as good when at lower volumes ; More expensive than original ; Adding additional speakers for true surround is pricey

Although a moderate upgrade from the original - unless Virtual Dolby Atmos is very important to you - the second-gen Beam is an excellent compact soundbar that'll not only boost your TV viewing, but make your home smarter thanks to smart assistant...

Atmos works better than you’d expect ; Compact, stylish design ; Alexa and Google Assistant well implemented ; Easy to use

Only one HDMI port ; No HDMI passthrough

The addition of Dolby Atmos makes Sonos’ already excellent compact soundbar even better

Atmos improves sound quality ; Phenomenal audio ; Neat and compact

Atmos requires eARC ; Not much height effect ; No DTS:X support

The Sonos Beam 2 gets lots of things right but, let’s face it, it also gets some fairly major things wrong. It doesn’t matter how much Sonos bleats about simplicity and ease of use, it just doesn’t make sense to limit key functionality by insisting on...

Fantastic sound quality ; Good for multi-room set ups ; Subtle and appealing design ; Relatively compact form-factor

Set-up a little complex compared to some alternatives ; Only one HDMI port ; Lacks the upfiring speakers of the more expensive Arc

Ultimately, sound quality is the foremost concern for anyone buying a Sonos soundbar, and this new Beam delivers. It's immensely listenable, creating an immersive soundstage for music-lovers, or giving films and TV a real boost with a kick of...

“Dolby Atmos adds a splash of 3D fun to an already excellent soundbar.”

Big sound field for its size ; Full and crisp sound, from low-mids to highs ; Dolby Atmos audio sounds precise and immersive, even without rear speakers

Not much deep bass without optional (and pricey) subwoofer ; No Bluetooth support ; Trueplay audio tuning only available for iOS

The second-generation Sonos Beam soundbar adds Dolby Atmos support and two more audio processing channels, for an impressive sound field that retains the previous model's compact size.