Sonos Beam (Gen 2) Review: Dolby Atmos Sounds Great on the Compact Soundbar
http://www.newsweek.com/sonos-beam-gen-2-review-dolby-atmos-sounds-great-compact-soundbar-1633979
Beam (Gen 2) adds Dolby Atmos support and faster internal components, along with a new exterior grille.
TYLER HAYES
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Tech & Science With its first revision, the new Beam (Gen 2) already feels like it's hit its peak essence. The revised home-theater soundbar adds Dolby Atmos support and faster internal components and replaces the fabric cover with a plastic grille—while it retains its sleek, minimal-size footprint. Until now, it was easy to think of Sonos' Arc soundbar as the real one and its Beam as a lesser product, only suitable for small rooms. But I'm starting to see Sonos' revised Beam as the main soundbar to consider, and its Arc as the choice for certain room needs only.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) costs $449, a $50 increase in price over the first-generation model. Even with a modest price increase, the soundbar feels as though it's moving away from most general soundbar consumers. There are plenty of decent soundbars for less money that come with a dedicated subwoofer and even possibly surround speakers. The redeeming factor here is that the Beam doubles as a Wi-Fi speaker that can tap into nearly all streaming music services.