Sonos Soundbar Buying Guide: Spend Wisely!

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With 3 Sonos Soundbars now on the market, we compare the newly released Sonos Ray against the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and the Sonos Arc to help you decide which Sonos soundbar to buy. We compare design, sound quality, connections and more in this head-to-head comparison.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
01:09 Overiew
03:22 Design
06:04 Connectivity
07:50 Internals
11:28 Sound Test
18:19 Key points
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[@stuartmills7481]

Thank you for another in depth review, I never miss your videos when they are launched - As i've said in the past I love my Sonos ARC, SUB, & SL ONES with my 77inch TV - I'd love to hear what it would be like with this set up & by adding a 2nd sub ! I fully intend to book a demo with you Guys at your amazing new studio and test them in person, so get the coffee ready i'm on my way very soon ! - Thank you again for this excellent video.

[@rocketsciencemusic5398]

I think the ray, would be excellent paired with the Roam's as rears (if Sonos ever made a thing). A slim low profile surround speaker that would be great for smaller rooms such a bedrooms, it would be enough to add another dimension but not too much to keep your neighbours up at night when you're doing some late night binge watching.

[@SonnyAli1973]

I have an older Playbar, Sub, and two Play:1's in my living room, and it sounds great. I recently purchased a Beam, Sub Mini, and two One's for the game room, and it sounds pretty good. Not as good as the living room, which is 9 years old. I ended up returning the Beam and Sub Mini, added another $800 to my budget, and swapped it for the Arc and Sub. It was worth the $800. With Sonos, you get what you pay for.

[@Edittname]

Really appreciate the thourough review, the much needed one!

[@ShashankBhavaraju]

Your videos are perfect. Right amount of detail and answers the right questions. Will stay subscribed

[@Ch4osWe4veR]

my Ray should arrive tomorrow, launch day in the US! I'm excited! I'm putting it in a small room so it should be plenty. I also plan to add 2 Ikea/Sonos Symfonisk bookshelf speakers as rear surrounds. Also interested in the upcoming Sub Mini if the price is right.

[@danieljablonski8908]

Great video mate..helped a lot to decide which one I should choose as I’m the owner to the beam gen1 and wanted to get another gen2 to my sons bedroom but I didn’t realise there is an ray on the market too..thanks

[@fahadbaloch8442]

Perfect video and excellent put together everything

[@stevenrichardson7882]

A bit late but at last I’ve found a channel that explains to numpties like myself, Sonos shop here I come👍 Thanks.

[@sarahneedham]

Great video as always. I have had the Beam Gen 2 with the Sub and One SLs as surrounds since Feb. It sounds awesome I must say. I am also loving the new Sonos Voice control and look forward to a future video where you maybe try it out?

[@Diego-oy6en]

Was the sub a big change for you? I have the beam gen 2 and ones but need to convince myself the sub is worth it lol

[@zackarybrown2827]

Great vid I enjoyed this as I’m currently look at getting a Sonos soundbar. Very well done vid could have used a graph of some kind showing how each soundbar hit the different frequencies and explain how that all effects how clean it sounds. Thanks for the info was looking for a bedroom sound bar solution and think it will be the beam.

[@eric35red]

Thanks so much for this, really helpful. Would you ever consider using ceiling speakers instead of the SL’s

[@jasperverkroost]

Very nice comparison of the Ray, the Beam and the Arc. I got myself a Beam Gen. 2 and 2 One SL's as rears a couple of weeks ago and I love the sound quality. I would like to add that the rears make a huge difference. Besides the price difference between the Beam and the Arc, another reason for me to choose the Beam over the Arc was that it is newer and thus uses the latest technology. Also, my current television does not support Atmos, but that might change in the future when I buy a new one. As the Sub Mini rumours are no longer rumours (most likely it will be released within 1-2 months from now) I decided not to buy the Sub Gen. 3 yet and wait for the first reviews of the Sub Mini to decide how to complete my set.

[@hindsy90]

I have Samsung qn94a TV Jasper and not sure if it supports Dolby atmos. Thinking of getting beam gen 2 so just hoping it’s compatible despite the above

[@bhav213]

What have you gone for a year on?

[@Hibbsy316]

Just picked up a Beam Gen 2 today and am really impressed! Great vid guys

[@UttRConcrete]

I also have the Gen 2 Beam for my Master Bed room, its perfect. I just need to get the Gen 2 sub later this year.

[@NoelJamesRiggs]

Great review. I just bought the Arc. Now let's see what happens.

[@RodneyArmour]

Great information, very informative. Thanks

[@smarthomesounds]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rockycvs3]

The Playbar is still my go to. That with my 2 ones and sub...is gold.

[@smarthomesounds]

The playbar is still a great product.

[@hutch3459]

Excellent video - decision made, Sonos Arc!

[@shorey66]

Great touch editing out the word alexa.

[@timiomotayo9592]

Very nice analysis Jon!

[@ThatGuyyyyy]

Sub mini announcement kinda made me check out this video. Thinking of beam and sub mini with my current 2 sonos one speakers might be a good mid range setup that doesn’t break the bank completely

[@empir3289]

Got the beam 2 for the bedroom loved it. it raised my expectations so high I went to get the arc for the living room thought it was good but than I moved the beam to the living room to see the difference even tho it was not as loud felt the beam outperformed an for almost half the price I returned the arc felt the beam was well balanced. I think the arc you need the sub but to go an spend more money was kinda disappointed. with the beam 2 I didn’t feel the need to where I need to get the sub or I was missing something that’s even with doing the tuning with each Sonos. But for the beam to do almost as good filling my living room the beam 2 is just hard to beat looking forward to buying another beam 2 it’s literally the best minimalist setup an it makes me enjoy movies again definitely a great product. But that’s just me you have to def try both out for sure and see what sounds best to you at the end of the day. Money wasn’t a concern either just fyi I was just looking for a minimalist setup so that is the reason for choosing the beam.

[@grandevideos8603]

Hey, I just found out about the gen 2 beam while at Best Buy today. They had the full lineup there on display and the beam was my favorite out of all of them. Truly made me feel immersed and I can totally relate with you on the comment about this sound bar making movies enjoyable. That is what I’m hoping for with this potential purchase. Also, the arc doesn’t fit my minimalist style either

[@andrewblackman7879]

Hi I have a Sonos beam gen 1 for our tv in a lounge that is 15ft x 15ft approximately and it works really well. However do you think that upgrading the sound bar for one that will provide us with Dolby atmos will improve on this for normal tv viewing or should I wait till more tv content is available in atmos before upgrading to a new soundbar

[@toledoole]

Love the new videos, amazing quality. Kudos!

[@iwx2672]

Ray + Sub Mini + Two SLs, this would be a good combo

[@AJJJ-co2vd]

Would you recommend the jbl 5.0 multi beam over sonos beam gen 2 ? I'm having trouble choosing. Which is the better brand in your opinion? Great vid I'm subscribing

[@drlessismore]

Great video. I want to place the soundbar INSIDE my BDI media stand. Have you tried that? Did it impact the sound much?

[@rodneytopor1846]

I have a Beam Gen 2 for use with TV and (classical) music in a smallish room. But the Beam sound has a persistent vibration, specially at higher frequencies and volumes. I think the media stand supporting the Beam is completely solid. Any suggestions for the cause of the vibration and how to eliminate it?

[@mist3rwang]

Great all around video again. If you were in a market for a soundbar, would you try and hold off until 2023 where they might have the updated version so the Arc? Or would you just pick up the Arc surround system with the 2 SL's and sub? If you didn't choose Sonos, what would the 2nd best soundbar that you would consider? Thanks!

[@skydancerforever]

To me the beam sounds the best with music with my hi end headphones listening to your video, even better then the arc but being in the room might be a big difference due to being that i am not limited to 2 channels??

[@willh326]

I have a very weird set up going but I want to add a sound bar. I currently have 1 one, the bass, and a sonos move. What do you think would be best for me? Using it for music, xbox, and movies.

[@CodeXana]

I love with my beam, but only once I paired with One SL rears and the Sub Gen 3

[@adenoidhinkel]

Any news about a new version of the Sonos Arc? I'm thinking to buy this soundbar by the end of the year but maybe its good to wait a little bit longer.

[@Revell25]

Great video. I would love yours or anyone else’s opinion who knows or uses Sonos. I currently just have a Vizio system and actually sounds pretty good for the money that included a sub and 2 speakers for surround sound. Long story short, I currently have a Sonos amp with 2 ceiling speakers installed and hoping those are decent compared to my current setup. And then I also just happen to have an S1 but that sits in my bedroom and can have synced up music through my apt. I’m thinking of going with the beam and then using the sonos amp with my ceiling speakers and eventually get a sub. Or could it be worth to still have that setup and buying one more S1 speaker to have two and put those somewhere? Any setup recommendations would be great. (Sorry for long comment).

[@gtsluk11]

Great video. I'm looking for one that works with the Samsung AU7100 70-inch.

[@isaberabera_]

planning on getting the beam gen 2 + subwoofer plus a pair of Fives to switch between using as surrounds and as hifi speakers

[@audie-cashstack-uk4881]

I have the beam gen 2 with 1s as rears and a gen 3 sub it's amazing g as a music surround movie gaming system use your rears as amionce speakers in music mode as suround in movie and game mode

[@viktorgabo]

@smart home sounds So, you mentioned in this video that it would be interesting to do a setup comparison between Beam G2 + rear surround & Ray + Sub Mini when available, which it is now. Have you done the video yet? I couldn't find it. Please do if not available yet. TIA!

[@Luli408]

Do you have recommendations on how to stream a Bluetooth record player directly to a Sonos Arc?

[@rodneydangerfield7153]

Very well done, Jonathan!...Fantastic summary video!

[@benjaminkristiansen9836]

Hi, is it possible to use the sonos ray as back speakers in a surround set up? I have a steelbeam in my roof on the livingroom it can be hidden inside :) do i need the optical cable when usedvanlig for back speakers ?

[@LuvvSURYA]

How do you compare Sonos Arc up against Sennheiser Ambeo Sound bar on sound quality levels?

[@rustyroquet9366]

I have a Vizio sounds bar with sub not using satellite speakers because my room is too small. the sound is more than I need, wondering if the beam and sub mini would give me more refined and clarity but not losing the movie sound stage? The Vizio I'm using is the M512a-H6 thanks in advance.

[@stephenmartin3268]

I have the Beam gen2 and two play ones as surround sound. It's amazing! I've no need for the sub. I have bass on minus 6 and it still makes the room shake. Room is 12ft by 12ft. It's fantastic for movies and TV. Especially in Atmos and clear speach mode. Will maybe look into the new sub mini for music playback.

[@MrTigrruk]

I’ve got the same setup and chuffed to bits with it. Watched the new season of Stranger Things at the weekend, and the Atmos sound that comes out is incredible.

[@audie-cashstack-uk4881]

Same size as my living room I have the sub gen 3

[@hudsmack]

Beam gen2 with the sub mini sounds incredible. Get one, you won't regret it.

[@itzjackdaniels]

May I ask how big that tv is? It's gorgeous and I'm looking to upgrade my tv!

[@icy3dge]

Hi I am hoping you could help me with a setup. I am trying to use Sonos arc as my living room tv speaker, I would occasionally like to stream music via Bluetooth or spotify to the speakers around my house in different room simultaneously and in sync, what set up should i get ?

[@RobNotANumber]

Excellent review. I haven't gone with Sonos or even a sound bar as yet but am considering both. Years ago, I got a wonderful Denon receiver at a discounted price as HDMI was coming in. I bought and loved for a while but after a while the lack of the HDMI made a huge difference. The receiver died eventually but still have the speakers. Hard to decide whether to just go with new tech or keep old school. Movies and music are important.

[@losballos2628]

I went to a soundbar, regretted it and went back to stereo hifi. Just better sound in any scenario.

[@audie-cashstack-uk4881]

I was a yamagata and onto man...when I went sound bar I never went back starting with ya aha now I'm sonos all in

[@happyman291g]

I have sun room 15 ft x 20 ft with glass windows. I also have a Epson project with RCA that needs to be be converted to optical... what would work for me?

[@34JohannesHeinz34]

Does Ray have any pros over the Playbar other than footprint and looks?

[@Mundo-uw1yz]

Need to know what lights you’re using for the top of that wood panelled wall please!!

[@b0ris360]

Good reviewer.

[@williamhong623]

I was thinking of setting up an audio system in a bedroom-sized room with a Beam G2 soundbar, paired with a mini sub and a pair of rear speakers, the Era 100. Any advice for that? Thanks!"

[@ezra3726]

Can you build in the wall for the ARC?

[@steveholds2844]

Can you use a pair of play 3’s as rear surrounds on the beam Gen 2?

[@nsanchez_mke]

do these pair well with samsung frame tv (wirelessly)?

[@lopezpm]

Where is the link to the video you said was in the description?

[@mikaellineiro]

hello, i need help. I just bought an 85'' Sony and I want to put in a nice sound system with a budget of about 1000usd. it is better to start with the Sonos arc alone and upgrade with the sub in the long term or immediately a beam 2 with a sub? I have a living room of 23m2 open to the entrance hall of about 18m2! Thank you for your help

[@joshuajohnson2625]

Is the sony ht a5000 good for small room

[@martynasstapulionis1781]

hello, I'm thinking about buying a sonos arc and sub mini, would it be a good combination, because the price of a large sub is already very high, the area is about 30kw, please advise 😉😃

[@joshuajohnson2625]

Is the sony ht a5000 good for the 48 inch sony a90k...

[@abhinee]

Can they sens vibrations through the walls

[@kyriackyriac]

Great reviews chaps. Just started watching as downgrading home and looking to sell my Playbase. Thinking a Beam and Sub Mini combo. Do I need two Ones for proper surround? Thanks

[@chatchaikerdkhem3775]

Sonos Sub Gen3 How many watt? What is Peak SPL? What is sensitivity? Can I use Sub Gen 3 only 1 unit for The room size (W × L x H: 3.3mx4mx3.1m), SPL enough?

[@ersayat73]

Hi how do I control sonos ray volume using tv samsung remote ??

[@rockingjoe8769]

What tv brand do sonos work better with? What about the people for hearing impaired? What about jbl brand? What about Bluetooth sound system that are wireless. What about using other brands with sonos brand wireless speaker. What if you don’t have enough space to put these speakers on your entertainment unit and s Wireless speaker

[@Davedub1023]

It's going to a beam gen 2 for me in a couple of months, just need to decide on a lg g2 or sony a95k for it to go with 😁

[@phildirt3]

If i buy an arc what do i do with the playbar?

[@AnthonyR9]

A bit late, so I presume I wont get a reply haha, but does anyone know if any of these, preferably the Arc or Beam 2 - if they fit under the LG C3 65 inch stand? Or will I need to wall mount one or the other?

[@SaultiBalldeip]

Ready to go wireless for minimalism with good audio. They would be used for TV & music but more for TV. What I am trying to decide is this (prices in Canadian $): 1. Beam Gen 2 Soundbar Bundle with 2 One SL $1000 with a used Gen 2 Sub ($500). 2. Gen 2 Beam (new) & 2 Fives (used for $1000) for the same price of $1500. 3. Sonos Arc SL Soundbar Bundle with 2 One SL for $1500 & add the Sub Mini later on. 4. Beam Gen 2 Soundbar Bundle with 2 One SL & a Sub Mini. I have a feeling you might suggest # 4. My Livingroom is about 17ft x 18wide. Cheers for the awesome vids!

[@90RaduM]

Quick question, for a Beam 2gen: only the sl's are suitable for the surround setup or the Sonos One are alright, too? Thank you

[@briandammpetersen22]

You can use both. Any Sonos speakers apart from Move and Roam will work as rear with a Beam.

[@carlsmith9610]

Excellent review as always. I currently have the Playbar, Sub and Surrounds and I don’t know when is the right time to upgrade the soundbar and whether is it worth it? Would be really interested in your thoughts 🙏🏻.

[@smarthomesounds]

Hi Carl, great question. I would say there's not much point in upgrading from the Playbar to the Beam but to the Arc is a different question. The Arc supports Dolby Atmos but also comes with fully sideways firing and upward firing drivers which helps enormously with the size of the soundstage. If you watch a lot of newer content that supports Atmos, you will definitely hear the differences, along with everything Sonos has learned since designing the Playbar. Hope that helps!

[@carlsmith9610]

Really appreciate your reply. Makes perfect sense and thanks for taking the time.

[@PC-rp2wo]

I have a pretty large room (16' x 20' x 18' high) so leaning towards the Arc w/ only hesitation being the Arc will be in a cabinet / entertainment center w/ only 5" spaces on each side. It will fit below and in front of the TV so no issue with the upward firing speakers but worried not enough space for the end speakers. Sonos recommends at least 12" spaces on the side. Anyone has experience with a using the Arc in a 'cramped' entertainment center? Thanks.

[@Daniel_Adam]

Got the same issue

[@Enceladus335]

One queston i have a lg cx 55 on the original stand will the beam gen 2 block the view if put in front of tv?

[@UnknownLifter]

Im wondering about this too.

[@dlite1972]

Slightly off topic question, where did you get the plant @16:20 ?

[@smarthomesounds]

It’s from IKEA, hope this helps and thanks for watching.

[@Kung_Fu_Kenny]

How does beam gen 2 compare to A80J acoustic surface? I was pleasantly surprised when I got the tv.

[@avayanige]

it’s the arc for me i think with a sub and rear speakers

[@hadoukenocx4746]

is it me or my 4k Headphones or does the Ray sound better then the Better for Atmos????

[@yervandpapazyan4473]

when you will review Sony HT-A7000 7.1.2ch Dolby Atmos® Sound-bar?

[@sportnation8885]

Love the lipstick 💄

[@audie-cashstack-uk4881]

His been suckling hard and it wasn't a cherry popzical

[@markleon411]

What about the Sonos Playbase? I'm considering upgrading so I want to know comparisons.

[@discbrakefan]

That one is an older product that I don't think Sonos are marketing anymore. As with all Sonos speakers, it would be great but probably missing a lot of the new technology and features in the new generation models.

[@Marselz13]

...and you didn´t put the link of comparisation Arc and Beam.

[@bigkabuto]

My room is about 23 sq.m, so I think the Beam 2 is enough probably. It's all for console gaming such as Xbox and movies and shows.

[@kwelitysoul]

I’m on the fence between the Arc and Beam only because I have a 77” and the room is rather open and large (20x20’). Can the Beam be strong enough for this case?

[@robbeague]

I'm with you :/

[@smarthomesounds]

For a room that large with that size TV I would personally look to the Arc. With a 77" TV you will want your soundbar to be able to push the audio past the viewing screen area. While the Beam has sideward firing drivers the Arc does it better due to the larger physical dimensions and will match the screen size better. Hope this helps.

[@kwelitysoul]

@@smarthomesounds thanks I ended up getting the Arc SL and a sub and Ones aren’t far behind!

[@smarthomesounds]

Good choice 👍 hope you are happy with it.

[@victorylane22882]

Sonos beam Gen 1 or Sonos Ray ?

[@34JohannesHeinz34]

Beam gen 1 or Ray? If I can get both for the same price, which one should I get?

[@franckmeistermann1856]

Beam all the way! Real 3.0 sound, hdmi arc, much larger sound space that the Ray, even with the gen 1 (gen 2 has just the eArc for Dolby Atmos and faster CPU, but its realy close tobthe gen 1 already)

[@Fhdhhshhsow]

SO i like music with bass what do you recommend

[@discbrakefan]

Did you watch the video?

[@Knight-pb5bp]

What is the BEST thing to add to a Ray?

[@audie-cashstack-uk4881]

Sub

[@shooter1536]

From the sound demo ray sounds better with that microphone, probably cus a stereo mic is not good enough for the wide soundstage of the beam? But you can hear beams bass beats the ray in the sound demo. I always find beam also beating arc in sound demos, big soundstage sounds bad in sound demos idk?

[@UttRConcrete]

The Ray would make a nice PC speaker.

[@kamilhess8734]

Great video but get some dusting done 😂

[@iwx2672]

Would it be worth adding surrounds to a Ray though, seems I'd be low on bass? Also really hoping the sub mini rumour is true

[@smarthomesounds]

The Sonos One SL would be a good option to add to the Ray and make take the listening experience a lot more immersive. Judging by the various mini sub rumours hopefully something sill emerge by the end of the year :-)

[@mmattiasohlsson]

I got the Arc and i´m extreeeaamly happy with it! I live in an apartment and it easily pumps ouut plenty of bass for movies, music and games! The width of the sound really stands out in gaming. Playing The Last of Us in 4K with high volume and incredible imersion is really amazing!

[@hindsy90]

I have the Samsung qn94a. This compatible with the beam gen 2?

[@smarthomesounds]

Yes the Beam would work great with the QN94A :-)

[@hindsy90]

@@smarthomesounds thanks for your reply. Had just heard some things about Samsung not supporting Dolby atmos decoding and issues with pass through if that sounds familiar?

[@hfuffvnjvnijd8989]

hopefully Sonos will fix ALL the problems regarding the ARC and the atmos codecs. sub and rears lose contact after you had an atmos codec playing and go back to 5.1 or other. Sonos finally admitted all the errors with this products... for the price, its a shame that it dont work properly , but hopefullt the new update with fixes are coming now sonos finally admitted there are huge problems

[@wekkimeif7720]

All of them sound very thin on bass like it is non existent. Perhaps it is just not possible to record the bass properly. Having only the highs audible makes it impossible to judge which of them is better.

[@1blackballed]

Was in John Lewis yesterday and they had a demo station set up.... personally I thought the beam sounded the best of the 3 was quite disappointed in the arc

[@smarthomesounds]

The Beam is a great product that offers a lot for the price and is one of our favourite Sonos products :-)

[@onedaystrangerenough]

Hope Sonos do a smaller version of the Arc.Its size should be narrowed down to at least 1 metre.

[@neilsnowden2422]

I don’t hear any atmos out of the name , tv says atmos app says atmos but I don’t hear any height on an lg c3 55

[@mtnbikerva1]

Sennheiser Ambeo or even others, compared: to Sonos ARC with a sub? Sonos ARC with a pair of Sonos 5? ARC with mini sub and a pair of 5s? Audio dynamics: highs, mids and lows? does adding a sub and or Sonos 5s allow the Sonos ARC to be noticeably, cleaner and more dynamic since some of the work goes to other speakers? Or is it just the Sonos software and hardware design that stops it from sounding as good as say a quality pair of studio monitors, like say Yamaha HS8? Room size is 13ft x 19ft and 8ft high I do not listen to rap and do not like too much bass. I listen to all rock, Country Western, Bluegrass,new age, bag pipes, pipe organ, punk, piano, a cappella, metal, I hate the stuff they pass off as music mostly since all the auto tune and gridding of noise/music, or since about late 90s. Most pop "music" today is just cheap and easy to make noise. Country today is crap! Thank you!

[@shakirghazali2890]

No hdmi cable is no go

[@innocentrage1]

Just got an arc, let's hope I dont wake the neighbors