Sonos Beam (Gen 2) vs 2 x Apple HomePod 2: Head-to-head 🔥

[@morells09]

12:08 this is honestly an underrated feature of the HomePods for TV audio. I had been using the stock TV speakers in our bedroom TV since we got it because with the way it’s wall mounted in what used to be a closet, mounting any kind of soundbar just isn’t possible. But with our headboard on our bed that is effectively a shelf with a flat top, putting a stereo pair of HomePods on the headboard works shocking well for watching movies, shows, and even gaming in bed.

[@arondyte318]

I just bought my first Homepod 2 a few weeks ago and the sound has been amazing coming out of such an unassuming speaker for its size and I love that I can easily move it around the house if I wanted to and just plug and play. I’ll probably get another one down the road so I can test the stereo pair but its versatility in movement is what I’m happiest with for me for now since the Sonos Beam, while sounding a bit better, seems to be a more stationary experience.

[@jessemorales146]

I love Apple, I have a whole apple ecosystem in the house. However, If it’s about sound quality for movies and music, you have to go with the Beam. It sounds almost just as good as two HomePods (sometimes better depending what you’re watching), and it costs less. And as the video stated, you have the potential to add more to your set up. A Sub, surround speakers, and the HomePods won’t be anywhere close to the sound when you add more to the set up. If you’re not too much on sound quality for movies and tv shows, and you listen to a lot of music, then go with the HomePods. $600 is the most you’ll spend and they honestly do sound great.

[@macmovieman1]

We have an extensive smart home that’s being run on Apple HomeKit, we both have iPhones and AirPods, as well as a MacBook Pro, and multiple Apple TVs and iPads. But… sonos was the clear winner, and it’s still allows us to listen to her Apple Music, and use airplay when we want. There’s so many advantages to Sonos, and being able to listen to all the different types of music from Amazon to Tidal and so on. The speakers from Sonos can still be seen on your Apple HomeKit, but the biggest reason is it allows us to upgrade as our budget allows. You start with an arc and later at a sub and then add two 5s ect. We now have three home theater rooms, and a total of about 34 speakers throughout the house.

[@smarthomesounds]

Thanks for the feedback, this is exactly what makes Sonos great, the new ERA products will also take Sonos to the next level.

[@macmovieman1]

@@smarthomesounds I agree. I have two 300 era speakers showing up in the next week. Can’t wait to hear them and see their best use case in my home. Likely going to be rear speakers in the gym with the Arc and sub. I think I am most excited about them being Wi-Fi 6 so they can be all alone on that band and not interfere with all of the other speakers.

[@KuyaArbee]

I had my doubts with the home pod 2 but it makes watching ALL CONTENT on TV fun to watch! without having to TWEAK audio settings each time with most soundbars in this price range.

[@matthewburno]

THIS! this is why apple is missing out on.a market segment if they would allow for 4 HomePods or 4 minis they are going to hit a spot no one else can with the set it forget it type of people that don't want to have to wonder if I have the correct mode for this type of media etc with apples built in processors and mics into each HomePod and the Apple TV knowing what's being processed before it even hits the HomePods it'll automatically adjust and scale to make it sound correct for movies shows games! not everyone finds it fun to change settings on media type and if that movie for example even supports that amount of chs in the first place! and what if you went all out on a huge atmos setup and decide to watch a random show or movie that was formatted for just basic stereo? I feel like HomePods could understand this better than anything and adjust accordingly!

[@driver288]

We pivot more and more towards an Apple home but I’m not chucking out my Sonos speakers. We are “de-googlifying” though and have an Apple TV and one HomePod mini among our 7 Sonos speakers. Mostly as a test but it’s easier to control the home and get calendar features with Apple/HomePod plus the matter part is great and have already reduced complexity with our smart home setup. I’m selling 2 nest hubs and am getting 1 or 2 HomePod minis instead to complete the transition and remove the Google assistant from the setup.

[@MsModestyBlaise]

Very wise. Android/Google owners are all quick to hate on Apple but who in their right mind can trust them with personal data. Apple on the other hand pushes back from personal data gathering and the whole Apple TV, iPhone, HomePods set up is the only one I would trust in my home.

[@KrisJones-d1e]

How does the Beam compare to a stereo pair of Era 100's?

[@TerrySmith1953]

Even though it's another chunk of money, do you think the Beam + the mini-sub represent a more complete system?

[@smarthomesounds]

Yes 100% a more complete system.

[@rahalrodrigo5430]

Amazing comparison!! Could we have an Arc vs Homepod 2 pair? Thanks mate

[@jasperverkroost]

If a Beam Gen. 2 already outperforms the Homepods, an Arc will blow them away.

[@rahalrodrigo5430]

@@jasperverkroost In mids and highs, true, the beam was better in my openion too. Want to see if a sound bar can come close to the homepods low end, without assistantce from the sub.

[@Anonyme09865]

@@rahalrodrigo5430they don’t. Homepods are better

[@bkn0x]

are Sonos One SL still worth buying in 2023? I have an apple tv 4k and a sonos beam so far and want to adds 2 speakers for behind the couch :)

[@Birmingham_racing]

It's only way you're getting surround so yes

[@Lyon4488_]

Can the be connected ie, can you connect the beam 2 to the HomePod and the use the as your tv/ ps5 speaker

[@AM_9924]

I’m deep within the Apple ecosystem. Love it and all but when it comes to home theatre sound I would still stick to Sonos. Looking forward to extending my ARC soundbar setup with the new Era speakers.

[@smarthomesounds]

Totally agree, and the Era 300's as rears.... Wow

[@AM_9924]

@@smarthomesounds Pricey but I’m sure it’ll be worth it!

[@JCaesar11]

I use a Sonos Beam one and mini sub for my movies and a HomePod gen 2 for smart speaker. Works well

[@driver288]

I have a question. I read that the spatial audio that Apple use is coming soon to beam gen2 in a software update, but what does that actually mean? From what sources can we get lossless, spatial or Atmos from today, and after this update? 🤔. I know I have a problem with my tv since it’s only ARC and not eARC so atmos from Apple TV through tv to beam does not work. From tv to beam I get Dolby digital +, aka. Lossy atmos. But what do I get when streaming atmos from an iPhone or android now and after the update? I never get the Sonos app to show atmos via airplay2 for instance. Neither through streaming via the Sonos app

[@MrTomo89]

Hi what TV are you using in this video @ 4:39 looks a great tv and I like the stand

[@Esignn]

You must have the sub mini with the Beam for an even comparison

[@ravic1754]

Do you think addition of two era 100 speakers to the Beam would improve their musical and Dolby Atmos performance? I am looking for a budget setup to watch movies and listen to music in Dolby Atmos. Right now I am considering Dual Homepods and an Apple TV 4K or Sonos Beam Gen 2 with 2 Sonos Era speakers. Which would be better value? I know the Beam with the two additional satellites would sound more immersive than a stereo pair Homepods. However, they will cost $270 mover than a stereo pair of Homepods and an Apple TV 4K. Whereas the stereo pair Homepods sound as good if not better than a Beam alone and I will also be getting the best stream box money can buy.

[@valhalla49]

Team Sonos all the way love the ability to add and have more products great system 🇬🇧👍👍

[@olasogaolu7011]

Been looking for this video for a while. Thanks

[@smarthomesounds]

No problem!

[@earthzero7]

I could hear Paul scooping up the sand on both sound setups in this demo,... Listening on my Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra at 50% volume.

[@bengtkarlstrand9264]

Sonos 7.1 A really good configuration for music Beam a sub mini and 2 Ikea picture frames as surrounds Then an additional 2 Ikea, in stereo pair, as support for front channels. Less volume on these. Run both systems at the same time. Easy to do in the app. Position a lot of volume on the surrounds, to get a very spacy sound in the room.

[@bogdan4122]

what about arc vs 2 homepods?

[@ramitmehta]

would be good to know if homepods can play lossless atmos found on discs. or can you only get atmos when streaming?

[@mrdropcombo868]

HomePods can work through earc with the Apple TV. So if there’s a disc player connected to your tv, it should i imagine

[@lukas2332]

Hi thanks for this nice video. One question. Can I control the volume of the HomePods with the tv remote?

[@smarthomesounds]

Yes this is possible when using the eArc connection

[@GboTee]

I thought you only wanted to compare 2 speakers. If there are ways to add 2 more HomePods as rears, I am sure the setup would be the one to beat. All fail to mention that when the HomePods are at their loudest, they are still very stable, with no vibrations of the loose things around and no distortions to the audio.

[@KuyaArbee]

FACTS!!!! even at it's loudest! ITS CRYSTAL CLEAR!

[@mckillan]

I shut my eyes to be able to take in the differences and, in every instance, even the Dune clip, I vastly preferred the HomePods.

[@sposo]

what prompter is he using?

[@stefanmihaila3261]

There is only one way to go for your hard earned money : beam gen2 with 2 era 300 for 7.0.4 later you can add sub mini for state of the art 7.1.4 and you are set for 10 years (no arc )

[@alexis.x]

What about 2 Sonos Move paired in stereo?

[@GabrielCapo24]

what is the Tv stand? i need that lol

[@lvrnt.]

Team sonos! Beam gen 2 & sub mini❤

[@ianferguson3543]

My HomePod minis stopped working with the Apple TV so my stereo pair is only working with music so annoyed and looking at the beam gen 2

[@AlexManMe]

I’m about to buy the IKEA Sonos floor lamp speakers, can you do a review?

[@smarthomesounds]

Yes, this is something we are looking at so stay tuned.

[@AlexManMe]

@@smarthomesounds looking forward to it everyone says they are super ugly

[@TheCdM1981]

The beam with a sub mini is unbeatable in money to quality. Especially when you get both the beam and sub mini on sale.

[@deonh9303]

Fantastic video - thank you 🎉 🙏🏼!

[@TheSparrowPrince-xm5eu]

Great video!

[@donyzi]

Ty mate ! Amazing review 👏🏽

[@zhttty]

thanks i love beam more , becase I like to hear more details and like the voice more clearly

[@eduardohimelfarb2259]

Great review, thanks !!

[@grizzlypaws461]

Wow. HomePods are impressive.

[@arijit8381]

Which sounds better

[@anusankathirkamanathan8388]

HomePod

[@DaveMathijs]

No more Sonos for me, ever again. Adding a product to the system is a mess. Either, the app doesn't find the product (I simply am no longer able to connect my Play 3s with the new app), the app continuously asks you to login (which I already am), or it doesn't find the wi-fi network (although I'm already connected). Then, there is a significant lag when adjusting the volume. The app's UI is a disaster, it's way too complicated. I've had 2 Play 3s, 2 Play 1s and a Move 1 (because I wanted bluetooth instead of wi-fi). Multi-room grouping is not applicable nor needed for me.

[@pankil82]

Apple home pods: thread messaging is listed for 128 GB version and 64 GB one is WiFi only

[@DuulHomes]

Do era next pal 🙏🏽

[@leegoodall71]

it’s got to be the Sonos for me, and I love apple products

[@alexandrtsykalevych2254]

When Sonos era review?

[@smarthomesounds]

Very soon, we are currently in testing :-)

[@QualityScrub]

Watching this with two HomePod 2s lol

[@pauljenkins6877]

Given that two HomePods are a third more expensive than a Beam, if the sound is close then the comparison is not close, and that is assuming that you already have an Apple TV 4K.

[@steve-ey4ol]

take the base down in the HomePod ? its on or off no taking down - please understand the products you are reviewing and not to mislead the consumer

[@Capitan_Cavernicola_1]

Apple really needs to do something about the HomePods update. In comparison to the sonos, the homepods sounds busy, lacking clarity-detail and sounds less punchy. Choose the HomePods only If you have lots of parties with heavy bass music.

[@Anonyme09865]

I just like the simplicity of having HomePods.

[@liquid79]

Sonos sounds better and once you add the rears and sub there's no comparison to the homepods.

[@RickP2012]

Beam all day long.

[@yourbestfriendjoshua]

The Beam >>>>>>>

[@Bswithjay]

Both are junk a waste of money but apple is more reliable and better customer service if something was to go wrong with your plastic speakers

[@soprano7088]

Both overpriced

[@philwynn8320]

I tried the new home pods as i have the previous gen. I can honestly say they were a big disappointment. The previous gen have better bass and better atmos sound. Sorry Apple!

[@CandyR-u9w]

I got this week 2 HomePods and I am very very disappointed I do not know why everyone said sounds good got before a solo noise sound bar and sound 1000000% much better 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

[@bnhli7190]

Man you’re no audiophile so a little bit of humility here please

[@andreaslinnelmortensen56]

U cannot compare sonos to apple. Sonos makes high end quality speakers and apple makes phones, computers etc. Apples speakers are shit compared to sonos xD

[@ChesmarHomesSanAntonio]

HomePod2 is horrible