Design and build:

Sonos Beam and Beam Gen 2 have the same design. They have a sleek and slim soundbar with rounded edges. While both are made of plastic, the Sonos Beam Gen 1 uses a fabric material to cover the bar whereas the Beam Gen 2 uses plastic grille. Overall, the build quality is solid. It is great to place under 55 to 65” TVs. The soundbar dimension and weight of these two models are the same. You have the option to mount them on walls in case you want to save space.

Performance:

Comparing Sonos Beam Gen 1 vs Gen 2, one of the major differences in the inclusion of Dolby Atmos in Gen 2. Another difference is the number of channels, Gen 1 is a 3.0 soundbar and Gen 2 is a 5.0 model. This causes the sound quality to vary and between the two, the Gen 2 shows better performance. The Beam Gen 2 has 1 tweeter and 4 full-range woofer drivers. Among the five drivers, two are used to deliver information of surround and height channels.

Sonos Gen 2 delivers great performance as a standalone bar, to get the same experience, you might need to add a Sonos Sub to the Gen 1. Comparing Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs 1, the Gen 2 has good surrounds along with impactful overhead effects. The Gen 2 Beam soundbar has front and side firing drivers so that the sound is enveloping and room-filling. It’s Atmos effect is powerful at such a compact size that makes movies more enjoyable.

It also has powerful soundstage that makes you feel that the sound is all around you. Compared to the Beam Gen 2, the Gen 1 is slightly louder with a high SPL. That said, they are both suitable for medium sized rooms. For larger rooms, go for 5.1 or 7.1 setups. Sonos Beam Gen 1 soundbar has rich and decent audio. It is a great improvement over TV audio.

Both these speakers come with an independent center channel resulting in clear and intelligible vocals but then Gen 2 is clearer. With the S2 app, use Trueplay (iOS device) to optimize the sound based on room layout.

Features:

Sonos Beam Gen 1 and Beam Gen 2 have almost similar features. These soundbars can be a part of Sonos ecosystem. They are quite versatile in terms of audio sources. With Wi-Fi, you can stream from anywhere online. Online radio and streaming services are some of them. Some popular apps are Deezer, Tidal, Spotify. If you are using Apple devices, you can also play contents from Apple apps.

With Sonos, creating whole house audio is easy as breeze. You have the option to play same song in all rooms or different music in each room.

Connectivity:

Sonos Beam Gen 1 and Gen 2 have similar connection options. They have HDMI for wired connectivity and Wi-Fi as a wireless option. If your TV does not have any HDMI support, you can use the included optical adapter and make connection. Sonos Beam Gen 2 upgrades to a HDMI eARC which means it supports HDMI 2.1.

While they do not come with any remote, they support HDMI CEC that allows you to use TV remote to control the bar. With Sonos Boost and Port, you can use the Sonos wireless mesh network technology. This will create a whole house sound system.

Compatible speakers:

You can surround speakers along with a Sonos Sub to create a 5.1 sound system with the Sonos Beam Gen 1 soundbar. With the Beam Gen 2, you can create a 7.1.4 by pairing Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Sub. If you think you want a smaller system, you can also go for 3.1.2 or 5.1.2 with the Beam Gen 2. While the Beam Gen 1 works with Sonos S2 OS and the older S1 OS, the Beam Gen 2 is compatible with only S2 OS.

Control options:

Both these Beam soundbars have touch-sensitive controls. The functions are quite basic that includes volume up, down, play/pause, forward/previous track and mic button. These speakers work with the Sonos S2 app that offers several features including bass/treble adjustment, choose speech enhancement, night mode, set alarm, etc. Use the app to perform setup when you want to add more speakers.

The speakers have microphone and built-in voice assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa. You can maintain your privacy by muting the mic button. It works with Apple Airplay 2 with which you can stream content to Sonos and Airplay supported speakers throughout the home. These soundbars will work with Siri enabled devices and give commands. They work with Sonos Voice Control as well.

Cost:

Sonos Beam Gen 1 and Beam Gen 2 cost almost the same. They are available under $500. In case you want a cheaper soundbar check the Sonos Ray.

FAQ:

How powerful is the Dolby Atmos effect of Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar?

Since the soundbar do not have up-firing drivers, the sound does not hit the ceiling and reflect back. It has virtual Dolby Atmos that makes the overall sound better than any non-Atmos bar. While it will not be a powerful as soundbars with up-firing drivers, it can still make a difference and improvement in the overall performance.

What is the best alternative to the Sonos Beam Gen 2?

Sonos Arc is the best alternative to the Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar. It is a 5.0.2 soundbar that is dedicated up-firing speakers that can deliver powerful overhead effects. overall, the sound performance is better with the ARC due to more number of channels.