Sonos - Beam (Gen 2)
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 5, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
18
1
"I can’t get over the fact that spending *less* money gave me such a better experience. ... For everyone else, the Beam Gen 2 is *king*: For half the price of the Ultra (and much less on sale/refurb)"
"It was $300 refurbished with recent sales and an absolute no brainer at that price ... I can’t get over the fact that spending *less* money gave me such a better experience. ... For half the price of the Ultra (and much less on sale/refurb)"
"it sounds so much better than my arc ultra lmfao. for a 3rd of the price."
60
18
"It was *unbelievable*. ... For the first time since my standing speaker setup, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to music again, cranking the volume and just in awe at how good it sounded (sorry neighbors). ... I sat there for hours playing through some of my favorite albums. ... No overly processed highs, no muddy mids, everything just sounded clean, direct, and enjoyable. ... music is in a league of its own (when paired with a Sub to fill in the lows) due to a significant, and very welcome, lack of over-processing."
"perfect dialogue"
"for music - everything from streaming to vinyl to CDs- the sub mini / beam / surround ones- is, dollar for dollar (and even when you don’t take cost into account) the best non standing system you are going to find. It’s great. ... once you do that, the Beam is as good as anything, and for music, maybe even better."
5
0
"Yep, that spot is just screaming for a Sonos bar."
"With my small den the beam works great."
"needed something physically smaller to attach to the underside of a wall mounted tv."
20
6
"We moved the 2 small speakers, as you suggested, and that made an immediate improvement. ... I turned center speaker up to 9 and we are hearing everything crystal clear. ... I'm shocked at what a difference this made. ... For now, we are sticking with the Beam."
"perfect dialogue"
"she (70 y/o) said it ’s the clearest dialogue she’s ever heard from TV."
7
0
"What I like most about the Sonos system is that although it's proprietary, it's very customizable and modular. ... Want to start with just a soundbar, go ahead; want to add surrounds first, sure; want to upgrade your soundbar and use the same surrounds, no problem; want to add a sub, okay; want to upgrade the surrounds, go ahead, and you can then use your old ones as standalone speakers elsewhere."
"easy to use ... AVR + wiring surround sound speakers just sounds like a hassle for an apartment."
"soundbars now can be very good with basic plug and play. ... No wires is a huge plus too."
Disliked most:
0
2
"Not happy you cannot shut it off without unplugging or disconnecting from WiFi so the soundbar is always on. ... I don want it on all the damn time."
"Sonos would require me to use the Sonos app."
4
12
"The clarity somewhat was not there and I struggle to hear spoken words ie lyrics and speech regardless what of switching speech enhancement and night mode on and loudness turned off ... I feel what ’s the point having this system if you can ’t use these features ... beam 2, despite being really good on it ’s own when connected to era 300s, is not powerful enough to compliment era 300s as 300 does not use centre firing drivers when in surround mode with beam, so when paid it lacks an ability to generate clear sound. ... In short, I personally don ’t suggest connecting beam 2 with Era 300s."
"The Beam 2 is eh. Quite weak & very dull sounding. ... If I can comfortably listen to a movie at 60%+ volume, that sucks in my book. ... Hell I even had it at 100% in my bedroom before & I was just like "that's all this things got???""
"music sounds pretty bad with it. ... Music bad."
1
6
"if you ever tried to play music with their (previously) amazing app with included stream services like Apple Music to play Lossless isnt currently working right"
"Sonos would require me to use the Sonos app."
"It is paring with other speakers etc. that gives me issues."
6
7
"compared to the Beam 2 that I listened too in demo, sounds better and not stimulated. ... However, it does fall down on Atmos, which is one of the main reasons I went with the arc."
"Brighter, more detail, more balanced, better surround performance, just better in literally every aspect than the Beam."
"I like the atmos/surround effect on my lone sonos beam (gen 2) in my living room, but it's not at all the same as physical speakers behind me."
14
5
"The clarity somewhat was not there and I struggle to hear spoken words ie lyrics and speech regardless what of switching speech enhancement and night mode on and loudness turned off ... I feel what ’s the point having this system if you can ’t use these features ... beam 2, despite being really good on it ’s own when connected to era 300s, is not powerful enough to compliment era 300s as 300 does not use centre firing drivers when in surround mode with beam, so when paid it lacks an ability to generate clear sound. ... In short, I personally don ’t suggest connecting beam 2 with Era 300s."
"Very noticeable difference in clarity between the arc and ultra. For our aging ears spend the money on the ultra. ... Return it and buy the Arc Ultra. Much better. ... I also own both and still recommend the ultra over beam for clarity"
"Movie dialogue was always barely audible"
Sonos beam gen2+sub mini is most reccomended best buy and goes perfect with Sony tv's. I'm personally big fan of this combo. If You wanna premium sound than Sonos Arc ultra and sub 4.
r/bravia • Bravia 8 soundbar suggestions - possibly the Bravia theatre bar 6 ->When I tried Arc Ultra with Spotify Very High, the sound felt richer. Two Era100s hit wider than Beam Gen2, but I prefer Arc for deep, detailed tracks.
r/sonos • For stereo music Arc Ultra versus 2x Era100 ->100% the answer is Sonos. The Beam Gen 2 soundbar is a solid soundbar that offers decent atmos sound. The next step up to the Sonos Arc or Arc Ultra will hit different if you're not worried about cost. Add a Sonos Sub and that's all you'll need. I say this as someone that has a Klipsch Reference Premier 5.1.2 setup with a Denon 2800h receiver in my living room. I use the soundbar setup in my bedroom and it has pretty good quality. Does it hit quite the same as Atmos in a true home theater setup? Of course not, but it's still a damn good soundbar choice that gives you the Atmos you want.
r/LGOLED • Best soundbar system for LG C5? ->I went from a Beam 2 to an Arc Ultra (both paired with a Sub Mini and two Era 300s) and I hear a noticeable improvement in the music I listen to (mostly metal)
r/sonos • RTINGS set review for Arc Ultra ->I just made the upgrade from the Beam Gen2 to the Arc Ultra. May it depends on your room, your setup and your TV. For me I can say that the upgrade is noteable. The sound is much brighter, better high tones and the bass is stronger. I also moved to a bigger appartment and now I have a larger living room with 25 m^2. but I also have two One SL as surrounds and a Sub Mini for the deeper sounds. Long story short, I definetly would say that you can hear the difference. Brighter sound and the Atmos Effects are clearer. For me it was worth the upgrade. But the Beam Gen2 is still a very good soundbar. If you have the money and its worth to you, go for it. But if you stay with the beam you also won‘t be disappointed.
r/sonos • Sonos Arc Ultra Review: Upgrading from the Beam Gen 2 ->I would say it depends on your room, your TV and especially your needs. The Arc Ultra is a good soundbar and won‘t disappoint you. If you plan to add a Sub and Rears you can also buy that stuff later, because the system is modular. Maybe listen to one. And maybe compare the Beam 2. I just upgraded from Beam 2 to Arc Ultra. I‘m happy with it. And its good if you want to upgrade to some multi room features in future.
r/sonos • Sonos Arc Ultra - Worth it? ->If you got the money Sonos beam2. If not Samsung S60D
r/Soundbars • What soundbar to get for LG C5 55” ->Great review thanks, Era 300s aren't an option in my room , don't have space for them and the sofa is right up against the back wall. Currently have a beam gen 2 (with sub mini) and not impressed with the atmos performance and hoping the ultra might address that but it's not a cheap upgrade. I was planning on getting some ikea symfonix picture frames for rear surrounds as I like the aesthetics (and they sound decent enough by all accounts) but I gather they aren't compatible with the ultra. Could possibly find space for the era 100s but ideally I think I'd prefer up just have the ultra and hope it creates a decent enough atmos soundfield with movies to tick that box , and Atmos music would be nice as well.
r/sonos • My detailed and personal: Sonos Arc Ultra Review ->Had an arc ultra for 24hrs and sent it back, preferred the beam gen 2 , I didn't like the sound from the arc ultra especially with music, the beam gen 2 sounds nicer to me
r/sonos • RTINGS set review for Arc Ultra ->Tienes la Arc o la Arc Ultra? Porque también noté algo más de bajos en la Beam 2 comparando a la Arc de primera generación, mejor relación costo beneficio. Pero menos separación de sonido por su reducido tamaño y cantidad de drivers
r/sonos • Sonos Arc Ultra - Worth it? ->It could be the Sonos Beam 2, I still have it and I also have the Arc Ultra, for a small apartment or bedroom it is more than enough.
r/Soundbars • Best soundbar without subwoofer ->You might be able to find a Sonos Beam Gen2 and a pair of Sonos One in that budget. That's a great starter system, and something you can build on in the future by adding a Sub and replacing the other speakers with the higher end models. Or start with a Sonos Arc and add the rest later.
r/Soundbars • What’s a good soundbar for under $700? ->The Q990 and Beam Gen2 are in two completely different categories. I own a Q930 and Beam Gen 2. The only reason I even have the Beam Gen2 is because it was on sale for $250 and I was trying to maximize value for dollar for a spare bedroom and needed something physically smaller to attach to the underside of a wall mounted tv.
r/Soundbars • Dialogue- Q990D vs Beam2 ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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