Beam (Gen 2) | Soundbar with Dolby Atmos, Amazon Alexa for TV and Music Streaming - Black

I was pleasantly surprised that Amazon.in offered the SONOS Arc on their website. This, arguably may be the first time. Additionally I was pleased that Appario is the seller. SONOS is one of the best known companies that manufacture exclusively audio equipment of very high quality. This is evidenced by the enormous popularity of their PLYBAR, SUBWOOFER and satellite speakers and they are very highly rated. I owned Playbar and subwoofer gen 2 Coming to ARC, this sound bar was introduced in mid 2020 by SONOS. The main intention is to offer the most popular and highly rated DOLBY ATMOS. The features of the sound bar are given on the website. I will only deal with positive as well problems that you are likely to encounter. It comes with 110 to 220V power supply and hence no need for a stepdown transformer. Before installation download the SONO 2 app. from Google play. Make sure it is the one with brown color. Once you open the app and power the soundbar a green flashing light will appear and the app will recognize the arc and prompts you to press the infinity button located on the back of the sound bar. A steady white light is an indication that sound bar is ready for use. It has only one connection, HDMI, located opposite to power plug slot. HDMI cord is provided, and should be connected to the ARC of your TV. After connection, make sure the soundbar is connected to the HDMI arc of TV by using the app. TVs manufactured prior to 2015 will not connect easily. The newer ones with e-arc should easily connect. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL NEED THE NEW e-ARC outlet to make full use of the Dolby Atmos. If HDMI ARC is not available then connect the soundbar to optical input of TV using supplied HDMI to optical audio adapter. Some tips: Though sound bar itself can function it is desirable to add subwoofer and two SONOS ones to serve as a high quality 5.1 system. Set soundbar to “speech enhancement mode” to avoid background thumping sound from some of the movies. Ensure regulated power is supplied by installing servo voltage stabilizers and smart plugs to avoid surge. SONOS equipment is expensive and they use high quality components to provide many years of trouble free service. Nonetheless problems can come. SONOS do not have a service facility in India and hence they do not carry any warranty. However they have an excellent customer care department and are willing to help if the equipment needs service. SONOS cannot be used with older analog outputs using RCA cables. Adding converters is waste of money since they do not serve the purpose. It is provided with only ONE HDMI. I wish they have provided at least two HDMI inputs and a separate optical connection instead of providing HDMI to optical converter SONOS 2 app is more user friendly to apple devices than android. Soundbar will become slightly warm after more than half an hour of usage. This is normal The sound quality from sonos is excellent. It has very good bass and sound dispersion is unbeatable. It is sold for $799 in USA ( state tax not included )and 799 euros in Europe. SONOS products are seldom discounted. The price on amazon is nearly $1200. The price is acceptable considering the transport charges and customs duty. It is certainly not advisable to buy at a higher price than $1200. I have given 5 star rating on the basis of the sound quality. To realize the full bass a sub must be added. I checked with and without sub. It makes an enormous difference. Using the app it is very easy to operate. The app allows numerous possibilities to adjust sound, both treble and bass can be adjusted, music in ”full” or “ambient” form can be chosen although the “full” is preferred especially for 5.1 system with satellites added. There is no BLUE TOOTH connection, in my opinion a disadvantage especially to stream music. SONOS 2 will not allow accurate streaming of MP3 playlists from the music folder. In India it is not possible to use Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant because these services are yet to be launched I am also hoping SONOS will make the app more user friendly and certainly needs changes for streaming music using wifi I sincerely hope that SONOS will soon add a service facility in India. Review is after one week of use. Durability and technical problems can only be assessed after several months of usage I am not an audio expert and hence has no competence to compare SONOS to BOSE. Both the companies offer equipment of high quality. BOSE products can be serviced in India. I HAVE BEEN USING THE SOUND BAR FOR THREE YEARS AND NO PROBLEMS IN FUNCITIONING. HOWEVER I SHOULD MENTION THE PROBLEMS WHEN NEW SET OF SURROUND SPEAKERS ARE ADDED. I EXPERIENCED LOT OF PROBLEMS CONNECTING A PAIR OF ERA 300. SONOS NOW CAME UP WITH A NEW APP BLACK IN COLOR. APP SHOWED ERA 300 AND DESPITE CHOOSING THE RIGHT ROOM FOR PAIRING ERA,s WERE NOT ADDED. I HAD TO DO THE RESTTING OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM AND START ALL OVER AGAIN FOR ALL THE COMPONENTS THAT INCLUDE ARC, SUB AND ERA 300. VERY PAINFUL AND TIME CONSUMING. SONOS IS NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ON THEIR APP WHICH IS NOT USER FRIENDLY .Excellent music equipment but need to be connected with a horrible app.

- Packaging - 5/5 - I was amazed with the packaging. Lets say its an iPhone of home theatre. - Looks - 5/5 - Look is just minimal. Simple and subtle. - Setting up - 5/5 - Setting up via iOS is very very easy, all you have to do is just follow the steps shown on your phone. - Built quality - 5/5 - The Sound bar is quite heavy with a firm casing. It does not make any vibration noise when played at high volume. - Speakers drivers - 5/5 - This bar has 11 drivers. Unlike others where they try to cut down on drivers and do flop phase guide and all, this brand went with simple and directional. Where the speaker is required they just gave it and in that direction. - Sound quality - 5/5 - the sound quality of this bar is just another level. It is better than Bose or Sony. If you are coming from TV speakers you will be amazed with the Bass this bar can produce. The sound is clear, sharp and strong mids. But once you connect the Sub there is no coming back from it. I have seen Bose 900 drivers break. So my suggestion is not to push too much bass on just the bar. When you connect sub to a Sonos bar, it takes away all the bass from the bar and you get amazing crystal clear sound from bar. - Atmos - 3/5 - Atmos on this bar (or any bar for that matter) is like a myth. First the tv should support atmos. Then you have to get the TV settings right. Then the content you are playing should have atmos i.e. Dolby Digital Plus or Dolby TrueHD. Don’t forget to set the bar right at the edge of the table or wall mount with at least 8 inches below. Even after getting everything right and increasing the height channel to 10 the atmos is not that promising or prominent. I feel it’s cause the up firing driver is at only 15 degree angle which is almost straight up. It should have been 25 to 30 degrees. You can enjoy atmos but it’s just like it’s there for the name sake. - Connectivity - 4/5 - like it’s just stupid at this point to not have bluetooth on such an expensive bar. - Ecosystem - 5/5

Sonos Beam 2 reviews are plenty on the web. I will highlight my user experience based on using multiple soundbars. I have used LG SL8YG (Dolby Atmos), Bose 500 full Kit, Samsung Q990B(Dolby Atmos) so my review is based on comparing all these brands and models. Sonos Beam Gen 2 is immersive sound in a small package. I am pretty much impressed with the Bass which is comparable to Boss 500 Subwoofer module. I added Sonos Paly 1 speakers as surround speakers. Sonos beam as stand alone is pretty good, once you add surround speakers its next level. I don’t see a requirement for additional bass module since the inbuilt one is good enough for upto 200 Sqrft room. You can pick up surround speakers from IKEA called as SYMFONISKWiFi bookshelf speaker manufactured by Sonos, cost 9990/each. This more economical compared to SL one or Sonos Play book self-speakers. Alex/Google voice assistant does not work in India, you have Sonos Android/iPhone app which has most of the user controls. The bar does not come with remote control, you need to use the app for any changes in the setting. Sonos does not have Bluetooth as well, the way it works is with either HDMI (eARC), optical input or via WIFI using the mobile app. I feel the cost is little higher, anywhere between 35K to 40K would have been a sweet spot. Since its fully imported the cost will be higher. This is highly capable system which very good audio quality. You can look for Bose 600 which will be launched shortly in the similar price range as an alternative.

It sounds wonderful.. best for movies and music.. dialogues are crisp and clear now.. bass is ok.. but I added a mini sub for the extra oomph.. i could sense the stereo seperation clearly.. but surround and height effects definitely need extra surround speakers.. I can confirm that the bar produces a room filling sound when paired with a sub.. I got it for 66K.. it's a worthy buy..

Been searching for a good av setup for ages.Looked at soundbars,dedicated av setups and finally bought this beast!!! Oh my!! oh my!! my jaws dropped the first time I listened to music and watched movies on my sonos system(arc plus sub combo)Did a lot of research and the verdict was unanimous.. Nothing comes close to this killer combo Movies and music sound spectacular !!! The bass with sub is just delicious and dolby atmos sounds phenomenal!!! Forget about going to theatres after u purchase this!! Puts u right at the center of action U can buy the arc and sub with your eyes closed Fun fact I bought the sub before my arc arrived!!😀😃 That was the level of confidence I had in sonos!!! The setup was a bit tricky but it was worth it!!! Sonos app is superbly designed and very easy-to-use. Some tips 🔸️Connect ur sonos arc to a dedicated hdmi e-arc port (available only on latest TV models) to experience True dolby atmos.Personally I use LG OLED C1 65 inches 🔸️Set up initially on a idevice and complete trueplay tuning 🔸️Though the arc sounds good on its own adding a sub takes ur experience to the next level 🔸️When u create a sonos account use usa as your default country if u want to use Google assistant Enjoy ur sonos experience!!!!! Total value for money with the absolute best sound quality 👌👏 Satisfaction 💯 Value for money💯 Update-Have added two sonos ones to arc/sub combo and my surround sound set up is now complete!! 🎼The sound quality is fabulous and listening to songs on Apple music and Spotify is pure bliss👌 🎼Movies with atmos and 5.1 dolby digital sound spectacular Highly recommended ✌✌

The tonality of this soundbar is really good. Mid range manages to sound like some of the bookshelf speakers. I have edifier s1000mkii and hivi swans m50w mkiii so those are my point of reference. Movies - If you are buying this for atmos, DONT!!! It doesn't have that height effect but I guess none of the relatively cheaper soundbars does. Apart from that you will love this bar for movies. - The soundstage is really good for such a small bar. - Dialog clarity is excellent even without invoking the speech enhancement feature. I hate shimmery highs and it has just perfectly done highs. - Bass is unbelievable. I didn't expect quality bass from standalone bar. You definitely wont need a sub in a small to medium size room. If you like rightly done bass and not much overwhelming one, you will love these. Music - - Edifiers sound better than these for half the price. Its really hard to explain but there is something about good stereo music which you only realize once you hear it on good bookshelfs. Edifiers or HiFi Swans make me want to listen to music. Sonos just dont do it. Misc - - Trueplay didn't do any magic for my room like other youtube reviewers say. - Alexa works in India but you have to use VPN while setting up. TlDR- - Mostly movies usage - Go for sonos. - 50% movies, 50% music - still go for sonos. - >50% music usage - go for proper bookshelf speakers. With sonos you will like the music, with bookshelf speakers, you will love the music <3 Edit after 2 months: Added 2 one sl to the setup. Music and movies sound much better now. However instead of 2 one sl, I would recommend ikea symphonisk speaker as surrounds. Improvement in sound is not 40k like. 2 Ikeas will be somewhere around 20k which is much much better deal especially if you only plan on using them as surrounds. Coming to sound quality difference, 2 one sl and beam g2 fills the room easily. I have noticed improvement in bass as well as treble after adding these. Sonos automatically upscales some content from normal 2 channel stereo to add ambient sound in surrounds and it does great job at it. You can also individually setup output of each surround. Now just waiting for sub mini. Will update the review after I get those.

Using this gem from last 2 days and it’s really impressed me the kind of sound clarity loudness it has is commendable, speech enhancement is superb you can listen every bit every thing which is moving, don’t expect a true Dolby experience as it has no up firing speaker but does the job in terms of voice clarity it will leave u stunned, very soft and clear music, bass is awesome not very loud or thumping but does give a very balanced work with music and connect ur playing I was hesitate to spend 46k for such a small soundbar considering no rear speaker and sub woofer but after tasted almost all the brads and per my requirement which is clear and crisp sound I am happy I ve invested in awesome product and not regretting it could be better if Sonos provide a remote along with bar because everything controlling through iPhone is some time irritating, it’s super easy to setup and True Tone work wonder. Even in low volume u can listen very crisp and clear sound. I would recommend to go for it if your choice is not to shake the ur room and disturb others

If you have a tv which can pass through dolby atmos through eARC ( enhanced audio retutn channel) this sound bar produces the sound at different levels . Please note you need to add sonos sub and two sonos one SL speakers to get proper dolby atmos contain. The quality of the sound is mind blowing. You can hear sound which u never hard it before. I bet you. I mean i also have denon av 1200 x with Polk Audio speakers but the sonos is something out of the world. Its so realistic which i never heard from any other home theater system in my life. Music is freakishly great. I mostly play the music within the sonos app via Apple Music. Cons are sometimes it’s disconnect from the router. Ohh yea you need a broadband connection with a router else you cannot use the dolby surround. My setup is : sonos beam. Sonos sub. Two sonos one sl.