Where To Buy Sonos Soundbar
We've currently tested seven Sonos soundbars. Sonos is an audio-centric brand that sells a wide range of home audio devices, including speakers. The brand focuses on creating multi-room home audio systems that bring your favorite music to every room of your house, creating a unique ecosystem that's easy to control via its all-in-one app. Its soundbars fit right into the mix, and you can even pair them with some of the brand's speakers and subwoofers for a more immersive surround sound.
where to buy sonos soundbar
This soundbar is suitable for all sorts of audio content. It's available as the standalone Sonos Beam (Gen 2) for those who don't have space for a sub and satellites, but the add-ons improve its sound, especially in the bass range. Voices and lead instruments are clearly reproduced, and you get plenty of thump in the bass for explosive scenes. Like the Sonos Arc, you have access to the TruePlay room correction feature, and there's built-in support for Alexa and Google Assistant. It doesn't achieve as much height as the Arc and doesn't get quite as loud, but this small bar still packs a real punch.
Sonos is a premium audio brand with a small array of soundbars to enhance your TV's audio. Their setups are easily upgradable, either by adding subwoofers and satellites or connecting them to your existing Sonos ecosystem to synchronize sound throughout different rooms of your house. Compared to other premium brands, though, there aren't as many customization tools on hand, but the best Sonos soundbars deliver clear sound out-of-the-box, so you don't have to tinker with their settings too much.
Sonos is a popular brand for audio lovers who want to enhance their favorite music, movies, and TV shows. Their premium soundbars are a solid choice with great audio quality right out of the box and fit into your existing Sonos ecosystem. You don't get as many enhancement features as other premium brands, but their plug-and-play performance isn't likely to disappoint. Check out our table to look at the best Sonos soundbars on the market.
Like many other soundbars the Sonos Playbar aims to be the centerpiece of your home sound system. It gives you access to multiple streaming services, so you can enjoy streaming music anywhere. It uses your TV's optical connector, so HDMI inputs are not necessary and can even wall-mount if you need the space. Just plug the optical cable into the soundbar and start listening Connect to a wireless subwoofer for more bass, and to wireless speakers for full surround. Use the Playbar to add Hi-Fi output to your Blu-ray players and build a full sound system.
But which Sonos product is right for you? And where can you get the best deal? Read on for our comprehensive round-up of every product in the Sonos family, and to see our constantly updated deals data that will ensure you get the lowest possible price.
Sonos doesn't just do premium. For proof, check out the Sonos Ray, its most affordable soundbar. There are no HDMI ports nor Dolby Atmos or Bluetooth support, but it still offers all the features and functionality of the Sonos wireless family. The sound is punchy and detailed, albeit far less room-filling than the bigger models in the range. The bass resonance issues that plagued the Ray at launch have recently been improved by a recent software update, vastly improving its performance and upgrading it to a worthwhile budget soundbar for you to consider.
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is simply the best Dolby Atmos soundbar at this price point. The Beam Gen 2 not only lives up to the high bar set by its predecessor (below) but exceeds it by a margin that more than justifies its new feature set and higher cost. The decision by Sonos to use processing power and forward-facing drivers to recreate Dolby Atmos has paid off with a more capable and effective handling of the format than many more expensive soundbars with upward-firing drivers.
The Sonos Beam was the first Sonos speaker to add an HDMI connection. This means it's ideal for boosting the sound from your TV, while also giving you all the familiar Sonos multi-room music features. Voice control is here, too, and, despite being discontinued, it's still an excellent budget soundbar if you can find one.
The best Sonos soundbar? It just might be. The Sonos Arc isn't cheap but it does add Dolby Atmos to the party and deliver the most impressive version of surround sound we've heard from a Sonos speaker, and indeed, one of the best from any soundbar on the market. And of course it's also a multi-room wireless speaker with app and voice control, plus access to practically every music streaming service on the planet.
If you prefer a soundbase to a soundbar, then the Playbase is your only option where Sonos is concerned. Luckily, it's a pretty good. It creates a big, broad soundstage and a solid, natural bass. It's also aesthetically stylish and reassuringly well put together. The treble can be a bit edgy when it gets really loud but it's still a fine buy, particularly if you spot a discount for this now discontinued product.
Sonos products have never been cheap; in fact, the company raised prices on most of them last year. But Sonos has also recently released some products that push things into more affordable territory. Last year, the company released the $179 portable Sonos Roam speaker, and later followed up with a microphone-free version for $159, the cheapest Sonos yet. Home theater speakers, however, have remained premium products, with the $449 Beam being the cheapest soundbar option the company makes.
The speaker has a tapered design and forward-facing speaker components, unlike the Beam and Arc. Sonos says this is so you can tuck the Ray inside of a media stand without sound bouncing off the walls. This is part of the overall vision for a product built for smaller spaces than other Sonos soundbars, which are both large and loud. (As usual with Sonos products, it comes in both black and white, either of which should look just fine in a wide variety of homes.)
Sonos announced the second generation of its compact soundbar in September 2021 and it's a big upgrade over the original Beam because it supports Dolby Atmos. It lacks upward-firing drivers (like the Arc), but it's able to create virtual height channels and deliver a more immersive experience thanks to its advanced CPU (which is 40-percent faster than the original Beam's CPU). Sonos gave the new Beam an eARC connection (instead of ARC) and a new polycarbonate grille (instead of fabric), but other than that the new Beam looks basically identical and has the same capabilities as its predecessor. Sonos also made it $50 more expensive.
The Sub Mini is essentially a smaller and more affordable version of the current Sub. It weighs 14 pounds, compared to the Sub's 36 pounds, but it works it much the same way: with dual force-cancelling woofers. There are a few other differences with the Sub Mini. It has a cylindrical shape and needs to be stood vertically (you can't rest it on its side like the Sub). It has a sealed rather than ported design. And you can only pair one Sub Mini with a soundbar, whereas you can use two Subs with the Arc. Sonos recommends pairing the Sub Mini with its Ray or Beam (Gen 2) soundbars, or with a pair of Ones.
Sonos is phasing out the 2018-released Beam now that it has released a new and improved version: the Beam (Gen 2). This older version is very similar to the new model but lacks a polycarbonate grille, the newer eARC connection and support for Dolby Atmos. But it's still an excellent compact soundbar that supports Alexa or Google Assistant voice assistants, and can be integrated in a Sonos multi-room or home theater system. It's not a bad option if you can get a good deal on it.
The Sonos Arc is an impressive and premium Dolby Atmos experience even without a subwoofer or extra speakers. New soundbars offer even better positional sound effects, but when it comes to dynamic audio that's perfectly clear from a single-box package, it's as good as you can get for the price. And, being Sonos, it's excellent with music as well as movies.
A lot has happened in soundbar world since the Sonos Arc's release, and it's price looks a little on the high side if you just want big home theater sound. You can get something like the Samsung HW-Q930B, with sub and rear speakers included, for around the same price as the Sonos Arc alone. However, not everyone wants all those boxes, even when they're wireless, and when it comes to all-in-one soundbars, the Arc is good value compared to competition such as the Sony HT-A7000.
Sonos Beam (2nd Gen)If the Arc is too pricey (or large), Sonos' smaller soundbar also packs an incredibly detailed punch from a single box. The Dolby Atmos effects are nowhere near as impressive, but the overall sound balance and scale feel like they come from something much bigger. And you could add real rear surround speakers all for the total price of the Arc alone.
Sony HT-A9 Home Theater SystemThe Sony HT-A9 set of speakers is perfectly placed for someone looking for a better Dolby Atmos sound solution than a soundbar, but who isn't quite ready to invest in a full-fledged home theater system.
The Sonos Ray is a simple, stereo soundbar which offers a big sound in a relatively compact package. It offers digital optical connection to a television and Wi-Fi for streaming music. It features a sleek design and promises an easy setup process. It's perfect for small TVs but will also suit gaming setups or small living rooms.
At $450 the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is not a cheap soundbar (it sits above my own $300 and $400 sweet spot) but the product does have some key advantages. At an almost 40 percent discount the $280 Sonos Ray is much more affordable but the differences between the two speakers are significant. One thing to consider is that the money you save on the Ray could buy you a couple of Symfonisk bookshelves rears, which would help increase the sense of immersion with movies. 041b061a72