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I must admit I was a bit sceptical about getting the Beam Gen 2 it appeared some of the reviews online were a bit over favourable...
...I was wrong.
Spend time tuning the Sonos Beam Gen 2 correctly (which in fairness will take you 20 minutes tops after initial setup) and you will be rewarded with one of the best Dolby Atmos capable soundbars in its class.
I will try and be as balanced as possible throughout this review, as I imagine there are likely a fair few people who are in the same boat as we were before taking the plunge.
There's plenty of videos online showing unboxings of the speaker and Sonos have an excellent resource hub which does a great job of explaining their Trueplay technology etc, so I won't bulk out this review unnecessarilly with details you can find in 10 seconds elsewhere 😀
**Trueplay**
I can't emphasize enough how important it is to do the Trueplay setup to get the most out of the Beam Gen 2. It's a shame the setup procedure is limited to iPhone, but it's well worth borrowing one if you don't already own have it to hand.
Trueplay allows your Beam Gen 2 to optimise itself for your environment and we found a noticeable difference after finding out the correct way to get the best out of the feature.
As a tip, don't be tempted to follow the on screen demo within the app. Whilst it isn't wrong, I found a few deviations did the world of good. What I did was did the listening (seated) sweep first, then with the "walk round the room waving your phone like a fool" section, spend 30 seconds around the edges snd floor/ceiling of the room then at the last 30 seconds return to your listening position and concentrate on where you normally sit.
Doing it this way demonstrated a notable difference in the bass response, removed the slightly strange echo from the surround/height drivers and tidied up the high frequencies (which sounded a bit splashy). The width of the soundstage was also improved as well as producing some genuinely impressive spatial effects - more on this further on in the review.
You can do without Trueplay altogether so it's not a deal breaker, but if you have the opportunity it makes an already great speaker even better in my opinion.
**Sonos App**
The app is okay. Nothing outstanding, however, once setup you'll be hard pressed to find something easier to use. The overall look is very sparse and I think this is in need of an overhaul design wise, but for now you can get everything done fairly easily and it does what it's supposed to do.
I read some horror story reviews of the app online but found a lot of them were a bit exaggerated - it's really not that bad!
**EQ and audio options**
The Beam Gen 2 houses five physical speakers; left, right, one surround/height driver angled at each end and a centre tweeter for dialogue. There are also three "passive radiators" to help boost low end effects.
Within the app there's a 2 band equaliser which is basically bass and treble. There's also a Loudness function which, whilst reminiscent of an 80's hifi system, is actually very effective at low volumes in adding a good amount of low end and sparkle in the treble. Be aware though, that around 30% volume it begins to lose its effectiveness as the speakers onboard processor makes computational adjustments to ensure the speaker drivers don't over exert themselves.
There's also an audio compression setting for when a vinyl turntable is connected to the aux input, as well as a "Height effects" setting which allows you to adjust the amount of volume applied to the side firing surround/height drivers.
**Audio quality**
Sound per pound, this is genuinely impressive. Outstanding, even.
I do not say this lightly. I used to own a full 7.1 separates system and therefore I've always used this as a benchmark for everything we've owned since. For domestic harmony purposes and to save space I gave it all to a good friend and since then have owned various soundbars.
But what this relatively small and unassuming soundbar generates is as close to the sound produced by my old 7.1 system as I'll ever hear.
There are times when we're watching and it just throws sound WAY wider than even the confines of the windows, never mind the TV. And it's not just gimmicks, this is well controlled and expertly positioned sound which adds a fantastic atmosphere to TV dramas and movie's. Watching Drive to Survive in Dolby Atmos is incredible - with some thunderous low end bass which is not only well controlled but also has the attack to add plenty of impact.
At the beginning of each episode, there's a top down of the car in the pits and as it drives off camera, the Beam steers the sound not just on one flat side to side axis but also upwards on the vertical and diagonal. You have or hear to believe but it's always genuinely impressive. The team radio chatter is also mixed into the height channels and whilst the Beam Gen 2 stops short of proper overhead sound, you are placed in a 180 degree bubble which extends WAY beyond just the area below the TV.
Moving to movies and the Beam Gen 2 comes alive with a good 5.1 or Atmos audio mix. Despite its small size, anything you throw at it is handled with th confidence of something much larger and is always well controlled without becoming boomy or harsh. I've included a short demo which I would encourage you to watch with some earbuds/headphones to get an idea of what it sounds like.
For casual TV watching, the improved centre channel over and above the first generation Beam is perhaps one of the most impressive parts of the Beam Gen 2. It's perfectly tuned and gives a really well balanced sound which gives voices a nice realistic tone. Even when pushed hard, it never falters and always locks dialogue in the centre of the mix. Brilliant.
**Music**
As it's a standalone unit emulating multi channel audio, the Beam Gen 2 becomes a bit unstuck when playing Atmos music tracks in my opinion. The overall sound quality is great and it has excellent timing whatever the musical genre, however, it sounds like it's trying too hard to produce an already busy soundmix and it just ends up with tracks sounding a bit disjointed.
On the flip side, HD stereo tracks sound tremendous - with an addictive, toe tapping quality that will have you rummaging through your old playlists to listen to your favourites all over again. Excellent.
**And now for some balance**
Okay, nothing is perfect and I wanted to make sure those thinking of buying are aware of the following to add some balance to the review.
Don't expect any kind of surround sound effect from this. The manufacturer website shows a simulated infographic which suggests this can emulate sound through psychoacoustics to trick your senses. However, in practice this is simply non existent.
The best way to describe the effect is the Beam Gen 2 creates a very effective bubble of sound which extends a good 2 feet or so to the left, right and above, below and in front of the TV. It's a wonderful feat of acoustic engineering, but surround sound this is not.
For that, you'll need to add a pair of Sonos One, One SL or Sonos Five (or even IKEA Symfonisk) as and this is where the true potential of this little box of fun is unlocked. When adding rear speakers, this allows the Beam to "hand off" the surround duties of its side firing speakers to the rears, leaving the Beam to then concentrate it's efforts on producing height effects from its side firing speakers instead. It's all very clever and sound fantastic.
BUT, by this stage you've added almost another £400 to the cost on top of the price of the Beam and therefore, it's worth considering if an all in one solution may be better if you're looking after the budget.
Don't get me wrong, the sound quality is very, very good indeed and like I said earlier, this is the closest I've heard anything come to the sound signature my old 7.1 system produced. Just be mindful that to get the full Sonos experience, you'll need to set aside a hefty budget in order to enjoy it.
I wish the app was more polished but this is a subjective thing rather than a criticism. It does the job but lacks the flair I've seen In apps elsewhere for other audio products.
Additionally, the lack of any HDMI inputs may be a let down for some. Not all TVs come with a bundle of HDMI inputs and it would have been handy to at least have ONE HDMI in to free up space on the TV inputs.
Finally, whilst the bass reproduction is very good indeed, be aware this is lower mid bass and there's a definite roll off on some low frequency effects. What it lacks is low bass, the stuff that rumbles the room type bass. I wasn't expecting it to - that would unfair - but having seen some reviews elsewhere they give the impression this can shake a house down..it can't. For that, you'll need to add the Sonos sub. More money again! You can see where I'm going here...
But for what it is, the bass response is actually very good for its size and I think many will be pleasantly surprised at the results.
**To conclude**
On reflection, this has been an excellent but. A truly standout soundbar in its class with superb audio quality and very effective Atmos bubble for movies and TV shows. It's also excellent for stereo music tracks at any volume and had a nice, warm sound signature which is immediately appealing.
Don't expect sound effects flying past your head or bass that shakes the family china, nor should you expect helicopters flying above your head (think more hovering just above the TV).
However, what you can expect is one of the very best soundbars money can buy at under £500. A truly class product which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
