(Pocket-lint) – Sonos offers three soundbars in its portfolio; Sonos Ray, Sonos Beam (2nd generation) and Sonos Arc.
Arc is a full-fledged Dolby Atmos sound system with HDMI eARC, Alexa and Google Assistant support, plus several other bells and whistles. It sits at the top of the company’s line of soundbars.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) came out in 2021 and replaced the original Beam. It’s a smaller, more compact and cheaper soundbar, but it comes with virtual Dolby Atmos support. The Ray is the most affordable Sonos soundbar, also compact but doesn’t offer the same features as Beam.
So which is the better Sonos soundbar for your setup? We compare Arc, Beam (Gen 2) and Sonos Ray to help you decide.
design and connections
- Sonos Arc: 1141.7 x 87 x 115.7mm, 6.25kg, HDMI eARC (optical adapter included)
- Sonos Beam (Gen 2): 651 x 68.5 x 100mm, 2.8kg, HDMI eARC (optical adapter included)
- Sonos Ray: 559 x 95 x 71mm, 1.95kg, Optical
- All require broadband and electricity
You only have to look at the three Sonos soundbars to see there’s an obvious difference in design aesthetics. All three can be wall mounted or placed on a TV stand, but the Beam (Gen 2) and Ray are more likely to be found on the latter. Both are small enough to be fairly anonymous in front of a TV, and in the case of the Ray, the speaker grille is only on the front, meaning it can also be placed in a TV stand.
The Ray and Beam soundbars are very much designed for use with smaller TVs – say 32 to 50 inches. They’ll greatly enhance the sound experience compared to the built-in speakers of a smaller set, and both will happily get out of the way when placed up front.
The Arc, on the other hand, looks more like a traditional soundbar and will likely be paired with much larger TVs. It’s much longer and more soundbar shaped than the Beam and Ray.
In terms of connectivity, all three devices have 2.4GHz WiFi and Ethernet ports to connect to your home network and the internet.
However, the Arc and Beam (Gen 2) ups the ante when it comes to connecting to a TV. That’s because both come with an HDMI port that supports HDMI eARC. The original Beam supported the older HDMI ARC standard, while the Ray opts for an optical connection. This means the Ray is compatible with older TVs that may not offer HDMI eARC or HDMI ARC, but it also means Dolby Atmos isn’t supported.
Sonos Arc and Beam (Gen 2) require more bandwidth to receive Dolby Atmos and higher resolution audio streams. An HDMI ARC connection can do this, but the TV must support Dolby Atmos itself, so keep that in mind.
sound
- Sonos Arc: 8 woofers, 3 tweeters – with Dolby Atmos
- Sonos Beam (Gen 2): 4 woofers, 1 tweeter – with virtual Dolby Atmos
- Sonos Ray: 2 woofers, 2 tweeters, split wave guide, bass reflex system – no Dolby Atmos
- All have Class D digital amplifiers
Of course, Ray and Beam aren’t as capable as Arc when it comes to audio presentation.
The Ray features dual woofers, dual tweeters and split waveguides to project sound, with one projecting outward and the other forward. We’ve yet to hear it, but given Sonos’ track record, it’s likely to offer a decent upgrade to the audio, which most TVs – especially smaller ones – are capable of.
The Beam (Gen 2) features four midrange drivers and one tweeter for a clean, clear, front-firing audio experience. That offers a better soundscape than most TVs, and the virtual Dolby Atmos experience is very good indeed.
The Sonos Arc features eight drivers and three tweeters with left and right angled speaker units and two up-angled units specifically for use with Dolby Atmos soundtracks.
This effectively means the Arc offers a wider, higher pitched soundscape that’s far more immersive. The Beam (Gen 2) tries its best to replicate virtually and it does a good job, while the Ray probably can’t compete here and you wouldn’t expect it at its price either.
All three soundbars can be added, with the Sonos Sub a great option for extra bass and a pair of Sonos One or Sonos One SL speakers being good options to provide rear channels for a home theater setup.
features
- Sonos Arc: HDMI CEC and auto-sync, Alexa and Google Assistant onboard, Apple AirPlay 2
- Sonos Beam: HDMI CEC with optional sync, built-in Alexa and Google Assistant, Apple AirPlay 2
- Sonos Ray: IR control, Trueplay, Apple AirPlay 2
The Ray, Beam (Gen 2) and Arc are primarily Sonos speakers. So they’re great for expanding and enhancing the TV picture, but they’re also good for playing music, either on their own or as part of a Sonos multi-room system.
Beam (Gen 2) and Arc both support Alexa and Google Assistant, so they can be voice controlled and act as voice assistants for finding and even controlling the rest of your smart home devices. They will also support Sonos Voice Control, which you can read more about in our separate feature.
The Ray doesn’t have a microphone on board, so it doesn’t offer the smart assistants on its feature list. It does, however, add support for Apple AirPlay 2 like Beam and Arc, as well as most other Sonos features like adjustable EQ, Trueplay tuning, and soundbar features like speech enhancement and Night Sound.
However, Beam (Gen 2) and Arc also have HDMI-CEC capabilities, allowing you to control your TV, soundbar and all other connected devices with just one remote control (you can also opt for IR control if you wish this). Ray only offers IR control.
Price
Of course, considering the Arc has more speaker units inside, is larger, and offers more audio capabilities, it’s more expensive than the Beam (Gen 2) and Ray. And that could be an important factor in your purchasing decision.
The Sonos Ray is the cheapest option at £279 / $279 / €299, while the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is usually £449 / $449 / €499, so you’ll save quite a bit if you opt for the Ray. The Sonos Arc is priced at £899/$899. That’s twice the price of the Beam (Gen 2) and three times the price of the Ray.
If you have a smaller TV or living room, you may never need the extra punch of the Arc and can therefore save yourself a package by opting for the Beam (Gen 2) or Ray.
However, for a smart Dolby Atmos-enabled soundbar with Alexa and Google Assistant on board and the Enter suite of Sonos streaming abilities, the Arc is very reasonable if you fancy investing more in your home entertainment.
Conclusion
The most important decision you need to make is what you want your soundbar to actually do. If you simply need something to boost your TV’s audio performance while still showcasing all the cool music streaming capabilities of a Sonos system, the Ray might be more than enough for you.
If that’s what you want, but with a few extra bells and whistles like virtual Dolby Atmos and smart assistant, the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a great mid-range option.
If you’re after a slick home theater system that has plenty of room for new features in the future, then the Arc is a very compelling offer – one without compromise. Albeit at a higher price.
More about this story
When we write versus functions on Pocket-lint, we’re not just comparing the datasheets. Instead, we draw on our experience of the products and the market as a whole to not only highlight the differences, but what they actually mean.
In this case, we’ve fully reviewed both the Sonos Arc and Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and continue to use them daily in our home, with the former in the living room and the latter in the bedroom. We haven’t heard the Sonos Ray, so the analysis of this product is based on information we have received and information that is in the public domain.
The goal of this feature is to help you figure out which Sonos soundbar is best for you and your setup, and to explain what you’re getting and what you’re missing out on when choosing each model to give you to help make an informed choice.
PC Gaming Week (9-13 May) in collaboration with Nvidia GeForce RTX
Whether you’re a PC gaming veteran or a complete novice, we’ve got you covered!
Visit our PC gaming hub to get the latest news and reviews, see some great features and find details on the best products.
With a lot of great content dropping every day, be sure to bookmark the page and come back for your daily fix.
Writing by Britta O’Boyle and Rik Henderson. Edited by Chris Hall.
from toplistreviewspro.com https://ift.tt/g6YUyZt
via Toplistreviewspro.com
Post a Comment