Sonos Arc vs Sonos Beam: Which is right for you?

If you ’re a Sonos user in the marketplace for something to give your home cinema set - up a boost , the Arc and Boost are two excellent option .

Both soundbars offer immersive Dolby Atmos audio but are marketed to different prospective audiences . Sonos Arcis the big , full - sized model specify for big TVs and room , while theSonos Beam Gen 2is an all - in - one soundbar that ’s suited to smaller TVs and rooms .

Each has their qualities , but in the Sonos Arc vs Sonos Beam , which is the good leverage for you ?

Price

When it first went on sales event the Sonos Beam was £ 449 , which was £ 50 more than the original Beam .

The Sonos Arc supersedes has an RRP of £ 799 RRP , but went up to £ 899 . In terms of saving penny , the Beam is the more attractive proposition ; but the Arc and the Beam help a different purpose , as we ’ll go into .

Design

Both adhere to Sonos ’ sleeker approach to designing of recent age . The rounded bound of the Beam contrast with the Arc ’s more cylindric shape , but aesthetically they ’re cut from the cloth with their circumspect look .

mensurate 65.1 x 6.9 x 10 cm ( WHD ) , the Beam is just under half the Arc ’s breadth ( 114 x 9 x 11.5 cm ) , pass water the Beam considerably primed for smaller space .

It ’s a unit that ’s better befit to smaller telecasting ( around 49 - inches and smaller ) , while the Arc suits braggy TVs ( 55 - inches and more ) . Neither is too magniloquent , though the Arc expect a wide surface to plant it on . The Arc also has rubberised fundament if you ’re dire of causing any marks .

Both can be wall - mounted through bespoke paries - mounts , and both can only be used in their horizontal preference . At 2.8 kilo compared to the Arc ’s 6.25 kg , the Arc is the heavy of the two should that be a worry for commit it on a paries .

Is there a winner ? If you need a soundbar for a smaller space , the Beam is better . For those with bigger rooms , the Arc is better .

Features

There ’s little difference in terms of features as the Beam has been upgraded from its singleHDMI ARCinput to equate the Sonos Arc with HDMI eARC input .

However , that does mean you ’ll need a video with aneARC portto get the full , uncompressed Dolby Atmos signal fed to the soundbar . Neither features an optical connective , but an optical transcriber is include . HDMI CEC on both allows for control over power and intensity with your TV ’s remote . DTS soundtrack are supported , but there ’s no reenforcement for Atmos ’ immersive equivalent in DTS : X.

Both are compatible with Sonos ’ S2 app , and within the app you could use both soundbars in a multi - room set - up alongside other Sonos speakers . Spotify , TidalandApple Musicstreaming services can be streamed ( along with dozens of others ) , andthere ’s also access to Sonos Radio , which brings with its 60,000 plus radio stations .

Both support Alexa , Google AssistantandSonos Voice Control , of which are built - in and utilize the integrate far - field of operation microphone to pick up your voice . Updates on the atmospheric condition can be asked for , alarms set etc .

While Sonos waded into the Bluetooth waters with theMove , neither the Beam nor Arc have Bluetooth . Instead they make do withAirPlay 2 , which also brings Siri into the equation for vocalisation controller . With AirPlay 2 , it open up the Sonos ecosystem to play prissy with any non - Sonos AirPlay 2 - verbalizer in a multi - room setup .

Both have Sonos’TruePlaytechnology ( iOS ) , which fine-tune the audio to suit the acoustic prop of the environs .

Both the Arc and the Beam have monovular set - ups , so in this context it ’s a draw .

Performance

Tucked inside the Beam ’s enclosure is a tweeter , four elliptic full - chain of mountains woofer and three peaceful radiator , the exact same set - up as the original Beam . Two of the woofers are lay at the boundary of the social unit and angled out at about 45 degrees to disperse sound .

The Sonos Arc follows a similar principle with its three silk dome tweeters and eight elliptical mid / bass driver . Two of the mid - deep drivers fervidness up for acme , while another two sit at the ends to fight audio out with three title upwards at the front of the whole to fire auditory sensation into the room . The significant difference between them is that the Arc has physical upfiring units to make the aesthesis of Dolby Atmos sound , where the Beam Gen 2 achieves this through practical processing .

Both speakers vocalize very secure and consistent with movie / music . There ’s a effective amount weight behind the Beam ’s speech sound ; vocal lucidity is good , and the accuracy and spread of effects is excellent . While it ca n’t reproduce a 5.1 soundtrack , the breadth of the stereophonic image is right enough that it can place effect within the room , though it does n’t have the dimensionality of the Arc in the horse sense that you’re able to clearly observe where the effects are in the way .

With more drivers and more power – plus those height channels – the Arc produces a convincingly wider and improbable soundstage . Like the Beam it ca n’t reduplicate a 5.1 system without rear speakers to help , but the placement of phone within the soundfield is more robust .

It ’s a exchangeable shell with music . Both have estimable comportment in the low - end part ; midrange is textured , voices are rendered understandable and treble breeding finely done ( though the Arc may ask toning down for some ) .

We take down with the Arc that the conversion between midrange and freshwater bass is not wholly unified , while the Beam ’s bass output , while substantial , is not as big . As we ’ve mentioned antecedently , the Beam is better equipped for low rooms , and as such it ’ll shin to fill big suite .

Fancy more bass or smother sound ? Both speaker unit can be used with a Sonos Sub , though the Beam 2 integrates better with theSub Mini ; the Arc offer a better public presentation with the full - sized subwoofer . TwoOne SLspeakers for rear channels to expand the soundstage and create a more convincing Dolby Atmos presentation .

In the end both are very well - sounding soundbars . If power and wallop are what you need , the Arc trumps the Bea and it is , ultimately , the better - sounding of the two . However , if we ’re talking in terms of time value ( and smaller way ) , the Beam reserve its own .

Verdict

The Beam 2 is no longer Sonos ’ cheapest soundbar with the arrival ofthe Ray , but it is the gimcrack Atmos soundbar they offer . In terminus of value , that makes it a very ripe proposition against the Arc , which is double the price .

If you have a big livelihood room and a need for Dolby Atmos , the Sonos Arc is the better selection . It ’ll really depend on your set - up , and how the Arc and Beam Gen 2 fit into it . Regardless , both are okay examples of the soundbar anatomy , and leave an fantabulous user experience .