Sonos Beam (Gen 2) review

Beam (Gen 2) remains a sensible way into Sonos for viewers who mainly want better TV sound in a smaller room. Five Class-D amplifiers drive a center tweeter and four elliptical midwoofers, helped by three passive radiators for low frequencies. Dolby Atmos is handled with processing that creates phantom height channels rather than upward-firing drivers, so the effect is less convincing than on Beam Ultra. For dialogue, Sonos says the bar was tuned with Oscar-winning sound engineers, and Speech Enhancement in the app gives extra clarity for whispers and loud action. Night Sound narrows the gap between loud and quiet sound. Setup takes two cables and the bar syncs with your TV remote over HDMI eARC. WiFi, AirPlay 2 and Sonos Voice Control cover music, though Bluetooth is not listed and Trueplay tuning needs an iPhone or iPad. At $499 it is $200 less than Beam Ultra, which is the main reason to choose it.

Who it is for

Smaller living rooms and bedrooms where you want Sonos speech tools at a lower price than Beam Ultra.

Price

$499 on the Sonos US store.

Beam (Gen 2) $499
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 8, 2026.

Key features

• Dolby Atmos through phantom height channels
• Speech Enhancement in the Sonos app
• Night Sound to reduce loud effects
• HDMI eARC with TV remote sync
• WiFi, Apple AirPlay 2 and Sonos Voice Control

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Same app-based speech and night tools as pricier Sonos bars
• Strength: Compact enough for smaller rooms
• Strength: Grows into a surround system with a Sonos sub and rears
• Weakness: No upward-firing drivers, so height is virtual
• Weakness: Bluetooth is not listed among its features
• Weakness: Trueplay tuning needs an iOS device

Key facts

• Price: $499
• Amplifiers: 5 Class-D
• Drivers: 1 tweeter, 4 midwoofers, 3 passive radiators
• Connection: HDMI eARC

Where it ranks

Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is No. 5 in our Best Soundbars verdict and No. 8 in Best TV Speakers for Hearing Impaired.