Only the Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar is better in this regard, and that costs significantly more. In some ways the Beam is obviously less sonically capable than the Playbar and Playbase, but its performance given its size and price is really exceptional. Around the back you'll find the HDMI connection, ethernet port, power connection and a pairing button. Eight of those drivers are elliptical woofers evolved from those in the Beam (four along the front, two on top and one in each end), while the other three are silk-domed tweeters that are all built into the front but with two firing diagonally into the room. Meanwhile, no Sonos product supports hi-res audio, thought the Sonos S2 software update could change that later in the year. The Atmos-toting Sonos Arc uses Dolby's 3D sound technology to great effect. The Sonos Arc is considerably more expensive at launch than the Sonos Playbar was. Sonos just announced its latest soundbar, the Sonos Arc, along with the new Sonos Five, Sub, and its new S2 app. The Playbar and Playbase may need some additional planning for … Doing so allows you to use your television’s remote to control its volume, forgoing the need to use the Sonos app or constantly give voice commands to the Beam. The bigger Playbar has nine, individually amplified drivers: three tweeters and six midrange drivers. The Playbar is weightier, richer and more authoritative than the Beam. Or if the Beam is more your speed, then you can purchase it right now for immediate delivery. The Sonos Arc alone won’t give you voice control of your TV. And even if it does block your telly’s IR receiver, a built-in repeater ensures commands from your remote get through. CNN Underscored is your guide to the everyday products and services that help you live a smarter, simpler and more fulfilling life. We've done the hard work for you. The Arc is bigger than the Beam, by quite a bit. However, you can use the mobile app to control playback and access your music services. Sonos Arc (The new Playbar) Thread starter rck010; ... Panasonic GZ 55" 950 OLED, Sonos Beam and Ones, Pioneer 428XD, Sky Q with 3 Minis, Apple TV 4k, Sony KDL37EX524, Panasonic HDC-TM55. There’s an authenticity to the presentation from Sonos products that many rivals struggle to match. Visit our corporate site. If you have your TV on a wall mount, then the Playbar makes more sense of the two. The different shapes and sizes of these four speakers means there are stark differences in the quantity, type and arrangement of the drivers in each. The Play 3 surrounds and sub seem sound even better. Sonos refers to the Arc's arrangement as 5.0.2, which might initially seem a little confusing but makes more sense when you think of the soundbar as attempting to replicate the soundfield of a five-channel surround sound system with no subwoofer and two height speakers. HDMI ARC and eARC do also add an extra layer of cooperation between speaker and (HDMI CEC-compatible) telly, particularly with voice control. What’s more, its compact dimensions make it far easier to find space for and its more advanced features, voice control in particular, make it extra compelling. The differences in the four products are mostly due to their varying ages, with the Arc and Beam upping the feature ante and being much smarter than their forebears. But if it's within budget, the Sonos Arc is the one to beat. De Sonos Arc kan wel gezien worden als de vervanger van de veel oudere Sonos Playbar. It features all of the same smart home features — AirPlay 2, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa — as the Beam. The full Sonos Arc dimensions are 8.7 x 114 x 11.6cm (HWD), or 3.4 x 45 x 4.5 inches, and it weighs 6.25kg (13.78lbs). Turning on your TV using Alexa is occasionally genuinely useful, and you can introduce deeper integration (playing particular shows via voice command) by adding a Fire TV device. Weighing just 2.8kg, the Beam will be less of a stress on your wall if you decide to wall-mount too. The addition of Dolby Atmos surround sound. Sonos Beam vs Sonos Playbar – Verdict One of the most attractive things about the Sonos Beam is the price. Success! That could be a major consideration for some. Thank you for signing up to What Hi-Fi?. A Warner Media Company. I have it in an average sized bedroom pairedwith two play1s. So which Sonos soundbar is best for you? The Sonos Beam remains significantly smaller and cheaper than the other Sonos TV speakers, yet it offers the same array of streaming and multi-room features, plus the crucial upgrades of voice control and an HDMI connection. If an account exists, we've sent an email with a link to reset your password. The Sonos Sub can be paired with either surround speakers, the Beam soundbar, the playbar, or playbase soundbars. All of the hardware launches on June 10, while the new app will be available a couple of days earlier on June 8. At £399, it does plenty for the money, and even though the Playbar … All Rights Reserved. Measuring 65cm wide, 10cm deep and 7cm tall, it's easy to find a spot for under or in front of your TV. You can add Alexa to the Playbar or Playbase (or any Sonos speaker) by adding an Amazon Echo device such as the Echo Dot to your network, but this isn’t nearly as neat or as functional. Touch controls on top of the soundbar allow you to select volume up/down, previous/next track, play/pause and microphone mute, while an LED indicates the soundbar's status, mute status and voice feedback. Just make sure you have a big enough spot for its 45-inch long exterior. If you want something smaller, but equally compelling, SONOS does make a smaller soundbar system that is called the SONOS Beam. That’s made possible by the Playbase’s height. On the other hand, the Playbar is a physically cumbersome and rather awkward proposition, and its styling and feature set is starting to show its age. Soundbar products like the Sonos Playbar and Sonos Beam are slightly different in that they need to physically connect to a TV. Unsurprisingly, given its relatively diminutive dimensions, the Beam has the fewest drivers, with one tweeter and four full-range, elliptical woofers working with three passive bass radiators. In fact, it delivers one of the most convincing Atmos presentations of any soundbar we’ve heard. The other soundbars stop at Dolby Digital 5.1 as the best TV audio option available regardless of which you choose. 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