#SONOS SOUNDBAR DRIVERS#

Not that many soundbars at this price point come with networking capabilities, but this being a Sonos product, the Beam Gen 2вЂ™s ability to integrate into a wireless multiroom system is fundamental to its design. Our test sample is white and in our rather grey test room the bright cables draw a bit of attention to themselves, but those with lighter spaces inclined to wall mounting might better appreciate this detail. New for the Beam Gen 2 is a matching of this cove to the finish of the soundbar (matte black or matte white) and the inclusion of colour-complementary HDMI and power cords.

Housed at the rear in the вЂcable coveвЂ™ are sockets for power, ethernet and HDMI eARC as well as a connect/reset push button. On the top surface are the same touch-sensitive buttons, LEDs and far-field mics for voice control of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant as on the original Beam. Or thereвЂ™s SonyвЂ™s HT-G700 (ВЈ399 / $598 / AU$899), which also has a virtual Atmos effect but is much bigger and, like the Eclair, lacks network connectivity.

#SONOS SOUNDBAR DRIVERS#

ThereвЂ™s LGвЂ™s offering, the bijou but sonically lacklustre Eclair, which has upward drivers but is even more pricey at ВЈ700 / $700 / AU$1000. Other compact Dolby Atmos soundbars in this bracket are thin on the ground. If you want to use Beam Gen 2 in a larger surround system it can be expanded through the addition of two One SL rear speakers (ВЈ358 / $358 / AU$538) and, if required, a Sub (ВЈ699 / $699 / AU$999). The new Beam is still the cheapest Sonos soundbar in the company's two-strong soundbar line-up, priced significantly lower than the Arc, which currently costs ВЈ899 / $899 / AU$1499. But that difference is very much in line with the companyвЂ™s recent increase in the prices across many of its products. Priced at ВЈ449 /$449 / AU$699, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is slightly more expensive than the original Beam, which launched at ВЈ399 / $399 / AU$599.