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My budget was somewhat arbitrary, on the basis that I assumed I'd get something pretty sweet for £300. I can go higher if I persuade myself!
Beam 2 for 380 is tempting. As are Yamaha and Denon bundles with subs. They seem to be well reviewed so I probably can't go too far wrong.
I recently learned that you can use the Ikea Symfonisk stuff with Sonos, so that potentially gives you a cheaper option for multiroom or multispeaker set ups
I have a roam for my office but means I can put it in another room really easily if I want to pair it with another (sonos) speaker
I have a Denon 550 home after sending a sonos beam back. To me it has more depth, whilst still being compact. There are options for subs, surrounds etc. It is a bit above your budget though.
By sheer coincidence our 13 year old Sony Surround Sound Blue Ray play combo has just bitten the dust in the 4 days this thred has been live. Wont turn on, I've checked the fuse. Nothing.
Sonos Beam 2 inbound, 15% bluelight discount applied.
Thank you STW!
I'm still a bit baffled by the options. Checked my TV specs and found it doesn't support Dolby Atmos so I wouldn't get the full benefit of the Sonos. But I'm sure it would sound decent anyway. And still can't decide whether I want a sub. If so I'd get a Denon or Yamaha. First world problems.
I finally went to richers, fairly set on getting a Denon with sub. Ended up with an open box 416 at a good discount after having a listen to one set up in shop.
Very happy with it so far and really glad i got a sub as it sounds awesome with music. Tried Google Chromecast which was easy enough. Really easy set up and simple to use.
Tested its cinematic capability last night with saving private Ryan, which I had somehow never watched. Brilliant sound, especially for the money.
So on the back of this thread I got a Beam2. It's fine, but it's not as groundbreakingly amazing as I thought it would be (as an upgrade from an LG). In the default state the dialogue is way too quiet (I don't even know why it is the default). In clearvoice setting it's fine but if we are watching an action scene, the overall sound can get a bit boomy (and we have three kids all trying to sleep almost directly above). So I put it in 'Night' mode too which is fine for films etc, but when it's just the news on, it actually makes some weird unintentional background noises (sort of hissing and buzzing) which I assume is the device trying to sort out the sound and, because the overall sound is quite neutral, we can hear it doing stuff to try to compensate.
So that leaves us with changing the setting depending on what we are watching which becomes very annoying, especially as the app is on my phone and my wife was struggling on Saturday when I had gone out and left her at home struggling with it on the wrong setting for what she was watching.
We'll get used to it and it looks nice/much neater/hdmi sound input improves sync issues and sound quality but I am not sure it was money that well spent.
I realise the OP has already bought but if anyone is not happy with the Sonos (thats me, don't like the signature sonos sound) then as someone above reccomended, the Denon Home 550 is absolutely fantastic as an alternative, especially now Ive worked out how to turn off the annoying front status light. Considering its size and lack of any upwards drivers it is incredibly immersive but also sounds great with music files. Warm and with just the right amount of treble. Voice is as good as it ever gets with these - without a centre speaker its never perfect but there is a little remote which is quite useful for changing settings quickly if you can't be bothered to faff with your phone.Perfect for up to a 50" TV, or maybe slightly bigger. I'm also going to get the Home 150 surround speakers and possibly even the home Sub though that will all have to wait till I've got the pennies.
So on the back of this thread I got a Beam2. It’s fine, but it’s not as groundbreakingly amazing as I thought it would be (as an upgrade from an LG). In the default state the dialogue is way too quiet (I don’t even know why it is the default). In clearvoice setting it’s fine but if we are watching an action scene, the overall sound can get a bit boomy (and we have three kids all trying to sleep almost directly above). So I put it in ‘Night’ mode too which is fine for films etc, but when it’s just the news on, it actually makes some weird unintentional background noises (sort of hissing and buzzing) which I assume is the device trying to sort out the sound and, because the overall sound is quite neutral, we can hear it doing stuff to try to compensate.
So that leaves us with changing the setting depending on what we are watching which becomes very annoying, especially as the app is on my phone and my wife was struggling on Saturday when I had gone out and left her at home struggling with it on the wrong setting for what she was watching.
My experience exactly.
I'm wondering if the addition of the surround speakers and / or the subwoofer will unlock the full potential of the Beam2?
I’m still a bit baffled by the options. Checked my TV specs and found it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos so I wouldn’t get the full benefit of the Sonos.
The Atmos information comes from the source. On Netflix you need to be subscribed to a premium account to get the Atmos.
You connect the soundbar to the eArc HDMI on your TV, it then sends the Atmos signal from Netflix (or whoever) to the soundbar.
We’ll get used to it and it looks nice/much neater/hdmi sound input improves sync issues and sound quality but I am not sure it was money that well spent.
If you bought from Sonos themselves you could just send it back if you're still not that impressed.
Thanks gobuchul, I wasn't aware of that. The Denon I got doesn't have Atmos so it's a non-issue now. But I'm happy with the immersive quality of it so far.
Glad I avoided the Sonos now reading the above. The bloke at richers was fairly dismissive of it when I mentioned my interest.
Handy tip - IKEA Symfonisk speakers are Sonos compatible and half the price of a Sonos One, ideal for surrounds
johndoh
We’ll get used to it and it looks nice/much neater/hdmi sound input improves sync issues and sound quality but I am not sure it was money that well spent.
What source are you using? You may want to enable "passthrough" on your TV/player - let the Beam do the decoding instead of the TV
Trueplay tuning will help a lot too, will adjust it to the room
I'm waiting for an excuse to buy a 65" tv and I'll slip the justification of this soundbar past Mrs STR hopefully unchallenged
Trueplay tuning will help a lot too, will adjust it to the room
Not for Android users by the looks of it. That's only on Apple devices if my Google-ing is correct.
Not for Android users by the looks of it. That’s only on Apple devices if my Google-ing is correct.
Correct, iOS only. It does make a big difference though and is just a one-time thing, so worth grabbing a mate with an iPhone/iPad to run through it.
What source are you using? You may want to enable “passthrough” on your TV/player – let the Beam do the decoding instead of the TV
Hmm - I will check the settings ta
Trueplay tuning will help a lot too, will adjust it to the room
Yeah it has been set up with Trueplay tuning
What source are you using? You may want to enable “passthrough” on your TV/player – let the Beam do the decoding instead of the TV
Hmm – I will check the settings ta
Checked and it is currently on Passthrough and connected with HDMI ARC so the optimal set-up I guess?
Not as a sound bar but I've been running 2 – IKEA Symfonisk bookcase speakers for some time they are great for the price and the picture frame speakers more than ok as long as you don't expect top spec.
The lamp version is horrible design.
I used to have a Sonos setup and then discovered AudioPro. Much better sound, at least to my ears, and now have a pair of powered bookshelves for the TV. Other speakers dotted about the house.
Mrs B not sold on the Sonos Beam either.
Ordered a Bose Smart Soundbar 600 (they have a 90 day no quibble returns policy) so we can have a "sound off" and send one, or both, of them back if we still aren't happy.
Ordered a Bose Smart Soundbar 600 (they have a 90 day no quibble returns policy) so we can have a “sound off” and send one, or both, of them back if we still aren’t happy.
Bose installed.
Within seconds of viewing / listening it's obvious that its head a shoulders above the Sonos. Strong bass, clear vocals, no faffing about trying to get the best sound for a particular programme. Sounds incredible even without the separate subwoofer.
Beam 2 is going back.
I've got a Sonos Arc and, on a different telly, a Yamaha <something> that cost about £200.
I much prefer the Yamaha.
The Sonos is big and boomy, and the vocals are buried in the mix, to my ears, even with TrueVoice or whatever it's called set and various bass and treble changes made. You end up running it too loud just to hear what's being said.
The Yamaha does a great job of effects and scale, especially given its size, but more importantly to me, the vocals are crisp, clear and natural.
And it's much cheaper.
When I upgrade the telly, I'll be buying another Yamaha, and I now regard Sonos as overpriced and overrated. It's better with music, but music isn't what I bought it for.
oh, also, with the Sonos (connected through eArc and passthrough to a Philips telly) I get terrible lip-sync issues which means I have to spend ages fagging with the audio delay setting.
none of that nonsense with the Yamaha (connected by bluetooth to an old Pana plasma set)
That's probably because the video is lagging as much as the audio. 😁
Off the back of this thread I had a look around Richer Sounds for a new soundbar because ours was a freebie JBL when we joined BT a few years.
Sooooo, on Tuesday I bought this one for £189.
https://www.richersounds.com/polk-signa-s2.html
My hearing is ruined from various accidents so I'm no audiophile.
However, what I do want to mention is that when I checked today for no real reason other than to find the link I saw that it's down to £150! Fair play, a quick call to Richer Sounds and they immediately refunded me the difference.
How's about that for service! Just hope it's decent enough now 🙂