Sonos Beam (Gen 2) vs Bose Smart Soundbar Soundbar Comparison

Sonos Beam (Gen 2) vs Bose Smart Soundbar

Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

3.0-channel | $499

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Bose Smart Soundbar

3.0.2-channel | $549

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Sonos Beam (Gen 2) vs Bose Smart Soundbar: the short answer

We can compare 13 features from the published specs. The Bose Smart Soundbar is ahead on 4, the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) on 2, and 7 are ties. The biggest difference for movies is height: the Bose Smart Soundbar has 2 ceiling-firing channels and the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) has none.

Reasons to choose Sonos Beam (Gen 2) over Bose Smart Soundbar

Room correction: Yes vs No
Dialogue enhancement: Yes vs No

Reasons to choose Bose Smart Soundbar over Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

Channel layout: 3.0.2 vs 3.0
Height channels: 2 vs 0
Streaming: Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect vs Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect
Height: 2.19 in vs 2.75 in

Side-by-Side Comparison

	Sonos Beam (Gen 2)	Bose Smart Soundbar
Channel layout Counts speaker channels the bar actually has. More ear-level and height channels means a wider, taller sound field.	3.0	3.0.2
Height channels Drivers aimed at the ceiling, which is what makes Dolby Atmos sound overhead rather than just wide.	0	2
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes
DTS:X	No	No
HDMI to the TV eARC carries lossless Dolby TrueHD and Atmos from the TV; plain ARC compresses them.	eARC	eARC
HDMI inputs A spare HDMI port for a games console or disc player.	0	0
Subwoofer Included beats optional beats none: a separate subwoofer is where deep bass comes from.	Optional	Optional
Rear speakers Real rear speakers put effects behind you; without them surround is simulated from the front.	Optional	Optional
Room correction	Yes	No
Streaming	Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect	Wi-Fi + AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect
Voice assistant Built in, rather than through a separate smart speaker.	Alexa & Google Assistant built-in	Alexa built-in, Google Assistant optional
Dialogue enhancement	Yes	No
Height Lower is less likely to block the bottom of the TV picture.	2.75 in	2.19 in
Width / suits TVs from Neither is better: match the bar to your TV. See the size simulator below.	25.63 in / 32-inch	27.38 in / 32-inch
Drivers in the bar	5	5
Weight	6.2 lbs	6.9 lbs
List price	$499	$549

Green marks the better figure where one is better. Dashes are specs the maker does not publish.

Size: Both Soundbars in Front of a TV

Drawn to scale. The solid bar is the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), the dashed outline the Bose Smart Soundbar. Pick your TV size and how it stands to see whether either would cover the picture.

Full Specifications

Sonos Beam (Gen 2) Specifications

Sound
Channels	3.0
Dolby Atmos	Yes
DTS:X	No
Drivers	Tweeters: Dome tweeter (1); Midrange: Full-range cones (4); Woofers: Passive Radiators (3); Enclosure: Passive Radiator
Subwoofer	Optional
Rear speakers	Optional
Virtual surround	Surround mode
Dialogue enhancement	Yes
Night mode	Yes
Room correction	Yes
Connections
HDMI to TV	eARC
HDMI inputs	0
Optical inputs	No
Analogue input	No
USB	No
Subwoofer output	Wireless
HDMI CEC	Yes
Streaming and Control
Wi-Fi	802.11n
Bluetooth	No
Streaming	AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn, Apple Music
Voice control	Alexa & Google Assistant built-in
App	Mobile, Web, Computer
Learns TV remote	Yes
Physical
Dimensions (W x H x D)	25.63 x 2.75 x 4 in / 651 x 70 x 102 mm
Weight	6.2 lbs / 2.81 kg
Wall mounting	Yes (bracket sold separately)
Warranty	1 Year parts, 1 Year labour
List price	$499

Power is the maker's total across all drivers and is not comparable to an amplifier's per-channel rating.

Bose Smart Soundbar Specifications

Sound
Channels	3.0.2
Dolby Atmos	Yes
DTS:X	No
Drivers	Tweeters: Dome (1); Midrange: Cone (4); Enclosure: Ported
Subwoofer	Optional
Rear speakers	Optional
Virtual surround	TrueSpace
Dialogue enhancement	No
Night mode	No
Room correction	No
Connections
HDMI to TV	eARC
HDMI inputs	0
HDMI version	2.0b
Optical inputs	Yes
Analogue input	No
USB	No
Subwoofer output	3.5mm (Proprietary)
HDMI CEC	Yes
Streaming and Control
Wi-Fi	802.11ac
Bluetooth	Yes
Streaming	AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn
Voice control	Alexa built-in, Google Assistant optional
App	Apple iOS, Android
Remote included	Yes
Learns TV remote	No
Physical
Dimensions (W x H x D)	27.38 x 2.19 x 4.63 in / 696 x 56 x 118 mm
Weight	6.9 lbs / 3.13 kg
Wall mounting	Yes (bracket sold separately)
Warranty	1 Year parts, 1 Year labour
List price	$549

Power is the maker's total across all drivers and is not comparable to an amplifier's per-channel rating.

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