45 Day Trial Real Life Evaluation of the Sonos Beam



Purchased Sonos Beam from the NYC Sonos Store on October 17, 2018.



Connected Beam to a newly purchased Sony 49” Bravia X900E television with HDMI ARC.

Connected Beam to wireless network.



One room loft like apartment of approximately 1000 square feet.

Listening area places two arm chairs approximately 13 ft from the Beam which is placed immediately in front of the TV on a stand that is 26 inches high.



Set up Trueplay by only walking around the perimeter of the listening area. Unable to tune to the apartment's full perimeter since the app quits probably due to the presence occassional New York City street noise.



Sony sound configuration:



Speakers: Audio System

Sound Adjustments:

Clear Audio - on

Sound mode - Standard

Advanced Settings

Input related

Dolby Dynamic Range - Standard

Dolby Digital Plus Output - Dolby Digital



Sound sources:



Spectrum Cable TV, Apple TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Sling, Apple Music, Amazon Music.



Listening Report:



1. Slight Lip Sync delay primarily with live TV (ie. News Broadcasts). Intermittent but noticeable.

2. On one occasion while watching an OnDemand movie through cable experienced significant sound stuttering. However, this has not occurred again and is mostly likely due to the cable signal.

3. Sound quality has been impressive. While stereo separation is quite subdued sound clarity is remarkable. Jazz ensemble music listening is pleasant and surprisingly detailed. Increasing bass through the Sonos Apps room EQ settings works well enough to not require a sub.

4. TV dialog is clear and balanced. Best I have heard. 5.1 movie sound occasionally provides a wider sound stage but not often.



Overall impression: High quality sound system in a practical package. Other than the Lip Sync issue a valued solution to TV/Music sound delivery in a large one room NYC apartment.