Contributor I

Beam to seems to have no change from gen 1

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
February 29, 2024
16 replies
777 views

So i just took advantage of the 30% off upgrade and got a Beam 2. But have to say its the first sonos item i am now impressed with and would likely return under 100 day.

I have a gen 1 beam paired with sub mini. In a small living room.Using Netflix ane other streaming apps gaming and movies. Intitially i thoaght it was slightly less bassey than the gen 1 in a good way. But after running some films at same parts and swapping between the two. Its a let down other than a metal grille i see not advancement.

I dont have tru play and kept settings the same for both.

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Ken_Griffiths

Blu ray via xbox x with same settings on xbox tv for both beams so fail to see why.

Unless excuse my ignorance i assumed DTS output would be better.

DTS 5.1 is compressed (lossy) similar to Dolby Digital/Plus 5.1 - Dolby Atmos includes the Height channels and Dolby TrueHD/Atmos is lossless/uncompressed - there’s also Linear PCM 5.1/7.1 uncompressed/lossless too, but sometimes held in a Dolby MAT container - the lossless audio formats require an HDMI-eARC connection to the soundbar, rather than just HDMI-ARC. The lossless formats are the best, but I personally prefer Dolby Digital+ Atmos, as that’s supported by most of the streaming services, Netflix, Prime Movies, Disney+ etc. and I think it sounds better than DTS.

Apple TV 4K supports Multichannel LPCM Atmos (Dolby MAT), which is preferred by some.

M

mandolorianAuthor

Contributor I

Thank you for that i need to test more but still under woed and now worried as a owner of alot of blu rays the DTS to me sounded amazing so was then suprised the Beam 2 wasnt outputting the same format. The kids watch disney netflix etc and whislt i like idea of improvement on that it hasnt been noticable sadly maybe my old ears but i think i need to return it as i cant see the upgrade sadly. I seemingly have everything needed to get the expected upgrade guess not my ears.

Ken_Griffiths

Thank you for that i need to test more but still under woed and now worried as a owner of alot of blu rays the DTS to me sounded amazing so was then suprised the Beam 2 wasnt outputting the same format. The kids watch disney netflix etc and whislt i like idea of improvement on that it hasnt been noticable sadly maybe my old ears but i think i need to return it as i cant see the upgrade sadly. I seemingly have everything needed to get the expected upgrade guess not my ears.

It’s not clear if you have yet listened to any Atmos audio or any lossless audio too for that matter - maybe do that first and then return it (that’s assuming that you’re still not happy with the Beam gen2 after that). I think it sounds great particularly with Era-300 surrounds and a Sub, but I guess we each hear these things differently.

M

mandolorianAuthor

Contributor I

Hi thats my point i guess i have earc.I have disney netflix amazon.And fail to see how much better it is watching the same content with either.Guess a personal thing that needs good ears to notice. Granted both are only paired with a sub mini but had expected to notice something.

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

Amazon might not be delivering Atmos unless you are on the right plan. Don’t know about the others.

What you’d hear with and without a full Atmos signal is slightly different, stereo / 3 channel versus Atmos positioning.

Ken_Griffiths

Hi thats my point i guess i have earc.I have disney netflix amazon.And fail to see how much better it is watching the same content with either.Guess a personal thing that needs good ears to notice. Granted both are only paired with a sub mini but had expected to notice something.

As @Stanley_4 mentions, the type of subscription service you’re using maybe important here to ensure you’re getting Atmos audio and it’s certainly much better with surrounds and a Sub in the mix too. Whilst playing the TV audio you will see a ‘Dolby Atmos’ badge on the Sonos App ‘now playing screen’ when that type of audio is playing. See attached screenshot…

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