Beam to seems to have no change from gen 1

  • 29 February 2024
  • 16 replies
  • 192 views
M

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.

16 replies

Stanley_4
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Are you playing Atmos content? That really seems to be the big plus for the Gen 2.

M

Yeah i will be honest i have run everything i can think of im no audio expert but for me other than a metal grille. I hear nothing even the audio height setting seems to do nothing. Fail to see the upgrade 

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

Hi @mandolorian 

For basic stereo or DD5.1 you probably won’t notice a major for difference. However Dolby Atmos content should sound entirely new as it was not available on the Beam Gen1. If you don’t notice a difference it can be due to several things the ones that are most obvious are:

Positioning of the Beam 2 (it should not be placed in a cabinet or enclosed in any way)

No reflective surfaces for side firing speakers 

Room is exceedingly large 

Need to run Trueplay (you may have to borrow a device)

BTW… the Beam2 has no height adjustment as there are no upward firing speakers.

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
Ken_Griffiths

BTW… the Beam2 has no height adjustment as there are no upward firing speakers.

You really must be tired today ha ha 😁 … See here:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/change-height-audio-settings

Airgetlam

And perhaps one of the less obvious ones is that the content being sent to the Sonos isn’t in Atmos to begin with, just stereo or Dolby Digital. 

Bruce
AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

BTW… the Beam2 has no height adjustment as there are no upward firing speakers.

You really must be tired today ha ha 😁 … See here:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/change-height-audio-settings

I guess so. I resign 😂 However my reference was in terms of true height speaker adjustment which the Beam2 actually has no upward firing speakers as does the Arc.  But in hindsight I guess the simulated effect is  valid. 

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
Ken_Griffiths

BTW… the Beam2 has no height adjustment as there are no upward firing speakers.

You really must be tired today ha ha 😁 … See here:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/change-height-audio-settings

I guess so. I resign 😂

LOL 😂 … ha ha. We all have those days.

M

Ok so thoaght i would test some more and have another issue or odd thing but happy to hear from others .

 

Batman darknight blu ray both beams set to same and sub.Beam gen 1 outputs as DTS surround 5.1. Beam gen 2 is outputting as Dolby digital plus 5.1 ?

 

 

 

Ken_Griffiths

Ok so thoaght i would test some more and have another issue or odd thing but happy to hear from others .

 

Batman darknight blu ray both beams set to same and sub.Beam gen 1 outputs as DTS surround 5.1. Beam gen 2 is outputting as Dolby digital plus 5.1 ?

What source devices, Apps and TV’s are you using to play this Movie… Also what subscription levels and language are you using, as each of those things may have a bearing on getting Atmos audio out to your Home Theatre product.

M

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.

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

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

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
Userlevel 7
Badge +22

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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