Hi
I need a new TV soundbar and want to invest in Sonos ecosystem. Should i buy Sonos Beam (2nd Gen) in March 2024 or hold out for a potential ‘Beam 3rd Gen’ later in the year… 2025(?!) ?
Thoughts?
The Beam (Gen 1) was released July 2018 and the Beam (Gen 2) was released October 2021, so I guess theres a small chance a Gen 3 will be seen in 2025, but how long you choose to wait is entirely up-to you - there’s no guarantees that we will see an update to that soundbar, which appears to have been a popular product with Sonos customers in all its iterations so far.
My own thoughts are to either lookout for a price reduction/sale offer, trade-up (upgrade program) discount, or look to get a Sonos refurbished Beam (Gen 2), which you will likely be able to sell on at minimal loss and then get any later model when it is eventually released. At least that way you won’t be losing out during the next year or two.
So maybe monitor the Sonos certified refurbished site and main shop online and see if something comes along there, but you will probably need to get in quick as they do tend to sell rather quickly.
Thanks for taking time out to respond, Ken. Appreciated.
I see I can get a new Beam 2 for £399, currently. Imagine a refurbished one wouldn’t be too much cheaper. I’m tentative to the invest in a second hand one from eBay or similar sites.
I think 2025, is the more likely year to see a new Beam 3, sadly. I’m not that patient, alas.
The pendulum swings slightly to buying a Beam 2, now.
The pendulum swings slightly to buying a Beam 2, now.
Yes I’m a little bit like that too - A year (plus) is a long time to wait.
Anyhow I have the Beam (Gen 2) setup with surrounds (2 x Era-100s) and a Sub-Mini and really love it.
The LG TV it’s connected to though, in my case, is only 1080P, rather than 4K and despite having an ARC/eARC connection, I am only able to get DD+ 5.1 surround sound from the built-in Apps like Prime Movies etc, which now all appear to want a 4K display before they will provide Dolby Atmos audio.
That said, I’m quite happy with 5.1 surround sound anyway, so no regrets here, but I am frustrated that Amazon now choose to deny users of their Movie App access to Dolby Atmos until they upgrade their TV to a 4K display. There are ways around it with external hardware like HDFury Arcana (w/edid) and an external Firestick streamer, but I’m reluctant to go to that expense just to add pseudo height-channel audio.
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