Given $20 DVD players have been able to decode DTS for decades I can't imagine there's any issue with CPUs.

If you had DVD while your friends had HD DVD you had a far inferior picture and they could still play and upscale DVDs..

I don't recall any DVD v HD DVD battle for DVD to have ‘won' - do you mean you chose Blu-Ray (BD) and they chose HD DVD?

I assume you mean Betamax too..

That makes sense.  However, if you have a room with an Beam and 2 play:1s for surround,  with music playback set to ‘Full’, does that mean that the Beam will play 24 bit and the play:1s will play 16 bit...in the same room?  

Yes, it was BluRay vs HD DVD and Betamax. As I said it was a long time ago. Besides I’m a senior citizen with memory loss… what’s your excuse

I am thinking about putting a new Beam underneath my Samsung Frame TV, and I was hoping to recess it into the wall.  At least a bit, if not fully flush with the wall.

Of course, this could be an issue as it might make the buttons inaccessible.   And I was wondering if it would cause a problem with sound (unlike the ARC the Beam doesn’t fire “up” but wondering if there is feedback or specs on doing something like this.

PS Besides matching the aesthetic of the Frame TV --- another reason I want to do this is because I have a Wrensilva Console with Vinyl underneath this setup and the lid of the record player goes up and I don’t want it to bang into the Beam.

You would likely need a good 5-6 inches on the sides to handle the side firing speakers on the beam.    And given the dimensions of the Beam, it should fit fine if you remove everything but the drywall on the other side of the wall, but you likely would need to cut out a stud or two.  Personally, I’d move the record player if it’s a issue.

Does Sonos have any plans to release a Beam SL, similar to the Arc SL, with no microphone built-in?

Don’t install a voice assistant and the mic is disabled.  Even if you don’t trust that statement, the mic power is hardwired to the mic LED, and cannot be turned on without lighting the LED.  LED off means the mic is off. 

Sure, but SL versions of the One and Arc are slightly cheaper than the standard version.  If you have no use for the mic for whatever reason, it’s a worthy question.

It’s more than that. Sure, you can say the wiring is configured so that when the microphone has power to it the LED light will be on… but who’s watching their LED light? Just because the light shows you whether or not it’s on doesn’t bring peace of mind. If I’m not in the room or at a level of height that allows me to see it, then I will never know if it’s on. If the device just straight up does not have a microphone built-in then I have nothing to be concerned about.

There’s been plenty of reports for all the “smart” speakers where Apple, Amazon, Google, etc are all recording and listening even when the mic isn’t “on”.

I don’t have anything to hide, but that’s not the point. I want as few as possible devices that are both “listening” and connected to the internet in my home. I don’t need my sound system to be able to take voice commands from me. I don’t need a “smart” devices every 5 feet scattered around my home.

Everything seems to be getting built with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant as part of the product now, and I really don’t like that. Even cars are starting to have Alexa built in.

Plus, if it’s going to keep the costs down that’s an added bonus.

You’re ignoring the fact that if you don’t register with Amazon or Google, they don’t know you have a mic to listen in to.  Unless you think they are listening in somehow anyway.  If that’s the case though, aren’t you concerned that your smart phone and pretty much any electric appliance could be listening in on you?

I don’t think there has been a case where the owner didn’t register with the service.

You’re ignoring the fact that if you don’t register with Amazon or Google, they don’t know you have a mic to listen in to.  Unless you think they are listening in somehow anyway.  If that’s the case though, aren’t you concerned that your smart phone and pretty much any electric appliance could be listening in on you?

I said LIMIT the number of devices that have microphones and access to the internet. I’m not saying absolutely nothing should have microphones. But there no reason for needing a microphone in every single device. Privacy with anything tech is hell, but we can at least take measures to limit information we WILLINGLY provide to all these providers. Just because they tell you that they don’t record/listen whatever, doesn’t mean they don’t. It’s propritary software, with great hardware. We have to blindly believe what they say. Obtaining and selling information is a source of income, especially for ‘smaller’ companies.

I feel that Sonos at least saw that at some point or else they wouldn’t have released an “SL” version of both the Arc or the One, no?

If you want to jump straight to the extreme of calling me a conspiracy nut and that I shouldn’t have any mobile phone or device that has a microphone because I don’t want every single thing I buy to have one, fine. I’m just asking for a choice to not have a microphone, like they’ve provided before.

As said above: the fact that the Arc has a microphone does not mean it’s on. If you don’t trust this assurance by Sonos, you shouldn’t trust Sonos if they would say they did not put a microphone in an Arc SL…….

Sonos states in their privacy policy that they do not and never will sell your data, and anything heard by the voice assistant mics is not stored by Sonos.  Now of course you are going to say "they say that, but are they telling the truth?"

Well, since violation of a publicly stated privacy policy is under the jurisdiction of the FTC, and if violated the fines the FTC would levy could bankrupt a small company like Sonos, well then yes, they are telling the truth.

My point is about more than just Sonos. But your point is taken that you don’t care, and are against Sonos providing consumers with a choice, with the exception of not registering to a voice assistant as the only option while a mic is still present, like they did with other products. Noted. Thank you for the answers.

Your argument wasn't about choice, but about limiting “information we WILLINGLY provide to all these providers". Sonos assures us they do not listen in and that their partners do not listen in when there is no voice service activated. There's not even unwillingly provided information here. Again: if you do not trust this assurance, why trust Sonos (or any other company for that matter) when they say they have no built in microphone that is listening in on you.

From Sonos’ side there's probably another reason they are not offering an Arc or Beam without a microphone: the price difference is relatively small on such an expensive speaker. The price difference between the One and the One SL is only €30,-, 15% of the price of the SL. A price difference in real money like that would matter much less to someone buying a €900,- Arc or €400,- Beam.

Can I pair beam gen2 with ikea symfonisk as rear speakers?

Hi @Irfan54 

Absolutely, yes.

I'm not getting into the price comparisons between countries but the Sub price increase for UK customers is eye watering - a £150 increase, from £600 to £749.

I seem to remember in the past Sonos gave notice of increases to allow customers to buy pre-increase.

I didn't see anything this time around.

I find the Arc price increase to £899 ridiculous too but there is only one way for customers to send any message.   If they continue to sell at the new price then Sonos have it right.

My Beam Gen1 HDMI is connected to my Sony Tv Arc/eArc HDMI 3 port.  And it’s working as I expected.  
So what is the Beam Gen2 HDMI eArc do?  Or is for something other than my TV.   I also have two Ones for Surround (wireless). 

On a soundbar eARC is needed for uncompressed Dolby Atmos. A BD-player or gamecomputer is will output uncompressed Atmos. The apps on your TV use compressed Atmos, that does not need eARC, but can be transported through an “old fashioned” HDMI-ARC connection.

Thanks for clearing that up.   For my purpose, I don’t see upgrading. 

You do not need to blindly believe what they say.  As stated already, how Sonos handles privacy is in the privacy statement, and violating that privacy will not be pleasant for Sonos.

Already addressed.  It’s cheaper.  If you don’t need/want the mic, then you save some money.  And yes, there appears to be a significant portion of the market that is concerned about devices with mics.  Sonos is providing for their market.  The fact that Sonos makes a version without a mic does not mean that that Sonos should not be trusted with a mic.

Also worth noting, when Sonos One is used as surrounds with an Arc or Beam, the mics are automatically shut off.  This is why the home theatre sets are One SL.  Sonos surely didn’t want to require customers to get a speaker with a mic when the mic can’t be used.

I didn’t call you anything, nor do I see an issue with having a Beam SL.  I stated that already.  However, your reasons for being concerned about a mic aren’t exactly logical, nor is your assumptions about how Sonos could sell data and record you without consent.  It’s worth clarifying just so that other’s don’t make the same assumptions. 

Just to clarify, the Gen 2 Beam is what will support Atmos, while the original will remain capped at DD 5.1 

I have a Gen 1 Beam sitting on the Sonos wall mount. If I upgrade to Gen 2, I’m guessing that the Gen 2 will still fit with the mounting holes in the base of the existing bracket? Have searched but not seen this actually confirmed anywhere.

The gen 2 has not yet been released, so we’re unable to provide you any certainty on whether the mount is the same. 

I would, however, be somewhat surprised if there was a difference in mounting for it. However, since they’re replacing the cloth grill with a new grill, I suppose it’s possible that there could be changes.