Beam Gen 1 or Gen 2?

  • 20 September 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 3153 views
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I recently purchased a Beam Gen 1 while being unaware that Gen 2 was right around the corner (still in the return window.) I like the sound of the Gen 1 for both cinema and music listening. Given my setup, I actually don’t care as much about the performance for cinema as I use the system  primarily for music. So, I’m thinking that features such as DTS and eARC are not as relevant for me. I also use my Beam on it’s own when watching movies and don’t activate any of my other speakers.

That said, I want to make sure I’m getting the best product that I can. Is it worth returning my Beam Gen 1 and getting the Gen 2 if I primarily care about music performance? Will the Gen 2 be better or worse for music performance? The same? I’m having trouble distinguishing the difference, if there are a different amount of speakers, different size speakers, etc.

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4 replies

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Userlevel 7

The Beam (Gen 2) has five speaker arrays compared the first generation's three. Whether or not this will improve the overall sound of the Beam when listening to music is unknown since no one has been able to review the Gen 2 yet.

The Gen 2 will also have Dolby Atmos music support. So if you are interested in Dolby Atmos music, the Gen 2 is the better option.

Does your return window allow you to purchase the Gen 2 and test it and still be able to return the Gen 1?

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
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Gotcha. I read about the 5-speaker vs. 3-speaker array. Just want to confirm, that means literally that there are 5 speakers instead of 3?

Does your return window allow you to purchase the Gen 2 and test it and still be able to return the Gen 1?

 

It’ll be tight since the Beam 2 is released on October 5 supposedly. But definitely possible.

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Userlevel 7

The Gen 2 has the same amount of drivers as the Gen 1. Just the speaker arrays have increased from three to five. I believe the “arrays” are more like zones than actual speakers or drivers. The two added “arrays” are dedicated to surround and height information.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
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The Gen 2 has the same amount of drivers as the Gen 1. Just the speaker arrays have increased from three to five. I believe the “arrays” are more like zones than actual speakers or drivers. The two added “arrays” are dedicated to surround and height information.

 

OK thank you! Those details were the murkiest to me. Good to know it’s still the same amount of drivers.

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