The Sonos Beam 2 is a cheaper, and still very good, alternative to the Arc.

I have the Beam 2 together with a sub and 2 Ones for surround sound and to my ears the overall sound is superb.

Really good option, thanks

I read in a What Hi Fi or TV review that it comes down to room size

The Beam 2 is good for smaller rooms and the Arc for larger

it did not stipulate the room size

I am considering the Arc but am worried in case they release a new version just after I buy the old one

Steve

I am a bit less worried about this now. Sonos has committed to 5 years of support (rumored 7) after a product is not sold.  There may be something new on the horizon, but not sure what they could add past atmos for now.  Also, complete speculation, but I would think it would be something above the Arc if there was something coming out.  

My own personal rule of thumb has been to base the Soundbar decision on the size of the TV in the room, like this…

Up to 32” TV screen size, use Sonos Ray.

32” up to 55” TV screen size, use Sonos Beam

55” (or over) TV screen size, use Sonos Arc

At the crossover TV sizes, I guess it’s up-to yourself.

Sonos promises 5 years but they are still supporting stuff they sold back in the 2000s so I wouldn’t worry.

Newer versions can be an issue but with only rumors and FCC filings to go on I don’t worry about them much until they are announced.

We use a Playbar that we purchased from the Sonos refurbished program. I think it sounds better than the Beam, but its connectivity isn’t as good. So, it depends on your overall system and how the product fits. Playbar is optical only, while something newer like Beam will get you eARC. You might look into that if it would fit your system