home theatre

Hi @Lyky5 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

For a TV over 55”, we recommend the Arc for it’s bigger sound-stage.

The Arc, on it’s own, will deliver 5.0.2 Atmos sound. It plays the 3 front channels normally and, using mathematical trickery, plays the 2 surround channels via the side-facing speakers to emulate surround sound. The 2 height channels play on upward-firing speakers to bounce off the ceiling to produce the height effect.

The Beam does not have upward-firing speakers, however, so has to emulate the height effect, and cannot emulate surround channels. On it’s own, it does 3.0.2. Matched with a pair of ones, however, the surround effect will be more pronounced and effective than that of an Arc on it’s own.

So, increased sound stage, number of speaker cones and the size of the enclosure aside, an Arc on it’s own will do height channels better, but a Beam with surrounds will do surround sound better. You’ll also get better bass from the Arc, but the surrounds will play a good bit of bass too, so it’s hard to say without a direct comparison, and it probably depends on your speaker positioning compared to your viewing location.

But really, it depends on what you want from them - if you’re looking for a simple surround sound setup so you get the full effect of the soundtrack, and no longer have to put up with the sound of internal TV speakers, the Beam would do perfectly well in that room.

If, however, you want to get the absolute best Home Theatre experience that Sonos has to offer, then the Arc is where to start. A second Sub would be where to end (after adding surrounds, of course). The important point is that you don’t have to buy it all at once - add the surrounds and even a Sub at a later date, if you wish.

If you buy direct, you get 100 days to decide whether you are happy or not - you can return your product(s) for any reason to get a full refund. Go to https://support.sonos.com/s/money-back-guarantee to start the process - you don’t even need to call us. Then, try another option. We will cover all shipping costs.

I can’t tell you which option to go for, but I hope this helps you decide.