It’s unlikely the Beam would be updated, all of the rumors point towards the PLAYBAR. We should know in the coming week. 
 

Until Sonos releases the official information, there’s no idea about cost. 

Thank you! I’ll wait a week then lol. I think I can manage that ;) 

I saw that there would be updates but that some equipment wouldn’t be able to be updated. I’m assuming the Beam would have the benefit of the updates? 

Thanks so much for your help, 

Bobbie

PS I’m in the UK. 

Yes, the Beam would have enough memory in it to run the upcoming software...but all Sonos sound bars would. None of them are on the ‘legacy’ list. 

Great, thank you! Well I’ll leave it a week to see what’s announced then purchase Much obliged!

Hope you saved your money.
 

With the announcement of the Arc, it seems likely that the Beam and the Amp are being left behind and will likely be stuck on Dolby Digital/PCM while newer and better formats are reserved for the Arc and future products. 

The Arc offers a whole new set of hardware and apparently Sonos just didn’t plan ahead with the Beam. 

You have absolutely no proof of this whatsoever, and when you specifically asked Sonos about this, you were told nothing of the sort.  You readily admit you sold all your Sonos gear, and it appears you are just here to stir things up.  

To the OP, I would hold off purchasing until the release of S2 software next month.  It will be clearer then what new features are coming to the Beam, if any. 

As I wrote “it seems likely”. I can only hope to be proven wrong. 
 

I am giving advice based on Sonos’ very, very clear history in terms of codecs. No Sonos product has ever received any upgrade in terms of codec support. The Playbar-users screamed for DTS until the very end. Beam-owners have been begging for DD Plus since it was released.

Now Sonos is finally embracing some new codecs. If they had any good news to share for Beam and Amp owners I am sure they would have done so. 
 

And even if I am wrong, the eArc on the Arc is enough to skip the Beam as this is a physical limitation the Beam will never surpass - any way you spin it. 

You have no idea what “seems likely”, and you were specifically told to wait until S2 for details.  You are here for one thing and one thing only - To bash Sonos. And since your other bash thread gained no traction, you are searching out other threads to sow your discontent.  

Why not go enjoy your Sonos replacement, and let others make up their own mind about what they want without your misinformation campaign

I have sold most of my Sonos equipment as I am building a new house with build-in speakers.

I actually still have a Beam, a Sub, a Play One and a Connect Amp 2nd Gen. I managed to sell all my legacy stuff as well as my Playbar and Playbase while they still had some value. So I am in good shape and have not taken any hit as such. My Beam is for my spare room and PCM (Dolby Digital as long as I have a way of getting that), will do just fine. 

As you would see if you read all my posts, I often also support Sonos and have twisted my brain and the community to see if I could somehow make the Amp work. But the price tag of two Amps just do get DD 5.1 and no HDMI-in will likely not be worth it.

And I am not misinforming. I am stating the obvious based on my many years long experience with Sonos. Sonos has never upgraded codecs for any of their products and thus it is unlikely - not impossible - that this will change in the future. When asked about codec upgrades, Sonos has always answered “we have nothing to share at this moment” or “we will pass on your request to the team”. Please don’t read too much into that. Take the product for what it says on the box and not what your hoping it might get in the future  

What I am saying and which is true - like it or not — is that the Arc is the best future-proofed product in the lineup. If one can afford it and can find room for it, it is the only speaker to look at for your tv. 

So you chose a thread from when the Arc wasn’t even known to state the Arc is the best choice?  Well duh. I’m pretty sure the OP didn’t need your input at this time, and whether he bought the Beam or not, it could easily be returned (even though they already stated they were going to wait).  But hey, anything to shoehorn in your agenda. 

Your two statements contradict each other here.  Probably not intentionally, and perhaps ‘only speaker to look at’ was an exageration.  I think your first one is actually more correct.  For many situations, many TVS, the Beam is the right soundbar for the job.  Personally, I don’t need atmos in in my bedroom.  I don’t see the Beam as lacking future-proofing since Dolby Digital isn’t going away anytime soon.  I have a second room that sees more tv use, but it’s very large, and I’m not sure it makes sense to upgrade that to Arc.  If I do, it will be for Atmos capability, not specifically for DD+ or TrueHD.  It’s my main living area that’s going to get an Arc, because it makes sense for that room.

The Arc is ‘more future proof’, but it should be...being that it is 2 years younger than the Beam.

But if I didn’t have a Beam already, and I were shopping for my spare room even, I would think twice before buying the Beam again. There is a lot of movement in codecs these years. 
 

That is how it is with technology, sometimes things just move fast.

They stated they were going to wait until the announcement. Now that an announcement has been made, it makes sense to give a recommendation based on that announcement.
 

My recommendation: skip the Beam and get the Arc. It is so much better. Even if Sonos will bring some new codec to the Beam, the serious hardware updates on the Arc says that is the one to get - if the budget and space is there. 

If that were all you stated, nobody would have a problem with your response.  But you tilted far over the line from recommendation into speculation and preachy agenda.  You already did that in your own thread and got very few responses.  Let it die.  

Glad you took the time to read my post. I stand by it. The new line is fragmented in terms of design and features. It’s a mess and Sonos used to keep things much clearer. 

Nobody cares about your opinion, as evidenced in that thread.  Let it die.  

I know very little about sound but found this exchange very interesting! The Arc looks great but is definitely more costly than I had budgeted for! I guess I always knew it would be but hey… it’s not urgent so I’ll leave it a bit longer, check reviews etc and make a decision! 

Thank you all - I really appreciate your input. 

Bobbie

The Beam is still an excellent speaker, at a great price point, and works outstandingly well as a home theater speaker for rooms that are not large. It doesn’t have the same capabilities of the new Arc, but it remains a solid choice for many, many consumers. 

Thank you! My room isn’t that large and I guess when I move to my palace I can put the Beam (if I get it) in the ‘spare’ living room and get an Arc ;) 

Bobbie

That sounds smart to me. Incredibly smart. :)

But I value your opinion. Never let it die.