Trending Lyricist I

Question

Is it a bad time to buy a Sonos Beam?

22 replies
705 views

Hi there,

I’ve just got rid of my archaic surround sound system and, after research, want to buy the Sonos Beam. However I’ve heard that Sonos may introduce a Dolby Atmos version next month and I’ll kick myself if I’ve bought one in May to find a Dolby Atmos version available in June!

Is it likely that this will be the Playbar not the beam? And any idea on cost? The Beam is probably about as much as I’m happy to spend.

Thank you!

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

Show previous replies

jgatie

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.

melvimbe

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.

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.

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.

Danny

T

Tejs Dyrvig Ernst

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.

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.

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.

T

Tejs Dyrvig Ernst

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.

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.

jgatie

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.

T

Tejs Dyrvig Ernst

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.

jgatie

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.

B

BobbieCAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

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

Airgetlam

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.

Bruce

B

BobbieCAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

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

Show more replies

Sign up

Login to the community