Skip to main content
Answered

Need help deciding: Arc vs Beam Gen 2

  • October 24, 2025
  • 8 replies
  • 130 views
A
Forum|alt.badge.img

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to decide between the Sonos Arc and Beam Gen 2. I can get both for roughly the same price (Arc is actually €50 cheaper), and I’m finding it hard to choose.

A bit about my setup:

  • TV: 65″ with HDMI eARC

  • Room: Medium-sized living room

  • Use: Mostly Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, movies, and music

Here are the two options I’m thinking about:

  1. Beam Gen 2 + Era 100 pair + Sub Mini

  2. Arc standalone bar and later add  Sub Gen4

  3. Arc + Sub Gen 3 or 4 now, and maybe add Era 100/300 as rear speakers later

I’m looking for good movie immersion, clear dialogue, and solid music performance without going overboard.

Given my TV and room size, would you go Arc now or Beam + surrounds? Any advice or real-world experience would be super helpful!

Thanks!

Ashu

Best answer by Triticale

I can tell you my experience, buying Arc + Sub 3 just before Ultra and gen 4 introduction and one year later adding two Era 300.

For TV daily watching, Arc and sub improve the experience a lot. Also for films, but don’t expect Atmos or any surround feeling, even if they advertise it. But for sure it develops a very powerful experience compared with the TV speakers.

For music, the result is also quite good, but the bar doesn’t fill the room as a good pair of stereo speakers. But for sure enough for normal listening. 

The bigger improvement is to complete the system with the Era 300 backwards. Now the experience in movies or music is impressive. Atmos is absolutely noticiable in music and the experience goes to another level. Also watching films the experience is great, even in 5.1.

In my opinion:

  • For the size of the TV and if you’re thinking to upgrade in the future, the Arc is better than Beam.
  • Arc Ultra is much better than Arc if they are alone, but, adding sub and surround, the differences are not so noticiable.
  •  I think Sub 4 doesn’t worth it for the price difference. As far as I know, perhaps more skilled users say the opposite, I never test the last one.

 

 


 

8 replies

Triticale
Forum|alt.badge.img+3
  • Triticale
  • Collaborator II
  • 93 replies
  • Answer
  • October 24, 2025

I can tell you my experience, buying Arc + Sub 3 just before Ultra and gen 4 introduction and one year later adding two Era 300.

For TV daily watching, Arc and sub improve the experience a lot. Also for films, but don’t expect Atmos or any surround feeling, even if they advertise it. But for sure it develops a very powerful experience compared with the TV speakers.

For music, the result is also quite good, but the bar doesn’t fill the room as a good pair of stereo speakers. But for sure enough for normal listening. 

The bigger improvement is to complete the system with the Era 300 backwards. Now the experience in movies or music is impressive. Atmos is absolutely noticiable in music and the experience goes to another level. Also watching films the experience is great, even in 5.1.

In my opinion:

  • For the size of the TV and if you’re thinking to upgrade in the future, the Arc is better than Beam.
  • Arc Ultra is much better than Arc if they are alone, but, adding sub and surround, the differences are not so noticiable.
  •  I think Sub 4 doesn’t worth it for the price difference. As far as I know, perhaps more skilled users say the opposite, I never test the last one.

 

 


 

A
Forum|alt.badge.img
  • ashrith27j
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • 3 replies
  • October 24, 2025

Thanks for the reply, ​@Triticale 
For me, the Arc + Sub Gen 3 actually works out cheaper than the Ultra.
Initially, I was only considering the Beam Gen 2, but later I found that the Arc is about €50 cheaper than the Beam.

Just to give you a bit more context — it’s a medium-sized living room (3.5m x 6m) with an 8ft ceiling height.

A
Forum|alt.badge.img
  • ashrith27j
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • 3 replies
  • October 24, 2025

I can tell you my experience, buying Arc + Sub 3 just before Ultra and gen 4 introduction and one year later adding two Era 300.

For TV daily watching, Arc and sub improve the experience a lot. Also for films, but don’t expect Atmos or any surround feeling, even if they advertise it. But for sure it develops a very powerful experience compared with the TV speakers.

For music, the result is also quite good, but the bar doesn’t fill the room as a good pair of stereo speakers. But for sure enough for normal listening. 

The bigger improvement is to complete the system with the Era 300 backwards. Now the experience in movies or music is impressive. Atmos is absolutely noticiable in music and the experience goes to another level. Also watching films the experience is great, even in 5.1.

In my opinion:

  • For the size of the TV and if you’re thinking to upgrade in the future, the Arc is better than Beam.
  • Arc Ultra is much better than Arc if they are alone, but, adding sub and surround, the differences are not so noticiable.
  •  I think Sub 4 doesn’t worth it for the price difference. As far as I know, perhaps more skilled users say the opposite, I never test the last one.

 

 


 

Thanks for the reply, ​@Triticale 
For me, the Arc + Sub Gen 3 actually works out cheaper than the Ultra.
Initially, I was only considering the Beam Gen 2, but later I found that the Arc is about €50 cheaper than the Beam.

Just to give you a bit more context — it’s a medium-sized living room (3.5m x 6m) with an 8ft ceiling height.

jgatie
  • jgatie
  • 28207 replies
  • October 24, 2025

If you can get an Arc (not Ultra) for 50 anything less than the Beam 2, it’s a no brainer.  The Arc has actual height channels, the Beam’s height channels are virtual.  The Arc also has a significantly wider soundstage.

Triticale
Forum|alt.badge.img+3
  • Triticale
  • Collaborator II
  • 93 replies
  • October 24, 2025

I can confirm what ​@jgatie says. I’ve spoken with a friend who has both in different rooms and he says that there is no doubt: always Arc.

Stanley_4
  • Stanley_4
  • Lead Maestro
  • 12383 replies
  • October 24, 2025

We replaced a Beam gen 1 with an Arc and it with an Arc Ultra.

For dialog clarity we prefer the Beam gen 1 to the Arc. We still have 3 beams and passed the Arc on.

The Arc Ultra has outstanding dialog and fills our big room better. Beams are adequate in the bedrooms.

We have Subs on a Beam and the Ultra and they add a lot to movies and music, not so much to talking heads.

We use Ones, on the Beam and 100s on the Ultra as surrounds. The 300s were a lot better but we couldn't fit them in our space.

A
Forum|alt.badge.img
  • ashrith27j
  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • 3 replies
  • October 29, 2025

Thanks, ​@Triticale and ​@jgatie ! 😊 Looks like your advice to go with the Arc was spot on — I’m really happy with the decision!

I ended up getting the Sonos Arc, which was delivered yesterday and is now set up in my living room (3.5m x 6m). I’ve already watched quite a few Dolby Atmos movies, and honestly, I’m not regretting my decision at all — the Arc outperforms the Beam Gen 2 in every way.

Before buying, I spent a lot of time watching reviews, forum discussions, and showroom demos… but now I realize that the real audio impact only hits when it’s in your own room setup. I’m totally blown away by the immersive soundstage and the clean, powerful bass this soundbar produces on its own.

With my wife working in the office room, I’ve been keeping the volume around 40 with bass at level 0, and it still sounds amazing. I even went outside my flat to check if it was bothering the neighbors — surprisingly, it’s so well-virtualized that all the effects stay contained within my room without disturbing others.

Before this, I used Sony and Bose soundbars. Those were good, but Sonos is truly in a league of its own. Its only real challenge is handling mids, but honestly, if it fixes that no one comes close to Sonos in overall performance.

For now, I’ve decided not to add a sub, since the bass performance is already more than enough for me. I’ll be adding Era 100s as rears next to complete the setup.

Still can’t believe how this 5-year-old tech continues to perform so incredibly well — Sonos really nailed it with the Arc! 🔥

Triticale
Forum|alt.badge.img+3
  • Triticale
  • Collaborator II
  • 93 replies
  • October 29, 2025

Nice to hear your news! And happy to know that you’re excited with the Arc”s performance.

What you say about the volume perceived in the room is not so high in other parts of the house, it’s true! I feel the same and it’s surprising. 

About the upgrade, I agree with you to get surround if your main use is watching films. If you spend more time listening music, go for a Sub first! If you think the Arc is delivering good bass, wait to try a Sub 😅


 


Terms & ConditionsCookie settingsAccessibility statement