Playbar vs Beam gen 2

I like the PLAYBAR myself. It’s older technology, by a fair bit, and has different connection methods, but it is wider physically, and separation is a big deal to me. 

Others may have different opinions. 

Personally I'd go with the Beam gen 2 and Era-100s, a bit more money but the warranty and Atmos would sell me.

The Sub, that is tough as the Sub 4 is going for a lot more than an older used Sub. Even used I'd prefer a Sub gen 3 over a 2 or 1.

I've had the Playbar-Sub-2x Play1 since about 2013.

It's a fantastic soundbar, as a surround setup it does a good job and sounds pretty good in Dolby 5.1. The system can also handle a party where you play very loud music :)

However, it's a very old soundbar and has its limitations. You probably won't see many updates to it in the future and it only supports Dolby 5.1. You also can't upgrade the system in the future to get better sound.

Unfortunately, my Playbar broke right when I upgraded, the rubber that holds the speakers had become soft and came apart at the joints.
Not saying it will happen to all Playbars but 10-12 years wears on everything.

If you want the best sound it´s Beam Gen 2. You can then upgrade to the Era100-300 and get Atmos surround and also play Atmos music which really gives a completely different music experience (I'm a huge fan)