Upgrade a Playbar to the new Beam?

  • 2 December 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 470 views
lucasSWE
Badge +2

Hello! 👋

 

I’m looking to upgrade my Sonos-setup in my living room.

 

My use: I mainly use my Apple TV to play music from Apple Music - I do not use Sonos built in feature for this. Other then that I look at series from Apple TV+, Netflix etc. 

 

My setup in the living room today: Playbar + 2 Play:3 as surround speakers. This is connected to a Samsung Q70A-tv (2021) with an optical cable.

 

The best solution: This would be just to get the Arc. Sadly, it seems to be pretty wide and I'm slightly worried that it wouldn't fit very good in my home. 

Alternative 1: Change my Playbar to Beam gen 2. How would the new Beam compare with my Playbar? Would I experience a huge improvement in sound quality and immersiveness with the Beam gen 2? Would Dolby Atmos work with the Beam gen 2 and the Play:3 as surround speakers?

Alternative 2: Just add a Sub to my current setup? Would this be a more noticeable improvement than to change the Playbar?

 

Thanks for all inputs! 💙

2 replies

melvimbe

In general, I would say a playbar sounds better than a Beam.  The Beam does quite a bit for it’s size, but I think the wider playbar is just better overall.  However, the Beam is designed for a small/medium size room, so if the room you want to use the speakers in fits that category, I don’t think you really lose anything by using a Beam instead of a playbar.  I have not heard the Beam Gen 2, so perhaps this not quite the case anymore.

You will also need to consider future proofing.  The Beam has more features, and more memory for future features than the playbar. Perhaps the ability to play atmos (gen 2) makes a big difference for you  If you are interested in voice control, higher codecs, and whatever else may come along, then maybe Beam is the way to go.

Regardless, I think adding a sub would be the best improvement to the sound.  If your choice is between sub and Beam to replace playbar, I would go with sub.

Danny
lucasSWE
Badge +2

@melvimbe Thanks for your answer! 

 

I did not think about future proofing either! But all streaming will be done through my Apple TV or AirPlay. I don't really use Sonos built in feature for streaming. And as long as Siri is not available on Sonos, I won’t be using the voice control haha. But maybe higher codecs and Atmos would be the main future proofing for me - if I continue to use it as I do today.

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