Sonos Beam
Soundbars

Beam

Sonos

Released May 31, 2018 · Analysis updated Feb 8, 2026

Soundbar with Dolby Atmos support, impressive sound for its size, compact design, built-in Alexa, and easy iPhone setup. The Sonos Beam scores 85/100 based on 20 expert reviews in the soundbars category. Coverage includes reviews from Whathifi, Inverse, Pickr, and Coolblue.

Critic Score

What's this?
85

based on 20 expert reviews

WhathifiInversePickrCoolblueSmarthomesounds+15 more

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Pros

  • Dolby atmos support(16)
  • Impressive sound for its size(6)
  • Compact design(6)
  • Amazon alexa built-in(5)
  • Easy setup with iphone(3)

Cons

  • Limited dts support(9)
  • High price(4)
  • No hdmi passthrough(3)

20 Expert Reviews

93
Oct 1, 2021

Four years on from its launch, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 remains the best Dolby Atmos soundbar in its size and price categories.

93
Sep 30, 2021

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) delivers impressive Dolby Atmos sound quality and transforms into an immersive system with rear speakers, making it the best Atmos soundbar for budget-conscious buyers.

92
Jul 4, 2018

The Sonos Beam gets so much of the smart speaker and the soundbar formula right, finding that middle ground really well.

91
Oct 13, 2025

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) provides a powerful sound for such a compact soundbar with Dolby Atmos support that adds a cinematic experience.

87

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a multi-award-winning compact soundbar that is still widely regarded as one of the best value-for-money options on the market right now.

87

The Sonos Beam delivers Very Good sound quality with some noticeable sonic quirks, reproduces music and dialog very well, and offers excellent TV setup and ease of use.

85
Jun 27, 2018

The Sonos Beam is a great sounding, easy-to-use compact soundbar that's a jack-of-all-trades and very easy to live with, particularly in smaller rooms or apartments.

85
Oct 28, 2021

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a really fantastic soundbar, better than a soundbar of this size has any right to be.

85
Apr 3, 2020

The Sonos Beam is a compact soundbar that delivers outstanding sound quality with crisp dialogue and impressive bass, offering convenient voice control and smart home integration despite some setup ch...

85

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar delivers sophisticated sound in a small package.

85
Sep 30, 2021

The Sonos Beam 2 delivers mild but definite improvements on the (outstanding) product it replaces, with performance that defies its dimensions.

85
Nov 22, 2023

A step up from the previous model, the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) adds an extra dimension to sound, literally, with its clever virtual Dolby Atmos support.

85
Oct 5, 2021

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is praised as the best compact soundbar with Dolby Atmos support, offering excellent sound quality and expandability despite some limitations.

85
Nov 2, 2022

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a fantastic choice for anyone seeking compact cinematic might with excellent sound, compact design, and Sonos' finely tuned software, plus virtual Dolby Atmos.

83
Nov 11, 2021

The Sonos Beam is both a great soundbar and one of the best bases on which to build a multi-speaker Sonos ecosystem.

82
Jul 17, 2018

The Sonos Beam is a powerful speaker for its size with a long list of features, but it doesn't get loud enough for very large rooms.

80

The second-generation Sonos Beam soundbar adds Dolby Atmos support and two more audio processing channels, for an impressive sound field that retains the previous model's compact size.

80
Sep 30, 2021

The second-gen Sonos Beam offers improved sound and eARC support but falls short on Atmos performance despite the marketing focus.

80
Sep 30, 2021

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 delivers superb sound quality and excellent usability, but its Dolby Atmos performance falls short of expectations.

78
Mar 13, 2023

The Sonos Beam provides a balance of compact design, big sound, smart features and Dolby Atmos that will still suit many buyers despite its price increase.