- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Review Updates
- Comparison
- Best Soundbars
- Conclusion
- Discussions
We've currently tested six Sonos soundbars. Sonos is an audio-centric brand that sells a wide range of home audio devices, including speakers. The brand focuses on creating multi-room home audio systems that bring your favorite music to every room of your house, creating a unique ecosystem that's easy to control via its all-in-one app. Its soundbars fit right into the mix, and you can even pair them with some of the brand's speakers and subwoofers for a more immersive surround sound.
Updates
- 06/22/2022 Sonos Ray reviewed
- 03/04/2022 Sonos Beam updated
- 01/06/2022 Sonos Arc updated
- 11/01/2021 Sonos Beam (Gen 2) reviewed
- 02/11/2021 Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers updated
Best Sonos Soundbars
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Best Sonos Soundbar
Mixed Usage7.9Dialogue/TV Shows8.2Music7.9Movies7.8Channels5.1.2The best Sonos soundbar we've tested is the Sonos Arc with Sub + One SL Speakers. It's a versatile top-of-the-line offering that brings a cinematic feel right to your living room. It's not currently available as a package deal, but you can buy each component separately and pair them together to get the best possible performance. Movie lovers will appreciate that it supports the audio formats commonly found on streaming platforms, including Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos. If you're low on space, you can also stick with the standalone Sonos Arc—but the full setup brings the thump and rumble in action movies with its bass reproduction, as well as a more clear and real representation of surround sound thanks to the satellites.
This bar gives you access to Sonos' premium enhancement features, including a room correction tool to automatically optimize audio reproduction based on your room's unique acoustics. It's called TruePlay, and while it's only available with iOS devices, Android users can still use its bass and treble adjustments to customize its sound. You won't find a full graphic EQ, but given its clear and balanced sound out-of-the-box, you likely won't need it. Voices and lead instruments accurately reproduce in the mix, and there's plenty of bass to bring bass-heavy music and movies to life.
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Best Mid-Range Sonos Soundbar
Mixed Usage7.4Dialogue/TV Shows7.6Music7.4Movies7.3Channels5.0The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a more affordable alternative. It's a 5.0 setup with the same compact design as the original Sonos Beam. However, unlike its predecessor, it supports the object-based Dolby Atmos content currently found on many streaming platforms. Despite its small size, you still get an immersive sound—thanks to acoustic tools built into the bar, sound stretches well past the edges of the bar itself for a more cinematic feel. It offers a similar selection of sound enhancement features, including TruePlay room correction and bass and treble adjustments.
Out-of-the-box, you don't have any trouble following the action on screen, thanks to its balanced mids that reproduce voices and lead instruments with detail and clarity. On its own, there's a lack of rumble in the low-bass, but you can always add on a separate subwoofer to improve its bass reproduction. Unfortunately, it doesn't get as loud, so it's not ideal for filling larger rooms with sound. Overall, it's pretty immersive for a small soundbar—but surround sound and Atmos content don't sound as clear or real as they do with the larger Sonos Arc.
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Best Budget Sonos Soundbar
Mixed Usage6.3Dialogue/TV Shows7.0Music6.9Movies5.5Channels2.0If money is a bit tighter, check out the Sonos Ray, the best Sonos sound bar in the budget category we've tested. It's the manufacturer's most affordable offering, and the small 2.0 bar is ideal for listening to stereo content, which includes most music and dialogue-focused TV shows. Despite its budget-friendly price, you still have access to the TruePlay room correction feature on the S2 app with your iOS device. Out-of-the-box, voices are especially clear and detailed, and lead instruments reproduce with accuracy. As a result, it's suitable for listening to many different music genres.
As a small, standalone bar, it's ideal for those who don't have a lot of space in their living rooms. Of course, it doesn't bring as much rumble in the bass, so fans of genres like EDM and hip-hop may want to add a separate sub. Compared to Sonos' premium offerings, there's no Dolby Atmos support. It can still playback 5.1 surround sound formats like Dolby Digital. Since it has to downmix this content into stereo to play it, the representation isn't quite as immersive, but separate satellites are always available to enhance its performance. Overall, it's a good choice if you want a simple plug-and-play upgrade over your existing TV speakers.
Compared to other brands
- Easily upgradable setup. If you don't have a lot of space in your setup, you use the standalone soundbars to enhance your TV's sound. However, if you move to a larger space or change your mind down the line, Sonos sells compatible subwoofers and satellites that you can add to your setup to improve its performance.
- Wireless multi-room system available. Sonos sells a wide array of speakers and home audio devices, and their S2 app makes it easy to control your music ecosystem in one place. Use the app to play audio in every room of your house, either in unison or separately. However, you'll need an iOS device to access the room correction feature.
- Wide, immersive soundstage. Most Sonos soundbars use psychoacoustic principles to make it seem like your favorite movies and music extend well past the edges of the bar itself, resulting in a soundstage that seems to stretch all around you.
- No Bluetooth compatibility. Bluetooth is a handy tool if you want to stream audio from your mobile devices to your soundbar—unfortunately, Sonos soundbars don't support it. You can still stream wirelessly via Wi-Fi and, in some cases, Apple AirPlay.
- No EQ. If you like to customize the way your bar sounds, unfortunately, Sonos doesn't have a lot of tools on hand. Its premium setups come with bass and treble adjustments, but you won't find EQ presets or a graphic EQ to customize it across the range.
- No HDMI passthrough. Sonos' soundbars don't come with HDMI In ports. That means you can't use them to passthrough high-quality video formats from media devices or gaming consoles.
Sonos is a premium audio brand with a small array of soundbars to enhance your TV's audio. Their setups are easily upgradable, either by adding subwoofers and satellites or connecting them to your existing Sonos ecosystem to synchronize sound throughout different rooms of your house. Compared to other premium brands, though, there aren't as many customization tools on hand, but they deliver clear sound out-of-the-box, so you don't have to tinker with its settings too much.
Conclusion
Sonos is a popular brand for audio lovers who want to enhance their favorite music, movies, and TV shows. Their premium soundbars are a solid choice with great audio quality right out of the box and fit right into your existing Sonos ecosystem. You don't get as many enhancement features as other premium brands, but their plug-and-play performance isn't likely to disappoint.