The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a compact soundbar that connects to a television via HDMI eARC, with support for spatial audio formats including Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD. It replaces the original Beam with an upgraded connection standard that allows lossless audio to pass from a compatible TV without compression — a meaningful step up for sources delivering Dolby Atmos content over HDMI.
Performance
Five Class-D digital amplifiers drive one tweeter, four elliptical midwoofers, and three passive radiators. The driver array is arranged to produce phantom height channels that contribute to the Dolby Atmos effect without requiring upward-firing drivers, allowing the Beam to maintain a 68mm profile slim enough to fit beneath most televisions.
Trueplay
Trueplay room calibration uses the microphone in an iOS device to measure how sound behaves in the room, automatically adjusting equalisation to compensate for furniture, reflective surfaces, and placement against walls. Voice Trueplay provides continuous, ongoing adjustment for listeners without an iOS device.
Connectivity
HDMI eARC handles all TV audio, enabling lossless Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD to pass directly from compatible televisions and AV processors. Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz) provides wireless streaming and network connectivity, with a 10/100 Ethernet port included for a wired connection. The Beam also receives infrared commands from your existing TV remote for volume and mute. Apple AirPlay 2 is supported for direct streaming from iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Voice Control and Features
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are built in. Speech Enhancement and Night Sound modes adjust the frequency balance for dialogue clarity and quieter late-night listening respectively. All processing is handled by a quad-core 1.4 GHz A-53 processor with 1 GB RAM and 4 GB of storage.
Ecosystem
The Beam (Gen 2) integrates with the wider Sonos system. It can be paired with Sonos Era 100, Era 300, or Five as wireless rear surround speakers, and combined with a Sonos Sub or Sub Mini for a complete wireless home cinema setup — all managed through the Sonos app.