Sonos Beam Gen 2
After launching the new portable speaker Roam, Sonos finally came to upgrade the existing product line, and it is a new product for small families. Sonos announced that it will bring a new TV soundbar-Beam (second generation), decentralized all the Dolby Atmos sound effects of last year’s flagship Arc, and also added a number of new features.
The appearance of the Sonos Beam (second generation) is the same as the old model, and the unit composition is also composed of five Class-D digital amplifiers that drive one set of tweeters, four sets of mid-range and low-frequency speakers. However, Sonos said that they have upgraded the processor with a speed increase of 40% to cope with the additional computing needs of spatial sound effects. And the number of units is the same, but according to Sonos, the speaker array of the Beam 2 is increased to five groups to meet the ceiling sound of Dolby Atmos.
Sonos Beam Gen 2
However, Sonos also has some fine-tuning of the appearance, including the introduction of Arc’s mask production method to enhance the sound effect. In addition, the included power cords will line up with the fuselage. In other words, the Beam (second generation) is available in black and white colors, and black or white wires will be attached respectively. Finally, NFC was added to simplify the connection and pairing of smartphones and Beam (second generation).
In fact, in addition to Dolby Atmos, different sound formats such as Dolby Digital+ and multi-channel PCM supported by Arc are all supported on Beam (second generation). At the same time, the use of HDMI eARC is also added, which is more compatible with Different usage scenarios.
What content can be played on Beam (second generation) with Dolby Atmos? Are Dolby Atmos songs from Apple Music okay? Sonos refused to answer, only to confirm that Amazon Music HD’s Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos will be compatible with the Beam (second generation). In terms of specifications, it shouldn’t be a problem. The key point is when Apple is willing to open it to third-party devices.
Sonos Beam (second generation) was officially launched on October 6, priced at HK$4,499. Hong Kong will start the pre-sale on September 15 through the official website and Fortress.