V E R S U S C O M PA C T S O U N D B A R S
TEST WINNER Spready’s dead There’s only one HDMI socket and no passthrough here, so you’ll need to use up one of your telly’s ports.
Improve on up The Home 550 has a couple of HDMI sockets, both of which support 4K, HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
Loaves’ great adventure In 2022 a top-end soundbar can be the size of a baguette, not a railway sleeper
Denon Home 550 The Home 550 is nicely compact – just the right size to sit below a 40-55in telly without drawing unnecessary attention to itself. The plastic materials don’t feel anything special, but everything is built and finished properly. For a manageably small soundbar, the Denon delivers a big sound with loads of detail, deep, well-controlled bass and a crisp, confident top end. Turn the volume up too much, though, and it does get quite shouty. Between Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and hi-res audio support, Wi-Fi (including AirPlay 2) and Bluetooth, built-in Alexa skills and the HEOS app that lets you fiddle with EQ settings, the Home 550 is a thoroughly modern soundbar.
Drivers 2x tweeters, 4x full-range drivers, 3x passive radiators Connectivity 2x HDMI (1 with eARC), digital optical, USB, 3.5mm Dimensions 650x120x75mm, 3.5kg
VS
1. DESIGN
Just like its predecessor, the second-gen Beam won’t hog the length of your TV cabinet, and with its polycarbonate grille and stylish curves it looks very much like it belongs in the Sonos family. It’s available in either black or white.
2. AUDIO
As with the Denon, none of the Beam’s drivers point upwards, so its Atmos effects are achieved entirely through audio trickery. Still, the soundstage is expansive and it does a decent job of immersing you in what’s going on.
3. SMARTS
You can control the Beam with your TV remote, but the Sonos S2 app lets you calibrate it and fiddle with features like Speech Enhancement. Add other Sonos speakers and you’ve got yourself a proper surround-sound setup.
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O Price £469 / stuff.tv/Home550
+++++
Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
Drivers 1x tweeter, 4x elliptical midwoofers, 3x passive radiators Connectivity HDMI eARC, Ethernet Dimensions 651x100x69mm, 2.8kg
O Price £449 / stuff.tv/SonosBeam
STUFF SAYS
+++++
The Denon’s Atmos performance is superior, but the Sonos is still the better bet overall 56
