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BEAM ME UP, SQUATTY Sonos Beam 2
R10 000 / sonos.com
The grille is polycarbonate for enhanced audio and easier cleaning than fabric.
If you’re still searching for immersive TV sound from a compact source, Sonos is back to raise the bar… ● Dancing off the ceiling We were a bit bowled over by the original Beam back in 2018. Small, smart and surprisingly affordable, the cinematic soundbar slipped into our living rooms and grabbed Gadget of the Year honours. Now its successor is here to shame your TV’s tinny tweeters all over again… with added Dolby Atmos. ● Another grille, another planet Put the Sonos Beam 2 alongside its predecessor and you’ll struggle 16
to spot the difference. It’s still a rounded-off rectangle, albeit with a slightly tweaked grille, and it still packs four full-range drivers, a central tweeter, three passive radiators and five Class D amps. What’s changed is the way these are controlled. The processing now coordinates playback across five arrays instead of three, the extra two being dedicated to surround and height information for that tingly Atmos separation. ● Bring on the dancing sources Towering sound is a fine way to immerse yourself in cinema, but you’ll need the right feed to make the most of it. Helpfully, next-gen
HDMI eARC means the new Beam supports higher-quality audio from your TV. You’ll have to wait before diving into those party bangers, though: Sonos says support for Dolby Atmos Music is coming later this year. It’s also planning to get on with Amazon Music’s lossless Ultra HD format. ● My smarts will go on Aside from the whole Atmos thing, the Beam 2 has all the smarts that made the first edition such a winner, including far-field mics with echo-cancellation for reliable voice control, Trueplay tech for acoustic room-tuning, and plenty of tinkering options in the app.
IT PACKS THE SAME DRIVERS, BUT WITH NEW PROCESSING FOR TINGLY DOLBY ATMOS SEPARATION
