Finally, the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) has a worthy competitor in this five-star Dolby Atmos rival

When it comes to entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbars, regular readers will be well aware that the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is the top dog in our books.

After all, it snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award for the fifth time running earlier this year, and holds the top spot as the best Dolby Atmos soundbar in multiple soundbar guides.

And that's all for good reason. When we first reviewed this model, it delivered a rich and clear sound performance that blew us away.

We note while watching Bohemian Rhapsody: "The sound of each instrument feels natural and unprocessed, no matter where it sits in the shot, and when the camera flies over the audience there’s a real wide-sweeping sensation of movement and expanse."

It is impressively immersive as well, considering its compact dimensions of 7 x 65 x 10cm (hwd). The Sonos manages to balance more subtle sounds with decent precision, while also producing a convincing Dolby Atmos effect.

That all results in a "warm, refined sound" that ultimately earned the soundbar a five-star review. It launched at £449 / $449 / AU$649 and, although we have seen this price drop during sales events such as Black Friday, it has remained roughly at this price since launch.

Now, five years after the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) burst onto the scene, we have found a model that gives it a genuine run for its money.

Enter the JBL 300MK2, a Dolby Atmos soundbar that packs a big punch.

The JBL Bar 300MK2 offers a tempting alternative

The JBL comes in slightly cheaper than the Sonos model, and will set you back £350 / $450 / AU$549.

It offers an unassuming design, featuring rounded edges with a plastic grille on the front. There's an LED display at the front of the bar, which is a pleasant surprise at this price (the Sonos doesn't have a display of any kind) and makes volume and output changes instantly visible.

Around the back of the bar, there are two HDMI connections – one dedicated input and an output that can also receive sound from your TV via eARC. While there’s no 4K/120Hz support, the HDMI passthrough does support Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

But what makes it such a worthy rival? First off, the 300MK2 offers a room-filling Dolby Atmos presentation that is a massive improvement on the majority of TVs' audio. We find while watching Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, for instance: "As the camera follows the progress of the helicopter in the sky, the sound stretches into the room, along the ceiling, to a point just above the listening position."

It can tackle low frequencies excellently as well, producing a weighty sound that you can feel in the soles of your feet with the most booming soundtracks. That doesn't mean the vocals are forced into the background, though, as the sparkling midrange keeps voices in check.

Compared with the Beam, the JBL does truly challenge our reigning champ. Where the Sonos delivers a more cohesive sound overall with top-class control and finesse, the 300MK2's weightier, more bombastic and more room-filling sound will win it many fans.

That's the closest any Dolby Atmos model at this price has got to dethroning the Beam (Gen 2) and, trust us, that's high praise indeed.

MORE:

Here is our review of the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

And this is our full review of the JBL 300MK2

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars right now