Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: which entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar is better?

If you are on the hunt for a soundbar to add to your home cinema system, Harman Kardon and Sonos are two of the brands you will inevitably have seen pop up time and time again.

And that's for good reason, as the two names have produced a range of soundbars that have impressed with their audio performance. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 has been our top recommendation in the entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar, for instance, ever since it launched five years ago.

Harman Kardon's latest Atmos entry is directly challenging the Award-winner with the Enchant 900. With the Sonos model getting a little long in the tooth, we have been waiting with bated breath to see whether the long-time champ will be knocked off its podium by a newcomer.

So which of these soundbars is the better buy? We’ll break down the arguments below.

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: price

The Harman Kardon Enchant 900 originally launched at £430 / $560 / AU$800, but the price has crept up slightly at most UK retailers to £449.

At this price, it is a direct rival to the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which is also available for £449 / $449 / AU$649. It launched at this price and, although we have seen it drop during deals season, it tracks pretty closely to this price most of the time.

Both of these models are therefore in the entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar market and there's nothing to split them on price.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: design

Both are all-in-one soundbars sporting sleek, minimalist designs, albeit taking two different approaches.

The Harman Kardon model features a smooth fabric that covers the top panels, with a strip of metal separating them.

That contrasts with the Sonos Beam Gen 2’s rounded ends with a perforated polycarbonate grille facing the listener.

The Sonos model is slightly longer than the Enchant 900, measuring 7 x 65 x 10 cm (hwd) against the Harman Kardon’s 6.5 x 87 x 13 cm. With those measurements, both soundbars should fit under your TV nicely without blocking the screen.

At the front of the bar, the Enchant 900 features a dot display which can be dimmed or turned off completely. You can see when volume, bass level, or output is changed from here. That makes navigation easy, especially when compared to the Sonos which doesn’t feature a display.

There’s not a remote control with the Sonos Beam Gen 2 either, but it can be controlled with the Sonos app (more on this in a moment) or your TV remote. The Enchant 900, on the other hand, features a remote control that has a premium, smooth feel.

Using this remote you can turn on Bluetooth, change the output, adjust the volume and source, or tweak the bass and surround settings.

While some may prefer the inclusion of a remote control with the Harman Kardon, both models offer a subtle yet stylish design. We're calling that a draw again.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: features

Under the hood, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is packing one central tweeter and four elliptical mid-woofers each powered by Class D amplifiers to create a 5.0-channel configuration.

With the Harman Kardon Enchant 900, there are nine drivers, including four racetrack drivers and three tweeters. You will also find two up-firing drivers, with the soundbar boasting a 5.1.4-channel system.

Both bars offer Dolby Atmos, but the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 supports DTS HD Master Audio whereas the Sonos Beam does not.

Around the back of the bars, you will find their physical connectivity offerings. Both models have an HDMI eARC port, but the Harman Kardon offers an extra HDMI input. That’s a draw for those not wanting to put all the connections through their TV.

They both use wi-fi as well, so you can stream using platforms such as Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Amazon Music Ultra HD.

Both soundbars also have apps: the Harman Kardon One and the Sonos app, respectively. These act as an all-in-one hub for the bars, with access to EQ controls and more advanced sound settings. Neither of the soundbars offer preset sound modes, so if you want to adjust the balance you are relying on these controls.

The apps also offer room calibration to fine-tune the sound to your space, which is easy to do on either model.

But the Harman Kardon’s better connectivity options and surround sound support makes it the stronger performer when it comes to features.

**Winner: Harman Kardon Enchant 900**

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: sound

Now for the main event: how do these models sound? We’ve pitted the two soundbars against each other, so we know first-hand how they compare.

Starting off with the Harman Kardon, we are presented with an energetic, exciting sound that spices up our listening experience. The soundbar’s Dolby Atmos presentation is reasonably precise and clean, all while delivering a good sense of scale.

When watching Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, for instance, we note: “As the small boats paddle away from the main vessel, we can still hear where the boats are, even when they have left the frame.”

We find that the Enchant 900 is not a very subtle soundbar, though, especially in the treble department where it can overwhelm the other frequencies.

As well as this, lower frequencies sound blobby with the Enchant 900, leaving us with an unsatisfying lack of punch, especially when playing our classic bass stress test scene – Chapter 2 in Blade Runner 2049.

We play the same scene with the Sonos Beam Gen 2, which delivers the bass with a tighter, more organised precision that delivers more of an impact.

The Sonos doesn't have the same sense of scale as the Harman Kardon, but it counters with a more authentic audio performance that ultimately outdoes its rival.

Switching to the film Bohemian Rhapsody on the Sonos, we find: “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.”

With music, the Harman Kardon’s exciting performance continues but the issues with bass and treble persist.

With Aurora’s Churchyard, the soundbar creates a good sense of anticipation by building from the quiet vocals to the bass-heavy chorus, and keeps up the excitement of the track with its immersive audio. But the coarse rendering of Aurora’s voice makes the track feel harsher than it should.

Listening to the same track with the Sonos bar, the Beam Gen 2 model sounds more natural and balanced with a rare musicality that is difficult to find in a soundbar at this price.

While the Harman Kardon model offers extra spaciousness and excitement, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is the better all-round performer with its more subtle and musical delivery.

**Winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Harman Kardon Enchant 900: verdict

Despite the Harman Kardon outdoing the Sonos Beam Gen 2 in terms of room-filling sound, it doesn't have the audio chops to overtake the class-leader here.

The Enchant 900 does offer better physical connectivity, which will be a draw for those not looking to connect everything from their TV.

However, considering both models are the same price, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 remains the clear winner in this entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar category.

**Overall winner: Sonos Beam Gen 2**

MORE:

Here is our review of the Sonos Beam Gen 2

Check out the Harman Kardon Enchant 900 review

And here are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars