Why is the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) still unchallenged in a key area so many of us care about?

A white Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar photographed on a white desk in front of an OLED TV

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi? / Netflix (Drive to Survive))

This week we crowned the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) as this year’s best soundbar under £500 Best Buy winner for the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025.

There are lots of reasons for that, but the biggest is that when we ran it head-to-head with rivals in our listening rooms it sounded the best.

"What!? Even though it's so old!?" I hear the more animated among you shout. Yes, you read that right.

Trust me, I was in the room. Despite originally launching in 2021 the Beam (Gen 2) is still a step up on its main rivals, which this year include the new JBL Bar 300MK2, Harman Kardon Enchant 900, Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6, and Sony HT-S2000 from last year.

As we said in our review:

“Four years on from its launch, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 remains the best Dolby Atmos soundbar in its size and price categories. It combines impressively spacious movie sound with clarity and punch that works just as well with music, making it an affordable, all-in-one device of rare ability.”

But you know what? I have a small, but growing, grumble about its ongoing dominance. Specifically, that it’s at least in part due to an ongoing shortage of valid rivals that not only in price, but that also match its size.

If you look at any of the rivals I mentioned above, they’re all full width. Which is fine if you have a big 55-inch or above, price appropriate TV to match it with, but bad news for a significant chunk of Beam (Gen 2) fans that have “small” as a key item on their wishlist.

Many of us care about quality, but are short on space. That’s a key reason 42-inch and 48-inch OLED TVs exist and have a small, but very devoted fan base – of which I am part.

Just because I live in a tiny house that can’t sensibly accommodate a giant TV and soundbar doesn't mean I don’t care about picture and audio quality. This is why the Beam (Gen 2) is so appealing.

The Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar with Sonos Ace headphones placed on top of it, in front of a TV showing a scene from Senna on Netflix. — (Image credit: Future)

It’s pretty much the only “good” sounding soundbar that is small enough to fit on a 48-inch or smaller cabinet. It’s also the only one that’s low enough to overcome smaller TVs’ annoying tendency to only have one height option with their stand designs.

This means most sets sit too low to comfortably fit a full-width soundbar under them, without cutting off part of the screen. Either that, or if you put them on a smaller stand they awkwardly jut out over the sides. I’ve attached a comic example from our contributor, Joe Svetlik, to show what I mean above.

On top of that, this many years on from the Beam (Gen 2)’s launch and considering the massive sonic upgrades we’ve seen on other lines of soundbars (including the holistic improvements we experienced comparing the Sonos Arc to the Sonos Arc Ultra), surely it’s possible to make something better now?

And that’s why, while I am impressed with the Sonos Beam (Gen 2)’s longevity and continued dominance, I would like to see it challenged in the not too distant future.

MORE:

These are the best soundbars we’ve reviewed

We rate the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Our picks of the best surround sound systems

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Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time.

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