Sonos Beam (Gen2) is here: Dolby Atmos, better sound and more
from David Haydl 
on September 14, 2021, 15:00 | Write a comment
Sonos just unveiled the Sonos Beam (Gen2), which comes with Dolby Atmos, among other things. You can read what else she can do here.
Just by looking, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the first and second generation. The Sonos Beam (Gen2) looks exactly like its predecessor and is the same size. The only exception is the plastic speaker grille, which replaces the fabric cover. Sonos also installed the already known connections, including HDMI eARC for connecting to a television and Ethernet. The touch surfaces on the top did not change either.
Now with Dolby Atmos
The big change in the second generation Beam is that it supports 3D audio with Dolby Atmos. This means that films and series that master this format are now even more thrilling. Music can also be played using this format. More precisely, the lossless playback of audio with 24 bit / 48 kilohertz should be possible. That will be possible through Amazon Music with Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos Music by the end of the year. Even Apple Music theoretically supports these frequencies, but the manufacturer has not confirmed this.
The sound has also been revised. With more computing power and a new arrangement of the loudspeakers, a "lifelike experience" should be created. In addition, setting up the device has been simplified a bit, which is now even faster with the help of the NFC chip in smartphones.
Image: Sonos
I would also like to highlight three smart features at this point. "TruePlay" is not new, but it can optimize the sound a lot. To do this, the soundbar scans the room in which it is located. “Night Sound” is particularly useful when you want to watch TV at night without disturbing other people. This reduces loud sounds and amplifies quieter ones. And “Turn on Speech” amplifies voices on request so that they can be understood better.
Sonos Beam (Gen2) pricing and availability
The new Beam will be available from October 5th for a price of 499 euros on the Sonos website.
