When it comes to premium home audio, few brands have developed the reputation and loyal following of Sonos. Over the past two decades, this pioneering company has led the way in creating easy-to-use, great-sounding wireless speakers and soundbars that have redefined home entertainment.
One of Sonos‘ most popular and acclaimed products is the Beam, a compact smart soundbar that punches well above its weight in terms of audio performance. The original Beam (1st generation), launched in 2018, remains an excellent choice for those looking to seriously upgrade their TV sound without breaking the bank or taking up too much space.
As an audio enthusiast who has tested dozens of soundbars over the years, I consider the Sonos Beam 1st gen to still be one of the very best options in its class. Here are the top 10 reasons why you should consider making the Beam the centerpiece of your living room entertainment setup:
1. Big, Rich Sound from a Small Package
The magic of the Sonos Beam starts with the impressive, room-filling sound it produces despite its relatively small size. Measuring just 25.6 inches wide, 3.9 inches tall, and 2.7 inches deep, the Beam houses four full-range woofers, one tweeter, and three passive bass radiators. Powered by five class-D digital amplifiers, this array delivers exceptionally clear, detailed, and spacious sound.
What‘s remarkable is how expansive the soundstage is from such a compact speaker. The Beam produces a convincing illusion of surround sound, projecting audio well beyond its physical dimensions. Dialogue is crisp and easy to understand, while effects pan smoothly across the front of the room. The bass is also surprisingly weighty and impactful for a small speaker.
According to independent measurements from audio experts at RTINGS.com, the Sonos Beam has "a very good frequency response" with "an extended bass for a small soundbar" and "a fairly neutral, well-balanced mid-range" that is ideal for vocal reproduction. Simply put, the Beam sounds outstanding with everything from movies to music to TV shows and podcasts.
2. Foolproof Setup and Operation
Setting up the Sonos Beam is a truly seamless experience, even for the technologically challenged. The soundbar has just a single HDMI-ARC port (plus an ethernet jack) and connects to your TV with the included cable. Once plugged in, you complete the setup using the excellent Sonos smartphone app for iOS or Android.
If your phone has NFC, you can automatically jump into the setup by simply tapping it on the Beam. Alternatively, the app will play a series of tones that the Beam will recognize to pair. The whole process takes just a couple minutes and the app guides you through every step.
Once set up, everyday operation of the Beam is equally simple. It responds to your existing TV remote for core functions like volume. And an illuminated touch control panel on the top of the soundbar lets you easily play/pause, adjust volume, or mute the mic. An LED indicates status. The Beam just works transparently with no fuss or frustration.
3. Clean, Understated Design
The Sonos Beam has an elegant and understated design that blends in nicely with most any décor. It has a wraparound black or white grille cloth exterior, with a matte plastic top panel. Touch sensitive controls illuminated with white LEDs add some subtle flair.
At under 26 inches wide, the Beam looks proportional under TV screens 49 inches and larger. And the low 2.7 inch height means it won‘t block the bottom of your TV screen when placed on an entertainment unit. There are also threaded holes on the back and in the base to enable wall mounting with an optional kit.
Overall, the Beam has the premium fit and finish you would expect from Sonos. It‘s a smart, compact design that is unobtrusive yet stylish. An Amazon reviewer sums it up well, saying "It looks great, super low profile so it doesn‘t distract from the TV but makes everything look high end."
4. Expandable Sonos Ecosystem
One of the biggest selling points of any Sonos product is the robust and flexible whole-home audio ecosystem the company has built. The Beam fits seamlessly into this wireless ecosystem, allowing you to easily expand into true surround sound or multi-room audio.
For starters, you can add a pair of Sonos One SL speakers ($458/pair) as dedicated surrounds for the Beam. This transforms the soundbar into the core of an immersive 5.0 surround system. You can also add a Sonos Sub subwoofer ($749) for even deeper, richer bass response.
Even better, the Beam can be grouped with other Sonos speakers like the Play:5, Play:1, Move, Roam, etc. to create a whole-home audio system. You can synchronize the same music across multiple rooms, or have different audio playing in each zone. It‘s all controllable from the single Sonos app.
There are currently 13 different speakers/components in the Sonos lineup, providing a wide range of options for expanding and building out your system over time as budget allows. The Beam fits into that ecosystem perfectly as a full-fledged Sonos player.
5. Smart Voice Control
Another big draw of the Sonos Beam is its robust voice control capabilities. The soundbar has five far-field microphones built-in to pick up voice commands, even while audio is playing loudly. It works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for hands-free control.
With Alexa on the Beam, you can ask it to play music from dozens of streaming services, control smart home devices, check news/weather, set timers/alarms, and much more. Google Assistant provides similar smart speaker functionality. Both AI assistants are fully functional on the Beam.
Beyond the digital assistants, the Beam also supports native Sonos Voice Control. With the wake phrase "Hey Sonos", you can ask the Beam to start/stop music, adjust volume, skip tracks, and check battery level of other Sonos speakers. It‘s a handy alternative to reaching for your phone or remote.
Importantly, Sonos has always placed a big emphasis on privacy with its voice features. There is a mic mute button to electrically disable the voice functionality. Sonos also pledges to never sell your personal data or use recordings of your voice queries for marketing purposes.
6. Connectivity and Compatibility
Inputs and wireless connectivity are straightforward yet versatile on the Sonos Beam. For your TV connection, the Beam relies on HDMI-ARC (audio return channel). This allows the soundbar to receive Dolby Digital surround signals from your TV and be controlled by your TV remote. There is also a digital Optical to HDMI adapter included for older TVs.
On the wireless side, the Beam supports the standard 2.4 GHz as well as 5 GHz frequency bands for rock-solid and speedy WiFi transmission (802.11 b/g, 2×2 MIMO). It also has Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), but just for simplified setup with mobile devices, not audio streaming.
For multi-room audio and surround sound expansion, the Beam uses Sonos‘ proprietary wireless mesh network. This dedicated wireless system ensures flawless sync between multiple Sonos speakers without impacting your WiFi network bandwidth. It‘s an extremely reliable ecosystem.
In terms of audio formats, the Beam supports an impressive range, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and PCM stereo. It has native support for 48kHz/16-bit audio as well. Unfortunately, the 1st gen Beam does not support lossless Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, or DTS content. This is only available on the newer Beam (Gen 2) released in 2021.
7. Trueplay Tuning for Optimized Sound
To get the very best sound quality from the Beam in your particular room, Sonos offers a proprietary technology called Trueplay tuning. Using the microphone on an iOS device (no Android support unfortunately), Trueplay analyzes the acoustic characteristics of your room and then optimizes the sound output from the Beam accordingly.
The tuning process involves waving your iOS device around the room slowly while the Beam plays a series of test tones. The iOS app listens to how those tones reflect off walls and furnishings in the room. It then creates a customized audio profile to adjust for characteristics like room size, layout, and surfaces.
The end result is meaningfully improved sound quality that is perfectly dialed in for your unique space. Trueplay tuning noticeably improves clarity, soundstage, and overall tonal balance. It‘s an innovative feature that helps the Beam sound its best in any environment. A review from TechHive confirms "Trueplay makes a substantial difference in the Beam‘s performance."
8. Loaded with Convenient Features
Beyond core functionality, the Sonos Beam has a number of small but significant features that enhance everyday usability and listening. One example is Night Sound mode, which compresses the dynamic range to boost quiet sounds and lower loud ones. This is ideal for late night TV watching without disturbing others.
There is also a Speech Enhancement feature that clarifies dialogue. When activated, it boosts frequencies associated with the human voice to improve intelligibility. This is especially useful for shows/films with lots of whispering or accents.
Another great feature is the ability to set up two separate Beams (or other Sonos speakers) as dedicated left and right channels for wider stereo separation. You can also configure the Sonos app with specifics about your room (ex: room size, distance from speaker) to further optimize the sound.
On the hardware side, the Beam has a handy status LED on the front grille to visually indicate when it is actively listening for a voice command. The touch controls on top are also smartly laid out and responsive. And the build quality is top notch, with high-grade plastic and fabrics that feel durable and premium.
9. Still Superb Value
Upon its release in 2018, the Sonos Beam carried an MSRP of $399. That was actually considered a value price point for the brand, which had previously focused on higher-end offerings like the $699 PlayBar soundbar. The goal with the Beam was to make Sonos sound quality accessible to a wider audience.
Fast forward to today, and the Beam (Gen 1) remains an outstanding value on the used/refurbished market. Since the release of the $449 Beam (Gen 2) in late 2021, prices for the 1st gen model have decreased to around the $300 level. Certified refurbished units direct from Sonos often go for under $320.
Considering all the features and performance you get with the Beam, $300-$350 is still an excellent deal. It handily outperforms many entry-level soundbars in the $200 range, and provides much of the same great sound and functionality as the newer $450 Beam in a more affordable package.
If you want fantastic sound, a compact design, voice control, multi-room audio, and a wide range of useful features, the 1st gen Beam definitely over-delivers for the money. Audiophile website WhatHiFi agrees, saying "even three years on from its debut and with a next-gen model now on the market, this original Beam still represents superb value."
10. An Easy Recommendation
When you add it all up, the Sonos Beam (1st gen) remains one of the most compelling soundbars on the market for most people. If you are looking for an affordable way to majorly upgrade your TV audio experience, I can‘t recommend the Beam highly enough.
It hits all the right notes in terms of design, features, usability, and sound quality. The setup is incredibly easy, even for tech novices. The compact form factor fits well in most any space. The voice controls and smart features are well implemented and genuinely useful. And the sound punches well above the Beam‘s size and price point.
Compared to other leading soundbars around the $300 price point like the Yamaha YAS-209 or Bose TV Speaker, the Sonos Beam distinguishes itself with a sleeker design, more polished app experience, and more flexible expandability. It‘s the ideal starting point for building out a complete Sonos whole-home audio system over time.
To be clear, if you are a hardcore audiophile or home theater enthusiast, you may want to consider the newer Sonos Beam (Gen 2) or the larger (and pricier) Sonos Arc for their added Dolby Atmos immersion. But for most mainstream listeners, the 1st generation Beam still delivers phenomenal performance and value.
As an owner of the Beam myself for several years, I can confidently say it meaningfully elevates the TV watching and music listening experience. The rich, detailed, expansive sound never fails to impress. The Beam has absolutely been one of my best and most enjoyable tech purchases.
If you are on the fence about upgrading your lackluster TV speakers, the Sonos Beam (1st gen) is absolutely still worth buying in 2023. With its winning blend of performance, design, features, and value, it remains a shining gem in the soundbar market. Highly recommended.
