The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) in black is $499.00 at Amazon, the same figure Sonos charges on its own store. Amazon publishes no list price for it, so the percentage-off tag on the listing sits against nothing at all.
On October 18 the same listing was $484.99, sold by a marketplace reseller with one unit left in stock. Today it costs $14.01 more and ships from Amazon itself, which is the trade actually on offer.
Sonos builds the bar around five Class-D amplifiers, one center tweeter, four elliptical midwoofers and three passive radiators. Not one of those drivers fires upward, which matters because Dolby Atmos is the feature the listing leads on.
Sonos Beam Gen 2 price and where it now sits in the range
Sonos lists the Beam (Gen 2) at $499 on its own store, with no struck-through price beside it. Amazon matches that to the cent, so there is no discount here at any size.
The launch price was lower. Sonos said in September 2021 that the Beam (Gen 2) would be available globally from October 5 for $449, which puts today's price $50 above the figure Sonos first set.
The Sonos soundbar page now lists four bars. Ray is $219, the Beam (Gen 2) is $499, Beam Ultra is $699 and Arc Ultra is $1,099, so the Beam (Gen 2) is no longer the middle of the range.
Sonos has not retired it, either. The company's legacy product list names Boost, Connect, Connect:Amp, Play:1, Play:3, Play:5 (Gen 2), Playbar, Playbase, both early Subs and two SYMFONISK models, and the Beam (Gen 2) is absent from it.
Sonos Beam Gen 2 specifications
| Specification | Sonos Beam (Gen 2) |
|---|---|
| Amazon price | $499.00 |
| Sonos store price | $499 |
| Amplifiers | Five Class-D |
| Drivers | One center tweeter, four elliptical midwoofers |
| Passive radiators | Three |
| Up-firing drivers | None |
| Dolby Atmos | Phantom height channels created in processing |
| TV connection | HDMI eARC or ARC, optical adapter included |
| Network | 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 10/100 Ethernet |
| Voice | Sonos Voice Control, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant |
| Dimensions | 2.68 x 25.63 x 3.94 inches |
| Weight | 6.35 pounds |
The Dolby Atmos height is simulated, and Sonos says so
This is the fact the listing copy talks around. In its own explainer on how Dolby Atmos works, Sonos states that the Beam (Gen 2) does not have upward firing drivers, and that it gives the impression of overhead sound through simulated height channels.
The product page says the same thing in softer words. Advanced processing creates phantom height channels for Atmos content, Sonos writes, and the chip opens two new audio paths for a virtual surround sound experience.
The contrast inside the range is sharp. Sonos credits Beam Ultra with nine drivers including two up-firing ones, and a true 7.1.2 layout, while Arc Ultra gets fourteen drivers including two that fire up.
Sonos publishes a channel count for both of those bars and none at all for the Beam (Gen 2). It remains the same object-based format that Windows 11 can enable for headphones, simply rendered without height hardware.
HDMI eARC, optical audio and what the Sonos app requires
Atmos on the Beam (Gen 2) needs an HDMI connection. Sonos marks the format with an asterisk in its spec list and notes that asterisked formats require HDMI eARC, with a footnote that also allows the older HDMI ARC standard.
A television with only an optical output still works, because Sonos puts an Optical Audio Adapter in the box. Atmos does not survive that route, though. Sonos says a traditional optical connection does not offer the bandwidth required to carry a format as sophisticated as Dolby Atmos.
Setup needs a phone. Sonos requires its app on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, Android 10 or Fire OS 7, and says an iOS or Android device is required to set up a new system or add new products.
An account is mandatory as well. Sonos says that on a first setup an account must be created, and uses it to register products and connect services such as Spotify and Alexa.
Trueplay room tuning carries a narrower catch. Sonos limits its Android quick tuning to Arc Ultra, Beam Ultra, Era 100, Era 100 Pro and Era 300, so tuning a Beam (Gen 2) calls for an iPhone or iPad.
How the Beam Gen 2 compares with other Amazon soundbars
| Soundbar | Amazon price | Up-firing drivers | Subwoofer included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonos Beam (Gen 2) | $499.00 | None | No |
| Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 | $698.00 | Dual, per the listing | Yes, wireless |
| Samsung HW-Q900H | $997.99 | Two channels, per the listing | Yes, wireless |
| Sonos Arc Ultra | $1,099.00 | Two | No |
The Sonos Arc Ultra is $1,099.00 at Amazon, which again matches the Sonos store price exactly. Neither Sonos bar ships with a subwoofer.
The Samsung HW-Q900H is $997.99 against a $1,497.99 list price, and its listing claims 7.1.2 channels with two up-firing channels and a wireless sub. That Samsung bar carried the same $997.99 on October 15.
The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 6 is $698.00, with dual up-firing speakers and a wireless subwoofer claimed on its listing. It is the cheapest bar here that puts physical drivers behind its height channels.
None of these listings publish a measured power output, and Sonos does not publish one for the Beam (Gen 2) either. No end date is attached to the $499 figure at Amazon or at Sonos. The buy box also moved between a reseller and Amazon inside a single day, so the price and the seller can both change again without notice.
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