Should you follow What Hi-Fi's advice for the Sonos Beam?
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- Опубліковано 13 лип 2024
- I came across this Feb 2020 article from What Hi-Fi and I had to say something about it. No malice intended, but I think as content creators, we all have to learn to be responsible in our recommendation. Views can differ from creator to creator and that I respect. But I think one needs to be consistent and uphold view points. Even if it were to change over time, acknowledge it.
And there will also be a need to verify facts. I spend a lot of time researching before I do my videos. When I don't know and am not sure, I say it. I don't claim to know it all. If I make a mistake, I fess up and correct it or I will acknowledge in the comments section or in a next video. We should all aim to make the Internet (and UA-cam) a more credible source of accurate information!
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Sonos Beam - Black: amzn.to/2YQPRu2
Sonos Beam - White: amzn.to/2V182MB
Sonos Sub (GEN 3) - Black: amzn.to/2YVFDst
Sonos Sub (GEN 3) - White: amzn.to/2zNTSHd - Наука та технологія
Funny thing is I read this article, but after sitting on the fence for approximately 2 years I took your advice and bought the Sub to complement my Beam. I haven’t looked back or regretted the purchase of the Sub (Gen 3) one bit. For any doubters out there, the Sub/Beam combo sounds amazing and in my living room much more immersive than the cinema.
Hear hear...I bought the Sub to compliment the Beam and I haven't looked back..Fantastic...!!! 😃
Spot on analysis, as always Peter. They don’t recommend a sub…? Clearly don’t know what they are talking about!!
The sub is awesome. It definitely adds a layer to the home theater experience.
I both the Beam and Sub based on this channel, I didn't think twice and the Sub is awesome. It doubles the "quality" / immersion of the sound in my opinion. The surrounds are nice for movies etc. but aren't as neccesary. I'd Love some led light replacement sonos speakers that would give me atmos but that will never happen with the Beam!
I must say I did read the article you refer to and it was somewhat confusing and troubling to me. Despite their recommendation not to purchase the SONOS Sub with the Beam, I set my son up with a Beam and Sub and hoped it would be a great decision. It was and is, happily. I love your professional agitation in this video. Not only informative but entertaining as well. Good job!!
Opps... looks like I didn't manage to hide it well enough. :)
Peter, in a future video would you consider ranking combinations of SONOS home theatre products with close price points to include one that I am very interested: the Arc compared with the Beam with Sub. Ty!
One last comment for today (yay): please consider another addition to your new pro set up. A small, but live, studio audience.
Everything sounds better with a subwoofer!
Hey Peter,
Is there anyway you could please do frequency response/listening experience comparisons between a beam only music setup and music with only two sonos ones. The setups are similar in price and so would like to know how they compare in terms of audio quality?
Can you make a video on HD Fury Arcana for those who haven't got eARC TVs, please. Many thanks.
Are you going to review the Sonos ikea picture frame?
100% agree with you I bought the Arc and One SL's from Costco and then added the Gen3 Sub it was a great Home Theater setup however it did cost me a lot of money. Problems I had with the system was whenever there was any interruption in power or internet one of the SL's would disconnect and take forever to show up in the Sonos app to reconnect and then it would require Trueplay tuning again and this happened twice in three weeks. Two days ago I had the chance to Preorder Klipsch Cinema 1200 for $1350 including tax and shipping and I decided to get that system instead. I have returned the Sonos Gen 3 Sub and still have the Arc and One SL's until the Klipsch Cinema 1200 arrives however the Sonos just doesn't sound or gives me the Movie theater type feel without the Sub.
Yeah, if you are looking for output that will throw you into a cinema feel, you will need the sub. Of course, a lot depends on the type of stuff you watch. For 40 year old virgin, I think no need for the sub.
And Cinema 1200! That's quite the monster I must say. With a largish sub to go along with it. Klipsch makes sonically great performers.
@@PeterPee I’m really looking forward to the Klipsch soundbar since I’ll be able to utilize Dolby Atmos output from the Apple TV which isn’t the case right now with Sonos Arc setup due to lack of HDMI inputs and eARC missing on my TV. Not only is the sub a lot larger than other soundbar packages but the Klipsch soundbar itself is much lengthier than the Sonos Arc I believe. I’m sure Sonos home theater setup is well under 1200watts compared to the cinema 1200 so will see how much of a difference power makes in sound output and quality.
I’m waiting for more test of the cinema 1200.
You can help me I don’t know if I’m going to the full Sonos setup or the cinema 1200 😤😤😤
If you can come back after your received your klipsh … I would say thank you !!! 🤗
@@jlarregneste Will do…..I didn’t order from any of Klipsch main three online retailers so it might take longer for me to get it. I joined the live video discussion they had about the product today and they did mention due to chip shortage they couldn’t implement the airplay 2 and something else in the product. The Apple TV that I’ll be using should compensate for the lack of AirPlay I guess.
The Sonos sub with a beam and surrounds is awesome. Worth the money! I thought about adding a pair of Fives for proper stereo sound but this setup for music is already very good.
Great video Peter! What Hi-Fi reviews 👎
After I thought about it maybe I was too harsh with What Hi-Fi. But then I thought about it even more and I researched more.. and I found some more horrors from What Hi-fi... I should make another video on that.
Some fair points, but I do feel similarly about the sub. Would I love one? Of course I would but there is no way I will pay here in the uk £600-£700 for it which is more than the price I paid combined for my beam and pair of one SL’s.
My room is only what I would call medium size and my setup works great in it, yes a sub would improve it no doubt but not by £700’s worth so I just can’t justify paying that. I really hope Sonos one day come up with a cheaper, more modest sub.
Thanks for your work on here, you are the go to guy for all things Sonos on UA-cam.
Yes, it is pricey no doubt. So if it is just about the price, then I think they have a valid point.
Can you do a test between the setup arc/gen 3/ sl and the new klipsh cinema 1200 ? For sure lot of people like me are the same hesitation 🤷♂️
I'd love to do that test. In fact, I am asking around for loan unit.
It's good to see you pissed at sub-standard publications. There are so many out there. Which website do you recommend for tech reviews? Is RTINGS a good idea?
Rtings is a great and objective site. Another good one is soundguys. Very methodical in their approach and backed up with testing and measurements.
I think it’s ok that a publication does reviews and product recommendations. Even for lower end stuff you can recommend them as well, because there are different users with lower budget out there. It is ok. But I insist that publication should be objective about it and call a spade a spade. And know clearly what they are talking about and research enough.
I have a bedroom TV and can’t decide between;
1) Sonos Beam
2) 2x Sonos Ones
3) 2x HomePod minis
Or
4) just 1 Sonos One
My kids have HomePod minis which intercom is a great feature! Plus I’m deep in apples ecosystem 😏
Thanks for the advice
If you are going with the TV, my suggestion is definitely for the beam. The Ones won't interface with the TV and the homepod minis require an apple TV to work. So the Beam is the natural choice here for the bedroom to work with the TV.
@@PeterPee thanks for the reply Peter! I have an Apple TV connected to the TV 👍🏼 if that changes your recommendation?
Definitely beam unless you like managing two remotes (one being your phone). For a modern TV it has to be the beam. Without a "bridge" device like a Sonos Port, I don't know how you would get the sound from the TV to Sonos One.
@@Watch4Me HomePod minis can be set as a default audio output. Sonos One you’d have to set as audio output every time but it has the benefit of a decent stereo system for music when not watching TV
Hello Peter,
Would you ask Sonos on our behalf that we would like to see an update in the volume where we can see a volume percentage? It's so much nicer to see where you are in the volume from 0 to 100 or even just a bar line. How hard can that be.
I can't imagine it being so hard. But come think about it, a lot of volume sliders now don't show the percentage. I really wonder why that is so.
Do you think the current Beams days are numbered because they may be updating it with eARC/Atmos drivers ?
No, that won't be the case. The beam will be supported for quite a while more, empirically speaking.
@@PeterPee great to know 👍🏼 thanks
I still think, that not getting a sub is still justified regarding the beam. Not necessarily in quality, because the Sonos Sub is excellent. Regarding the overall price of the then created system is debateable. 1100$ for a 3.1 system with no Atmos support isn’t really cheap. That’s one major reason, why I didn’t choose the Beam over a competitor in that space. Other manufacturers offer 5.1 soundbar systems and above that. Your critic regarding a mentioned lack of sound quality is completely justified as well as a lack of the mentioned soundbars and sounddecks which support the Sub. The value proposition isn’t false, in my opinion.
I thought about the resulting cost of the system by pairing the sub to the beam. But then they went on to talk about the sub being unjustified even for the playbar or playbase. And the fact that they were singing its praise in a separate review.
How old is this article, mentions multiple outdated speakers here no longer available from Sonos.
Possibly 2020 as its the article in what hi fi he is talking about.
It’s Feb 2020.
What HiFi clearly hasn’t had any exposure to the sound bar category or they would have written about the Sonos system with a hint of context. The guy who only reviews small portable Bluetooth speakers. It didn’t occur to the that a Sonos One user can upgrade to a 5 and relegate the One to a surround, and then get a Sub…. He is the $29-$129 portable BT speaker guy…He cannot think beyond his area of expertise
Haha. I chuckled at your comment. Very good astute observation.
give me a headache
Stopped taking What Hi-Fi seriously for quite some time. As with most "purist" audiophiles publications, they don't really know how to properly evaluate other valuable aspects such as ease of use, compatibility and experience.
I don't listen to anything What Hi-Fi has to say. They've recommended products with audible design flaws (usually British), and they're just as bad as Stereophile, Absolute Sound, and Hi-Fi + in perpetuating the audio cables/external DAC's/power conditioners/$$$=better myths. To paraphrase Peter from his last video, audiophiles are listening to sound, the rest of us are listening to music.
I have a lot of things to say about the cables and power conditioners. I resigned from discussion forums because of blind faith and staunched arguments over the benefits of using a $300 LAN cable that improves sound to the DAC.
Here’s some advice. Get a ARC.
If your savvy you could pick up a Beam and a Sub for around the same price and ultimately have a better system. Yes there’s no atmos, but other than that a much better system for around the same price.
This is the eternal question that all of us have. It depends on the use case and room it’s going into. And it ultimately depends also on future expansion plans.
use your ears instead of graphs