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The Bose Solo Soundbar Series 2 is a compact and user-friendly soundbar designed to improve your TV's audio, especially dialogue clarity. Thanks to its Dialogue Mode, voices come through more clearly without needing to raise the volume, which is great for watching shows or movies with lots of talking. The built-in Dolby decoding adds some richness to the sound, and the two angled full-range drivers help spread audio more evenly across the room. While it delivers surprisingly decent bass for its size, you can boost it further with a dedicated button on the remote.
This soundbar is quite small and slim, making it easy to fit under most TVs or mount on the wall with the included bracket, which helps keep your space neat and minimal. For connectivity, it supports Bluetooth and an optical audio cable, so you can wirelessly stream music or podcasts from your phone or tablet, though it lacks some advanced smart features like voice assistants or multi-room support found in higher-end models. The setup is straightforward with just one cable to connect to your TV, and the simple remote is easy to navigate, which is perfect if you want something hassle-free.
The sound quality is good for casual TV watching and music listening, but it won’t replace a full surround sound system if you want a more immersive experience or louder power output for large rooms. This soundbar suits users looking for a compact, easy-to-use upgrade to their TV audio with clear dialogue and Bluetooth streaming, without the complexity of more advanced smart features.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is a compact smart soundbar designed to enhance your entertainment experience with its vibrant sound and modern features. Its standout strength is the sound quality, as it delivers crystal clear dialogue, rich bass, and an immersive 3D surround sound experience thanks to Dolby Atmos. This makes it ideal for both TV viewing and music listening.
Connectivity is another strong point for the Beam (Gen 2). It supports Wi-Fi and HDMI connections, making it easy to integrate with your existing setup. The ability to control the soundbar via the Sonos app, your TV remote, Apple AirPlay 2, or voice commands (with Alexa or Google Voice Control) adds to its user-friendly nature. This flexibility ensures a seamless user experience.
In terms of design, the Beam (Gen 2) maintains a sleek and modern look, measuring 65.1 cm in width, which helps it fit conveniently into most home setups without being obtrusive. The option to wall-mount it adds further versatility in placement. However, its build is predominantly plastic, which might not appeal to those looking for a more premium feel. Smart features are well-integrated, offering ease of setup with step-by-step guidance from the Sonos app and smart Trueplay tuning to optimize sound based on room acoustics. It also supports expanding into a multiroom audio system, which is great for those looking to build a comprehensive home audio setup.
The soundbar's power output is decent at 80 Watts, suitable for small to medium-sized rooms, but might not suffice for larger spaces. The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is an excellent choice for those seeking a smart, compact, and versatile soundbar with strong audio performance and convenient connectivity options, especially for smaller living areas.