Comparing Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Arc, the Arc is larger in size They are available in black and white color that are standard and blends with any room décor. They are both made of plastic and covered with plastic grille. Overall, the build quality is quite good, sturdy and feels premium.

With a width of around 45”, the Sonos Arc is suitable for 65” or 75” TVs. They both come with mounting options which will save space if you have a compact room.

Performance:

Comparing Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Arc, the Sonos Arc is a 5.0.2 channel soundbar whereas the Beam Gen 2 is a 5.0 bar. The Sonos Arc has 11 drivers with 3 tweeters and 8 woofers. Two of these tweeters are placed at an angle so that sound emits through a broader space. With 8 elliptical woofers, the speaker handles the mids and bass. Among these, two are side-firing that are used for surround sound.

Another difference between the Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Arc is, the Arc has dedicated up-firing drivers that produce powerful Atmos effects. The height effects are precise and accurate. It has clearer vocals and instrumental sounds are musical. Low ends are impactful and has adequate punch. The highs are good but not harsh. It has good tonal balance and overall, the speaker is great for music. With high SPL, the Sonos Arc is louder than the Beam Gen 2. 

Sonos Beam Gen 2 has 4 woofers and a tweeter. Both these speakers come with Trueplay feature that adjusts the sound based on the room layout. They both have a neutral sound profile. At such a price point and without any dedicated upward-firing drivers, the Sonos Beam gen 2 shows decent Atmos effects. In case you want to adjust the sound of these soundbars, use the bass and treble settings in the app.

Since both these soundbars have side-firing drivers, the soundstage is impressive and quite powerful. Comparing Sonos Arc vs Beam Gen 2, the Arc is suitable for large spaces whereas the Beam is great for medium sized rooms. The Beam Gen 2 maintains consistency throughout the frequency range. It has a well-balanced sound profile with plenty of details. Low end

Features:

Sonos Arc works with wireless Ace headphone. With the TV Audio Swap, you can easily transfer sound from the bar to the headphone. While features like Sound Enhancement, Night mode are same in both, the Arc has additional height level adjustment. They support Airplay 2 that allows you to take advantage of iOS devices. With it, you can play contents to other Airplay 2 speakers and also talk to Siri.

Sonos Arc and Beam Gen 2 are almost similar in terms of features. They have built-in microphone that allows you to talk to Google Assistant and Alexa. They can hear you from anywhere in the room. This makes them versatile soundbars. They also work with the Sonos Voice Control with which you can easily control other Sonos products. With this voice control, you can switch on/ off the Sonos Arc or Beam along with the connected TV.

Another feature that both Arc and Beam Gen 2 has is the HDMI CEC. With this you can use the TV remote to control the basic functions of the soundbar.

Connectivity:

While none of them have Bluetooth, they both come with HDMI eARC, optical adapter and Ethernet. Connecting to TVs with or without HDMI ARC is quite easy. They both have Wi-Fi which means streaming from anywhere online is easy as breeze.

Compatible device:

Both Sonos Arc and Beam Gen 2 works with S2 OS. You can add surround speakers and subwoofers for a powerful home theater system. You can add two Sonos Era 300s, and a pair of Sonos Sub (Gen 3) to create a 7.2.4 home theater system with the Arc soundbar.

Control options:

These soundbars have basic control options including play/pause, volume up/down, microphone mute, forward/previous track. They work with Sonos S2 mobile app that offers several settings and options. Along with controlling Sonos products, you can group them to play the same content in all room or choose different one. It allows you to stream content from Radio and online streaming services like Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify, Tidal, etc.

Cost:

Comparing Sonos Arc vs Beam Gen 2, the Beam Gen 2 is cheaper and almost half the price of Sonos Arc. If you have budget limitations, go for the Beam Gen 2.

FAQ:

Is Dolby Atmos soundbars as powerful as dedicated Atmos speakers?

If the Dolby Atmos soundbars have dedicated up-firing drivers like the Sonos Arc, then they will be able to produce powerful height effects. This is very important to make movies more lifelike and enjoyable. If you have space issues, a Dolby Atmos soundbar is your ultimate solution.

Are soundbars powerful enough?

In compact spaces, a 5.0 soundbar is suitable but if you want immersive experience, a single soundbar might sound weak. In that case you can choose a 5.0 soundbar, then add additional surround speakers along with a subwoofer.