The Sonos Beam has been one of the best home theater soundbars since its debut in 2018 — but is the new 2nd gen model worth upgrading to? Whenever someone's in the market for smart audio gear, it's hard not to recommend Sonos. Its products are well-built, sound great, and work seamlessly with each other. So long as someone's OK with the steeper prices Sonos likes to charge, it's an ecosystem that's well worth investing in.

One audio niche where Sonos shines especially bright is with soundbars. This is made especially true thanks to the Sonos Beam. Launched in July 2018, the Beam debuted as a compact yet powerful soundbar within the Sonos ecosystem. It sounded great, could fit into most entertainment stands, and sold for a reasonable $399 MSRP. The Beam is still more than capable all these years later. However, it's since been replaced by the Sonos Beam 2nd Gen. Is this new Beam worth upgrading to for anyone still rocking a 1st gen model? Here's a closer look.

Related: Here's How Much Sonos Speakers Will Cost After Latest Price Increase

From a design perspective, the Sonos Beam 2 and Sonos Beam 1 look virtually identical. They have the same form factor, capacitive playback buttons on the top, and three ports on the back — including a power input, ethernet jack, and HDMI port. The one difference here is that the HDMI port has been upgraded from HDMI ARC to HDMI eARC. This means the Sonos Beam 2 has more speed and bandwidth to work with, thus resulting in enhanced audio formats (more on that below). The only other physical difference between the two Beam generations is Sonos' choice of materials. Where the Sonos Beam 1 dons a fabric covering around the front and back, the Beam 2 swaps this out for a perforated plastic. This shouldn't make any difference in day-to-day use, though the plastic may hold up better as the years go on.

The Sonos Beam 2 Adds Dolby Atmos & Faster Performance

Sonos Beam 2 soundbar

Taking a closer look inside both Beams, they have the same basic speaker setup. This includes five digital amplifiers, one tweeter, four elliptical midwoofers, and three passive radiators. Despite not changing the internal makeup from the Beam 1 to the Beam 2, Sonos is still touting improved audio on the latter. Thanks to a combination of that HDMI eARC port, a 40 percent faster processor, and two additional software arrays to facilitate audio playback, the Sonos Beam 2 supports Dolby Atmos — something the Beam 1 does not have. As Sonos explains on its website, "Dolby Atmos maps sounds in space for a 3D effect so you experience planes as if they're flying overhead, hear footsteps moving across the room, and feel the score surround you." In addition to enhanced audio with titles that support Atmos, Sonos is also touting clearer dialogue and a greater sense of space regardless of what audio format someone's playing through the soundbar.

Outside of those few changes, the Sonos Beam 2 and Sonos Beam 1 are remarkably similar. Both soundbars support AirPlay 2, can be used with Google Assistant or Alexa for voice commands, and connect to other Sonos products via the Sonos companion app. The Beam 2 and Beam 1 are specifically controlled with the latest Sonos S2 app, ensuring they both get the latest features and updates as time goes on — such as DTS surround sound coming later in 2021.

There's no doubt that the Sonos Beam 2 is a capable soundbar, but is it a necessary purchase for anyone that already has the Beam 1? That ultimately comes down to how much someone cares about Dolby Atmos. If Atmos is a must-have feature for your home theater setup, splurging for the Beam 2 might be worth it. The added depth and spaciousness of the audio format are great for any home theater, as is the improved dialogue for all content. However, if Atmos isn't a big deal, there's not much reason to spend $450 to switch from the Beam 1.

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Source: Sonos