As TVs get thinner, soundbars are more popular than ever. But how do you choose which is best for you? Bose and Sonos are both incredibly popular brands at Abt, and each brand makes great soundbars. Our video team has weighed the pros and cons of the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 and the Sonos Beam Gen 2 to help you decide which is best for your setup:
Design & Dimensions
When it comes to design, it’s mostly personal preference. Do you prefer the more rectangular shape of the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 or the oval shape of the Sonos Beam? Currently, the Bose is only available in black, while the Beam is available in both black and white, which is another design feature to consider. While their dimensions are fairly similar, the Smart Soundbar 600 is slightly shorter, which could come in handy depending on how your TV is set up.
Connections
Do you hope that your soundbar will improve audio in multiple capacities, not just while watching TV? Then it’s important to consider their connections. The Beam has an ethernet port, HDMI port and an optical adapter, while the Bose Smart Soundbar 600 has more variety: an IR input, an input for a hardwiring bass module, an optical input, an HDMI port and Bluetooth. Additionally, both models are WiFi-enabled so they can be controlled via their corresponding apps. They also both feature Apple AirPlay, while only the Bose has Google Chromecast built in. If connectivity is a priority for you, the Bose soundbar is the winner here.
Apps
Both brands’ apps are easy to set up and have an intuitive design, so this largely comes down to personal preference. They share similar features like favorites, speaker grouping and adjustable equalizer settings. The functionality is quite similar, but the layouts are where you’ll see the main difference.
Sound Quality
The main point of a soundbar is to improve the sound quality on your TV, and both of these devices do that very well. Their specs are similar here too, with both featuring four mid-range drivers and one tweeter. They each boast two side-facing drivers that create more immersive sound, too. The placement of the other two drivers is where they differ. In the Sonos, they surround the tweeter on either side and face forward, while on the Bose they also surround the tweeter but are up-firing. With such similarities, which speaker is better? It all comes down to your bass preferences. The Sonos Beam has three passive radiators that produce more bass for movies and music; if you love bass, this is great, but it can drown out midrange tones when listening at higher volumes. On the other hand, the Bose offers a little more clarity at those higher volumes. Both still sound great, though.
Bose vs. Sonos: Which Should You Buy?
After all this comparison, how do you choose? The easiest answer is to purchase the soundbar that fits best into your current system. If you own other Sonos products, opt for the Beam—same for Bose. For those without an existing setup, the Beam is slightly more affordable, even when pairing it with a Sonos subwoofer to boost the audio quality. If you’re approaching your purchase purely from a sound standpoint, the Bose inches out ahead. No matter which you bring home, you’ll enjoy Abt support for the product’s lifetime. And if you’re looking for more product comparisons, reviews, tutorials and more, be sure to check us out on YouTube.
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