The perfect picks for limited space

Compared to the original Beam, the Beam Gen 2 has been subtly updated to match the appearance of its bigger and more expensive sibling, the Arc. It comes with addition of an eARC HDMI port that allows it to play full-fat lossless Atmos soundtracks. That means you’ll need an eARC compatible TV to get the best out of it. Otherwise, things remain the same with the Beam 2nd Gen best suited for TVs up to and including 49-inches.

The current Beam supports Wi-Fi and the S2 app, which offers access to a multitude of streaming services such as Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz, as well as Sonos’ own Radio service. You can also call on voice assistance in Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, as well as initiate Trueplay (as long as you’ve got an iOS device), which optimises the Beam’s audio performance according to the environment it is in.

During testing we found it produced an excellent audio performance, offering a solid low end and a generally balanced sound across the frequency range. It also handled music impressively, with no noticeable distortion, handling more subtle elements with nuance. The addition of Dolby Atmos isn’t achieved through upfiring speakers but through virtual processing, and it offers a good performance with a decent sense of dimensionality when we watched Captain Marvel on Disney+. An alternative Atmos bar is the Polk Signa S4, which offers a good sense of height with its upfiring speakers, and while its cheaper it is not as compact.

There is a foot dangled in the direction of DTS but support for this audio format is not complete. The similarly compact and priced Polk Magnifi Mini AX and Denon Home Sound bar 550 do support DTS:X, and like the Sonos both can be paired with a subwoofer for added ‘oomph’. Still, while the Beam 2 is not perfect, as a means of getting Atmos into the home, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a great way of doing so.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full Review: Sonos Beam Gen 2

The Samsung HW-S61A is an excellent compact soundbar, a rival to the Sonos Beam Gen 2, especially if you’re looking for one that can fit into a room’s décor. It’s around the same size, shape and appearance as the HW-S60T from 2020, and that’s no bad thing as we found it to be a lovely looking soundbar with its Kvadrat fabric (available in grey or white).

The placement of the buttons on the top surface and LED indicator have been brought further down to make them more visible from a seated position. A display would be more useful, but it’s arguably not included here as it would spoil the bar’s seamless looks.

The HW-S61A works with Samsung’s SmartThings app, which allows for easy set-up and connection to the Wi-Fi, as well as operating the bar through playback controls and activation of Amazon Alexa voice control. For the type of audience the bar is pitched at, this is the type of control with a mobile device most will enjoy.

The bar can also be connected to hook up to streaming services such as Spotify and Deezer, and there’s now support for Apple AirPlay 2 if you’ve got an iOS device to cast audio from. The Tap Sound function is only for Samsung Galaxy phones whereby a tap on the bar sends audio directly to the speaker. There’s no eARC, with connectivity arriving in the form of an optical out and HDMI ARC.

There’s also no room for immersive audio formats such as Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, but Samsung aims to compete with its Adaptive Sound mode. This mode offers a wider, taller performance than its default mode, and we found it nicely extended with the width of the soundstage, firing effects out wide with more purpose than the original model. We also found the new centre channel aided in tidying up dialogue in films and TV series, handing out more clarity to what people were saying.

The HW-S61A also handled music well, with a spacious, crisp presentation with plenty of detail. We found it was a definite improvement over its predecessor, though it remains a bass limited effort. Add the SWA-W500 wireless subwoofer and the SWA-9100S wireless rear speakers, and you can create a bigger, more enveloping sound system.

Stock for both the HW-S60A and HW-S61A models appears to be running low as of December 2022, but if you miss out, Samsung has effectively replaced these two models with the 2022 S60B.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Samsung HW-S61A

The JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam, like the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is an Atmos-flavoured small bar, and at its current price is a cheaper alternative to the Sonos.

Its feature set is quite similar with HDMI eARC to pipe through a lossless Atmos signal, Ethernet, and optical audio out. The JBL has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, enabling playback from a mobile device and casting of audio through either Chromecast or AirPlay 2 (handy for iOS users). With Alexa and Google multi-room support that allows the bar to be connected to other smart devices, the JBL is very flexible in terms of fitting within a home set-up.

The JBL only comes in black but looks sleek with its finish and a transparent acoustic mesh grille. We had no qualms with its build quality, which felt suitably robust, and if there’s interest in wall-mounting a wall-bracket is included. The front facing display is easy enough to read from a couch, and the simple remote bundled in includes all the necessary controls for operating device, as well as beginning the MultiBeam calibration process that tailors the performance of the soundbar to a room’s acoustics.

We found its audio performance was one supplied with a great sense of energy and gusto, the size of the sound expands beyond its small size especially with the MultiBeam calibration applied. With Atmos enabled we found with many films that there was solid elevation of effects to present soundtracks with more height, though we did find that with hectic action films it wasn’t the clearest of performances, with dialogue not treated as well.

It also performs at its best with the volume turned up, offering more dynamism and excitement. Bass, as is the case with most compact soundbars, is ok, but if you are after more bass then it’s worth checking out the Polk Magnifi Mini AX as an alternative.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam

While a small soundbar is helpful in terms of reducing space, its size isn’t always great for producing a more cinematic sound, especially when it comes to bass. The Polk MagniFi Mini AX has you covered in that respect.

This an ultra-compact Dolby Atmos/DTS:X soundbar from American brand Polk, and it differs from other options on this list in that it is not just an all-in-one effort but one that comes with sizeable subwoofer. This allows it produce and energetic and dynamic performance, and given the weight and power behind the subwoofer’s performance, it’s probably one that’s sure to alert the neighbours to what you’re watching.

In our opinion the Polk doesn’t full suffice as an immersive soundbar but performs better than the Creative Stage 360. It can do a decent impression of height effects but not with the greatest sense of definition, while its soundstage is front heavy, though you can add Polk’s SR2 surround speakers as real channels for a greater sense of space. Dialogue can be enhanced with Polk’s VoiceAdjust technology, although we found that while it did its job of boosting voices, it also had a tendency to raise surrounding noise as well.

Tonally we felt the soundbar sounded accurate and there’s good levels of detail and clarity to enjoy when the soundbar is put into its 3D mode, which also gives a bigger, wider soundstage to Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. With music it’s a solid performer, playing music with a crispness that we found avoided sibilance or harshness.

It has an array of connections that’s greater than LG’s Éclair soundbar, with Chromecast available along with Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and a USB connection that can play MP3 music. With Atmos and DTS:X support for the same price as the Sonos Sub Mini, this is a good value soundbar/subwoofer combination.