Soundbars have come a long way since their inception. Today more and more people are choosing the soundbar over other sound systems such as home theatres. And there are plenty of reasons why.
First off, soundbars save on space. Secondly, there’s no denying how stylish they look when set under the TV. And the most important reason is that soundbars also offer a pretty awesome output that is sure to take your entertainment to the next level.
Let’s consider two amazing soundbars that you can pick off the market at an affordable price. We are talking about the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and the Bose Smart Soundbar 300.
Now I know what you are thinking. What is so special about these two soundbars? Well, that’s what we are here to find out.
So, if you are ready, let’s dive straight in.
The Price
We are going to start with how much the soundbars cost.
It’s only natural, after all, price is the major determining factor on whether you are going to purchase something or not.
The Sonos Beam Gen2 soundbar will cost you under $500 on Amazon. Keep in mind that it doesn’t come with a subwoofer so you will need to purchase this separately.
That said, it offers good output with a balanced sound. Plus it comes with Dolby Atmos.
I mean, how cool is that!
The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 on the other hand will cost a little over $400 on Amazon. It doesn’t feature Dolby Atmos like the Sonos Beam Gen 2 but you have the option of adding satellite speakers and a subwoofer.
The verdict:
if you are pressed by your budget yet you still want a great soundbar for your entertainment system with good output, the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 is the better option.
The design and build
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is an upgrade of the original Sonos Beam. It’s not surprising therefore that the Sonos Beam Gen 2 shares the same design features.
The exterior is made from plastic and the front has a plastic mesh.
You don’t get a subwoofer with the Sonos Beam Gen 2 though.
But here’s the thing.
You can purchase a separate subwoofer from the manufacturer and upgrade your sound system.
But that’s not all.
You can also purchase additional separate satellite speakers with the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
But part of having a soundbar is its good fit under the TV. So how does the Sonos Beam Gen2 perform?
Well, its sleek and compact design means that it will likely fit easily between the legs of a 55 inch TV.
You can find the additional inputs as well as the power inputs at the back of the soundbar. Despite it being made primarily of plastic, it feels premium built.
Similar to the Sonos Beam Gen 2, the Boss Smart Soundbar 300 also doesn’t come with any satellite speakers or subwoofer.
That said, you can purchase these separately. The Boss Bass Module 500 subwoofer can connect wirelessly to the soundbar to provide those thumpy and low-frequency sounds.
The Bose 300 is made from thick and sturdy plastic giving the soundbar that top quality and premium build.
The front, as well as the sides, are covered with a metal grille which is not something that you would find with the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
At the back of the soundbar, you will find a single section for your power cable and other inputs.
But what if you wanted to mount the soundbar on the wall?
Well, you can do this by utilizing the holes on the bottom of the soundbar. Keep in mind that you will need to purchase the right Bose 300 brackets to make this possible.
Overall the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 has a compact build. It is not tall which makes it easy to fit between the legs of a 55 inch TV.
The verdict:
both the Bose 300 and the Sonos Beam Gen 2 have a premium build that shouts quality. However, the Bose does better with its metal grille in its front and back. The Bose also features holes that allow you to mount the soundbar on the wall.
The performance and output
One of the main features that stand out about the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 is its neutral and well-balanced, sound. This results in excellent output when listening to different types of music and media.
However, it doesn’t offer the best performance when it comes to those deep basses. It may sound lacking when watching an action-packed movie or listening to thumpy music.
But it is not all bad with the Bose 300 low-frequency performance.
With the treble and the bass adjustments, you can set your ideal output to get the best sound for your music.
Another great feature of the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 is that it offers impressive volume and will serve a large room nicely. The only downside to this is that you may notice a bit of distortion on the output at high volumes.
But how about that all-important surround sound?
Well, the Bose 300 offers quite a decent surround sound. From a distance, you will not be able to tell where the sound is coming from resulting in a pretty nice immersive experience.
So how does the Sonos Bean Gen 2 perform?
The Sonos bean Gen 2 also offers a pretty nice performance. It has a well-balanced output and you’ll enjoy listening to your favorite music with this one.
The bass is pretty nice too and does well when watching action-packed movies or listening to loud thumpy sounds.
And the surround sound is quite nice too.
This comes from the side-firing speakers working in tandem with the stereo speakers. The result is a diffused sound making it seem like the sound is coming from all over the place.
However, the Sonos Bean Gen 2 isn’t the loudest soundbar and is, therefore, best suited for a medium-sized room. It is not the best for a large room.
But this is where things get interesting.
You can add extra equalizer settings using the latest software update.
The verdict:
the performance of the Sonos Bean Gen 2 is awesome with great surround sound and well-balanced output. It works great for action-packed movies and music that requires deep bases. When it comes to performance Sonos takes the win.
Connectivity
You do not get many connection inputs with the Sonos Bean Gen 2. This is a great thing as you don’t have to go through numerous wires and cables and trying to connect everything.
It can get frustrating, to say the least.
There is the HDMI ARC port and an ethernet port which you use to connect the satellite speakers and the subwoofer.
The soundbar will play Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos formats.
While it lacks Bluetooth connectivity, you can connect to other devices wirelessly through Apple Airplay 2 and Wi-fi.
The Bose 300 has a few more inputs than the Sonos. There is a bass port that you can use to connect the Bose Bass Module 500 or Module 700 and an HDMI ARC port.
There is also a Micro-USB port and an IR port.
While the Bose 300 will support Dolby Digital, it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos.
But here’s the fun part.
Unlike the Sonos Bean Gen 2, the Bose 300 lets you play media from devices wirelessly through Apple AirPlay2, Bluetooth as well as Wifi.
The verdict:
the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 takes the win when it comes to the number of connection options. You don’t get Bluetooth with the Sonos for instance. This is a feature that you can use with the Bose 300 to play music on your mobile devices.
The features
The Bose Smart Soundbar 300 features a simplistic display that shows a light when the voice control is activated as well as a different light for other settings.
On top of the soundbar and the left-hand side are touch-sensitive buttons. These let you control the settings of the soundbar including volume, action button, and the volume button.
You also get a simplistic remote which does a great job at controlling the soundbar and selecting and changing the settings.
You can take things a notch higher with the Bose Music app which offers you additional settings than those you’ll find on the remote.
With the Bose SimpleSync, you can link multiple Bose products such as the Bose headphones allowing for individual listening. You can also say connect with the Bose Bluetooth Speaker allowing for dual play.
Any voice assistant? Good question!
You get Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. You will also want to try the Bose Voice for Video control. With just one voice command, you can control not just your Soundbar but also the TV.
This makes it super simple to change channels. Simply say “Alexa, change to Channel 42 and in an instant, you are watching your favorite channel. You don’t have to search for a remote between the cushions.
Quite handy if you ask me.
But how does the Sonos Beam Gen 2 compare?
You also do not get a display screen with this soundbar. Instead, you get two lights one above the microphone which tells you when voice control is activated and another which changes color and blinks as per the settings.
You can manually adjust and change the settings using the touch-sensitive buttons at the top of the soundbar.
At the back is a connectivity button that allows you to wirelessly connect the satellite speakers and the subwoofer.
Like the Bose 300, you also get Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant with the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
But unlike the Bose 300, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 doesn’t feature any remote. However, you can easily sync it with your TV allowing you to use your TV’s remote control.
You can expand your experience by connecting the satellite speakers to the soundbar while placing the satellite speakers anywhere in your house via wifi connectivity.
The verdict:
both the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 score the same marks when it comes to features. While the Bose 300 comes with a remote, you can connect the Sonos Beam Gen 2 with your TV and use your TV’s remote. The Bose also doesn’t have Bluetooth like the Sonos Beam Gen 2 but has Apple Airplay and Wifi.
The Final Verdict
If you just want an affordable soundbar that will still provide you with decent output, the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 is an awesome choice. Plus if you have a little extra then you can opt for some extra bass with the Bose Module 500 or the Module 700 subwoofers.
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 on the other hand offers some awesome features. It has a far better output quality and on its own offers deeper bases. It also has well-balanced sounds plus some presets that will help make those movie nights and listen to music all the worthwhile.
