Sonos Beam Gen 2 + Sub Mini review

Premium, high-fidelity sound is something a lot of brands claim to offer. But only a handful of brands have succeeded to make a name for themselves in the segment, one of which is a Sonos.

Synonymous with high-quality personal audio, Sonos speakers are much sought after products for giving your home theatre, or gaming room setup the ultimate upgrade.

However, one of the best features of most Sonos products is the ability to chain two or more together to create an even better experience. We put that to the test with by clubbing together the Sonos Beam Gen 2 soundbar with the Sonos Sub Mini woofer in our studio. Here’s how it went, and how far this combination can take your audio setup.

Sonos Beam 2, Sub Mini: Design

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 offers a compact, minimal design, and fits right into the aesthetic ecosystem if you plan on clubbing more Sonos products with it down the line. It has the same dimensions as the older Gen 1, so even those seeking an upgrade will feel right at home.

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With a shape and size that will fit right into most home setups and not look out of place, the Sonos Beam 2 also features rear-facing ports and top-facing controls, which help keep things clean. It is also pretty light for a 250W soundbar.

The Sonos Sub Mini, on the other hand, is one of the best woofers we have seen. It still offers the signature Sonos minimalism, but its round shape and a void through the middle do add to its classy demeanour.

However, this circular design also puts the Sub Mini’s ports on the bottom, which isn’t exactly the best positioning. Thankfully, the height created by four-foot pegs on the woofer give it just enough elevation for the cables to pass through.

Both the Beam 2 and the Sub Mini are available in black and white colour options. Most people will choose to match the colour here to maintain some design uniformity, but you can also combine them for a panda-themed setup like we did.

Sonos Beam 2, Sub Mini: Sound quality

The most important aspect in any speaker is the sound quality, and that’s where the Sonos Beam Gen 2 excels. The speaker’s output is clean, and the audio features some genuine depth that you only tend to feel on quality headphones and not on soundbars.

The sound signature is also pretty neutral here, and there is a balance between high and low frequencies which will really help you appreciate content in an all-round manner. The Beam 2 offers a 5.0 setup, including centre, left and right channels, along with surround channels near the left and right outer edges.

However, neutral sound also means you don’t get the thumpy bass that makes the feet move when some nice hip hop tracks are on the queue. That’s where the Sonos Sub Mini comes in. A perfect companion, the Sub Mini empowers the Beam 2 with a natural-feeling bass boost that gives more depth to most content, including those dubstep drops.

With Dolby Atmos support, the Beam Gen 2 is able to give a surround sound feeling that really elevates your experience, especially when you’re watching a movie or playing a game.

Speaking of immersion, the setup really paired well with the Samsung Odyssey G9 monitor we were also reviewing, making us feel like we’re in the stadium during a game of FIFA 23, or putting us right in the middle of the battle of New York during a rewatch of The Avengers.

Sonos Beam 2, Sub Mini: Features and connectivity

Good sound is imperative, but with Sonos speakers, you also get a lot of features and connectivity options. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 for instance, offers ethernet support besides Wi-Fi, for a latency-free wired connection.

With Trueplay, the soundbar can also intelligently correct distortion in frequencies that can be caused by the layout of your room. Note that this only works with iOS devices for now, and you will need an iPhone for the initial Trueplay setup.

The touch controls on the top panel of the Beam 2 also double up as swipe controls, allowing you to do things like adjust the volume or skip a track. While we didn’t find this very useful once the soundbar is setup and we’re at a distance, it certainly is a nice feature to have.

Pairing the Beam 2 with the Sub Mini was also a breeze thanks to the Sonos app, which is something you will also need to use for the initial setup of the soundbar. The app has step-by-step instructions on setting up multiple products and blending them together into one cohesive audio output.

Lastly, support for Google Assistant and Alexa also make the Sonos Beam 2 a centre-piece for your smart home devices, as you can easily trigger both assistants with a voice prompt and ask the speaker to play a song, mark your calendar, or anything in between.

Unboxed Take: Who should get the Sonos Beam 2 and Sub Mini?

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 and the Sonos Sub Mini are both powerful audio products. While the Beam Gen 2 is a great option for anyone looking to splurge on a premium soundbar for their living room, the Sub Mini is a good, complementary addition for a more complete sound signature.

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The Sonos Beam 2 is priced at Rs 59,999 and the Sonos Sub Mini is priced at Rs 54,999. So, unless you’re ready to splurge over a lakh on an audio upgrade, we suggest you get the Beam 2 first. You can always add in the Sub Mini or other Sonos products down the line should you feel the need to.

For its excellent sound, seamless integration and clean looks, we rate the Sonos Beam and Sonos Sub Mini 4/5. Stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for more in-depth reviews.