- Anthony
Bose soundbars are well-known for their high-quality design and sleek, futuristic look. If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative with the same quality of sound and aesthetics, the Sonos Beam is a great choice.
Unlike Bose, Sonos offers a plethora of speakers that integrate seamlessly into any space and have two different models that can sync together for impressive room-filling sound.
This is a comparison article on the Sonos Beam Vs Bose Soundbar 300, from Hooke Audio. In this article, we discuss the features of the Sonos Beam and the Bose Soundbar 300.
Contents
Sonos Beam vs. Bose Smart Soundbar 300: Which is Better?
The choice between the Sonos Beam or Bose Smart Soundbar 300 will depend on whether you have wireless speakers from either company.
There are slight performance differences between them, but they aren’t significant. Although each has a unique sound profile, the main factor in deciding which one to buy is not audio quality.
Your preferred or existing ecosystem will determine which one is the best.
Sonos buyers should pick the Sonos Beam, and Bose shoppers should pick the Smart Soundbar 300. Although it may sound obvious, you can wirelessly group the soundbar and other speakers using an existing ecosystem.
The minor differences in design and sound quality between the two companies will be more critical if you haven’t invested in their products. For a richer music listening experience, the Sonos Beam offers a better midrange sound.
The Beam is better suited for those who plan to use the soundbar as a music speaker. The Bose Smart Soundbar’s vital vocal clarity and clear sound quality for watching movies and shows.
Specifications
Features and Design
When it comes to features, the Sonos Beam is almost identical to the Bose Smart Soundbar 300. Each company seems to be paying close attention to the other’s activities.
Both soundbars can be connected to an HDMI ARC or optical TV. Both soundbars have microphones. This soundbar can both be connected to a TV with ARC or optical. Both have Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2.
Spotify Connect can be used to control each device from within the Spotify app. Even though neither of the speakers comes with a satellite speaker for surround sound or a subwoofer, both can be added to the apps later.
There are two crucial differences in connectivity. The Bose 300 includes Bluetooth support while the Sonos does not. Bluetooth is unlikely to be an essential feature with all the other playback options. The Bose 300 doesn’t have an Ethernet port, but the Sonos Beam does.
The Beam is slightly taller than the 300 but not nearly as long. Although the Beam is slightly taller than the 300, they should fit in the same places. However, a few centimeters difference could be a problem if the soundbar must fit under a TV rather than right in front.
The Beam comes in white and black options. The Smart Soundbar 300 only comes in black. The Soundbar 300 comes in a medium-to-dark grey, while the Beam comes in a darker black.
Both colors match the brand’s design style and are neutral enough to blend into most decors. My wife said she prefers the Beam’s darker black. I am more open to all color options and find each one elegant.
The Beam has a mesh fabric outside, while the 300 has a small hole-punched metal grill. This is primarily an aesthetic thing. However, the Beam’s fabric can be a little more irritating to dust.
Both soundbars have a dialogue mode that increases the frequency of speech. This is especially useful when the volume is low. Beam also has a Night Sound button that reduces loud sounds like explosions and sudden bursts.
Both can connect to various music services directly. However, Bose does not include Apple Music, while Sonos does. AirPlay 2 can stream music from Apple devices, but integrated Apple Music may be an issue for Bose.
Bose 300 includes a remote control and uses the Bose Music app to operate. The Beam comes without a remote and is meant to be used with either the app or a compatible TV remote.
Price
Each soundbar retails for $400. The Sonos Beam has been available for over a year. The Bose Smart Soundbar came out in October 2020.
Both models are similar in price, so buyers won’t be able to choose between them. However, if one speaker is on sale, the price difference should be sufficient to convince you to buy it. This is especially true if you are the first wireless speaker or a new member of either ecosystem.
Performance and Sound
Even though the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 doesn’t come with a subwoofer or extra surround sound speakers, it can do a lot. The speaker has four full-range drivers, a middle tweeter, and software that tunes the sound to your room in real time.
To get an idea of the sound quality, I watched movies such as Interstellar, Baby Driver, and Star Wars. The soundbar works well, no matter what genre it is watching: a jazzy musical or an explosive time travel movie. The soundbar faithfully reproduces each movie.
The 300’s sound quality is rich in bass and highs but lacking in midrange performance. This isn’t obvious when enjoying movies or TV shows, but it is when listening to music. This is because the clear highs and lows of TV help to cover up the lack of mids.
The thin middles can help to emphasize speech without having to change any settings.
The 300’s soundbar does not have a subwoofer and will therefore not shake your body or rumble around. However, the low-end should be adequate.
This is also true for the Beam. It is a stand-alone soundbar. Its bass does the job. It offers more depth than the soundbars, as seen when Kylo Ren’s opening scene in The Force Awakens is played on both soundbars.
The Sonos soundbar, like the Bose, has four full-range drivers and a tweeter that is specifically designed to facilitate clear dialogue. The sound of the Beam is slightly better when switching between the soundbars.
The sound is more neutral, and the midrange frequencies are deeper. This gives it a richer sound.
Even though there are small differences in how well each plan works, they don’t prove anything. Each model has its personality and takes on audio. Each soundbar was different, so I enjoyed each one. Both soundbars are unique, but neither one is better than the other.
I keep all soundbars at their default settings throughout TV and music listening. This gives a good idea of what most people will experience from the box. Each soundbar has essential bass and treble settings that can be adjusted in the apps.
What Is In The Box?
We will now look at what you can find inside these soundbar boxes. Both soundbars have hard-rock foam cover that not only keeps your sandbar safe but also takes up almost all of the space in your trash can.
The soundbar is included in the box, along with the remote control and power cable.
Bose also includes an optical cable. They do not provide an HDMI cable, which is not cool. What would it have cost to include an HDMI in the box for that price?
Read more about how to connect soundbar to TV without HDMI https://hookeaudio.com/how-to-connect-soundbar-to-tv-without-hdmi/
The Sonos Beam box contains your power cable as well as your Sonos Beam soundbar. You will also find an HDMI (take it from Bose) and an HDMI-to-optical cable.
This means that no matter your setup, everything is possible. You will also receive a CD with the drivers. Everything you need is inside the box.
This one goes to the Beam. It is absurd that the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 doesn’t come with an HDMI cable. This could be a sign that your TV doesn’t have an optical port. In this case, you will need to get an HDMI cable.
Although most people have multiple HDMI cables, it is still the basic principle. Sonos has at least made sure that the cable is compatible with any modern TV.
Read more:
FAQs
Is Sonos sound quality good?
They sound amazing: Sonos speakers are top quality and produce a consistent, pleasing sound. Although it is easy to say that Sonos hardware costs too much, it’s hard to fault their sound quality. Although not all Sonos speakers are the same, they sound fantastic together.
Are Bose and Sonos compatible?
Your Bose device could be an active component of a Sonos system. If your Bose device has its amplifier, it could use a Sonos Connect. If your Bose speakers don’t have an amplifier, your Bose device can use a Sonos Amp.
Is Sonos considered high-end?
Sonos isn’t high-end audio gear. Although it sounds great, it isn’t very accurate. It’s, however, very pleasing and can be used to satisfy most consumer needs.
Conclusion
The Sonos Beam is an excellent entry-level soundbar. It offers clean, straightforward audio quality in a small, attractive package perfect for smaller spaces.
It has a clear, well-balanced sound that gets the job done.
The Bose Soundbar 300 is an excellent soundbar, which can provide plenty of bass and good dialog for music or movies.
It can also do more than just primary TV speakers, which means it’s a much better choice for many people than the Sonos Beam.
We’re buying a soundbar for many reasons, including watching movies and TV, so we often have to consider the soundbar’s capabilities.
Bose offers a range of smart home theater soundbars with various performance specs, from simple two-channel options to multichannel surround setups.
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