Sonos Beam Vs. Bose Soundbar 500: Which Is Better And Why?

Sonos Beam Vs. Bose Soundbar 500 Which Is Better And Why
  • Anthony

The Bose Soundbar 500 and the Sonos Beam are excellent soundbars that are perfect for use in a large room and home theater. The models are similar in size, shape, sound quality, streaming capabilities, connections, and price.

However, a few things set these products apart, including the number of HDMI ARC inputs, Bluetooth compatibility, voice control, and physical design.

To help you decide which Bose Soundbar 500 vs Sonos Beam is the better option for your particular needs, we offer a detailed comparison of the two products.

Bose Soundbar 500 Reviews

Bose Soundbar 500 Reviews

The Key Highlights

  • Dolby Digital, DTS
  • Alexa and Google Assistant
  • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Apple airplay 2

Bose is an American sound industry giant founded in 1964. It is known for its high-quality audio products worldwide. Their goal is to provide experiences and products that customers can’t find anywhere else.

The brands are meant to complement the living room’s aesthetics. The Bose Soundbar 500 is an option if you’re looking for a soundbar with a great soundstage.

It has a neutral sound and a wide soundstage. However, if you’re a bass fan, it could be a problem. The soundbar’s top is solid plastic and has two touch-sensitive controls.

A wire grill covers the front and sides. The soundbar provides a comfortable and satisfactory overall experience.

Sonos Beam Reviews

Sonos Beam Reviews

The Key Highlights

  • Alexa built-in
  • Apple AirPlay 2
  • Speech Enhancement

Sonos, an American company that produces audio products, was founded in 2002. Their tagline is Reinventing Home Audio for Today and Tomorrow.

Their mission is to make the world more receptive and enjoyable by making it easier for people to listen. They are proud of their easy-to-use and set up products.

The Sonos is an excellent choice for hybrid applications, but it can also be used on its own without the satellite speakers and subwoofers.

It offers a great audio experience to hear better and more refined audio production. The Sonos Beam’s side-firing speakers give it a wider soundstage.

Four full-range woofers are included in the Sonos Beam. The Sonos provides profound listening experiences that pick up rich and deep bass. It produces clear and crisp audio thanks to its tweeter.

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Design

The Sonos Beam 500 and the Bose Soundbar 500 are sleek, but the grille material they use is different.

The Sonos Beam 500 and the Bose Soundbar 500 have a flat design and a minimalist, sleek design. However, the size and grille material of the Sonos and the Bose Soundbar 500 is very different.

The Sonos Beam measures six inches shorter compared to the Soundbar 500 and is almost one inch thicker. Both have grilles that match their bodies, but the Beam has a cloth grille around its frame, and the Bose Soundbar 500 has a metal grille that extends to its sides.

Both have touch-capacitive controls at the top of their panels. The Sonos is smaller and can be placed between most TV legs when mounted on a TV stand. Climbing both soundbars is possible, but separate mounts must be purchased.

Setup and Control

Sonos Beam Setup and Control

The Bose Soundbar 500 and the Sonos have voice, touch, and app controls. However, the Beam lacks Bluetooth and physical remote control.

These best soundbars are easy to set up. Connect the soundbar to the TV using the HDMI ARC cable. Then, you can set up the settings and configure the settings via the Sonos app. The Sonos app is highly intuitive and user-friendly.

The smart soundbar 500 and Sonos Beam are entry-level soundbars. However, they have intelligent features that make viewing even more accessible. Both best soundbars have integrated Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

They also support Apple AirPlay 2. These smart soundbars have microphones that allow your voice assistant to pick up your voice even while playing. The smart soundbar 500 has eight microphones, while the Sonos comes with five.

Both have Wi-Fi connectivity so that you can stream music directly from your phone. The Beam lacks Bluetooth connectivity and remote control. These features are available on the Bose Soundbar 500.

The remote control works only with Wi-Fi. Although the Bose comes with physical remote control, its app offers more functionality than the remote.

Features

Both best soundbars have limited EQ customization. The Sonos offers Speech Enhancement, while the Bose Soundbar 500 has ADAPTiQ.

Other than the built-in Alexa/Google Assistant, another notable feature of the Sonos Beam 500 and Bose Soundbar 500 is their respective apps that allow you to adjust the equalizer settings for the desired audio output.

The Sonos Beam’s feature will enable you to improve vocal clarity when the sound is softened, such as when characters are whispering.

Bose takes it to the next level with its ADAPTiQ calibration technology. An ADAPTiQ headset is included with every Soundbar 500 buy. Put the headset on, and you can enjoy your new soundbar in five of your favorite places while watching TV.

The Bose Soundbar will automatically detect your sound and adjust the sound to your home theater. When you rearrange your space, it is essential to do the ADAPTiQ calibration once again. This system is compatible only with iOS.

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Sound Quality

Soundbar Sound Quality

Both soundbars produce a clear, crisp, and dynamic sound. However, the Bose Soundbar is slightly better than the Sonos.

Soundbars can deliver an audio quality that is superior to the built-in speakers found in slim TVs. The best soundbars enhance the viewing experience and gaming experience to match 4K TVs. It’s difficult to watch TV or play video games again after you have tried a soundbar.

The Sonos Beam is best suited for small to medium-sized rooms and delivers clear crisp audio. The Sonos is equipped with three passive radiators to improve bass, four full-range subwoofers, one speaker, and five Class-D amplifiers that combine for excellent sound and a wide soundstage.

The Beam is most effective when you listen to music or watch dialogue-heavy videos. The Beam may not be able to produce profound bass sound effects like booms or explosions.

Despite this, the Beam still delivers incredible stereo sound for the price. You can pair the Beam with a rear speaker or a subwoofer to get a whole surround sound experience. However, this can be more expensive.

Bose Soundbar 500 has a richer sound system, with more muscular mids and trebles and punchy bass. Even at loud volume, the vocals sound clear. Only the smart soundbar 500 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. Bose supports eARC even though it reencodes these formats into Dolby Digital and is also Bluetooth compatible.

Its ADAPTiQ technology system allows you to expect excellent audio from all your favorite viewing areas in the room and home theater.

Remember to calibrate your furniture when you move it around. To make your 4K video videos even more impressive, pair your Soundbar 500 and the Bose Bass Module 500 to enhance your audio.

Overall Sonos Soundbar 500 Vs Bose Soundbar Beam

Overall Sonos Soundbar 500 Vs Bose Soundbar Beam

These requirements will give you an idea of what you want and help you make a decision. There are two things to keep in mind if you’re still not sure.

In independent audio quality, the Sonos Soundbar is undoubtedly superior to the Bose Soundbar. The Bose Soundbar 500 measures approximately six inches shorter than the Sonos Beam and is one inch wider.

The Beam’s fabric grille wraps around the frame. However, both grilles match the Soundbar 500’s metal grille. The top panels of the speaker have touch buttons. The best soundbars also can adjust the equalizer settings to get the desired audio quality.

The Sonos Beams Speech Enhancement feature enhances the voice comprehension of those with weaker audio. The Sonos Beam produces clear and transparent stereo sound in small- to medium-sized spaces.

The Beam is the best choice for listening to music or watching videos with lots of conversation. Audio effects that require more bass can cause the Sonos Beam to fall short. It still delivers excellent audio for the price.

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The Bose Soundbar 500, another side, has a smoother, more complex sound with punchy bass and deep mids.  The vocals can be heard clearly when the volume is raised.

ADAPTiQ technology ensures that you can expect excellent audio from your favorite listening spots in the room.

Verdict

The Beam is the clear winner if you are looking for multipurpose audio.

It’s easy to connect the smart soundbar to other speakers in your home with Sonos’ consumer interface. Sonos Beam is a low-cost option that can improve your viewing experience in one room.

The Sonos may not be as efficient as the Bose Soundbar, but it provides consistent, clean audio that dramatically improves sound quality.

It is also a lower-priced soundbar that will deliver excellent audio quality and innovative technology.

The Sonos could be a good option if you own an Apple device, as it is compatible with the iOS platform. The Bose is an excellent option for enhancing your Bose surround system.

It is essential to think about the content you would like to consume through your speakers.

The Sonos Beam soundbar is an option if you are looking for a soundbar that streams multimedia content such as YouTube, Netflix, and so on.

The Bose Soundbar might be a better choice if you enjoy gaming or listening loudly to music.

FAQs

FAQs about Sonos Beam Vs Bose Soundbar 500

Does Sonos Beam Have A Subwoofer?

The Sonos Beam could use more bass. It features a woofer similar in size to the smaller Sonos One and Play:1 speakers. Although the Sonos Beam sounds excellent, it is not a bad speaker. However, if you want to hear big bass (which most people do), the Sonos Sub can make your shake.

Is Sonos Beam Compatible With Surround Sound?

The Beam does not support surround sound. You will need to use two Sonos One, Play;1, Play:3, and Play:5 speakers.

Does Bose 500 Soundbar Support Dolby Atmos?

Atmos is not supported by the Bose Soundbar 500. The soundbar offers decent sound enhancement. Bose Soundbar features a correction feature, different from the Bose TV Speaker. It can be set up with the Bose ADPTiQ headset. The soundbar adjusts according to the room.

Conclusion

We know many of you are asking which Bose Soundbar 500 or Sonos Beam is the better choice for your particular needs to buy. We think both products are terrific, but there are a few differences that we’ve noticed and things that you should be aware of.

In the end, we think you’ll be happy with either option. The Bose Soundbar 500 and the Sonos Beam are excellent soundbars that soundbars are perfect for use in large rooms. They have the same overall audio quality, but their sound profiles differ.

What does that mean? You’ll probably be able to find which one is better for you, but Hooke Audio will give you a little more information anyway to decide for yourself.

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Last update on 2023-09-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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