Are you trying to decide between the Bose Solo 5 and the Sonos Beam? Both soundbars offer a great audio experience, but which one is right for you? In this blog post, we will compare the Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam, looking at features such as sound quality, design, price, and more, to help you determine which soundbar is the best option for your needs.
Bose Solo 5 Overview
Any home theater setup works perfectly with the Bose Solo 5 TV soundbar. This powerful soundbar delivers crisp, clear audio that will fill your room with immersive sound at an affordable price. The built-in universal remote control allows you to easily control your TV and other devices. The Solo 5 also has a sleek, modern design that will look great in any setting. With its powerful bass and dialogue enhancement features, you can enjoy a fantastic home theater experience with this single soundbar. Whether watching movies, listening to music or playing video games, the Bose Solo 5 TV soundbar brings a new level of audio excellence to your entertainment setup.
Sonos Beam Overview
The Sonos Beam is a smart, compact soundbar for your television. It plays music, TV, films, and more with exceptional dialogue clarity using Speech Enhancement. The unit automatically pairs with your TV and remote and is compatible with iOS devices through AirPlay. This makes it an excellent choice for small-to-medium-sized rooms as it can be placed on furniture or wall-mounted if desired.
No matter what you are listening to, you can enjoy crystal-clear sound thanks to five Class-D digital amplifiers precisely tuned to complement the speaker drivers. The Sonos Beam also allows you to expand the system by adding speakers in different rooms of your home. Setting up the unit is simple, requiring just a download of the Sonos app and connecting it to power and your TV via HDMI or optical audio adapter (included). Overall the Sonos Beam is a more modern soundbar and really shines in terms of smart functionality.
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Size And Weight
When it comes to size and weight, the Bose Solo 5 is the better option. It is almost four inches shorter and nearly 3 lbs lighter than the Sonos Beam. This makes it easier to fit in front of your TV or even below your TV if you have a smaller space. The thinner and narrower design also helps to save on space without sacrificing sound quality.
However, it’s worth noting that the Sonos Beam has some controls on the body of the soundbar, making it slightly bigger, which can generate a louder speaker. Therefore, when considering which soundbar is best for you, you should consider not only its size but also the size of your room; neither the Solo 5 nor the Beam are suitable for big living rooms as they won’t be able to fill them properly with sound.
If you have a larger living room or plan to connect other Sonos speakers in different rooms eventually, then the Sonos Beam would be a better choice for you as it connects seamlessly with other Sonos speakers and can be purchased in a 5.1 surround system set-up.
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Audio Quality
When it comes to audio quality, the Bose Solo 5 and the Sonos Beam offer two very different experiences. The Solo 5 utilizes two cone speakers behind a grille, producing a more expansive soundfield and offering a decent sound quality compared to TV audio. It also has an impressive dialogue mode for movies and TV shows. On the other hand, the Sonos Beam boasts four full-range woofers, a tweeter, three passive radiators for bass, plus five class-D digital amplifiers that allow for greater sound range and higher audio frequencies. As such, users of the Sonos Beam will get to experience media as it was intended, with an immersive surround sound experience.
In addition to their differences, the Bose Solo 5 and Sonos Beam are also very similar. Both soundbars deliver excellent sound with clear highs and lows. The Bose Solo 5 has a bass button on its remote control, allowing you to easily adjust the bass levels as needed. The Sonos Beam has a Speech Enhancement feature that optimizes the volume for watching movies and TV shows. Additionally, the Sonos app allows you to adjust the soundbar’s bass, treble, balance, and volume with just a few simple steps. Both soundbars have dialogue modes that enhance speech for programs focusing on talking, like news and talk shows. With either of these soundbars, you can expect an immersive audio experience that will make your favorite movies and TV shows come alive!
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Bass
When comparing the Bose Solo 5 and the Sonos Beam in terms of bass, the Sonos Beam is clearly the better option. The Beam uses four full-range woofers, a tweeter, and three passive radiators to provide a much more impressive surround sound experience. With this setup, you’ll hear those low audio frequencies that aren’t typically heard with other soundbars. Also, five Class-D digital amplifiers help produce those high frequencies. This allows you to truly appreciate the media as it was meant to be heard.
In comparison, the Bose Solo 5 only has two cone speakers located in the center portion behind the grille, which produces decent sound quality for movies and TV shows but could be better for bass frequencies. You can customize the sound of the Bose Solo 5 to your preferences, thanks to its adjustable bass. It has a built-in EQ that you can adjust to adjust the bass level. This will enable you to control how many low-end frequencies come through, giving you a more balanced sound. The soundbar still offers pretty good sound quality despite not having a subwoofer.
The Sonos Beam app allows users to adjust their bass levels for an even more immersive and accurate sound experience. The app will enable users to tailor the bass output to their liking, from subtle background rumbles to deep, powerful lows. This ensures that they get the most out of their audio system, regardless of what type of music they’re listening to or what kind of movie they’re watching. Furthermore, this feature also helps reduce distortion and improve clarity in certain frequencies, allowing users to enjoy a more balanced soundscape.
If you want enhanced bass out of your soundbar, then the Sonos Beam is the better choice over the Bose Solo 5, as you can add a subwoofer to your Sonos Beam for an extra kick. The Bose Solo 5 doesn’t have the option of having a subwoofer as the soundbar is meant to be just a stand-alone, so there is little flexibility in terms of upgrade options.
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Control
The Bose Solo 5 and the Sonos Beam offer convenient control options for their users. The Solo 5 comes with a basic remote control, which is simple to use and has a few extra features like adjustable bass and treble levels. The Beam offers more advanced control options through the Sonos app. This app allows you to group your speakers together for multi-room audio, create playlists, adjust volume levels, and more. The Sonos app is more suited for tech-savvy users, and the Bose Solo 5 remote control is straightforward and more suitable for beginners.
We prefer the Sonos Beam app more than the remote as this is more convenient for frequent smartphone users than having a remote that clumsy people can drop and break.
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Ease Of Use
The Bose Solo 5 and the Sonos Beam are simple to set up and use. All you do is plug them both in, and you’re good to go! Both soundbars can be wall-mounted for convenience, although the wall mount for the Beam is sold separately at an additional cost of $60, which is expensive for a wall mount. All in all, both soundbars offer excellent ease of use for their users.
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Smart Features
These soundbars differ when it comes to their smart capabilities. The Bose Solo 5 is designed for those who want an easy-to-use and straightforward soundbar experience. It doesn’t require any setup and can be controlled with a universal remote control. It’s effortless to use, but unfortunately, it’s not compatible with either Alexa or Google Assistant.
On the other hand, the Sonos Beam is designed for those who want a truly smart soundbar experience. The Beam is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can control your music, movies, and TV shows using voice commands. Its five far-field microphone array can detect your voice from any direction, allowing it to be heard more clearly by the soundbar.
Both soundbars are great options, but one may be better depending on what you’re looking for in terms of smart capabilities. If you need an easy-to-use soundbar without any frills or extras, then Bose Solo 5 is the best option. But if you want access to more smart features like Alexa and Google Assistant and the Sonos S2 app, then Sonos Beam would be more suitable for your needs.
Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the Sonos Beam completely outperforms the Bose Solo in terms of smart capabilities.
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Connectivity
The connectivity options of the Bose Solo 5 and Sonos Beam are impressive. Both soundbars offer more than enough connections to meet most needs. The Solo 5 has a 3.5mm aux input, digital optical input, and Bluetooth connectivity. The Sonos Beam additionally has an HDMI ARC connection. It also offers an HDMI input, so you can connect more audio devices like a gaming console or streaming device.
However, the most significant difference in connectivity with these soundbars is that the Bose Solo 5 doesn’t have Wi-Fi functionalities, and the Sonos Beam does. With the Wi-Fi feature, you can stream music through the Sonos S2 app from any Android or iPhone.
So in terms of connectivity options, the Sonos Beam wins again, as the internet connectivity feature can be convenient for having more control and functionality over your soundbar.
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Bluetooth and Streaming
Regarding Bluetooth and streaming, both the Bose Solo 5 and the Sonos Beam offer great features. The Solo 5 features Bluetooth connectivity, which allows users to stream music from their mobile devices to the soundbar wirelessly. On the other hand, the Sonos Beam is equipped with Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2 for streaming music from various services like Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music. It also has Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), a technology that Sonos first introduced. With BLE, you can temporarily communicate with your phone or tablet to simplify the setup process. You cannot stream music using this kind of Bluetooth and instead can utilize the Wi-Fi functionality to stream music.
Again we have to give this section to Sonos as well, as we love the BLE technology and the addition of AirPlay 2 is a really nice feature for people with IOS devices.
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Pricing
The Bose Solo 5 is an excellent option for those on a budget. It retails for around $180, which is significantly less than the Sonos Beam, which retails for about $400. However, the Beam has some extra features that the Solo 5 doesn’t have, so you need to factor this into your decision.
The Solo 5 is an excellent soundbar if you’re trying to save money, as it still provides good sound quality and features. The Beam has a much better speaker setup than the Solo 5, and it can also be connected to other speakers using Wi-Fi, allowing you to create a complete surround sound system if you choose. Additionally, its smart features and level of functionality justify the price tag.
In conclusion, both soundbars offer great value for money and are suitable options depending on your needs and budget. The Bose Solo 5 is perfect for those who want an affordable solution that still offers decent audio quality. At the same time, the Sonos Beam will suit those looking for more advanced features such as voice control and multiroom audio functionality.
Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam: Our Verdict
When it comes to a head-to-head comparison between the Bose Solo 5 and the Sonos Beam, it is clear that the latter is a superior soundbar. The Sonos Beam offers a much more powerful sound experience, thanks to its four full-range woofers, tweeter, and three passive radiators for bass. The five class-D digital amplifiers allow greater sound range and audio frequencies. In contrast, the Bose Solo 5 only has two cone speakers located in its center portion behind the grille. This setup produces decent sound quality compared to TV sound but does not match what you can get with the Sonos Beam.
Another area where the Sonos Beam shines is its smart features, such as Wi-Fi connectivity, Alexa voice control, and the smartphone app for efficiently managing your soundbar. You also have the option of opting for an external subwoofer for even more bass, and this is not an option available with the Bose Solo 5.
Ultimately, choosing the Sonos Beam is your best bet if you’re looking for an immersive audio experience with your media content. We are declaring it the winner in this comparison.
Conclusion
When it comes to comparing the Bose Solo 5 and the Sonos Beam, it really depends on your preferences and needs. The Bose Solo 5 is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a more affordable soundbar with great sound quality. Still, it doesn’t have many bells and whistles regarding connectivity options. On the other hand, the Sonos Beam offers excellent sound quality, but it is pricier and has a wider variety of connectivity options. Ultimately, both are great soundbars, and you can’t go wrong with either choice. Whichever soundbar you select will depend on your budget, desired features, and other preferences.
We hope you enjoyed reading this comparison of the Bose Solo 5 vs. Sonos Beam, and if you have any questions, please let us know in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!