Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
We've recently launched Soundbars 1.3! Read the R&D Article to learn more.

  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style - Bar
    2. Style - Subwoofer
    3. Style - Satellites
    4. Dimensions - Bar
    5. Dimensions - Subwoofer
    6. Dimensions - Satellites
    7. Mounting
    8. Build Quality
    9. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Stereo Frequency Response
    2. Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration
    3. Stereo Soundstage
    4. Stereo Dynamics
    5. Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion
    6. Center
    7. Surround 5.1
    8. Height (Atmos)
    9. Sound Enhancement Features
  6. Connectivity
    1. Inputs/Outputs - Bar
    2. Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC
    3. Audio Format Support: HDMI In
    4. Audio Format Support: Optical
    5. Audio Latency: ARC
    6. Audio Latency: HDMI In
    7. Audio Latency: Optical
    8. Video Passthrough To TV
    9. Wireless Playback
  7. Additional Features
    1. Interface
    2. Bar Controls
    3. Remote
    4. Voice Assistants Support
  8. Comments

Sonos Beam vs Bose TV Speaker

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sonos Beam
Bose TV Speaker

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Apr 09, 2024 02:27 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3

Updated Nov 05, 2024 08:33 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sonos Beam Picture
Bose TV Speaker Picture
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Bose
  3. Under $200
  4. Under $300

Variants

  • Beam (Black)
  • Beam (White)
  • TV Speakers (Black)

Our Verdict

Sonos Beam

Bose TV Speaker

The Sonos Beam is a better soundbar than the Bose TV Speaker. The Sonos is a 3.0 setup with a better surround performance. It comes with more sound enhancement features, it can get loud enough for a large room, and you can stream music wirelessly to it using Wi-Fi or Apple AirPlay. It also has a companion app that can control all the bar's features. However, the Bose is a 2.0 setup that lets you use Bluetooth to play audio from your phone. The Bose also has an auto-off power-saving feature.

0

Check Price

Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our soundbars test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

6.9
6.2

Stereo Soundstage 
 

8.0
6.5

Center 
 

8.3
6.8

Auto-Volume/Night Mode 
 

Yes
No

Full Comparison

Design

Style - Bar  

Style photo - bar  

Sonos Beam Style photo - bar
Bose TV Speaker Style photo - bar

Show text

Style - Subwoofer  

Style photo - sub  

Sonos Beam Style photo - sub
Bose TV Speaker Style photo - sub

Sub Wireless 
 

No
No

Enclosure 
 

No Subwoofer
No Subwoofer

Show text

Style - Satellites  

Style photo - satellites  

Sonos Beam Style photo - satellites
Bose TV Speaker Style photo - satellites

Satellite Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Dimensions - Bar  

Dimensions photo - bar  

Sonos Beam Dimensions photo - bar
Bose TV Speaker Dimensions photo - bar

Width  

25.6" (65.0 cm)
23.5" (59.6 cm)

Height  

2.6" (6.7 cm)
2.2" (5.7 cm)

Depth  

4.0" (10.1 cm)
4.1" (10.4 cm)

Show text

Dimensions - Subwoofer  

Dimensions photo - sub  

Sonos Beam Dimensions photo - sub
Bose TV Speaker Dimensions photo - sub

Width  

N/A
N/A

Height  

N/A
N/A

Depth  

N/A
N/A

Dimensions - Satellites  

Dimensions photo - satellites  

Sonos Beam Dimensions photo - satellites
Bose TV Speaker Dimensions photo - satellites

Width  

N/A
N/A

Height  

N/A
N/A

Depth  

N/A
N/A

Mounting 
 

Bar Mounting Holes  

Sonos Beam Bar Mounting Holes
Bose TV Speaker Bar Mounting Holes

Satellite Mounting Holes  

Sonos Beam Satellite Mounting Holes
Bose TV Speaker Satellite Mounting Holes

Mountable Bar 
 

Yes
Yes

Bar Brackets Included 
 

No
No

Mountable Satellites 
 

No
No

Satellite Brackets Included 
 

No
No

Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Build quality photo  

Sonos Beam Build quality photo
Bose TV Speaker Build quality photo

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box photo   

Sonos Beam In The Box photo
Bose TV Speaker In The Box photo

Show text

Sound

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

7.2
7.2

Stereo Setup  

Sonos Beam Stereo Setup
Bose TV Speaker Stereo Setup

Raw Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Frequency Response Small  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Channels 
 

3.0
2.0

Tested Preset 
 

No Preset
No Preset

Slope 
 

0.63
-0.10

Standard Error 
 

3.39 dB
2.82 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

49.7 Hz
55.0 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.9 kHz
19.9 kHz

Show text

Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration 
 

7.5
7.2

Frequency Response Calibrated  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Suggested Preset 
 

No Preset
No Preset

Suggested Bass Setting 
 

0
0

Suggested Treble Setting 
 

-6
N/A

Slope 
 

0.18
-0.10

Standard Error 
 

2.34 dB
2.82 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

49.7 Hz
55.0 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.9 kHz
19.9 kHz

Show text

Stereo Soundstage 
 

8.0
6.5

Crosstalk  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Crosstalk Error 
 

2.26 dB
2.99 dB

Show text

Stereo Dynamics 
 

6.4
6.2

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

91.2 dB SPL
84.6 dB SPL

DRC @ 90dB 
 

N/A

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.85 dB
2.41 dB

Show text

Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.2

THD  

See details on graph tool

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.73

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.51

Show text

Center 
 

8.3
6.8

Center Setup  

Sonos Beam Center Setup
Bose TV Speaker Center Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Discrete
Phantom

Slope 
 

0.39
0.08

Std. Err. 
 

2.87 dB
2.45 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

92.0 dB SPL
88.1 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.97
0.50

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.56
1.08

Show text

Surround 5.1 
 

3.1
3.3

Surround Setup  

Sonos Beam Surround Setup
Bose TV Speaker Surround Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Stereo (Downmix)
Stereo (Downmix)

Slope 
 

-0.27
-1.17

Std. Err. 
 

5.44 dB
4.79 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

85.2 dB SPL
84.7 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

1.74
0.55

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.95
1.11

7.1 Rears 
 

No
No

Show text

Height (Atmos) 
 

0.0
0.0

Height Setup  

Sonos Beam Height Setup
Bose TV Speaker Height Setup

H Frequency Response  

Sonos Beam H Frequency Response
Bose TV Speaker H Frequency Response

Localization 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Slope 
 

N/A
N/A

Std. Err. 
 

N/A
N/A

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Sound Enhancement Features 
 

5.4
2.1

Room Correction 
 

Yes
No

Dialogue Enhancement 
 

Yes
Yes

Auto-Volume/Night Mode 
 

Yes
No

Subwoofer Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Bass Adjustment 
 

Yes
Yes

Treble Adjustment 
 

Yes
No

EQ 
 

No
No

Surround Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Rear Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Height Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Inputs/Outputs - Bar 
 

Physical Connections Bar Photo 1  

Sonos Beam Physical Connections Bar Photo 1
Bose TV Speaker Physical Connections Bar Photo 1

Physical Connections Bar Photo 2  

Sonos Beam Physical Connections Bar Photo 2
Bose TV Speaker Physical Connections Bar Photo 2

Optical Audio In 
 

Adapter into HDMI ARC
1

HDMI Out 
 

ARC
ARC

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth 
 

No
No

Full HDMI In 
 

No
No

Analog Audio In 3.5mm (Aux) 
 

No
1

RCA In 
 

No
No

USB for Files 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

1
No

Subwoofer Output 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC 
 

6.3
4.8

Dolby Atmos 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
Supported

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS 
 

Supported
Not Supported

DTS:X 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS-HD MA 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

PCM Channels 
 

2.0
2.0

Show text

Audio Format Support: HDMI In 
 

0.0
0.0

Dolby Atmos 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby Digital 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS:X 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

DTS-HD MA 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

PCM Channels 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Show text

Audio Format Support: Optical 
 

10
6.5

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
Supported

DTS 
 

Supported
Not Supported

PCM Channels 
 

2.0
2.0

Show text

Audio Latency: ARC 
 

10

ARC Latency Video  

PCM-2.0 ch 
 

10 ms

PCM-5.1 ch 
 

N/A

Dolby MAT (PCM) Atmos 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital 
 

28 ms

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital Plus Atmos 
 

N/A

Show text

Audio Latency: HDMI In 
 

9.8
0.0

HDMI Latency Video  

Latency Video  

PCM-2.0 ch 
 

N/A

PCM-5.1 ch 
 

N/A

Dolby MAT (PCM) Atmos 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

N/A

Dolby Digital Plus Atmos 
 

N/A

ARC 
 

-14 ms

Optical 
 

0 ms

Full HDMI In 
 

N/A

Show text

Audio Latency: Optical 
 

10

Optical Latency Video  

PCM-2.0 ch 
 

69 ms

Dolby Digital 
 

126 ms

Show text

Video Passthrough To TV 
 

0.0
0.0

1080p Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

1080p @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

4k Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

4k @ 120Hz @ 10-Bit 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

4k @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

8k Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

HDR10 Passthrough 
 

No
No

HDR10+ Passthrough 
 

No
No

Dolby Vision Passthrough 
 

No
No

HDMI Forum VRR Passthrough 
 

No
No

FreeSync Passthrough 
 

No
No

G-SYNC Passthrough 
 

No
No

ALLM Passthrough 
 

No
No

Show text

Wireless Playback 
 

3.0
6.0

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Wi-Fi Playback 
 

Yes
No

Chromecast built-in 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
No

Spotify Connect 
 

Yes
No

Show text

Additional Features

Interface 
 

Interface photo  

Sonos Beam Interface photo
Bose TV Speaker Interface photo

Display 
 

No
No

Show text

Bar Controls 
 

Controls photo  

Sonos Beam Controls photo
Bose TV Speaker Controls photo

Show text

Remote  

Remote photo  

Sonos Beam Remote photo
Bose TV Speaker Remote photo

Show text

Voice Assistants Support 
 

Amazon Alexa 
 

Yes (Built-in)
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Built-in)
No

Apple Siri 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
No

Show text

Check Price

Sonos Beam

Bose TV Speaker

Comments

  1. Comparison

Sonos Beam vs Bose TV Speaker: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones