If you’ve been tempted to get into Sonos, but weren’t sure where to start, the Beam is for you. Not only is it a relatively affordable, solid speaker in its own right, it is a capable soundbar and Alexa assistant rolled into one.

Excellent overall sound; HDMI port for TV control; AirPlay 2 support; Reasonably priced

Sound is less impactful in bigger rooms; No support for other smart assistants (yet); No auxiliary input

Sonos recently announced a new soundbar they call the Sonos Beam . I’ve had some time to test it and simply to use it, and the Beam might be the most impressive speaker I’ve tested from Sonos yet, especially considering its US$399 price tag .

Easy setup; great, full sound; lower cost-of-entry than other Sonos home theater speakers; better sound and more flexible than Apple’s HomePod.

Only works with other Sonos speakers for surround sound and subwoofer; With a $699 Sonos SUB as the only subwoofer option, that’s a pricey step.

Sonos has always gone its own way. The speaker manufacturer dedicated itself to network-connected speakers before there were home networks and they sold a tablet-like remote control before there were tablets. Their surround sound systems install quickly and run seamlessly.

It combines a smart speaker with TV control, plus the terrific multiroom sound that Sonos is revered for.

With great sound and amazing features, Beam is Sonos’ smartest and best value speaker yet

Looks good and sounds great; Alexa and AirPlay 2 integration; HDMI ARC support; Cheaper than Playbar and Playbase

Not as punchy as Playbar; Only one ethernet port; Not all Alexa skills work

Fantastic sound and fantastically easy to use

Subwoofer not included

Despite being £300 cheaper than Sonos’s other TV audio solutions, the Beam is expensive for just a soundbar. The thing is, it isn’t just a soundbar. It’s one of the most compact and aesthetically pleasing soundbars that still has full-range sound without needing a sub.

compact and attractive; great; room-filling sound whether TV or music; easy set up; Alexa; easy to add to with more speakers

relatively expensive; no room-shaking bass; takes up a port on your TV; no HDMI pass-through; no support for Dolby Atmos

If you don’t care to have Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri functioning in any way, then pay more for the Playbase or Playbar, or consider something comparable from another vendor.

Smaller form factor; Great sound; Alexa plus Google Assistant and AirPlay 2 coming

More bass would’ve been nice; No Dolby Atmos support; Still pricey

Sonos’ compact, Alexa-enabled soundbar offers impressive performance for the price. All in all, a smart value.

Affordable price; Alexa voice control; Links with other Sonos speakers

More optimized for TV sound than music; Requires HDMI ARC for voice control of TV

The Sonos Beam packs multi-room, multi-service audio streaming and Amazon's Alexa voice assistant into a deceptively small soundbar.

Powerful sound for its size; Built-in Amazon Alexa voice assistant; Easily expanded with additional Sonos speakers.

No Bluetooth; Optional subwoofer is expensive.