In many ways Sonos is the Apple of audio. Its speakers and software are easy to use with thoughtful design and attention to detail, it has its own well-developed wireless ecosystem that "just works" and its products are priced at a premium.

The Sonos Beam offers the promise of multiple voice assistants, with Amazon Alexa now and Google Assistant in the future; Its expansive sound can fill a small room; HDMI connectivity includes the ability to power up and control TV input switching via voice command.

The lack of a subwoofer means the Beam lacks deep bass compared to sub-equipped competitors; You lose some connectivity options on TVs that lack ARC; Google Assistant hasn't been added yet

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.

One of the best performance-per-pound products Sonos has produced, the Beam is a blinding little soundbar Alexa and HDMI ARC are the Beam's obvious talking points, but to focus on those features entirely would be to miss out on the fact that the Beam sounds rather exceptional for its price and size.

Impressively open; spacious; three-dimensional sound; Surprising bass weight and depth; Simple setup; Compact and stylish; Usual Sonos music streaming and multi-room capabilities

A little bright and sibilant at high volumes and with poor audio; More HDMI inputs would be nice

Earlier this month , Sonos added the Sonos Beam sound bar to its product range. It's Sonos' second sound bar, smaller and more compact than its older Play Bar and its related Play Base product. Beam appeals to consumers who aren't looking to kit out a huge home theatre.

People who own Sonos speakers love their Sonos speakers. I'm one of them. In the three to four years that I've been living in the Sonos ecosystem, however, one big complaint was that I couldn't use Sonos for my TV unless I barfed up $700 for the Sonos Playbase or Playbar .

Fantastic sound and fantastically easy to use

Subwoofer not included

A smart soundbar from Sonos

Fantastic sound and fantastically easy to use

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