Sonos Beam or Yamaha 400 Bar

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I just need a soundbar for a small living room. Is the sonos beam good for movies in a small room. I have a Yamaha hty750 with a sub from back in the day that I always enjoyed watching movies on - but we got a new Samsung TU8500 TV and I want something more modern under the TV

I like the Yamaha as it comes with a sub and I was already used of a sub with the HTY750. However, I am put off by the fact there is no centre speaker in the Bar400 for speech - is it a problem that speech comes from left and right of bar?

I like the look of the beam and reviews say bass is very good. However, I know the HTY750 sounds terrible without a sub and with a sub it is excellent.

Will I be happy watching TV and movies on the beam without a sub. The wireless Sonos sub seems very expensive as it is nearly twice the price of the beam.

What would you guys recommend or is there an alternative that I haven't thought of - I had thought of the YAS 209 but can't help feeling either the 400 or Beam would be better.

 

[bigboss]

I've got Sonos Arc and it's excellent. Sonos generally has a good bass and you may find that the Beam should suffice your needs. You can return it if it doesn't meet your expectations. A couple of people I know who have the Beam are very happy with their purchase. If you already have a Sonos multiroom setup, then the Beam is a no brainer.

 

[hybridauth_facebook_670373973]

Would it be foolish to spend more on a soundbar like the arc than I did on my Samsung TU8500 and with the arc in a small room would I still need a sub to enjoy movies? Thanks

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Would it be foolish to spend more on a soundbar like the arc than I did on my Samsung TU8500 and with the arc in a small room would I still need a sub to enjoy movies? Thanks

I always spend more on my sound systems than my TVs.

 

[hybridauth_facebook_670373973]

Okay so after much research - I decided that the Sony HT700 would best suit my needs. The What Hi-Fi review said it was good for cinema and that's all I need it for.

I checked stock in local shops and found Harvey Norman had it reduced to 350 so I bought it. I have to say I am delighted with it.

I used the ARC HDMI connection and I was happy with Sky TV sound and Apps such as Netflix from TV. However, Blu- rays and dvds sound amazing from my Sony Blu Ray Player.

I'm just wondering if Netflix through the TV (Samsung TU8500 - just got it last weekend and haven't done anything with the settings) should sound as good as DVDs/Blu Rays. Netflix on Apple TV sounds the same as TV as well but when I fire up a dvd (Intro to Toy Story 2) or a Blu Ray (Pod race) it sounds phenomenal.

It's kid friendly as it has a metal grill rather than a cloth they could cover in yogurt.

 

[bigboss]

Streaming services compress sound unlike blu rays.

 

[hybridauth_facebook_670373973]

Streaming services compress sound unlike blu rays.

Thanks - I didn’t know that.

Would I get better sound if I rented a movie on iTunes than if I watched the same movie on Netflix or Prime? Thanks

 

[bigboss]

I don't know. I don't have iTunes. You can compare and see, and report back your findings.