Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple TV and 2 Homepods vs Sonos ARC / Playbase / Beam and 2 One - Which one is better?
- Thread starter Andiko
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I love the Sonos Arc, especially if you pair it with their sub. The beam is decent, but more on the level of the HomePod. I prefer the Sonos sound overall, I have a pair of Homepods and they are just OK for me. Sonos also gives you the option to add rear speakers.
Maybe slightly off topic but- In my home office I have 2 Play Ones. In the living room is the orginal Soundbar, Sonos Sub, 2 Play Ones, and the Sonos Port (to connect a turntable to the system). In the bedroom is the Sonos Beam and 2 more Play Ones.
Obviously I'm happy with the performance of their products with one exception.....
I HATE they they've begun using their iOS apps to display pop-up ads on startup. Obtrusive ads that don't allow you to do what you started the app to do until you acknowledge or dismiss it.
I find this so annoying that I can't recommend their products until they stop. It would be one thing if they were spamming users of a "free" product, but to I find it outrageous to spam customers who've paid a couple thousand dollars on their products.
Obviously I'm happy with the performance of their products with one exception.....
I HATE they they've begun using their iOS apps to display pop-up ads on startup. Obtrusive ads that don't allow you to do what you started the app to do until you acknowledge or dismiss it.
I find this so annoying that I can't recommend their products until they stop. It would be one thing if they were spamming users of a "free" product, but to I find it outrageous to spam customers who've paid a couple thousand dollars on their products.
How is the combination of 2 Homepods with Apple TV in surround or dolby Atmos mode versus the Sonos Beam and 2 Ones?
I’m sorry I don’t own any homepods so I can’t honestly answer your question, but I did want to throw out a heads up to the current Sonos spamming situation for anyone going that route.
I have both Sonos Arc and a pair of HomePods. I don't have Sonos Sub or Ones.
For stereo playback, HomePods sounds significantly better to me. The soundstage feels much bigger and I prefer the overall tone and balance.
For surround playback, I prefer Arc. With a dedicated center channel, dialog sounds more intelligible. HomePods is still fine, but not as intelligible.
While surround experience is subpar to just alright on both setup, Arc has much bigger sweet spot (still small) and more convincing Atmos effects.
Practically speaking, Sonos is more versatile than HomePods, largely because it has eARC HDMI port. It can work with far wider range of contents.
Having said that, if I were to do it again, I would go with JBL 9.1. It is among the best performing soundbar out there, with support for wider range of codecs. If you are on a budget, upcoming JBL 5.0 MultiBeam sounds very promising.
For stereo playback, HomePods sounds significantly better to me. The soundstage feels much bigger and I prefer the overall tone and balance.
For surround playback, I prefer Arc. With a dedicated center channel, dialog sounds more intelligible. HomePods is still fine, but not as intelligible.
While surround experience is subpar to just alright on both setup, Arc has much bigger sweet spot (still small) and more convincing Atmos effects.
Practically speaking, Sonos is more versatile than HomePods, largely because it has eARC HDMI port. It can work with far wider range of contents.
Having said that, if I were to do it again, I would go with JBL 9.1. It is among the best performing soundbar out there, with support for wider range of codecs. If you are on a budget, upcoming JBL 5.0 MultiBeam sounds very promising.
I tried the Beam and was very underwhelmed. It was ok for movies and tv shows but was very poor for music. So I bought a pair of homepods. With the AppleTV, movies and tv shows sound good, as good as the Beam . Controlling the volume with the Apple remote is much easier to setup with the Homepods. But is is with music that the HomePods excel. The sound is much more enjoyable. I am rediscovering my music collection.
Last edited:
Meanwhile, I had the possibility to make a comparison of Sonos 5.0 respectively 5.1 with Playbase and 2 Ones and 2 Apple Homepods with Apple TV.
The two Apple Homepods are very good with music and have a very good Bass. Unfortunately it is not possible to lower the bass.
In comparison wirth a surround feeling in which the sound comes from the back I love the Sonos even though the bass is not as intensive. It is more worth for me to have this surround all over than in the front only. Unfortunately, it is not possible to have 5.0 surround in the context of the two Apple Homepods.
The two Apple Homepods are very good with music and have a very good Bass. Unfortunately it is not possible to lower the bass.
In comparison wirth a surround feeling in which the sound comes from the back I love the Sonos even though the bass is not as intensive. It is more worth for me to have this surround all over than in the front only. Unfortunately, it is not possible to have 5.0 surround in the context of the two Apple Homepods.