Sonos Beam Gen 2 Black
Score: 62/100
Marshall Acton III Midnight Blue
Score: 77/100Rankings
The midnight-blue Acton III offers the same 60 W RMS performance as its black counterpart, wrapped in a stylish, eco-friendly cabinet with tactile analog controls. It excels in Bluetooth convenience and sound quality for modest spaces, but lacks advanced codecs, Wi-Fi, and any form of portability.
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a compact 3-channel smart soundbar that adds Dolby Atmos, eARC, and robust voice-assistant integration, making it ideal for small-to-medium rooms and existing Sonos setups. While it delivers clear dialogue and immersive sound, it lacks Bluetooth, Android Trueplay, and deep bass without an additional subwoofer.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
— | 60 wattsbest | |
— | 45 Hzbest | |
— | 20,000 Hzbest | |
3best | 2 | |
| ↓ lower better | 2.8 kgbest | 2.85 kg |
1 countbest | — | |
1 yearsbest | 1 yearsbest |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Physical Specs(1) | ||
Weight (kg) | 2.8 kg | 2.85 kg |
Audio Performance(2) | ||
Channels | 3 | 2 |
Supported Audio Formats | Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Multichannel PCM, DTS Digital Surround | SBC |
Design & Build(1) | ||
Finish | Black | Midnight Blue |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers praise the Beam's premium sound quality, clear dialogue, and effective Dolby Atmos implementation, while noting drawbacks such as the absence of Bluetooth, limited Android support for Trueplay, and lack of DTS:X support.
Everyday users overwhelmingly appreciate the Beam's clear dialogue, easy HDMI ARC setup, reliable Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2 streaming, and sleek design, though they complain about missing Bluetooth, Android Trueplay limitations, occasional eARC issues, and modest bass without a subwoofer.
“Love the Sonos Beam... Great quality sound in a small package... I have them on both my big screen TVs.”
“Expensive but worth it”
“Fills my apartment perfectly”
Professional reviewers praise the Acton III for its premium build, iconic brass knobs, and warm, detailed sound signature that stays true to Marshall's rock heritage. They also commend the Placement Compensation and Dynamic Loudness features delivered through the Marshall app, but criticize the lack of advanced Bluetooth codecs and consider the price high for the feature set.
Everyday users love the speaker's ability to fill modest spaces with rich audio, its eye-catching vintage look, and the tactile satisfaction of the analog knobs. Common complaints revolve around the missing AAC codec on iOS, occasional app instability, overpowering bass at high volumes, and the absence of a battery for portable use.
