Bose Solo 5 Vs Sonos Beam: Which Is The Best Speaker?

When it comes to having an immersive home theatre experience, TV speakers fall behind quickly. That’s where a soundbar comes in and improves the quality drastically. But deciding which soundbar to get can get pretty tricky. Here are so many options in the market. So we’ve got two not very expensive sidebars for you to choose from. In this review, I’ll be comparing the Bose Solo 5 and the Bose Sonos Beam soundbars to help you decide which one is a better buy for you.

Our Verdict

Both the soundbars produce great sound and produce an immersive experience. However, Bose Sonos Beam produces better sound because of its five-speaker system, but it’s also more expensive. It also offers other premium features such as voice control. But if you want an affordable, good quality soundbar to improve your casual TV experience, then go for Bose Solo 5 without any worries.

Bose Solo 5 Vs Sonos Beam: Comparison Chart

Differences

1. Price

Whenever we compare two products before buying, we always keep in mind the prices of both the products and which one is a better value for money. It’s a pretty basic soundbar which one would expect considering the reputation and quality of Bose. But it does the job well.

While the Sonos Beam is much expensive than the Solo 5, it does offer more features such as voice control, better sound and microphone array, HDMI support, etc. The Sonos Beam, even though it’s expensive, with its extra features and better sound quality, is a better value for money.

2. Audio Quality

When it comes to audio quality, Solo 5 does a good job, but it’s not as good as the Sonos Beam.

Bose Solo 5 comes with two drivers, located in the center of the soundbar. They are positioned in such a way to produce a full sound field. It comes with adjustable bass control and audio control to match the type of audio, such as movies or tracks. There’s also a dialogue mode which improves the clarity of dialogue during those Netflix and chill hours.

The Bose Sonos Beam comes with four full-range woofers that produce much immersive sound. There’s also a tweeter and three passive radiators to further improve the quality of sound and increase the bass for a surround sound experience. The range of the music is excellent, thanks to the five class – D digital amplifiers.

The audio is better and brighter on the Sonos Beam as compared to the Solo 5.

3. Connectivity Options

Solo 5 uses a Bluetooth connection to pair with your smart device and play music. But if you have to connect it to your TV, then it uses an optical cable provided in the box that can be directly plugged into your TV. There’s also a 3.5mm input jack to reduce hassle.

Sono Beam does use Bluetooth, but only during the initial setup. The working is done via WiFi only. The Sonos Beam uses an HDMI Arc option to connect it to your TV.

 4. Control

The Bose Solo 5 comes with a remote controller to control all its functions, such as play/pause, volume controls, etc.

The Bose Sonos Beam is controlled via an App for play/pause music, volume controls, or for turning and adjusting the bass and treble.

Another big difference between the two soundbars is that the Sonos Beam comes with voice control. You can use Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa to control the soundbar or to give other commands. That’s pretty cool.

This feature is not available on the Solo 5 and the only way you can control Solo 5 is through remote. It is one area where Bose cut costs.

Similarities

1. Remote control

Both these soundbars differ in sound quality, functioning, connectivity, etc., but one similarity is that both can be controlled by remote control.

Bose Solo 5 already comes with remote control and cannot be controlled by anything else. But remote control on the Sonos Beam is only an option by using the HDMI Arc connection. Through this connection, you can use your TV’s remote to control the soundbar. However, the Beam is controlled mainly by an app.

Features And Technical Specifications of Bose Solo 5

• Design

The Bose Solo 5 is a pretty compact soundbar with dimensions of 2.6 H x 21.6 W x 3.2 D and a weight of 3.73 lbs. You can easily pick it up and move it to different locations.

The soundbar comes with two drivers placed in the center of the bar, behind the grill. They are placed in a way to increase the sound range. It doesn’t come with any subwoofer for that extra bass, but the bass present on this one is decent. There are two modes – bass and dialogue. You can get some extra bass with that bass mode, but it still wouldn’t be as good as a dedicated subwoofer. The dialogue mode improves the sound and clarity of dialogues.

• Connectivity

The Bose Solo 5 can be connected to your smart device via Bluetooth, and you can simply start playing music.

Connection to TV is made by an optical cable which is simple and easy to use. The soundbar is controlled by a remote. Sadly, there’ no app or voice control available on this one.

Features And Technical Specifications Of Sonos Beam

• Design

The Sonos Beam is another compact soundbar with dimensions of 2.7H x 25.6W x 3.94D but still packs a lot of great features.

The Beam comes with four full-range woofers, which give a much clearer and crisp sound than the Solo 5. It gets pretty loud, and the bass is also good. The Beam was designed to work as a single unit only but still packs the capability to work with a 5.1 surround system as well.  

• Connection

The Sonos Beam uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for the initial setup process with your smartphone. After that, the soundbar works on a WiFi connection to stream music. It also supports Apple Airplay 2.

The Beam can be connected to a TV using HDMI arc which reduces any hassle as most smart TV’s are equipped with that port.

• App and voice controls

Unlike Bose Solo 5, the Sonos Beam is controlled by a mobile app. You can do all sorts of stuff on the app, such as play/pause, tuning of the bass and treble, enabling the dialogue mode, etc.

But the best feature of this soundbar is that it supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. That way, you can use your voice to control the soundbar. You can also use the Assistant or Alexa to answer other questions.

What’s In The Box?

Bose Solo 5

• Soundbar
• Universal remote control
• Power cord
• Optical digital audio cable.

Sonos Beam

• The soundbar
• HDMI cable
• Optical audio adapter Power cable
• Quick start guide

Overview Of Bose Solo 5

The Bose Solo 5 is a very basic soundbar that produces a good sound that was expected from a Bose product. Solo 5 is the cheapest soundbar from Bose and doesn’t offer any premium features. It works on basic Bluetooth connectivity and does what it’s supposed to do, nothing extra.

Audio quality is good but could have been better. Plus there’s no option to add any extra subwoofers or connect it to a 5.1 surround sound system. The audio streaming from your smartphone via Bluetooth is easy and works well. Overall this is a good soundbar if you just want a speaker better than your TV’s. If you’re looking for something extra then this soundbar won’t cut it.

Overview of Sonos Beam

Bose Sonos Beam looks like a soundbar from the future. It packs features which you might not need today but will surely need in the future. It comes with app and voice controls using Google Assistant or Alexa which makes streaming more seamless. Sound quality is great thanks to the four woofers. You can further enhance the experience by connecting it to a 5.1 surround sound system or a subwoofer for that extra bass.

It also comes with five Far-field microphones which make sure that the Voice control feature is not just a gimmick. The soundbar can easily listen to your voice even in a loud room. Overall this a great soundbar with some extra features that are found only on more expensive models.

FAQs

Bottom Line

Choosing between the Soundbars now comes to personal preference. If you want the cheapest option of them all with no extra features and just get the work done, then go for the Bose Solo 5 without any hesitation. If you can spend some extra money and want better sound, voice controls, and other connectivity options, then there’s no better option than the Sonos beam at the price point.