Sonos Beam Soundbar

THIS IS MORE THAN just a soundbar. The Sonos Beam is a wireless, voice-controlled speaker, capable of pumping out brilliant sound quality that fills a room or even a house. It’s packing four drivers, five amps, and a tweeter, laid out along the front of the bar to maximize range. There are five microphones, which can pick up voice commands from across a room, even while your music is blaring.

One of the biggest draws of the Beam is its ability to play music from virtually any source. Whether it’s your phone or tablet, a network-connected drive, or your streaming service of choice (Spotify and Apple Music are obviously supported, but the Beam can also link to Tidal, Amazon Prime Music, Deezer, and more), this bar has got you covered. Of course, it can link to your TV or monitor, too, and dialogue jumps out with exceptional quality.

The Beam is easy to set up, supports HDMI for TV connectivity, and can be synched to Amazon Alexa devices for more in-depth voice control. iPhone users can also connect directly to it, and use their phone to issue commands to the Beam. The Beam connects to other Sonos products as well, should you wish to build a network of sonic mastery in your home.

Considering that it’s relatively small (though weighty—you could knock someone out cold with this thing), the depth of bass is incredible. We were almost afraid of turning the Beam up to its maximum volume, lest we disturb the neighbors.

$399, www.sonos.com