Thanks for posting this video! I'm still not 100% decided on what I want to do. I purchased the Sonos Beam 2 and a pair of One SL for rears over the past year and I've been really happy with them. I own a condo and live on the ground floor. My living room has a good amount of open space but it's also somewhat narrow (from couch to TV is probably 7-8 FT). I play a lot of video games (PS5, XSX, Switch), watch a lot of movies, and stream 4K (Netflix, Disney Plus, etc.). I have been tempted to get the Sub Gen 3 but with the price costing nearly as much as the Beam 2 and One SL combined it makes me hesitant. I've been waiting to hear how good the Sub Mini is. Should I go with the Sub Mini? I can afford the Sub Gen 3 if it's clearly the better choice to go with my Beam Gen 2.
The sub Mini is better than you think, I have an ARC & 2xOnes and it’s a noticeable drop in bass when turned off, I even have to turn it down as not to annoy the apartment below!
Got the Beam 2 on Black Friday. Was already very happy with the result, but remembered the sub mini from different reviews... ordered the sub-mini straight away which arrived next day. What a difference. Although my wife was not happy with the price being higher than the bar, her jaw dropped when testing some movie scenes and afterwards she was even dancing a lot to music from her youth :D It's more than good enough for our medium sized room. Now let's save some money for a couple speakers in the back
Pairing a Sub with a Beam in my relatively small living room is overkill so the Mini would’ve been perfect had it been available a few years ago. Even after Trueplay tuning I often have my Sub turned right down on the app. Also, you guys are right, I often find the biggest improvement is not the bass but the increased clarity the Sub brings by freeing up the Beam
Was gonna add a Mini to my Arc + 2x Ones setup but based on your comments about awkward open plan spaces with lots of seating options I think I will hang in there for Gen 3.
I wanted a Gen3 but I’m having to turn down the mini as it’s too loud in my movie room, you will be surprised; unless you have a cinema room or zero worries of noise then the mini is more than suitable even when money is no object
For those who are wondering if this is the way to go… this product is 100% worth it. I consider myself as a sound enthusiastic and I heard about this set a couple of months ago that’s why I recently got a set of 2 Sonos One SL, 1 Beam gen 2 and this new Sub Mini and the sound quality and experience is absolutely amazing. The size of the room where I placed them is medium, keep that in mind.
Just got the sub mini! Paired with a Beam gen2 and 2 Ones gen 2 as surrounds. The clarity is spectacular. It already sounded good but the mini completes the fidelity. In music it has a nice warm bass that complements the sound. In movies the mini is on another level, you can FEEL the movie. Some people get disappointed with the product, but one thing to understand is that this is for fidelity, for the love of sound and clarity. If you are an amateur audiophile like me, go for it! you will not be disappointed and probably want to listen to your entire movie and music collection all over again.
Great review and made me buy it from you and I cannot believe it! I had the Beam and two One SL's and couldn't justify the price of the existing sub, but I can tell you anyone on the fence thinking about it JUST BUY IT! it's absolutely STONKING and absolutely transforms your setup well worth the money! I agree too that I think this is going to take sales off the Sub Gen 3 as it's sooooooooooo good for the money. Cannot thank you enough for getting it to me!
Really useful video. Deals starting to come through I’ve just taken the plunge and ordered a Sub Mini to compliment my Beam 2 and 2 x Ones. I’ve paid £359.00 for my Sub Mini, and although still expensive, it’s more affordable than the Gen 3. I also have a small/medium sized front room, so this felt like the best option. Looking forward to taking delivery, getting set up and delving in to Netflix to test it out. :)
By adding a sub, It doesn't free up processing power, it allows the other speakers to play louder with less distortion because the DSP will change the crossover point to the smaller speakers which will reduce the bass output and blend the subwoofer crossover so that it produces the lower frequencies.
Hi Dan, yes it does exactly as you say but Sonos have confirmed to us it does also free up processing power allowing the the other arrays to perform better and give a better overall reproduction.
@@smarthomesounds that’s strange, I would’ve thought that freeing up amplification power would improve sound, not freeing up processing power. Any how, I love what sonos do and I also enjoy your videos. Thank you
Great review! I have (in my living room with tv) an Arc combined with 2 Ones and the sub Gen 3 and I have to say it is a great combination. In my dining place I have 2 Ones now. After seeing your review I will add the sub mini in this room. As said: every setup is depending on different parameters: your personal preferences, size of the room,… Very good review and.. understandable for everyone! Keep up the good work 👍
The interesting question you guys missed is whether a sub mini + beam (878) is a better deal than an arc (899), or a ray + two symfonisk + sub mini (908) for a sonos home theatre setup.
Great review thanks. I have an Arc and 2 Ones and had been eagerly awaiting the Sub mini. It sounded great with the Beam but didn't seem to add much to the Arc, it would have been nice to have one more comparison against the Sub Gen 3. I have a 15% discount which makes the Gen 3 just over £200 more than the mini (mini is excluded from the discount) so even though I don't listen super loud, I feel the Gen 3 is better value. In an ideal world, the sub mini would have been £350 max and I'd have tried that, potentially adding a second if it was possible
The most impressive combination is with the Beam gen2, it really helps the Beam go full throttle... I have the Beam and I can`t wait to get this sub... Thanks for the review!
Installed my sub mini yesterday, paired with a Beam Gen 2 and 2 x SL speakers. Sounds great in my medium size lounge / TV room. Was a breeze to install with one tiny exception. The need to enter the serial number located on the bottom of the unit before the software would install it. This would be fine if you had X-Ray vision but for those of us with less than perfect eyesight it was bloody hard to read. I had three goes at trying to distinguish between 9s and 0s after taking pictures on my i-phone and then enlarging them. I nearly resorted to going out onto the street to see if I could find a "young person" walking by to read it for me.
Thanks for the feedback, we have heard the same pairing issue from a few community members and will pass this information onto Sonos. Hope you are enjoying your system now though 📈
Best way to deal with that is take a photo and zoom in or (if you use Google) allow Lens to read the code and it will highlight it for you to copy & paste.
Update from my side - received the sub mini which seems to be not working at all. It’s been already 3 days with Sonos support without success. Probably I am the lucky guy who received broken unit 🤦🏻♂️
Listening to this with AirPod Pro’s and I CAN hear the bass, definitely not gunna be like in person but it’s good enough for me. Sonos really come out of nowhere it seem’s. They completely reinvented what a subwoofer is, canceling out vibration, which is incredible.
I have been waiting to get a sub to go with beam 2 and 2 ones. This review makes the choice much easier, just pre ordered the sun mini, next week it’s going to be a rematch of some fun movies turned up to the next level. Happy Sonos did a great job with this to fill a the hole in their lineup.
I have an older TV setup with a Playbar and Sub in my living room, and it still sounds great. I recently purchased the Beam 2 and Sub Mini for my game room. It sounded really good but not as good as Playbar and Sub. So I returned it, added $800 to my budget, and ended up buying the new Arc and Sub. With Sonos, you get what you pay for.
As an early adapter I have a Playbar, Sub Gen1 and two Play 3 (it's a shame they discontinued these boxes) in a surround setup. It costed a hole lot, but men, even after so many years, the sound quality is unbeatable.
Good review! I have a relatively small room, but went with the Arc (as most of the sound in a HT comes from the front) and 2 x One’s for rears. I think going for the standard Sub will be too much for my room (I think it will flood the room with bass energy, but I still want to give my room a bass ‘lift’ .. just to go a little beyond what my current setup gives me). I think the Sub Mini will fit the bill 🍻
Same for me, just about same set up but 2 synfonisk frame for rears in 16' x 16' x 8' room. I heard this qualifies as a mid size room per Sonos. Gonna try the mini and see how that goes.
Thanks for making my choice a little easier. I have the Beam gen 2 and two Symfonisk rear bookshelf speakers. It's a great combo, but the Beam sometimes struggles with the lower frequencies. It starts to rattle. In terms of feedback, my wife is a professional flutist and pianist, and we listen to a lot of classical music. None of the reviews I have watched ever uses classical music to test out audio products. You may cater to a younger audience, perhaps, but I really want to know if these speakers can handle a Beethoven or Shostakovich symphony. Thanks for taking that into consideration.
Traditionally audio reviews would have always tested the equipment with classical music but this is being done less and less now as I assume not enough people listen/care about it and would rather know how it sounds with electronic music
@@benfulford3943 I think it may have to do with the average age of the reviewers and CZcams users. It's a shame, because the slightly older generation probably has the financial means to afford good audio equipment.
Thank you Nethervoice. Couldn't agree more. I mostly listen to ClassicFM when not using the Beam & SLs for TV playback. Very few videos on CZcams testing anything but movies with explosions, shoot 'em up gameplay or tracks with heavy drums and bass. Nothing wrong with that but I'm more interested in knowing if Mahler's resurrection finale will sound better with or without a sub.
This is pretty much the only deciding factor that made me buy the mini..I’ve got ARC with 2 x 1’s so naturally a Gen 3 would be perfect but even the mini I’ve turned down to not disturb the peace; anyone thinking of buying the mini you won’t be disappointed with the bass. And that is in a 25m2 room.
@@tomhoward5000 you matched this with an arc setup? What sub level setting to match the strength of your arc? And how big is your room? (Building an office and highly considering this based on a 15x16 room)
@@FPSWizard yes my room is exactly the same size, I’ve placed it next to the couch rather than all the way at the front by the tv but I couldn’t have any more bass than what this puts out being in a penthouse. The sub level varies quite a bit depending on the source and if the audio supplied is good but HD films are awesome. With sub level +4 in my case. Level +10 is pretty heavy and +15 max setting is too much for me so isn’t any point having the Gen3 as I can’t even turn the mini all the way up anyway!
This might sound like a dumb question, but is there any point getting the Sub (Mini) if you’re not looking for more bass per se? I’m tempted due to the fact that it brings out vocals better apparently, but am not really a fan of heavy bass generally (I actually lower the bass to the minimum on my Beam+Ones). Also a bit concerned about irritating my neighbours with the extra bass…
Looks great seeing the Sub mini in person on your review.. I can’t wait to get one for my BeamGen2 and Sonos one surrounds.. as soon as I’ve saved ^__^=.
Just got the sub mini and paired with my beam gen 2 and 2 SL Ones's. My room is 12.6 by 20.6 ft. Trying to explain the quality of sound is a little difficult. The bass doesn't take over it just becomes immersive and blends seamlessly with the rest of the speakers to give a sound quality that is truly remarkable. If you want a bass that's going to shake and rattle the walls this is not what you need, get the sub gen 3. But if it's quality sound for movies and music that is just right this is the speaker for you. Many said adding the sub mini makes the beam gen 2 sound even better as it is not trying to put out bass and just worries with the mid-range and highs and they are spot on. This is one of the best purchases I have made to complete the sound with my sonos system.
What would you say is a better set up for a relatively small living room a Beam paired with the Sub Mini or a standalone Arc. Here in the US the price is almost the same.
I got the Sub mini to add to my Beam Gen 1 and two Symfonisk bookshelf surround speakers to LG OLED 55C9 in master bedroom. I already had a Gen 3 sub+Gen 1 Beam+2 One SLs in my office and liked the improvement the sub added to the sound quality and extra bass. I just couldn't get the sub mini to stay connected to my system for more than a few minutes. I've tried multiple times troubleshooting in the app, wired/wifi connections, running app diagnostics, and calling Sonos tech support for help. It would work for a little bit and then show "not connected" in the app a few minutes later. Ended up sending the sub mini back after a few days of getting nowhere with it. First time having an issue connecting any Sonos product I have (two Beam Gen 1, One Arc, three Gen 3 Subs, four Symfonisk bookshelf, two Fives, two One SL, two Roams).
i love the idea of adding a sub mini. i think im going to grab the ray and mini for my bed room and move my beam, rears, sub g3 out to the living room lol.
excellent review yet again...thank you. the flipping between combinations of setup and listening through my headphones is very telling. it would have been great with the arc if you also had the sub gen 3 (so arc alone, arc and mini, arc and gen 3). i think then i would be more clear on which combination to buy from your good selves😊
I wish there was a quick and easy way to disconnect the rears from the soundbar and use them for music playback. In theory there could be a toggle switch for full Beam & Rears playback for TV and an audio option for just the rears for music when the Beam is turned off.
Hey Tim! Did you find any solution on this? Looking forward to buying the setup but saw your comment and now I feel like I want to hold off. Are the rears paired only for TV?
We recommend checking out this video we made 👉 czcams.com/video/JVUNjH1CL_s/video.html it goes over everything you need to consider when choosing between a sub or surrounds!
I currently have an Arc, 2 Play 1, and Sub 3 in my room that is 10x14 feet. Some say it's over kill and I am probably not getting the full Sonos experience but I do enjoy it. A Sub Mini would probably be best for my room and even getting a Beam instead of an Arc but I did it all on an impulse buy. I just wish I knew how to get the most out of my setup, especially the surround sound.
Your setup makes perfect sense given the calibration process that the Sonos app makes available. My ARC sounds dramatically better thanks to the Sub 3. I‘d guess the ARC no longer has to produce sound below approx. 150Hz, which is a game changer. The setup is utterly convincing - never mind that my better half does not want the 2 ONEs as rear speakers since they ‚add too much clutter‘ 😂.
13:29 You are wrong. You have been able to pair SUB with another sub since the early launch of the gen. 2. You could also do it back in 2013 with Sub Gen 1's, but it was not as good when compared to the official pairing with the gen. 2. :) Lovely video btw!
really useful review, i had decided the ARC was far less impressive than the Beam. you can never have too much base. i'm going to pass for the gen3 which is ridiculously expensive i may never buy it.
I don't have the sub mini yet, but have the beam Gen 2 and 2 One SLs, and the system is great if you live in an appartement, the sound is good without being overly loud. It lacks a bit of bass though, so with that sub-mini it might be the perfect cheap setup indeed!
This combination is my setup... I think it's good for a small to medium size room.... I just want to know where is a good place to put the sub mini, behind the sofa with the satellite speakers or up front with the TV and sound bar?
It's only 2 years old. They've released the main Subs in 2012, 2016 and 2020 so I'd say it's safe to pick up the Gen3. When it released, they upgraded the CPU and doubled the RAM and it works with all the latest products (excluding portables) and the S2 app so I doubt it will be obsolete for a long time. I can't think why they'd release a new one and what it would do differently or better - it's generally known to sound virtually identical to the Gen2.
Hi guys! Lovely review again, just added the mini to my arc setup in a small living room, works perfectly! Could you tell me tho what marvel trailer you use in the soundtest? Would love to try that out!
Question. if the room size is 6 meters long and 4 meters wide, and I have a 77-inch LG G4 OLED TV, which combination will you recommend? ARC + Sub mini or Beam (Gen 2) + Sub mini? and in both cases optional two Era 100 as rear speakers
Thanks for the info that the sub mini is NOT working with Move and Roam. I can't find that info on Sonos webpage I ordered a sub mini to work together with my 2 Moves. It says that it would Deepen your enjoyment of TV, films, and more with bold bass when you pair Sub Mini with Beam, Ray, One, or One SL. But nothing that it wont work with Move and Roam. Shame On Sonos and a step back in compability of the Sonossystem.
I bought beam, it's good but has a very narrow Soundstage, I had demo arc and it's very good. So I wish I had gone for arc now. Here in India we cannot return, so I'm stuck with it. I would say go for arc and add sub later in time when you have the budget.
I just ordered a beam 2 because the volume up button on my old (outdated) sound bar has stopped working. It's a great excuse to jump into the sonos family. I was convinced that the best upgrade would be to add 2 x ones but after watching this I'm now thinking the sub mini to start with and maybe upgrade to the ones later... Hopefully I do get a bonus in April but who knows these days
Great review as always. Will getting the mini sub be overkill for the following: 2 bed mid terrace house, I have 1 gen 2 Beam in kitchen dining, another beam in the lounge and 4 SL 1s dotted around the house. Will adding the sub mini be too much for neighbours?
Hi guys, Please help me :) Which set up to choose for a 484 square feet room. TV 65 inches, distance from sofa to tv - 15 feet (4,5m2). In the future I will add 2x sonos one SL for surround sound. I am not an audiophile and would like to spend as little as possible, but I am keen for a more than satisfactory result. 1. Beam + Sub mini 2. Beam + Sub 3 2. Arc + Sub mini You guys are doing a great job! Greetings from Poland :)
Well, I have a small room of 11' x 13' with a 8' ceiling. I normally run a Sub. Tested the Sub Mini by switching back and forth about 7 times. I also swaped positions to make sure that all the room notes etc are identical. I WANTED to hear more resolution from the Mini due to its sealed design. Also, both are rated to 25hz and I figured that for a room as small as mine, I would get the same visceral impact as the larger sub. I would love to get that bit of floor space back. HOWEVER, I did not find that at all. Everyime I thought that the Mini had better resolution, I'll switch the Sub back and heard the same resolution. The KEY difference though is that the Sub simply had a lot more impact. Thicker, deeper, more present. A lot more visceral. It was a lot more enjoyable. This is unfortunate. So the Sub Mini is going back to Sonos. Added note: I went on youtube and ran some 'subwoofer tests' - and the difference is even clearer with these exaggerated tests. The Mini clearly add significant bass, but nothing like the Sub even in a small room.
Bit confused…. 1) Did you say cannot be used with portable speakers? Does this mean not the Move speakers? (Wondering why not..). 2) One Sub mini per “setup”. Is this per installation/home or room? Tks
Guys quick question please . I have two play 5’s in my kitchen. They just don’t sound that good! What am I doing wrong? If I add a sub mini would it help ? I’m curious
Iam not sure what to go with , the beam 2 for sure , but as it’s down to budget it will either be the ones sl x2 for rear or a sub mini. Ido plan to have all there at some stage just not sure which one to go with first.
I really need your help or any of you guys! I don't know what to purchase i have money for beam gen2 + sub mini or beam gen2 + 2 one sl ! I want to use them in my bedroom i can't offer the three of them is one sl with the soundbar better or the soundbar and sub mini better?! I really care about sound quality and the experience
Tried a Sub Mini with my Beam2. Smallish room. I really didn't get on with it. The sub level control has I think plus or minus 15 steps. I settled on minus 12 for my room, so the sub levels were all there but not teenage "I love bass, me". Still didn't like it. Going back to just the Beam2 on its own was great :) ...might try a couple of One SLs for rears though, will see.
What would you recommend for a 2,500 Sq ft. home with 4 Sonos ceiling speakers (2 upstairs, 2 downstairs) and a Arc sound bar. A sub mini or a Sub Gen 3?
I currently have a Beam Gen 1, 2x One Sl (for surround sound) and the Sub mini on pre-order. Is there any need for me to upgrade the beam to the gen 2 or is what I have a sturdy setup?
Great review. My budget will stretch to either a Beam & Sub-mini combo or an Arc. Which would be best for a small living room with seating directly in front of the TV?
I'm fairly sure Gadget Show (channel 5) did this comparison against the original sub and they recommended the ARC on its own as it was a better all-rounder. If it's a small room you can't go wrong...both will work great.
So I have the Arc, Sub G3 and 2 SL1's in my theater room. Can I add the Beam G2 and the Sub Mini upstairs then create a 3rd Full house set up with all of them?
Good morning Sir 😊 My Sony tv not supported Dolby Atmos , but I have firetv stick 4k Max and Sonos arc soundbar ,soundbar have only one EARC HDMI Port. How can set-up for Dolby Atmos effect. Or use 2.1 HDMI splitter?. Please suggest sir
I can get a used Sun Gen 2 for $490 CDN or a new Sub Mini. My living room is 17x18 ft....I am not a huge bass head but it would be paired with a soon to be purchased Beam 2 & my existing Play 1's (2). Thoughts? Cheers
I live in a medium sized town home and pre ordered the mini because I don’t want too much bass as I do I have neighbors but after seeing how it sounds with the ARC now I’m not sure if it’s even worth getting the mini lol. Maybe if I put it closer to the sitting area it might be better. I’ll test it out and decide for myself if I’m going to keep it or not
What do you guys think of the Sonos Sub Mini? 🤔
It seemed to sound better with the Ray than the Beam, not sure if it's just me! But, either way, yes, it sounds fantastic!
Thanks for posting this video! I'm still not 100% decided on what I want to do. I purchased the Sonos Beam 2 and a pair of One SL for rears over the past year and I've been really happy with them. I own a condo and live on the ground floor. My living room has a good amount of open space but it's also somewhat narrow (from couch to TV is probably 7-8 FT). I play a lot of video games (PS5, XSX, Switch), watch a lot of movies, and stream 4K (Netflix, Disney Plus, etc.). I have been tempted to get the Sub Gen 3 but with the price costing nearly as much as the Beam 2 and One SL combined it makes me hesitant. I've been waiting to hear how good the Sub Mini is. Should I go with the Sub Mini? I can afford the Sub Gen 3 if it's clearly the better choice to go with my Beam Gen 2.
The sub Mini is better than you think, I have an ARC & 2xOnes and it’s a noticeable drop in bass when turned off, I even have to turn it down as not to annoy the apartment below!
Some guy in the comments said I want something is this you guys or is this a scam?
Hopefully adding 2 of the smaller subs will come with an update. Thanks for the evaluation.
Got the Beam 2 on Black Friday. Was already very happy with the result, but remembered the sub mini from different reviews... ordered the sub-mini straight away which arrived next day. What a difference. Although my wife was not happy with the price being higher than the bar, her jaw dropped when testing some movie scenes and afterwards she was even dancing a lot to music from her youth :D It's more than good enough for our medium sized room. Now let's save some money for a couple speakers in the back
Pairing a Sub with a Beam in my relatively small living room is overkill so the Mini would’ve been perfect had it been available a few years ago. Even after Trueplay tuning I often have my Sub turned right down on the app. Also, you guys are right, I often find the biggest improvement is not the bass but the increased clarity the Sub brings by freeing up the Beam
I have a Beam and two Play 1 speakers. just ordered this sub to add to my setup thanks to this video.
Was gonna add a Mini to my Arc + 2x Ones setup but based on your comments about awkward open plan spaces with lots of seating options I think I will hang in there for Gen 3.
Glad we can help, and that is what we would recommend based on our testing.
I have the setup as you and once I added the gen 3 sub I was blown away, sometimes it makes my couch vibrate.
I wanted a Gen3 but I’m having to turn down the mini as it’s too loud in my movie room, you will be surprised; unless you have a cinema room or zero worries of noise then the mini is more than suitable even when money is no object
Going to pair this with my Arc. Cant wait for mine to be delivered!
How's it been? Just got mine
For those who are wondering if this is the way to go… this product is 100% worth it. I consider myself as a sound enthusiastic and I heard about this set a couple of months ago that’s why I recently got a set of 2 Sonos One SL, 1 Beam gen 2 and this new Sub Mini and the sound quality and experience is absolutely amazing. The size of the room where I placed them is medium, keep that in mind.
What is the size of your medium living room ?
Just got the sub mini! Paired with a Beam gen2 and 2 Ones gen 2 as surrounds. The clarity is spectacular. It already sounded good but the mini completes the fidelity. In music it has a nice warm bass that complements the sound. In movies the mini is on another level, you can FEEL the movie. Some people get disappointed with the product, but one thing to understand is that this is for fidelity, for the love of sound and clarity. If you are an amateur audiophile like me, go for it! you will not be disappointed and probably want to listen to your entire movie and music collection all over again.
Great review and made me buy it from you and I cannot believe it! I had the Beam and two One SL's and couldn't justify the price of the existing sub, but I can tell you anyone on the fence thinking about it JUST BUY IT! it's absolutely STONKING and absolutely transforms your setup well worth the money! I agree too that I think this is going to take sales off the Sub Gen 3 as it's sooooooooooo good for the money. Cannot thank you enough for getting it to me!
Really useful video. Deals starting to come through I’ve just taken the plunge and ordered a Sub Mini to compliment my Beam 2 and 2 x Ones. I’ve paid £359.00 for my Sub Mini, and although still expensive, it’s more affordable than the Gen 3. I also have a small/medium sized front room, so this felt like the best option.
Looking forward to taking delivery, getting set up and delving in to Netflix to test it out. :)
By adding a sub, It doesn't free up processing power, it allows the other speakers to play louder with less distortion because the DSP will change the crossover point to the smaller speakers which will reduce the bass output and blend the subwoofer crossover so that it produces the lower frequencies.
Hi Dan, yes it does exactly as you say but Sonos have confirmed to us it does also free up processing power allowing the the other arrays to perform better and give a better overall reproduction.
@@smarthomesounds that’s strange, I would’ve thought that freeing up amplification power would improve sound, not freeing up processing power. Any how, I love what sonos do and I also enjoy your videos. Thank you
Great review! I have (in my living room with tv) an Arc combined with 2 Ones and the sub Gen 3 and I have to say it is a great combination. In my dining place I have 2 Ones now. After seeing your review I will add the sub mini in this room. As said: every setup is depending on different parameters: your personal preferences, size of the room,… Very good review and.. understandable for everyone! Keep up the good work 👍
I've just bought an LG C2, the Beam (gen 2) and a pair of One SL's so this might be a Christmas present to myself 😁
I’ve got the sub mini connected to the beam (gen 1) and two play:3’s wow, superb! You used the same word that used - immersive.. brilliant.
The interesting question you guys missed is whether a sub mini + beam (878) is a better deal than an arc (899), or a ray + two symfonisk + sub mini (908) for a sonos home theatre setup.
Yes this is the question I need answering too!
Same here.
I probably will get the Arc and be done and happy for my listening preferences. Good base, but don't care for a ton of base.
I have paired the mini to my arc, and it is more than enough!
Thanks 11:59 is all I needed to know. I really don't know why anyone would want to limit bass with mini.
Great review thanks. I have an Arc and 2 Ones and had been eagerly awaiting the Sub mini. It sounded great with the Beam but didn't seem to add much to the Arc, it would have been nice to have one more comparison against the Sub Gen 3. I have a 15% discount which makes the Gen 3 just over £200 more than the mini (mini is excluded from the discount) so even though I don't listen super loud, I feel the Gen 3 is better value. In an ideal world, the sub mini would have been £350 max and I'd have tried that, potentially adding a second if it was possible
Great video. Very balanced opinions and great that you've included a stereo 2.1 set-up and not just AV.
Thanks Adrian 🙂
Just added the mini to the ray have to say the sound is awesome the bass just fills the room so happy with it 👍
The most impressive combination is with the Beam gen2, it really helps the Beam go full throttle... I have the Beam and I can`t wait to get this sub...
Thanks for the review!
Installed my sub mini yesterday, paired with a Beam Gen 2 and 2 x SL speakers. Sounds great in my medium size lounge / TV room. Was a breeze to install with one tiny exception. The need to enter the serial number located on the bottom of the unit before the software would install it. This would be fine if you had X-Ray vision but for those of us with less than perfect eyesight it was bloody hard to read. I had three goes at trying to distinguish between 9s and 0s after taking pictures on my i-phone and then enlarging them. I nearly resorted to going out onto the street to see if I could find a "young person" walking by to read it for me.
Thanks for the feedback, we have heard the same pairing issue from a few community members and will pass this information onto Sonos. Hope you are enjoying your system now though 📈
@@smarthomesounds It sounds great. Luckily the lady of the house thought so too, which made my confession of having spent NZ$799 on it a lot easier! 😂
Best way to deal with that is take a photo and zoom in or (if you use Google) allow Lens to read the code and it will highlight it for you to copy & paste.
I’ve been waiting for this, now I am sure that this will fit perfectly, order placed for sub mini :)
Update from my side - received the sub mini which seems to be not working at all. It’s been already 3 days with Sonos support without success. Probably I am the lucky guy who received broken unit 🤦🏻♂️
Just purchased today in the sale, got a beam gen 2 and surround 1 SL. hoping this will bring the sound scape to life when gaming.
Listening to this with AirPod Pro’s and I CAN hear the bass, definitely not gunna be like in person but it’s good enough for me. Sonos really come out of nowhere it seem’s. They completely reinvented what a subwoofer is, canceling out vibration, which is incredible.
I got my Beam + One SLs + Sub (Gen 3) in the beginning of 2021. I wish this Sub Mini was around then, I would've saved a lot of money!
Placed my order with you guys after this review👍
Jealous! I live in A-Pac region and need to wait 😞
I have been waiting to get a sub to go with beam 2 and 2 ones. This review makes the choice much easier, just pre ordered the sun mini, next week it’s going to be a rematch of some fun movies turned up to the next level. Happy Sonos did a great job with this to fill a the hole in their lineup.
Exactly the same situation for me (Beam 2 and 2 SL1s).. can't wait to hook up the Sub Mini and finally complete the system!
@@valuedcustomer5496 Just picked up my sub mini and it’s a good addition to the setup. It’s going to be a Sci-fi move weekend.
I have an older TV setup with a Playbar and Sub in my living room, and it still sounds great. I recently purchased the Beam 2 and Sub Mini for my game room. It sounded really good but not as good as Playbar and Sub. So I returned it, added $800 to my budget, and ended up buying the new Arc and Sub. With Sonos, you get what you pay for.
As an early adapter I have a Playbar, Sub Gen1 and two Play 3 (it's a shame they discontinued these boxes) in a surround setup. It costed a hole lot, but men, even after so many years, the sound quality is unbeatable.
Good review! I have a relatively small room, but went with the Arc (as most of the sound in a HT comes from the front) and 2 x One’s for rears. I think going for the standard Sub will be too much for my room (I think it will flood the room with bass energy, but I still want to give my room a bass ‘lift’ .. just to go a little beyond what my current setup gives me). I think the Sub Mini will fit the bill 🍻
Yes that sounds like the perfect scenario where we would add the Sub mini to the Arc over the Sub Gen 3🚀
Same for me, just about same set up but 2 synfonisk frame for rears in 16' x 16' x 8' room. I heard this qualifies as a mid size room per Sonos. Gonna try the mini and see how that goes.
I currently have an Arc and a pair of OneSL for rears. I’m in an apartment and I’m really considering adding the sub mini.
Thanks for making my choice a little easier. I have the Beam gen 2 and two Symfonisk rear bookshelf speakers. It's a great combo, but the Beam sometimes struggles with the lower frequencies. It starts to rattle. In terms of feedback, my wife is a professional flutist and pianist, and we listen to a lot of classical music. None of the reviews I have watched ever uses classical music to test out audio products. You may cater to a younger audience, perhaps, but I really want to know if these speakers can handle a Beethoven or Shostakovich symphony. Thanks for taking that into consideration.
Particularly given us old farts are often the ones with the income to be able to afford more premium audio setups! 🙂
@@Beer_Dad1975 There are also younger farts who are into classical music, but they may not have the cash on hand to spend on this bass bucket.
Traditionally audio reviews would have always tested the equipment with classical music but this is being done less and less now as I assume not enough people listen/care about it and would rather know how it sounds with electronic music
@@benfulford3943 I think it may have to do with the average age of the reviewers and CZcams users. It's a shame, because the slightly older generation probably has the financial means to afford good audio equipment.
Thank you Nethervoice. Couldn't agree more. I mostly listen to ClassicFM when not using the Beam & SLs for TV playback. Very few videos on CZcams testing anything but movies with explosions, shoot 'em up gameplay or tracks with heavy drums and bass. Nothing wrong with that but I'm more interested in knowing if Mahler's resurrection finale will sound better with or without a sub.
I think the sub mini is perfect for those living in apartments who want a mini theater system without disturbing the next door neighbors.
Believe me it will disturb the neighbors....
This is pretty much the only deciding factor that made me buy the mini..I’ve got ARC with 2 x 1’s so naturally a Gen 3 would be perfect but even the mini I’ve turned down to not disturb the peace; anyone thinking of buying the mini you won’t be disappointed with the bass. And that is in a 25m2 room.
@@tomhoward5000 you matched this with an arc setup? What sub level setting to match the strength of your arc? And how big is your room? (Building an office and highly considering this based on a 15x16 room)
@@FPSWizard yes my room is exactly the same size, I’ve placed it next to the couch rather than all the way at the front by the tv but I couldn’t have any more bass than what this puts out being in a penthouse.
The sub level varies quite a bit depending on the source and if the audio supplied is good but HD films are awesome. With sub level +4 in my case. Level +10 is pretty heavy and +15 max setting is too much for me so isn’t any point having the Gen3 as I can’t even turn the mini all the way up anyway!
@@tomhoward5000 awesome. Thank you very much.
This is such a great in depth review. 👏🏽
I’ve pre ordered for my Arc.
This might sound like a dumb question, but is there any point getting the Sub (Mini) if you’re not looking for more bass per se?
I’m tempted due to the fact that it brings out vocals better apparently, but am not really a fan of heavy bass generally (I actually lower the bass to the minimum on my Beam+Ones).
Also a bit concerned about irritating my neighbours with the extra bass…
I agree. I'm in the same boat as you. I would like improved audio but not thumping bass.
Looks great seeing the Sub mini in person on your review.. I can’t wait to get one for my BeamGen2 and Sonos one surrounds.. as soon as I’ve saved ^__^=.
Just got the sub mini and paired with my beam gen 2 and 2 SL Ones's. My room is 12.6 by 20.6 ft. Trying to explain the quality of sound is a little difficult. The bass doesn't take over it just becomes immersive and blends seamlessly with the rest of the speakers to give a sound quality that is truly remarkable. If you want a bass that's going to shake and rattle the walls this is not what you need, get the sub gen 3. But if it's quality sound for movies and music that is just right this is the speaker for you. Many said adding the sub mini makes the beam gen 2 sound even better as it is not trying to put out bass and just worries with the mid-range and highs and they are spot on. This is one of the best purchases I have made to complete the sound with my sonos system.
What would you say is a better set up for a relatively small living room a Beam paired with the Sub Mini or a standalone Arc. Here in the US the price is almost the same.
Excellent review and I can’t wait to pair this with my Beam 2!
I got the Sub mini to add to my Beam Gen 1 and two Symfonisk bookshelf surround speakers to LG OLED 55C9 in master bedroom. I already had a Gen 3 sub+Gen 1 Beam+2 One SLs in my office and liked the improvement the sub added to the sound quality and extra bass. I just couldn't get the sub mini to stay connected to my system for more than a few minutes. I've tried multiple times troubleshooting in the app, wired/wifi connections, running app diagnostics, and calling Sonos tech support for help. It would work for a little bit and then show "not connected" in the app a few minutes later. Ended up sending the sub mini back after a few days of getting nowhere with it. First time having an issue connecting any Sonos product I have (two Beam Gen 1, One Arc, three Gen 3 Subs, four Symfonisk bookshelf, two Fives, two One SL, two Roams).
Wow, is that a high quality video, holy. Well done.
Glad you liked it!
A pair if Ones + Sub mini. Delicious by an acceptable price.
i love the idea of adding a sub mini. i think im going to grab the ray and mini for my bed room and move my beam, rears, sub g3 out to the living room lol.
Thanks, great review, wanting to add this to our playbar which we just use for general viewing in our living area.
excellent review yet again...thank you. the flipping between combinations of setup and listening through my headphones is very telling. it would have been great with the arc if you also had the sub gen 3 (so arc alone, arc and mini, arc and gen 3). i think then i would be more clear on which combination to buy from your good selves😊
Yes I’m stuck with the same!
I wish there was a quick and easy way to disconnect the rears from the soundbar and use them for music playback. In theory there could be a toggle switch for full Beam & Rears playback for TV and an audio option for just the rears for music when the Beam is turned off.
Hey Tim! Did you find any solution on this? Looking forward to buying the setup but saw your comment and now I feel like I want to hold off. Are the rears paired only for TV?
@@dimitrisqq it can be done be unpairing them from the soundbar and setting them up separately. It's just not quick and easy like it could be.
Have a Sonos beam gen 2. Would you recommend the sub mini or one of the new era products to compliment it?
We recommend checking out this video we made 👉 czcams.com/video/JVUNjH1CL_s/video.html it goes over everything you need to consider when choosing between a sub or surrounds!
Is there a preferred way to orientate the speaker? Hole facing directly towards you or perpendicular?
If you have a beam gen 2,surely better to sell that and buy an arc than have beam and sub?
I currently have an Arc, 2 Play 1, and Sub 3 in my room that is 10x14 feet. Some say it's over kill and I am probably not getting the full Sonos experience but I do enjoy it. A Sub Mini would probably be best for my room and even getting a Beam instead of an Arc but I did it all on an impulse buy.
I just wish I knew how to get the most out of my setup, especially the surround sound.
Your setup makes perfect sense given the calibration process that the Sonos app makes available. My ARC sounds dramatically better thanks to the Sub 3. I‘d guess the ARC no longer has to produce sound below approx. 150Hz, which is a game changer. The setup is utterly convincing - never mind that my better half does not want the 2 ONEs as rear speakers since they ‚add too much clutter‘ 😂.
13:29 You are wrong. You have been able to pair SUB with another sub since the early launch of the gen. 2. You could also do it back in 2013 with Sub Gen 1's, but it was not as good when compared to the official pairing with the gen. 2. :)
Lovely video btw!
really useful review, i had decided the ARC was far less impressive than the Beam. you can never have too much base. i'm going to pass for the gen3 which is ridiculously expensive i may never buy it.
I wonder how two would sound, and I love the retro 60's look.
And what do you think about the combo of sub mini + 2 pair of sonos one + sonos beam gen 2 ?
Do you think that is the "perfect" cheaper combo?
I don't have the sub mini yet, but have the beam Gen 2 and 2 One SLs, and the system is great if you live in an appartement, the sound is good without being overly loud. It lacks a bit of bass though, so with that sub-mini it might be the perfect cheap setup indeed!
That’s exactly what I have and ordered the mini asap lol
This will be my setup
This combination is my setup... I think it's good for a small to medium size room.... I just want to know where is a good place to put the sub mini, behind the sofa with the satellite speakers or up front with the TV and sound bar?
11:25 Never had a sub before, but in this test music sounds much fuller and mellow because of that. :)
I’d go for sub big but I’m scared it will get upgraded soon. That’s why mini is my pick for today
It's only 2 years old. They've released the main Subs in 2012, 2016 and 2020 so I'd say it's safe to pick up the Gen3. When it released, they upgraded the CPU and doubled the RAM and it works with all the latest products (excluding portables) and the S2 app so I doubt it will be obsolete for a long time. I can't think why they'd release a new one and what it would do differently or better - it's generally known to sound virtually identical to the Gen2.
@smarthomesounds, thoughts on sonos sub mini paired with 2x Sonos era 300 for music listening in a small living room apartment, please
I'm sold... But is it a good idea to put the sub behind the sofa where the satellite speakers are?
This is a good question . I’m also interested in this one.
Hi guys! Lovely review again, just added the mini to my arc setup in a small living room, works perfectly! Could you tell me tho what marvel trailer you use in the soundtest? Would love to try that out!
Question. if the room size is 6 meters long and 4 meters wide, and I have a 77-inch LG G4 OLED TV, which combination will you recommend? ARC + Sub mini or Beam (Gen 2) + Sub mini? and in both cases optional two Era 100 as rear speakers
Thanks for the info that the sub mini is NOT working with Move and Roam.
I can't find that info on Sonos webpage
I ordered a sub mini to work together with my 2 Moves. It says that it would
Deepen your enjoyment of TV, films, and more with bold bass when you pair Sub Mini with Beam, Ray, One, or One SL.
But nothing that it wont work with Move and Roam. Shame On Sonos and a step back in compability of the Sonossystem.
Torn between just getting the arc or getting the beam and sun mini. Someone help! The arc and sub are a bit above my budget.
I bought beam, it's good but has a very narrow Soundstage, I had demo arc and it's very good. So I wish I had gone for arc now. Here in India we cannot return, so I'm stuck with it.
I would say go for arc and add sub later in time when you have the budget.
What is the captain America movie they use for the demonstration videos?
It's the Falcon/Winter Soldier Series from Disney+
Im waiting for 2 sub mini option.
I just ordered a beam 2 because the volume up button on my old (outdated) sound bar has stopped working. It's a great excuse to jump into the sonos family.
I was convinced that the best upgrade would be to add 2 x ones but after watching this I'm now thinking the sub mini to start with and maybe upgrade to the ones later... Hopefully I do get a bonus in April but who knows these days
What do you think about connecting 2 x Era 300 + 1 Submini ?
We’ve tested this a lot and it works very well.
I have 1 beam and 2 Sonos one, wonder how will work the 4 together
Great review as always.
Will getting the mini sub be overkill for the following:
2 bed mid terrace house, I have 1 gen 2 Beam in kitchen dining, another beam in the lounge and 4 SL 1s dotted around the house.
Will adding the sub mini be too much for neighbours?
I have an Arc in a small room, does a Sub Mini make a difference?
great video really helped. What film is that example scene from. I love the soundtrack
Hi guys,
Please help me :) Which set up to choose for a 484 square feet room.
TV 65 inches, distance from sofa to tv - 15 feet (4,5m2). In the future I will add 2x sonos one SL for surround sound.
I am not an audiophile and would like to spend as little as possible, but I am keen for a more than satisfactory result.
1. Beam + Sub mini
2. Beam + Sub 3
2. Arc + Sub mini
You guys are doing a great job!
Greetings from Poland :)
Well, I have a small room of 11' x 13' with a 8' ceiling. I normally run a Sub. Tested the Sub Mini by switching back and forth about 7 times. I also swaped positions to make sure that all the room notes etc are identical. I WANTED to hear more resolution from the Mini due to its sealed design. Also, both are rated to 25hz and I figured that for a room as small as mine, I would get the same visceral impact as the larger sub. I would love to get that bit of floor space back. HOWEVER, I did not find that at all. Everyime I thought that the Mini had better resolution, I'll switch the Sub back and heard the same resolution. The KEY difference though is that the Sub simply had a lot more impact. Thicker, deeper, more present. A lot more visceral. It was a lot more enjoyable. This is unfortunate. So the Sub Mini is going back to Sonos. Added note: I went on youtube and ran some 'subwoofer tests' - and the difference is even clearer with these exaggerated tests. The Mini clearly add significant bass, but nothing like the Sub even in a small room.
Bit confused…. 1) Did you say cannot be used with portable speakers? Does this mean not the Move speakers? (Wondering why not..). 2) One Sub mini per “setup”. Is this per installation/home or room? Tks
great review thank you!
Nice review. Can i connect the sub mini to the ceiling speakers?
At this price point, I'm liable to buy several of these for different parts of the house as opposed to maybe eventually buying a single sub gen 3.
They can't be paired sadly. I'd prefer 2 of these with an arc instead of one sub3.
Such a great video. Thank you
Guys quick question please .
I have two play 5’s in my kitchen. They just don’t sound that good!
What am I doing wrong?
If I add a sub mini would it help ? I’m curious
To answer my own question… it arrived today.
Added to the two play 5’s ..for music, its added nothing. A waste of money.
Iam not sure what to go with , the beam 2 for sure , but as it’s down to budget it will either be the ones sl x2 for rear or a sub mini. Ido plan to have all there at some stage just not sure which one to go with first.
What are the thoughts about a Sonos Arc paired with dual sub mini's vs one sub gen 3?
I'd like a Sonos Sub gen 4 designed like the mini, just bigger. Hate the glossy gen3. This just look cleaner
I really need your help or any of you guys! I don't know what to purchase i have money for beam gen2 + sub mini or beam gen2 + 2 one sl ! I want to use them in my bedroom i can't offer the three of them is one sl with the soundbar better or the soundbar and sub mini better?! I really care about sound quality and the experience
If you have the budget go for the Beam + Sub Mini. You won’t be disappointed.
@@smarthomesounds so you prefer beam with the sub mini better than the beam with the one sl?
Do you think is better 1 Sonos sub or 2 sub minis?
Tried a Sub Mini with my Beam2. Smallish room. I really didn't get on with it. The sub level control has I think plus or minus 15 steps. I settled on minus 12 for my room, so the sub levels were all there but not teenage "I love bass, me". Still didn't like it. Going back to just the Beam2 on its own was great :) ...might try a couple of One SLs for rears though, will see.
Thanks for sharing, great to hear peoples different experiences 👍
Damn ya having me feel bad about my Beam Gen 2 paired with Sub Gen 3 and 2 One SLs. It sounds amazing
What would you recommend for a 2,500 Sq ft. home with 4 Sonos ceiling speakers (2 upstairs, 2 downstairs) and a Arc sound bar. A sub mini or a Sub Gen 3?
I have the Gen 1 Beam and 2 Sonos Surround's do I buy the Mini Sub or buy the Gen 2 Beam?
I currently have a Beam Gen 1, 2x One Sl (for surround sound) and the Sub mini on pre-order. Is there any need for me to upgrade the beam to the gen 2 or is what I have a sturdy setup?
Tough one as If you watch lots of Dolby Atmos content it is worth the upgrade but the SUB mini will also improve the Gen 1 Beam performance also.
I’m getting it. I always wanted a sub but the big one is way too powerful for my house.
Great, now I'm torn between getting the Beam 2 paired with a SUB mini or just the Arc :(
Great review. My budget will stretch to either a Beam & Sub-mini combo or an Arc. Which would be best for a small living room with seating directly in front of the TV?
I'm fairly sure Gadget Show (channel 5) did this comparison against the original sub and they recommended the ARC on its own as it was a better all-rounder.
If it's a small room you can't go wrong...both will work great.
@@Brown969 thanks
Could you please also test combo Beam2 + sub-mini + pair of Era 100 once will be available ? :)
Sooooo, should I get a pair of SL One's for my Beam 2 or a Sub Mini ? 👀
So I have the Arc, Sub G3 and 2 SL1's in my theater room. Can I add the Beam G2 and the Sub Mini upstairs then create a 3rd Full house set up with all of them?
Good morning Sir 😊
My Sony tv not supported Dolby Atmos , but I have firetv stick 4k Max and Sonos arc soundbar ,soundbar have only one EARC HDMI Port. How can set-up for Dolby Atmos effect. Or use 2.1 HDMI splitter?. Please suggest sir
I can get a used Sun Gen 2 for $490 CDN or a new Sub Mini.
My living room is 17x18 ft....I am not a huge bass head but it would be paired with a soon to be purchased Beam 2 & my existing Play 1's (2).
Thoughts?
Cheers
I live in a medium sized town home and pre ordered the mini because I don’t want too much bass as I do I have neighbors but after seeing how it sounds with the ARC now I’m not sure if it’s even worth getting the mini lol. Maybe if I put it closer to the sitting area it might be better. I’ll test it out and decide for myself if I’m going to keep it or not
Hey, so what would you say now about the arc+mini?
Greetings..I have a Sonos Amp Two wired floor speakers and two Sonos One's. Can I add a Sub-Mini and a Arc to that configuration? Thank you.
Would you pair a Sonos Playbar with a sub mini for my bedroom or Sonos Beam 1 with a sub mini instead? I already had Sonos 1’s as rears.