Get Them Here:

Bose Smart Soundbar: https://amzn.to/3ZhI095

Sony S2000: https://amzn.to/3AVCXlw

Sonos Beam 2: https://amzn.to/3V2XQlM

JBL Bar 300: https://amzn.to/4eHGf9C

So the Bose Smart Soundbar, the new one for 2024 / 2025, is bassicly identical to the Bose Smart Soundbar 600, except it now has AI. Now even though I am underwhelmed by this new upgrade, the Bose Smart Soundbar is still a solid mid sized soundbar to pick up. Nonetheless, today we’re going to see how it compares to other great options out there like the Sonos Beam Gen 2, JBL Bar 300 and the Sony HT-S2000.

Now first off, all of these soundbars are self contained systems. As in they dont need an external subwoofer cause they all produce their own bass. Now obviously having an external subwoofer is always better cause you’re going to get a lot more bass and a more movie theater like experience. However, everyone might not have the room for an external subwoofer, or maybe you live in an apartment with thin walls and you dont want to be that neighbor. So in this video we’re going to be testing these soundbars by themselves.

However, with all of these soundbars, except for the JBL, you can build them out by either adding an external subwoofer and or you can add rear satellite speakers. But in this video we’re going to be testing these soundbars by themselves, and we’re also going to be testing them against the built in speakers found on the Sony Bravia 8 tv. Nonetheless if you want to pick any of these soundbars up they’ll be linked down below or you can always press on the YouTube shopping button.

So first theres the design of these soundbars. Now all of these soundbars are decently small and they are all decently low profile, and they all have a subtle design to them, so they all do a good job of just disappearing while in your living room or bedroom. However, if you do plan on wall mounting your soundbar then the JBL Bar 300 is the best option here cause it comes included with a wall mounting kit. Where as the wall mounting kit on both the Sonos and Bose are sold sepertaly, which I feel is ridiculous. Now the Sony also comes included with a wall mounting kit… however, this soundbar does have an external power brick that you have worry about hiding. Where as with all of these other soundbars, they just plug in via an AC port.

Now when it comes to the main ports, the Sonos, Bose and Sony all have a single HDMI port that goes connected to your tv. Now in this price range, a singe HDMI port is standard… but with the JBL Bar 300, this guy also have an HDMI in port so you can directly plug in your playstation or Blu-ray player… and it also has an ethernet. Now I think the ethernet port isn’t all that important, but I think its sick that the JBL has that HDMI port.

Now when it comes to wireless connectivity, all of these soundbars have wifi and they have bluetooth. As expected. And with the Bose, Sonos, and JBL, if you’re connected to the same wifi network then you can stream music to them cause they have airplay 2 and chrome cast support, and if you want you can also have your groups going for whole home audio. However, with the Sony, it does not have Airplay or chrome cast support… but again I dont think its a huge deal cause you can always stream to your TV and your audio is still going to come out through your Soundbar.

But more importantly, when its comes to the apps on these soundbars, I think the Sony, Bose and JBL have very well laid out and easy to use apps. Where as with the Sonos, I feel that this app is pretty cluttered. And im not a fan of a super cluttered app cause adjusting the sound on the Beam 2 isn’t as easy as it is with these other soundbars. And I feel that being able to quickly and easily adjust your sound is super important just cause everything has different mixing now.

However, since the Sony HT-S2000 is a first party soundbar… if you use it with a compatible sony tv, then you can actually adjust your sound settings directly from the TV itself, which is super conviente. And personally, I feel that whenever youre looking at a soundbar, you should consider your first party options first. However, one down side about the Sony HT-S2000 is that it doesn’t have accoustic center sync like with Sony’s Bar 8, Bar 9, or Theater Quad. Or with Sony’s older A3000, A5000 or A7000. And what acoustic center sync is, is that your TV’s built in speakers will work in conjunction with your soundbar to give you a stronger center channel. An this just isn’t the case with Sony’s products, a Samsung TV and Samsung soundbar, or LG tv and LG soundbar can also do that same thing. Nonetheless, being able to adjust your sound settings directly from your tv is very nice.

But with all of that being said, lets talk about sound. Regarding speaker set up these soundbars are very different. First off theres the JBL Bar 300 which has 4 frontward firing speakers, which are only enough all concentrated in the center, it has a single exhaust port that shoots out the back, and it has dual tweeters that shoot out the sides. Then theres the Sony S2000 which has a total of 3 frontward firing speakers and dual frontward firing subwoofers with exhaust ports that shoot out the sides. Then theres the Sonos Beam Gen 2 with has a total of four speakers, two that shoot out the front and two shoot out the sides, it has a single frontward firing tweeter and it has a total of 3 passive radiators. Two that shoot out the front and one that shoot out the back. And finally theres the Bose Smart Soundbar which has a total of 4 speakers, two that shoot out the sides and two that shoot upwards, it has a single frontward firing tweeter and it has dual bass chambers. And the fact that that Bose has upwards firing speakers is a big deal cause this is the only speaker here with true dolby atmos support.

But with all of that being said, we’re going to jump into the soundtest. All of these soundbars are playing at 75% volume with my preferred EQ settings and we’re also going to be using the built in speakers found on the Sony Bravia 8, but those are going to be running at max volume.

Sound test

So like you may have just heard, since the Bravia 8 is a more premium tv, it has better sound. It uses its screen as a speaker, plus it has two built in tweeters and theres a built in sub as well. So as a result, the Bravia 8 gets very loud, voices are very well pronounced and this TV has a decent amount of bass that doesn’t bottom out thanks to its built in subwoofer. Where as if you were to go with a more entry level tv, then you’re most likely going to have a pair of downward firing speakers that bounce sound off of the table, they dont get all that loud and at higher volumes the bass bottoms out. But regardless, even if you have a more premium TV you’re still going to be better off upgrading to a soundbar for better bass and better openess.

So first off, I do feel that the JBL Bar 300 is the least impressive sounding soundbar here. Since all of the speakers are clustered in the middle, I feel that this soundbar has the least amount of instrument separation to it. It also has the lowest max volume performance and I feel that it also has the least amount of phsycailty in its bass. Now dont get me wrong, the JBL Bar 300 is decent and it gets the job done, but these other soundbars are just able to perform better.

Now with the Sonos Beam Gen 2, this soundbars gets louder and it has more bass than the JBL Bar 300. But more importantly, I feel that it has better instrument seperation and better emphasis on the vocals thanks to that frontward firing tweeter. But then theres the Sony S2000 which I feel sounds very similar to the Sonos Beam Gen 2, expect it gets louder and it has more bass. And in general, this is the loudest soundbar here and it has the most amount of kick in its bass. So if you want the loudest option here in a mid sized package, then you’ll want to go with the Sony S2000.

However, I think the Bose Smart Soundabr is the best sounding soundbar here cause it has the best instrument seperation. Like I mentioned earlier, this is the only soundbar here with upward firing speakers, which is going to give you true dolby atmospheres support… but more importantly, this soundbar sounds the most open and as a result the most immersive and realistic. Now with the Sony S2000, you’re going to get more sound out of it, but with the Bose you’re going to get better sound out of it.

So with all of that being said, if you’re looking for a mid sized soundbar for your mid sized or small living room or for your bedroom, I think the Bose Smart Soundbar is the best option here cause it sounds the most open thanks to those upwards firing drivers. Plus it gets decently loud and it has a decent amount of bass. And its also super easy to use thanks to its super simple app. But if you want the loudest soundbar here, than you’ll might want to go with the Sony S2000. Now the S2000 is going to work well with any tv out there, but if you use it with a Sony tv then you’re going to be able to adjust your sound settings directly from the tv itself.

And then theres the JBL Bar 300, it performs well, but it doesn’t perform as well as these other soundbars. However, the JBL bar 300 is a good option if you’re looking for something to mount on your wall or its a good option to consider if you need something with an HDMI in port for your Playstation, or blue ray player.