So, this is a difficult review to write. I am usually very thorough in my research and thought I was here. Long story short, there may be better options if I had researched a little more. So, here's the review.
The sound is VERY good. But I think of it like buying an old Ferrari vs an old Mercedes, not that I've had either. But the old sports cars did one thing well, they went fast. But if you wanted comfort, ease of use and increasing technology, while still getting respectable speed and handling, you wanted a Mercedes. Sonos, in my opinion, is the Ferrari. The positive is, again, one thing, great sound. In other words, it goes really fast. On the downside, it isn't very comfortable or...even technologically advanced. Hear are the negatives.
1. I spent some 6 phone calls and maybe as much as 10 hours getting these set up to a) work, b) work with Alexa and c) work with Amazon Music unlimited. YES, TEN hours and SIX calls.
2. The Playbar connects by Optical Cable, not HDMI. Doesn't that make you kind of want to say, gee it has a great Cassette tape player? Well, maybe I'll be a little less harsh and say it has a great CD player? (Just to be clear for those of you who may be slow with analogies, there is no tape or CD player.)
3. The Playbar works with ONLY one remote. Yep, if you've got several different remotes, like most of us, only one can be used to control your Playbar. On the upside, I THINK it will work with multiple remotes if they are the same i.e. your cable providers remotes.
I should have looked harder at the Beam but just wanted a bigger speaker in the Playbar for my great room. Of course, as you've probably seen in other reviews, the Playbar does not fit under my TV like my old LG soundbar
I've seen reviews indicating Bose is persnickety in setting up but wonder if it is not, ultimately, more technologically advanced? Or, in keeping with the analogy, does it have power steering, power locks and windows, and air conditioning?