A:Answer It does pair well with Sony. You don't HAVE to buy the sub but I strongly recommend it. The sub not only adds impact, immersion, and bass to your overall sound, but it also will improve your Beam's performance. As a standalone, the Beam has to deliver the complete sound spectrum from Highs, Mids, and Bass.
A) any soundbar is going to have weaker bass because those sounds require a speaker of reasonable size to push the air out
B) with a sub connected, the Beam no longer has to make the bass sounds and will focus all it's processing power on delivering you Highs and Mids improving those areas and giving better clarity to dialogue and vocals.