This £34 soundbar is a surprising alternative to the Sonos Beam Gen 2

By Alex Hughes

Published: Wednesday, 27 April 2022 at 12:00 am

Yes, you could just stick with the speakers on your TV or computer, but with such a huge array of soundbars now available out there, why not spice up your TV experience?

Of course, you could always make the dive and go for one of the best soundbars from a big name, throwing a good chunk of cash into your purchase… but what if instead you hopped onto Amazon and just bought the cheapest thing on there?

To see if this is a terrible decision or not, we’ve gone ahead and done it ourselves, purchasing one of the cheapest soundbars on Amazon (the Majority Bowfell) and comparing it to the Sonos Beam Gen 2 – a £449 speaker that we gave a 5 star review. So… what does an extra £415 get you?

How much are you spending?

The very obvious place to start here is price. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 sits very firmly in the centre of the soundbar market for price. Costing £449, it is much less than the full-room surround sound kits that frequently exceed £1,000, but it is nowhere near one of the more affordable options.

On the other hand, the Majority Bowfell speaker cost us just £34 – roughly 13 times less than the Sonos speaker. That is not only a very affordable price, it is actually one of the cheapest soundbars you can buy… without venturing into the world of 1 star reviews, that is.

Which sounds better?

Okay, you already know the answer to this, but give us a second. Yes… the Sonos Beam wipes the floor with the Bowfell for sound quality, but we were honestly pleasantly surprised by how much a £34 speaker could pump out.

The Bowfell has a built-in subwoofer which, while not exactly mind-blowing, does a surprising job of producing a loud and clear sound. Sound does become distorted at high volumes and you won’t really notice the bass a lot of the time, but compared to the sound of your TV, this is a vast improvement.

The Sonos Beam on the other hand… well, that handles sound pretty flawlessly. In our full review of the product, we were impressed with its ability across movies, TV, gaming and music.

The bass vibrated across the room, it sounded clear at all volumes and despite its comparatively smaller size, it dealt with pretty much every task we threw at it. The Beam features Dolby Atmos which, while sometimes not entirely noticeable, is a truly impressive feature for this size.

Overall, the Sonos Beam pretty much nailed sound in all different tasks. But does the sound of the Sonos feel like it is roughly 13 times more valuable? We’re not so convinced.

Which offers the better build and design?

Looking at the speakers, it’s clear that the Sonos Beam is built to a higher quality (again, no surprises there). The Beam features a polycarbonate grill which makes it tough and durable. The rest of the body is made out of a sturdy, matte black (or white if you get the other colour) plastic. The whole speaker has some surprising weight to it and feels like it could withstand some hits.

The Majority on the other hand does feel quite cheap. The shiny plastic on the top and back is prone to marks and the whole speaker feels relatively delicate.

One of the really noticeable features of the Majority Bowfell is how incredibly light it is. It weighs just 1.5kg and at its size, it could easily be taken on the go. With its size, it can fit into a lot of spaces. Unlike the Beam, that means it can be used easily with small TVs, monitors, or in tight gaps.

What extra features are included?

Unfortunately, £34 does not get you many features in a soundbar. You get a remote with the Majority Bowfell but other than that, things are kept pretty simple – just a speaker and a couple of cables.

The Sonos on the other hand comes with an app where you can control the volume, adjust EQ and play music. The Beam also allows you to connect other Sonos speakers, building a full surround-sound system if you plan on buying more down the line.

For Apple users, the Sonos Beam also includes TruePlay – a feature where you scan your room to allow the speaker to adapt to its surroundings. While the Majority can connect via a headphone jack, Bluetooth or optical, the Sonos Beam can use Bluetooth, HDMI, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and support for a host of other streaming platforms to connect directly.

Value for money

There is absolutely no doubt that the Sonos Beam is built better, sounds much better, looks nicer and has far more features, but when it comes to overall value for money, it is a battle that Sonos has lost.

That £34 price tag of the Majority Bowfell is so hard to criticise. Yes, it’s not a large speaker or even the fanciest looking design, but it pumps out a sound that I would expect from something with a much higher price tag.

It’s nothing fancy, but you really can’t go wrong with the Bowfell.

Verdict

As you would obviously expect, these two soundbars offer very different experiences. If you have the money to shell out on the Sonos Beam Gen 2, it is more than worthwhile, especially if you’re a fan of high-quality audio, Dolby Atmos films or immersing yourself in a good game.

However, if you’re umming and ahhing on whether to get a soundbar, feeling like the Sonos Beam or other similar soundbars are far too expensive, the Majority speaker is a great option for the price.

Whether you just want to get a slightly better sound than your TV can produce, you’re looking to improve your computer set-up, or you want a cheap speaker to play music, the Majority can do all of that on a budget – just don’t expect a mind-blowing audio experience.