I’ll add this as it may help others decide… I got the Arc with no sub as I was upgrading my 10 year old Yamaha and wanted true Dolby Atmos with the up firing speakers. My room is 14ft by 13ft so I didn’t go for the sub gen 3 as it is expensive and heard many reviews about it being too powerful. Just got the mini and I’m really pleased, it definitely improves the Arc to a large degree and fills the room. On reflection I think the big sub would have been too much; I like the sound quality from the Arc and with the mini it’s perfect for my room. PS both products purchased from Smart Home Sounds and the service was brilliant!
Thanks, I am worried about that, but spending this much money I'm worried it won't deliver as good overall movie and music sound experience on the mini. I mean obviously we want top quality.
I have the big sub in a 13’x11’ room and have never thought “this is too much.” Absolutely love it paired with the Playbar and two Ones and I wouldn’t want to downgrade or upgrade any of it. Amazing for films and music.
I made the best decision in my life - got my sub mini few days ago and it’s worth every penny! I love the sweet fatty bass on my living room. Moreover, I love the design as well!
@@Jaketmx Totally. You can always adjust the power of your bass audio sound, so it won’t overkill your room and it’s smaller than sub gen 3, so you should be able to fit in easily.
Sub Gen 3 outperforms the mini far and wide. The mini is great for paring SL's for music as I have done but if you're looking at surround and have the space the Gen 3 is the way to go.
Lots of comments but at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and room size. I had the mini and after one day brought back and went for gen3. Room size absolutely makes a difference. In a bedroom or comparable size room mini would be amazing. In a den or living room 20x20+ the mini is simply swallowed up. No feel of the base to make u jump. No feel when listening to music to make I want to move. With gen3 - u feel everything all over the house. Room size again makes a massive difference so factor that in. Then it’s personal preference. Do u listen to base heavy dance and house and techno or do u listen to rock, classical etc where base may not be as impactful to the listening experience. Only u can answer that. Not the rest of us for ya 😉. In the end it’s Sonos so can’t go that wrong.
We paired an Arc with two surround SLs and the bass wasn't quite sufficient in our medium size room. We added the sub mini and WOW we were pleasantly surprised. Plenty of bass and it really took our system to the next level and now sounds amazing.
I did the same with my Beam and rear Symfonisk bookshelf speakers. It sounded pretty good on my LG OLED 55C1. I added the Gen 3 sub a year later and it was a brand new system and it bumped everything up 2-3 levels!
Hey this is literally the set up im planning on getting, i already have a sonos Arc, but dont know if i should go with a sub mini and two SLs for surround or a Gen3, what are your thoughts?, do you think that surround speakers are needed for the Arc?
I bought the sub mini and love it! I’ve tried it out in our living room (vaulted ceiling) and family room (standard). The rooms are the same size, but the bass sounds a little fuller in the room with standard ceiling height. I’m not sure the Gen 3 is noticeably better to warrant the higher price tag and bigger footprint. Sub mini is exactly what I was waiting for from Sonos.
I was ecstatic when Sonos introduced the Sub Mini. I wanted a sub for my Sonos Beam Gen 1 but could not justify a Sub Gen 3 for a bedroom setup. The Mini has improved my TV and music listening experience dramatically. Well done Sonos!
Here's my experience: I have a Beam gen 2 with two One-SLs in my 11ft x 21ft basement. I got a Sub mini. If I put the sub mini right next to my TV where it stays about 3 feet from the corner, I get a decent base but nothing really to brag about. I do not feel the thump, although the quality of the base is quite good. If I move it to the corner, then the base gets considerable heavy, but on the downside it also gets boomy and hurts my head while watching a base heavy movie scene as the base vibrates and sounds cheap. Now I'm debating with my wife and hoping to get a Gen 3 to try. If I succeed, I'll provide an update. But so far, I did not find all those bold comments about the Sub-mini to be true.
@@erico658 I replaced my mini with gen 3. Now happy with the results for the movies. Although, for music (especially at mid to low volume) it doesn’t seem like a good choice. For music I think a pair of Fives will be a better choice.
I bought the mini immediately after release, tested it for 5 days and returned it as it was just a subtle improvement of the mids and highs in combo with the Beam Gen 1 and 2 Symfonisk. Got the Gen 3 now for 599€, this is what I call a sub. Will keep it.
“DAD REVIEW” SubMini+ARC= full-bodied, exceptionally clean sound. Sub Gen 3+ARC= movie theater experience. (disclaimer: I have 3 children under 6. I have all of the above, but using the sub mini until my youngest is a year older asked to not wake them)
I just bought the mini for my living room… and I love it!! Paired with my One’s I use only for music 🎶, my living room is not too big so it’s perfect 👍
Good comparison. Regarding woofer size for the Sub, I'm not sure where I found that information a few years ago, but the sub has 2 4.5*7" woofers. In terms of surface area they are equivalents to 2*5,9" woofers. So the sub mini might be quite equivalent
Do you guys have a PlayBar to test the Subs on? Would be interesting to hear your views. Also would there be much benefit in using the Sub Mini with the Five or other speakers based on music alone? Thanks and great content as always 👍🏻.
I gave these a whirl but wasn't wowwed by the dramatic increase in price. I ended up getting LG SNC75 w/ wireless rears. 5.1.2 setup for $400 total. The 5.1.2 setup from Sonos cost 4x that and the audio was only marginally better.
So two things. I watched this video twice. Once thru my iPad Pro speakers and was not very impressed with the difference in sound profiles. Then I did it again with a pair of AirPod 3’s. If you are listening to this review on anything other than a high quality pair of headphones (and one can argue that AirPod 3 aren’t even that high quality) you will not be able to appreciate the difference a sub makes. Also the difference in person to what you are hearing here is significant. 2nd. The Sub mini is awesome. I just picked up a lightly used Arc SL and sub mini and the sound difference between is Arc by itself and with the mini is MASSIVE. The Arc is very good. It is transformed by the addition of a sub. I love music but I don’t like overpowering bass. I want to hear ALL the nuances. That said…the mini can absolutely thump if you want it to. But I have found the sweet spot to be around +5 to +7 (depending on volume) and that additional bass absolutely transforms the listening experience. Movies are equally improved. The Sub Mini is loud enough to piss off your neighbors if you share walls but doesnt need to boom in order to add the right atmosphere you want to add to your movies with the addition of a sub. I’m sure the Sub Gen 3 is even better. But I for 1 can’t imagine needing it in any way for what I’m looking for. Hope this helps. Thanks for the great review.
Sonos Sub Mini -- "So mini you get the feeling that it isn't even there." You got that right. But I think the Sub Gen 3 is barely acceptable. But then, I have an SVS SB-4000 with a 13.5" driver and 1200 watt amp in my main two channel audio system.
I jave same set up but got 2 subs well haven't set up other yet. But have era 100s. I feel like the era 100s aren't giving me the sound I want ill be saving up for the 300s hope it fills in that loss of surround the 100s I feel are lacking
Thank you very much for your thorough- and helpful review - great stuff. What would be the right choice for me? I'd go for the Mini - if only it had the Sub Gen 3's format. The Mini's cylinder body just does not fit in my environment, neither on proportions, nor on looks. The Gen 3 has all it takes, but is that little bit to bold to make it a no-brainer for me. I have to take my time to make up my mind. Again, thank your for making this video.
I got the Arc with the Sub gen.3 with rears and everything., And its absolutely mindblowing. And today, i’ve ordered myself the Beam with the Sub mini and rears for our TV- lounge downstairs., and i’m pretty excited to test it.
Wow thats expensive, where do you live? In the netherlands the sub mini costs 490 euros and the sub g3 670 euros. Dollar and euro is the same at the moment…
I got the Mini with Beam(G2) and pair of One SL's in the bedroom. Living room has the ARC with 2 Sub(Gen3) and a pair of One SL's. The garage has a Beam(Gen1) and Sub(Gen3) no surrounds (yet) 😄
@kenn does the 2nd sub Gen 3 make a big difference in the sound? I’m currently debating if it’s worth it to add an additional sub to my Arc, SL and Sub.
@@cnosby My living room is huge with the kitchen being part of it. The entire room measures 33' long x 25' wide with a 10' ceiling. One Sub can do it, but having both in such large area makes a me really feel their impact. One was fine, but now I'm spoiled having both. I was very surprised the Sub Mini had such power. Same 10' celing in the bedroom 17' long 14'' wide. It filled the room much better then I thought.
On my beam gen 2 and sub mini, dts x master audio showed on the app as pcm 7.1, but down mixed correctly and sounded great. Now after the update it shows as 5.1 but every minute or so the sound drops out completely. Forcing me to use pcm stereo for almost all blu ray movies and uhd movies that don’t use atmos. £800 setup can’t even do 5.1 now, not happy at all
I've tried both with my beam 2 a two One sl, Gen 3 much more pronounced bass and low frequency, sometimes too much for my small/medium size room and not well balanced for music. Mini is ok until you ear the Sub Gen 3, but is a real great product, better for music in my own.
I have a mini and regular sub. The richness of the gen 3 blows it away especially if pair with 5s. The 5s kinda swallow the mini imo. Gen 3 will shake smaller places so keep that in consideration and if you live in an apartment it's a no go.
I have Arc and Sub Mini + 2 surrounds I could not imagine needing more bass than what the Sub Mini can give me. Unless I doubled or tripled room size but even then would be sitting so far away would need like a more massive screen than 75 inch tv.
I have a decent-size studio and I don't know what speakers to get from Sonos. I wanted to connect the soundbar underneath the Samsung serif tv and then had two stereo speakers beside my couch and one subwoofer beside my tv in the corner.
I still have the play bar and two ones and it’s pretty decent but I’ve always wanted the sub but it’s eye wateringly expensive for what it is, especially the Gen 3.
What if you don’t have any speakers and can you connect it with portable speakers and connect them together with pairing other portable speakers? Also do you have audio and video on the tv not syncing together on Sony x90j and will this cause problem with surround sound system and do you have any suggestions on how to fix the issues about it
I have the Arc with 2 x SL's as surrounds. I'm adding the Sub Mini in the next few weeks. My room is mid sized so should benefit with the Mini or the Sub G3.
Question - I have a medium sized room and already using Arc and 2xSL, does Mini suits better or Sub G3 better? I don't go all out power on bass, just need a fuller sound stage.
You can adjust the EQ of the sub mini to output more bass. I did this for my medium sized room (+6 to sub audio) to dial it into my preference. Plenty of bass for me.
Hi there, great video as always! I got an 85 inch tv with the Sonos Beam 2 with two Sonos Ikea bookshelf speakers connected. Tv room is about 29 square meters. Sounds great but looking into upgrading the Beam 2 to a Sonos Arc or add a sub to the Beam 2. Any suggestions what to add?
Can your TV do Atmos and do you also listen to spatial audio? If I can re-purpose the Beam 2 to the bedroom, I would look into doing the Arc and sub combo (keeping the Symfonisk rears). If you can't re-use the Beam 2; then, add the sub. I recently upgraded my Symfonisk bookshelf surrounds with my Beam Gen 1 to One SLs. I really didn't hear much improvement in sound quality? I think the Symfonisk and One SLs are too close to call in home theater surround sound duties. What really made a HUGE improvement was when I added the Sub Gen 3 to the combo and WOW! This was way before the sub mini was announced. Adding the sub take the low frequencies away from the Beam so the Beam doesn't have to work so hard providing a wide sound stage. Your Beam will sound so much better, clearer, and dialogue will improve with the sub.
I have 2 five's and one beam gen2 together. Should I buy SONOS sub and if yes there is difference between gen 1-2-3. I only listen music with sonos, for movies I have SONY soundbar plus sub. Thank you
The Gen 3 Sub can be paired with 2nd Gen 3 or Gen 2 sub. You can't add a second sub with only a sub mini, Gen 1, or Gen 2 sub. Going with a Gen 3 sub would give you some extra flexibility and future proof you down the road if you decide to upgrade to Arc, Era 300, and add a 2nd sub. I did this with my Beam, Symfonisk, and Gen 3 sub and upgraded to Arc, fives, and dual subs (moved Bean/Symfonisk to master bedroom).
Great video, currently have a Sub Gen3, play bar and 2x1s in a large kitchen\diner. In the lounge which is still a large room I have another playbar and bought a 75 inch Qled for movies. Want to add a sub but wasn’t sure between another gen3 or the new mini? Tempted to swap gen3 for lounge and buy a mini for kitchen, but don’t want to make a mistake as might be safer to just get a new gen3?
Go big or go home if you got the budget I say. Gen 3 for movies is must. But if you have another one in the kitchen and can sync for parties/gatherings to play music. Then that’s the move I’d say. Good luck.
I would never consider any soundbar without having a sub-out jack. You can buy a better sub for the money and have more choices. As far as sound goes an older ZVOX 580 has better sound than any sound bars, perhaps not the fake surround effect but just sound quality. As far as a sound bar, Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbars. I've heard top-of-the-line LG, Samsung, and Sony and they sound thin lacking body while the ZVOX has weight and body to the reproduction.
Guys, i have small bedroom 4m x 5m, and already have an Arc soundbar with a G3 lg tv, i im between going with a sub mini and 2 sonos one SL for surround, or just a Sub gen 3, what would be the best choice?
I have a full dedicated separates setup in my living room 5.1.4. I just wanted to get a sound bar for my room tv but jeez the prices on these wireless subs make no sense lol. Their best sub is more expensive than my arendal 1961 1s which plays down to 10hz lol. There is a soundbar tax going on.
Is the white sub mini also matt? Can someone that owns it, enlighten me? I just ordered the black beam gen2 but i am already considering of sending it back and getting the white because i believe the complete setup with sub mini and 2 one sl in white looks more premium.
Arc has sleep mode. I just got the Arc & 2 Ones for surround. That said, rarely use night mode as it sounds better without it. Got it on BF 20 off, still pricey, was nervous about money spent until night I set everything up. Wife’s like, “we’re not sending this back”. It’s crazy good sound & easy to use.
We recommend checking out this video we made 👉 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JVUNjH1CL_s.html it goes over everything you need to consider when choosing between a sub or surrounds!
The Sonos subs (Gen 3 or Mini) will remove a lot of the bass and low frequencies away from the Beam. The Beam won't have to work as hard and the mids/highs/dialogue will come in louder, crisper, and clearer with the addition of the sub. The Sub will work with any audio/video source from stereo to Atmos/Spatial audio and improve the Beam. It can be hit or miss with rear surrounds depending on what you are watching. Dialogue heavy shows may not use rear surrounds as much (background music mostly) compared to Sci-fi or action movies. You have a lot of choices for rear surrounds like the Ones, IKEA Symfonisk, Era 100, Era 300, or Fives.
Black Friday sale sub mini €499 vs sub gen 3, €679 is it worth to go with gen3 for €178 extra or stick to mini? im planning to get 2 of one sl and beam gen2 with sub, i dont have tv will be using it on my macbook and iphone for music and netflix
I've not owned a Sonos sub before. Is it like the surrounds, in that it becomes part of the soundbar in the settings? Or is it its own thing? I have a Beam (1st gen) with surrounds, and two Ones in the nearby living room and kitchen. Can I pair a sub with just the Ones for music, or does it become attached with the Beam?
It needs to be added to a room and paired with another Sonos speaker. The cool thing about the sub mini is that it’s small enough that it’s easy to move around into different rooms.
I'm trying to justify the sub mini but my living room is vaulted with three walls. The back wall is open to the kitchen. Should I try the sub mini or just get the gen 3? I would pair it with the Arc and two One SL's. Thanks
so, while i have a room that is about 25 feet by 10, my actually tv listening area in that room is only about 9 by 10. I sit 7 feet away from 65 inch tv . I will be buying an Arc, so I assume mini will probably be best for me since i have to tone down bass anyone being i live in a townhouse?
What did you decide? I am in the same boat, I am upgrading to arc and looking at a sub (found a great deal on marketplace) but not sure because I have a fairly small media room
No. You need at least 2 X One/One SL. It will set up the surround sound automatically and pair it with an Arc, as long as you meet the requirements. I got 2 SLs in the black Friday sale. Took only 2 mins to add them to the Arc after a software update. The setup is amazing... Now time for a sub.
Having already two Sub gen 3 woofers, can I add the mini as the third one? I have my two at the back for a reason and this one would look good up front
Sonos allows only two Subs, at least that's how it was when I purchased my set. I want to add more Subs and since I have two Gen3s and only two are allowed to be added, I thought maybe they added this smaller Sub as an additional speaker that could be paired with the rest.
Yes it can, however, we only recommend it if you have a smaller space as when we tested it in an open-plan living area, we found it to be lacking slightly compared with the Sub Gen 3
I have a sub gen 3 and love it! However I am struggling to find a proper location in the room- right now it stands next to my couch and you can tell where the bass is coming from..
