Verdict
Simpler , chintzy and smaller than the other soundbars in the Sonos range , the Sonos Ray is built with one main job in mind : make hapless - quality television fathom better . This is a more straightforward soundbar than its stablemates , with ocular input only , and no 3D sound formats . However , it supports 5.1 audio , flawlessly delivering subject from quiz shows to action film with a reasonable amount of bass and presence . Plus , it ’s a fully featured multiroom audio talker , performing well for music , too . For small rooms or subaltern TVs , the Ray is a neat buy .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Not everyone require to spend a fortune on a soundbar that supports the latest audio formats . For those who just want improved sound , there ’s the Sonos Ray .
If there ’s one affair the absolute majority of TV watcher can in general agree upon , it ’s that most TVs offer hapless - quality sound , to the point in time where everything , in particular spoken communication , is delivered as an indistinct pot .
formally the smallest and cheapest Sonos soundbar , the Ray go back to basics : there ’s noHDMI input(you get optical ) and no microphones , so this is n’t asmart speaker . However , it is n’t about what you do n’t get ; it ’s about what the Ray can deliver to make your TV strait better .
Design
The Ray is dissimilar to the other Sonos soundbars , and so it looks a little unlike , too . While the Beam ’s front wrap around to the back , the Ray has curve end ; it ’s lozenge - shaped , with the side tapering away to the back .
It ’s a less in - your - face design , which means the Ray is able to blend in a bit more with its surround . As common , there are black and blank variant available .
formally , the Ray is the smallest soundbar Sonos has ever made at 71 x 559 x 95 millimeter ; theSonos Beamis only a fraction bigger at 69 x 651 x 100 mm . At this kind of size , the Ray is utile for TVs up to a maximum of 55 - inches .
Although the Ray can sit on a unit in front of your television receiver , it also has brackets at the tail that take the ( optional ) official saddle horse .
There ’s no HDMI with this model – only an optical S / PDIF input at the rear , with a line in the box . you may plug into the Ray directly to your television set ( pretty much every exemplar I ’ve see has the output ) ; but mostset - top boxestend to have an optical output if you ’d rather bypass this choice . Then , there ’s just a might cable in the box , which plugs in next to the opthalmic comment .
As with other Sonos thespian , the touch controls on top also represent as cut - skip and book control buttons .
Features
Sonos has streamline the setup of its instrumentalist ; the Beam , for example , is super - soft to get working . It has to be put in into an S2 system , with no support for S1 . I found that firing up my Sonos app was enough to have the Ray find automatically , and then a quick frame-up wizard took me through the connection steps to get the soundbar onto my home system .
Sonos then runs through theTrueplay configurationto tune the soundbar to your way . As it is withthe Arcand Beam , this is a two - step process . The first had me ride where I ’d usually watch television to melody TV audio ; the second step was the “ normal ” Trueplay option , where I had to take the air around waving my phone up and down .
The estimable matter about using optical S / PDIF is that it generally just work out . With the HDMI - based Arc and Beam , they wo n’t necessarily function out of the boxful , and on occasion there ’s some faff and rebooting of devices involved .
With my idiot box , the optical connection lick immediately . Well , to a power point . For some reason , there ’s no setting to rick off the TV ’s speakers when ocular is connected , so audio was come out of both my video and the Ray . I got around this by turning down the book on the TV all the way .
Since the Ray has an IR input , you may tune it so that your TV ’s remote control will operate intensity on the soundbar . There ’s a setup routine for this , although the Sonos app indicated that it had n’t detected an IR sign , even though the position light on the Ray was flash .
It turns out that the JVC TV that I was using for testing uses Toggle Bit for its remote controls . In other words , when you hit the same button twice , the removed sends a dissimilar signal for each , alternate between two IR code . The workaround was to follow the Sonos setup modus operandi ; but after every requested button mechanical press , I covered the remote ’s IR sensor and hit the button again before go along with the wizard .
This manage to get the remote working , but I find that I often had to hit the bulk buttons twice to get the Ray to respond .
I had the additional trouble that my TV refused to turn off its speakers , so using the remote ascendency to turn up volume performed the same action on the telly and the soundbar .
As I was using aSky Q Minibox plugged into the TV , I went into the Sky menu and reprogrammed the removed dominance to function with Sonos devices , which process perfectly . This proved a better solvent for me .
A decent update is that the Sonos app now shows you which sound format you ’re get . Initially , my app stated that I was getting stereo PCM strait for everything rather than Dolby Digital ; I had to change the digital end product on my TV from PCM to compressed in ordination to kick the bucket on a 5.1 sign .
Here , we execute into the limitation of the soundbar : an optical connection has only enough bandwidth for steady Dolby Digital ( and DTS ) , not Dolby Digital Plus or Dolby TrueHD . That meansno Atmos support – not that this soundbar has any upward - fuel speakers to take advantage .
Does it matter ? Well , for the majority of folk , no . Regular Dolby Digital still sound great , even if it is n’t quite as clean and detailed as its higher - end codec sib . For the intend audience and maximal compatibility , Dolby Digital is good enough .
It ’s worth diving event into the setting and turn on TV Autoplay , which will pump sound from your goggle box to the Ray when you twist it on , stopping any music that ’s playing .
Of course , the Ray also do as a fully fledged euphony player , just like any other Sonos twist . Via the app , jolly much every undivided major music service is supported – includingSpotify , Apple Music , TidalandDeezer . Plus , there’sAirPlay 2support for direct streaming .
There ’s still nothing as honorable as Sonos formultiroom support : the app makes it so easy to join and unplug rooms . And do n’t forget that it delivers one major vantage over the competition : with a single streaming account , you’re able to play unlike tracks in unlike rooms at the same time .
There are no mike on this soundbar , so there ’s no choice to adjust upAmazon Alexa , Google Assistantor even the unexampled Sonos Voice Control system . Still , if you desire that , you could set up the relevant Skills and control Sonos through your Amazon or Google Smart Speakers .
Sound Quality
Internally , the Sonos Ray has four Class - 500 amplifiers controlling two tweeters , two full - range mid - woofers , and it has two wind low - velocity embrasure for sea bass . There are also waveguides flank the left and right speakers , promote audio out wide . Sonos , as normal , does n’t quote the exact specs for its product .
Designed to boost the frequency of speech , the Ray does an admirable job with basic TV . Quiz shows , the intelligence , documentaries and the like all sounded well , with the soundbar pass water the audio path much well-fixed to understand . Compared to my somewhat muffled TV , the betterment is clear and obvious . And , that ’s as true at lower volumes as it is with the sound turn right up .
There ’s an optional Speech Enhancement option in the app , which boosts the frequencies of interpreter . It forge well without distorting the rest of the soundtrack , although I did n’t feel as though I needed to plough it on .
If you ’re learn at dark , the Night Sound alternative is useful . This advance quiet sounds and limit loud sounds , so you may view on lower volumes , and still get a line what ’s going on without waking the rest of the people in your home .
dive into films , I fired up Captain Marvel . Most noticeable is that bass is pretty good . With the laser attack and explosions in the scuttle scene , there ’s a definite humble - absolute frequency boom and a warmth to the effect , even if it is n’t quite as room - smashing as the Arc ’s response .
There ’s a secure degree of wideness to the soundscape . The Ray fills the way nicely , crowd audio frequency out obliquely ; but strait still feel as though it ’s come in from in front of the TV .
With the Beam and an Atmos soundtrack , audio wrapped around me , delivering top and a wall of sound . That simply is n’t potential with the audio layout and patronise codecs here . As a machine that ’s designed to promote TV audio , the Ray fulfills its line of work , and a bar this modest should n’t really be able to deliver the low - frequence hit that it can do .
As with other Sonos soundbars , the Ray can have stereo talker added . I try it with twoSonos One SLspeakers . These bear true surround sound , with a aristocratic crossing . The listening field is better , with right positional audio from in front and behind .
It ’s possible to add up a Sonos Cuban sandwich into the admixture . I have a building block , and Sonos does a smart as a whip occupation of tuning the two verbaliser so that the crossover is spot on . With the bomber you get right room - stimulate bass ; but since the subwoofer price double the soundbar , it feels like overkill as an upgrade . TheSonos Sub Miniis a much better spouse for the Ray .
Moving to medicine , and the Ray puts in a good shift , although it is n’t as near as a Sonos Five or even the Arc or Beam . The Ray copes well at all volumes , and wo n’t color at maximum volume . That ’s even when playing something basso - heavy , such as OK Go ’s This Too Shall Pass .
authoritative music sounds decent , with The Imperial March delivered with its initial threat and then mid - track shade .
With fury Against the Machine ’s Bombtrack , the Ray handles the introduction well and beef into biography when the drums bounce in . Bass is n’t quite as telling here , with some of the attack and energy lost , but the overall effect is respectable .
Put on something more pernicious , such as Johnny Cash ’s Hurt , and the Ray copes well . It does n’t quite fetch out the full detail , such as Cash ’s digit slew down his guitar strings , but the auditory sensation is balanced and poised . Overall , medicine is a little flatter than through the stigma ’s other product , although there remain enough exponent to fulfill a room – and nothing sounds flat - out bad .
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Should you buy it?
If you have a small-scale or junior-grade TV with poor - quality sound , the Sonos Ray will provide a cost increase , rescue a full - on multi - way audio frequency experience .
If you desire the latest sound data format , such as Dolby Atmos , and a full cinematic experience , the Beam or Arc make for a honorable choice .
Final Thoughts
With many of thebest soundbarsaimed at the partisan marketplace want the best plate cinema sound , the Sonos Ray is a refreshing option for small video and rooms , where you just require to boost sound calibre .
For its primary job , the Ray does a brilliant job : audio is far clearer , while soundtracks and force sound more active and engaging . Plus , there ’s a fair amount of warmth and bass part that I would n’t necessarily have expected from a equipment of this size . Bass is commonly a weakness oncheaper soundbars .
medicine quality is decent from this speaker , and the Ray has the advantage over challenger in that it can be a full - on multi - room player in , arguably , the proficient system there is . I did chance that for music , the character was n’t quite as good as for TV and film ; but nothing sounded poor – it ’s just that Sonos makes some better music players .
For a lower-ranking apparatus , such as in a chamber or kitchen , the Sonos Ray is a great rise to a telly with wretched - timber strait .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every soundbar we review thoroughly over an lengthened menstruum of time . We use industry stock tests to compare features decently . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , have money to review a product .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics insurance .
FAQs
It has an optical S / PDIF input signal only .
It can use Dolby Digital , DTS and stereo PCM .
No , it does n’t have the necessary speaker system , plus the optical stimulation limits the sound formats that can be used .
