Five reasons to (not) buy the Sonos Ray

During a special event in New York we were introduced to the latest soundbar from Sonos. It concerns the Ray, which can be seen as an entry-level model in terms of price. But make no mistake: it is a device that is quite powerful.

Don’t have a soundbar at home yet? Then this might be the time to make that choice. The Sonos Ray is a device that has several advantages. We are happy to list our experiences.

Five reasons to (not) buy the Sonos Ray

Compact

I have been able to test a lot of different soundbars in recent years. Actually, it is a must, since the sound that comes from the television is often not that strong. But I do have the problem of how to place it. Such a bar takes up a lot of space and in my case it stands in front of the sensor of the television, which makes zapping not easy. You don’t have that problem with the Sonos Ray. It is really a lot smaller in size, so you can place it under the television with many models. But it is also possible to put it in a cupboard. So you have more options in terms of layout of your home.

Sound comes purely from the front

Most soundbars need the space, because the sound comes from the front and top. You don’t have that with the Sonos Ray. The sound comes to you purely from the front. This makes it easier to place. Despite throwing the audio into space from one side, it’s still very rich and spacious. In that respect it is a really nice upgrade compared to the sound that a standard television produces. Music and movies come to life a lot better that way.

Technically, the Sonos Ray is fine

During the presentation we got five short demos. The first two were there to make music come alive. Because via WiFi and Bluetooth you can use the Sonos Ray to play your favorite music. The music was rich and came to life well. More interesting, however, were the demonstrations with films. The first was Venom, which showed that the soundbar handles low voices very well. Because Venom speaks in the film with a low and dark voice. Then we moved on to a race scene from Le Mans 66. The interesting thing about it was that he combined racing sounds and conversations well. Sometimes you have a big difference between them and the sound pops out of the speakers with music or racing sounds so much louder that you almost had to adjust the volume.

The third demonstration showed Spider-Man: No Way Home, but in a surround setup. In addition, with the television you had the Sonos Ray and two Sonos One speakers on the sides. That way you don’t have to rebuild your house in a bizarre way, while you do get a very nice rich movie experience in this way. All I can say is that it works well.

Finally, it is good to know that the sound of the Sonos Ray always flows through the television when it is on. It goes through an optical connection. So you don’t have to sacrifice an HDMI port to use this device.

Reasonably good for the price

To be fair, Sonos products are not cheap. And for the Sonos Ray you really have to put down something. Yet it is a lot more affordable than, for example, the Beam, which is sold for 499 euros. The Ray is for sale for 299 euros. As far as I’m concerned, that’s just a good price for a soundbar with this quality.

Missing Dolby Atmos

But at the same time, you really have to see the Sonos Ray as an entry-level model. If you want to enjoy all the bells and whistles, then the Beam is really a better choice. What he misses most is Dolby Atmos. Especially if you have an Xbox Series X at home and like to play games, that is a valuable addition to have in a soundbar.

If you’re interested in the Sonos Ray, you’ll have to wait a little longer. It is scheduled for a Dutch release on June 7.