The Sonos Ray is the cheapest Sonos soundbar to date. It carries a suggested retail price of 299 euros and is therefore a lot cheaper than the previous entry-level model, the 469 euros Beam (Gen 2). Now that Sonos is making itself more interesting for a larger audience in terms of price, we test in this Sonos Ray review whether the compact soundbar is worth buying.
Sonos Ray
Price
€ 299,-
Connections
Ethernet port
wireless
Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect
Sound bar dimensions
55.9 × 7.1 × 9.5 centimeters
Sound bar weight
1.95 kilo
Website
www.sonos.com
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Price to quality ratio
- Good sound
- With all Sonos features
- Compact and high-quality design
- Negatives
- No HDMI port
- Does not work with all remotes
- Bass too lean for a large room
- Trueplay only works with iOS
Buy the Sonos Ray directly at Bol.com
With the Ray, Sonos enters a popular price range. There are many soundbars of about three hundred euros and they differ in functions and possibilities. For example, some models come with a subwoofer, the Ray does not. Does the new soundbar hold its own and how much do you have to give up compared to the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), which is 160 euros more expensive? You can read it in this Sonos Ray review.
Installation is done in no time
The Ray’s sales packaging is simplistic. Made of cardboard (durable!), with some technical documentation, a power cable and an optical audio cable in addition to the soundbar. The latter is nice, because I expect that not everyone has an extra optical audio cable at hand. Good to know: the power cable of the Ray is identical to that of, for example, the Beam (Gen 2). Handy if you need a new cable for whatever reason.
The installation of the Sonos Ray is a snap, especially if you already use a Sonos product. My house is already full of Sonos speakers, by the way. How to install the soundbar: you place it in front of your television, plug in the power cable and, if desired, connect your own Ethernet cable to the soundbar. You now open the Sonos app and see the Ray appear as a new device to be added. Follow the steps in the app to connect the soundbar to your internet and connect the optical audio cable to the television.
Then pair the remote control of your television to let the sound of your TV programs, streaming services and game console sound from the Ray. Note: The Ray only supports infrared remote control. A remote control that works via Bluetooth, for example, cannot be connected to the soundbar. The Ray does not support bluetooth. To avoid frustration and disappointment with the installation, I recommend that you check beforehand which remote control you have. In the years that I have been testing Sonos soundbars, I keep writing that I regret that Sonos does not offer a remote control itself. And I do that again now, because such a remote control would be a godsend for those who have a TV remote control without an infrared sensor. Controlling the TV sound via the Sonos app or a voice assistant is less pleasant while watching a movie than via the trusted remote control.
After pairing the remote, you’re basically done. The entire installation took me less than ten minutes. That does not include additional functions such as linking surround speakers – more about that in a moment.
Sonos Ray design: sleek and familiar
The design of the Sonos Ray is in line with the Beam (Gen 2) and Arc, the two more expensive Sonos soundbars. A plastic housing in matte black or matte white with the connectors hidden on the back and touch-sensitive buttons on the top. With those buttons you can adjust the volume and pause the music, among other things. The soundbar stands firmly on my TV furniture and dust can easily be removed with a microfibre cloth. I think the sleek design is successful and fits the price of three hundred euros.
A design difference between the Ray and Beam (Gen 2) is the size and weight. With a width of 56 centimeters, the Ray is exactly ten centimeters narrower than the Beam (Gen 2). The soundbars are practically the same height (7.1 vs 6.9 centimeters) and deep (9.5 vs 10 centimeters). Then the weight: the Ray weighs 1.95 kilos, the Beam (Gen 2) 2.8 kilos. The difference in weight can be explained because the Ray lacks some components (and thus functions) and offers less powerful sound. The sound only comes from the front of the soundbar and not from the sides, as with the Beam (Gen 2) and Arc. The sound is therefore by definition less spacious, but has the advantage that you can place the Ray more pleasantly in a TV cabinet. Especially because it is smaller and therefore fits more often.
No HDMI and microphones
Two notable missing features of the Ray are an HDMI port and microphones. The Beam (Gen 2) and Arc do have these functions and are therefore more expensive. The lack of microphones means you can’t talk to the Ray to control the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. For example, by using your voice to start your favorite music or to ask for the weather forecast. Is that bad? I don’t think so, because you can ask any other voice control device to play music on the Ray. Anyone who has no interest in smart home devices with microphones from a privacy point of view can bring the Ray into their home with peace of mind.
The lack of an HDMI port is striking in this price range and partly for that reason it is a shame. After all, you cannot use functions such as HDMI e-ARC and Dolby Atmos – both present on more expensive Sonos soundbars. You miss the spatial sound that Dolby Atmos support creates in films, series and games on the Ray. Not a world disaster for many because the Ray does offer support for DTS Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 and Stereo PCM and the Dolby Atmos effect does not come into its own from a narrow soundbar. But: the lack of it on the Ray is an argument for the Dolby Atmos enthusiast to choose the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) or of course a suitable soundbar from another brand.
Sound quality
In the Sonos Ray you will find two tweeters for high tones, two midwoofers for mid frequencies and a so-called Bass Reflex system for low tones. As mentioned, all speakers are directed forwards. Four D-class digital amplifiers drive the speakers.
Sonos claims that all kinds of technical innovations make the sound from the Ray more powerful and purer than you might expect from a compact and relatively affordable soundbar. After two weeks of listening, I am indeed enthusiastic about the sound quality when watching movies, series and TV programs. Voices sound clear, action scenes come across very impressive given the size of the soundbar and the Ray is loud enough at half its volume to provide a spacious living room with full sound. In a smaller apartment, you don’t have to turn the soundbar as loud.
When listening to music, the Ray is also sufficient, especially in combination with multiple Sonos speakers. In itself, radio via Juke or a nice Spotify playlist is also pleasant to listen to. What I do notice is that the Beam (Gen 2) – which I have myself – clearly produces more bass and also produces more powerful, more spacious sound. Logical because that speaker is heavier, has more powerful speakers – also aimed at the sides – and is 160 euros more expensive. A significant price difference given the suggested retail price of 299 euros that the Ray carries, and you notice it. The bass difference in particular is a point of attention, because for more bass you need to buy a Sonos Sub. It costs 749 euros – indeed. So you don’t just get it as an extra for your affordable soundbar.
Considering the price, the bass sound is not below average, but it is a bit thin for a larger living room. Personally, for more bass I would rather get a Beam (Gen 2) instead of a Ray with Sub, and that has everything to do with the price.
Smart Sonos Features
The Ray offers all the features that you as a Sonos owner know from other Sonos products. Think of support for Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2 and Trueplay (iOS), to optimize the sound settings of the soundbar for your room. That Trueplay function really works. Partly for this reason, it is a pity that it only works with an iPhone and iPad, because there will be enough Sonos Ray users with an Android smartphone.
A key selling point of the Sonos ecosystem is that all products work well together through the same app. You can easily group speakers, for example per room. Or determine with the push of a button that your favorite music sounds from all the speakers at home. The Ray integrates seamlessly into this ecosystem. You can easily start music from your streaming services or free radio via Juke or Sonos Radio via the Sonos app.
It is nice that you can add the surround speakers to the Ray. That can be two Sonos One (SL)s, but also two Ikea lamp speakers, for example. I have them on both sides of the couch. I simply connect them to the Ray via the app, after which they need a few minutes to pair. When playing music and watching movies and series, the Ray takes the rear speakers. Great, also with gaming.
In this price segment I know of no soundbar that integrates so well with other audio products and smart software services.
Conclusion: buy Sonos Ray?
With its suggested retail price of 299 euros, the Sonos Ray is a soundbar for a wider audience than other Sonos soundbars. It looks sleek, is built of good quality and offers a sound quality that is comparable to the better competitors. The bass is a bit thin for a larger room, but that is a common concern in this price segment. It is a pity that Sonos is cutting back on the HDMI port, but it is also not insurmountable for many. More importantly, the Ray is nice and smart and integrates well with other Sonos products. Equally expensive soundbars are more limited to use in a smart home setup. All in all, the Sonos Ray impresses with its smart functions, good sound quality and competitive price and I can certainly recommend it if you don’t want to spend more than three hundred euros.
If you want noticeably more powerful sound and clearer bass, it is better to save up for, for example, the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) of 469 euros. Then you also get access to extras such as a microphone for voice control and an HDMI port that enables Dolby Atmos support.
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