A sound bar is an instant home theatre upgrade, and choosing one from all of the brands and options doesn’t have to be difficult. There are a lot of different options and price points, and you’ll find some sound bars packaged with a subwoofer, others that offer multi-room audio, and others that simply and effectively boost your volume. In the simple and effective range, the Sonos Ray sound bar is one of the best options available.
I just tested out the Sonos Ray and I was very impressed with the audio from this small, sleek sound bar. I think it would be a great fit for anyone with a smaller TV or someone who would like a sound bar in a bedroom or rec room. If you have an optical out port on your computer, I also think it would be a fine upgrade for your PC’s audio too.
Features of the Sonos Ray sound bar
The Sonos Ray is a small sound bar measuring 22 in (55.88 cm) W x 2.49 in (7.09 cm) H x 3.74 in (9.5 cm) D. It’s very light, weighing only 4.29 lb (1.95 kg). If you could pop the top off the Sonos Ray you’d see a group of forward-facing speaker components designed to direct sound straight at you. It has a pair of tweeters, mid-woofers, and bass ports.
Sonos Ray sound bar specfications
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- Compact sound bar with two tweeters and two woofers for crystal clear audio
- Supports Stereo PCM, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS Digital Surround
- Speakers are forward-facing to best project audio and dialogue
- Anti-distortion technology boosts dialogue and adds bass to your movie soundtracks, TV shows, and music
- Will plug into any TV with optical out port
- Connects to Sonos app for volume control and Speech Enhancement options
- Night sound setting so you can enjoy video content at night
- 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection and AirPlay 2
- Can be mounted under your TV using Sonos Ray wall mount
The Sonos Ray sound bar has a nice sleek design. It’s small, light, and I love how you can choose between black or white. It’s even packaged in a really nice way, and you have to unwrap the sound bar like a gift when you unbox it.
Setting up the Sonos Ray sound bar
The Sonos Ray sound bar has one of the easiest sound bar set ups I’ve experienced, but it’s also slightly different than I’m used to. It is packaged with an optical cable, and to connect it to your TV you have to connect the included digital optical cable to your TV’s digital optical out port.
Most TVs have a digital optical out port. I’ve never even noticed where the optical out was on my TCL Series 6 TV until I connected the Sonos Ray. The only sound bars I’ve used have had an HDMI connection, but plugging into the digital optical out was just as easy as connecting to HDMI. The included cord is 1.5m so there’s enough cord to move the sound bar around under your TV. Beyond the digital optical out and the power port, the back of the Sonos Ray has an Ethernet port and a reset button.
To use the Sonos Ray you’ll need to add it to the Sonos app. I plugged in an Ethernet cable so I didn’t have to worry about Wi-Fi, and the sound bar paired instantly with the app. You can control the sound bar via the app or turn the volume up and down on the top of the device.
Mounting the Sonos Ray sound bar
I didn’t mount the Sonos Ray on my wall but I did try the Sonos Ray sound bar mount, which you will have to purchase separately. The mount is a sturdy bracket the sound bar will slide onto, and it includes the screws and wall anchors you’ll need to mount it on the wall. It only takes two screws to mount it, and you’ll just slide the sound bar onto the mounting bracket. It’s nice to have the option of a mount, especially if you don’t have a lot of room on your entertainment unit or you’re using the Sonos Ray with a flush mounted TV.
Sound quality of the Sonos Ray sound bar
Looks are appealing, but sound bars are all about sound. This sound bar can produce big sound despite it’s small size and the fact that it doesn’t connect via HDMI.
I’ve always found my TV to be lacking in the dialogue department because audio, no matter what’s playing, is projected too evenly across the internal speakers. If I’m watching a movie and there is a lot of action, the action audio will be louder than the dialogue. You can hear a car crash but you can’t really hear what someone is saying.
From the second I plugged in the Sonos Ray, I noticed how great it was for projecting and enhancing dialogue. There’s a Speech Enhancement setting in the app you can use to boost it even more, but it’s very crisp and clear without any sort of app enhancement. I didn’t have to turn it up really loud to hear everything. Instead, audio felt as though it was projected at me where I sat on the couch, and I could also get the same experience if I moved to another chair beside the TV.
Music sounds great on the Sonos Ray too. I used AirPlay to connect to my iPhone and stream my playlists and I really enjoyed listening to everything on the sound bar. You can use the Sonos Ray as part of a multi-room set up as well. You just have to connect your other Sonos speakers in the Sonos app.
The only thing I found lacking was deep bass. I like to hear bass in sound effects or music, and without a subwoofer the Sonos Ray can’t really hit those very low tones. It does have a bit of bass on board so it’s not completely absent, and I’ve read that they may add a subwoofer for use with the Sonos Ray in the future.
Sonos Ray sound bar controls
The Sonos Ray sound bar has volume control right on the top of the device. You can tap it to turn it up, down, or turn it off. You can also control volume via the Sonos app, and there are a few other custom settings in the app that you can use to adjust your audio.
You can pair your TV’s remote control with the Sonos Ray sound bar, but keep in mind that not all TV remotes will work. I tried several times to pair my TCL Roku Series 6 remote control with the Sonos Ray and it wouldn’t work at all. That meant any volume adjustments needed to be made on the sound bar itself or via the app. That’s fine if your sound bar and TV are on the same Wi-Fi network, but my home’s Wi-Fi is a bit convoluted.
To adjust the volume I had to make sure I was connected to the same Wi-Fi the sound bar was connected to or the app wouldn’t find it. It wasn’t a big deal, but it’s much easier to adjust volume and options via a remote control.
Should you choose the Sonos Ray sound bar?
There are a lot of different scenarios where the Sonos Ray sound bar would be a great choice for your home. If you just want to boost the volume on your TV or want an easy-to-use sound bar with audio adjustments when you’re in the mood to switch things up, the Sonos Ray will be a prime addition.
If you’d like to add a sound bar to a bedroom TV or use it with a PC that has a digital optical port, it’s also an ideal choice from a dependable brand. The price point is a lot lower than some sound bars with more features, and you have the option of adding extra Sonos speakers if you’d like to create your own surround sound system or you want to enjoy multi-room audio.
Overall, the Sonos Ray sound bar has a very sleek, compact design, it’s nice you have the choice of white or black, and I love that you can use the wall mount to tuck it away. The only downside is that I can’t get it working with my TV’s remote control, but the sound quality and the design outweigh that one small issue.
You can find the Sonos Ray sound bar at Best Buy right now.
I would put this in my living room.
I would use this soundbar in my living room where my tv is. My tv sound currently is just the speakers that are in the tv cabinet…not great, but not bad.
I would put this in my living room!
We would totally put it in our living room where we watch all our tv.
This would go in my living room so we can use it for ultimate movie night.
It would go in our bedroom and would greatly improve the sound over the tv speakers.
I would put the Sonos Ray in my bedroom to use for high end sound during my guided meditations. It’s compact nature would take up less room than comparable devices.
in the living room for everyone in the family to enjoy
I would put this in my room because it’s the only room that’s mine!
I would put the Sonos Ray in my den and enjoy favourite movies with high quality sound, with my whole family. Thank you for the opportunity to win this awesome giveaway!
I would put it in my basement under the main TV so we can make the most out of it.
I would put it in my basement, because that’s where my main TV will be once we’ve done a bit of Reno’s.
I would place if in the living room to replace my older sound bar.
I would put it in our living room under the family tv. That tv isnt very big or very small, I’d call it average, but even it it is a bit too big I’m sure the sound coming out of a small Sonos Ray would be way better than any bigger than cheaper competitor.
I would put it in our living room because we don’t have the wiring for surround sound and only real sound we have is from the TV, so this would be ideal!
I would put this in our large family room because that is where the family gathers to watch all those movies. Eric would love this and would certainly appreciate the easy set up.
Sonos Ray would go into our family room as we do not have a speaker in there yet
If I won this contest, I would place the Sonos Ray in my living room because it is where my TV is located. I watch all my movies there and this soundbar would make the experience so much better.
If I would won, I would place the Sonos Ray in my living room.
I would place the Sonos Ray in our living room for better movie and TV watching experience! Maybe we could do away with the captions. 🙂
I would use this in my gaming/home theater room!
in my great room and enjoy movies with high quality sounds
in my family room and enjoy movies with high quality sounds
in my family room and enjoy movies with high quality sounds
in my living room and enjoy favourite movies with high quality sounds
I would place this in the living room because it will give the best sound especially during movies
I would put the sonos ray in my living room, to complete my home theatre
It will be perfect in my living room, not only for the sound but because it a very lovely piece of tech.
I’d put it in my bedroom as my tv speakers alone just don’t cut it.
I’d put this in my living room to improve the quality of the sound for my home theatre system.
I’d give this to Keith as a gift to put in his basement!
It would be for the living room TV. The sounds is not very good.
The living room would be our choice so we could get the most benefit from this system.
Thank you!
I would use the Ray in my living room, to improve the sound from our Samsung Frame television
I would put the Sonos Ray in my living room and enjoy favourite movies with high quality sounds, with my whole family.
this will go great in my bedroom because we have a small bedroom
If I win this, I would give it to my parents as their current audio system doesn’t work as well as it used.
This would go into my living room setup as there is no room for a full surround sound setup there.
in my living room, to plug to my tv
I would put this in my living room because that is where my home entertainment system currently is.
I would put the Sonos Ray under the living room tv since that is the main TV for the house and could use beefier sound.
If I win I’ll put this in the basement where my TV and Xbox are.
I would place this in my home office/exercise room. I spend most of my time in there doing one thing or another during the course of a week and the audio in that room needs an upgrade like this.
I would love to put this in my family room, directly under my TV.
Living room for sure. I can finally replace my bookshelf speakers if I win.
I would place the Sonos Ray in my living room for movie night.
I would put it in the living room to enjoy the latest movies on it.
I would place the Sonos Ray in my living room to improve the sound of my wall mounted tv. This would make a great gift for my wife Christina.
I would put in my computer room for a better quality sound.
If i win this contest, I would place the Sonos Ray in my bedroom for better sound quality for my television.
I would place the Sonos Ray in my living room for sure because that’s the main room that my family and I spend the most time in spending quality time together. Arlene would get it because she’s my Mom and Best friend.
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