Sonos went slightly additional downmarket not too long ago with the Ray, a smaller and less expensive soundbar than the Beam, itself a smaller, inexpensive soundbar than the Arc. However whilst the Ray plays neatly, it doesn’t rather earn its top rate and leaves one feeling that they will have to have simply long past for one thing larger.
Nobody will have to must endure the sound that comes out of TVs in this day and age, particularly when you’ll get a soundbar for less than a invoice that can be wildly higher. Get into the $150-$200 vary and you’ll get a sub as neatly and a few additional options like good assistant, Airplay and so forth. However Sonos is aware of that its consumers are prepared to pay significantly extra for its slick integration and complicated options.
At $279, the Ray is priced neatly above different necessarily 2.0-channel techniques except for for the likes of Bose, every other emblem that typically will get a go for inflated value tags. However in actual fact it’s no longer truly competing towards standalone soundbars — it’s competing towards different Sonos choices.
If a purchaser is thinking about a Sonos setup, and the Ray specifically, they’re no longer having a look at Anker and Sony soundbars — they’re desirous about becoming a member of this unique good speaker membership and questioning what one of the simplest ways is to head about it with out spending a fortune.
The Ray is without a doubt an inexpensive and sensible technique to make that occur, and if you’re looking at dialogue-heavy content material in a smaller room, it’s going to be cast. However when you’re searching for a legitimate this is by any means giant, chances are you’ll as neatly open your pockets now and improve to the Beam.
You’ll see it tries to unfold its sound out, however in the long run the soundstage isn’t massive. Symbol Credit: Sonos
Putting in place the Ray was once really easy for me: It’s were given an optical connection and my far off (I’ve a somewhat contemporary Vizio TV) labored with its little coaching device to get the amount and mute buttons on-line in a minute or two. Now not everybody has been so fortunate, however that’s the difficulty with “good” audio system; they’re no longer all the time good in the precise tactics. When you’re searching for HDMI, Bluetooth or 3.5 mm (let by myself RCA or some such) you’ll have to transport on, it’s optical or Wi-Fi most effective right here.
My reference device is an older Yamaha (additionally optical) with a really perfect heat sound and compelling digital encompass however, frankly, terrible discussion readability even with the speech enhancement factor on. The Ray is the complete opposite of that: A shiny, voice-forward sound with nice readability in a restricted soundstage.
Sound and song from the Ray all the time appear to be coming from proper in entrance of you, very obviously and with some stereo impact, however not one of the exceptional room-filling atmosphere that I used to be ready to reach with the Yamaha not up to part its value. Then again, I didn’t must stay the far off in my hand to show it up each time anyone talked and down once more each time a fight begins. (Gandalf is the king of talking too softly and wearing a large stick.)
However as I mentioned, the Ray’s actual pageant is the Beam, its giant sibling and at $449, significantly costlier. I didn’t believe a handful of Ones as being an alternate, even though they’d most probably sound excellent, as a result of even though it will be the similar value for 2, it’s truly a special use case — that is about shoppers who need to support their TV and are Sonos-curious, no longer those that are able to spend on a full-home song device.
The bar is indisputably compact and adorable. However the Beam is most effective two inches or so wider. And what’s with the turtle? Symbol Credit: Sonos
I alternated between the Ray and Beam at the similar content material and the Beam, unsurprisingly, was once higher in each and every recognize (except for one — discussion syncing, since I imagine I’ve a lengthen within the eARC channel, however I will be able to’t pin that on Sonos). Discussion sounded simply as excellent, however richer, whilst ambient sounds and song unfold out a lot more and with a greater low finish. The Beam additionally labored higher with song, seeming to emanate it into the room typically slightly than direct it towards you.
I’ve a difficult time believing that if anyone desires to pay a top rate first of all, and so they’re considering exhausting about purchasing right into a Sonos device, that they might for any explanation why however an entire loss of cash make a choice the Ray. It’s unlucky, however in spite of sounding lovely excellent, the Ray falls right into a trough between inexpensive and higher (however no longer as good) soundbars and the costlier and significantly better (and no longer a lot greater) Beam.
It’s no longer that the Ray is unhealthy in any respect — it’s compact, horny, simple to arrange and sounds excellent. Nevertheless it’s in a clumsy place: It doesn’t sound excellent sufficient to warrant the top rate over “commonplace” soundbars part the fee, and when you believe a device like this an funding, it’s completely value stepping as much as the Beam.
The place is the Ray a excellent possibility? I’d say when you’re already within the Sonos ecosystem and possibly have already got some One audio system within the TV room, the Ray necessarily fills the function of a very good middle channel; its shortcomings greater than made up for by means of the encompass setup. (Sonos provides this as a package deal deal — $677.)
The Sonos Ray begins delivery subsequent week.
