Sonos Ray Soundbar (White)

I bought this to replace the pitiful speaker on my otherwise excellent Samsung TV. Set up was easy after i quit trying to connect the Sonos to a range extender network and connected directly to the main wifi network. Fortunately this was practical as the main wifi is strong enough in the room the Sonos is used in, but if this wasn't the case not sure it could have been set up without re-configuring the home wifi. The other glitch is you can only hook up one remote to the Sonos. We have the Samsung TV remote but we hardly ever use it because we also have a Firestick, which is what we mostly use for streaming purposes. Problem is when you switch input sources, say to a Bluray player, or an Xbox, the only way to control the volume is with the Firestick. So, maybe it's ... MoreI bought this to replace the pitiful speaker on my otherwise excellent Samsung TV. Set up was easy after i quit trying to connect the Sonos to a range extender network and connected directly to the main wifi network. Fortunately this was practical as the main wifi is strong enough in the room the Sonos is used in, but if this wasn't the case not sure it could have been set up without re-configuring the home wifi. The other glitch is you can only hook up one remote to the Sonos. We have the Samsung TV remote but we hardly ever use it because we also have a Firestick, which is what we mostly use for streaming purposes. Problem is when you switch input sources, say to a Bluray player, or an Xbox, the only way to control the volume is with the Firestick. So, maybe it's not that big a deal, just means we always use the Firestick for volume control. But seems like it might be easier, simpler, if the volume control on the Samsung TV remote could connect to the Sonos also. Plus, then you see the volume level indicator on the TV output rather than just playing it by ear. OK, spent lots of time on the glitches. Once it was set up and working the sound quality is AWESOME! And, in the end, that's what really matters, right? Would definitely recommend this product.

Sonos has been on the high side when it comes to price, but with that comes great sound and quality. With this Ray soundbar, you are getting great sound and quality for a reasonable price. It is a mid-sized soundbar that is 22” long, 4” wide and 3” high, that has an Ethernet port, digital optical port and power supply port. This comes with the power cord and digital optical cord. If you are looking for an HDMI hook up, this is not the soundbar for you. The only way to hook this up for sound is with the optical cord. It states this is best for a television that is 55” or less. You will need to install the Sonos S2 app onto your iPhone to set up the soundbar. The Sonos S2 app has a nice feature for your iPhone in that once the soundbar is plugged in the app senses it, ... MoreSonos has been on the high side when it comes to price, but with that comes great sound and quality. With this Ray soundbar, you are getting great sound and quality for a reasonable price. It is a mid-sized soundbar that is 22” long, 4” wide and 3” high, that has an Ethernet port, digital optical port and power supply port. This comes with the power cord and digital optical cord. If you are looking for an HDMI hook up, this is not the soundbar for you. The only way to hook this up for sound is with the optical cord. It states this is best for a television that is 55” or less. You will need to install the Sonos S2 app onto your iPhone to set up the soundbar. The Sonos S2 app has a nice feature for your iPhone in that once the soundbar is plugged in the app senses it, will register it and walk you through the setup process. When using this with your iPhone, you can use TruePlay which will automatically adjust the balance of the sound to the room you are in. This is a great feature and makes it much easier than trying to adjust the treble and bass yourself. There is no separate subwoofer with this sound bar, but considering this is geared to a smaller home or apartment environment, you really don’t need it. This will push out enough bass to meet your needs without driving the neighbors crazy. I love all my Sonos devices and this one is set at a very reasonable price and does not disappoint.

I'm a huge fan of the Sonos multi-speaker ecosystem. I have eight Sonos speakers around my house, including the original Playbar soundbar on my main living room TV. Sonos speakers are known for their incredibly simple setup and ease-of-use, and the new Ray soundbar is no exception. It integrates perfectly with the rest of my Sonos speakers and sounds infinitely better than my bedroom TV's built-in speakers. However, the lack of an HDMI port on the Ray causes some frustrations that really should be a thing of the past in 2022. ===PROS=== - If you already own other Sonos products or have set up Sonos speakers in the past, then the Ray is incredibly easy to set up. The soundbar can only connect to your TV via an optical cable (included), so there's not much room for ... MoreI'm a huge fan of the Sonos multi-speaker ecosystem. I have eight Sonos speakers around my house, including the original Playbar soundbar on my main living room TV. Sonos speakers are known for their incredibly simple setup and ease-of-use, and the new Ray soundbar is no exception. It integrates perfectly with the rest of my Sonos speakers and sounds infinitely better than my bedroom TV's built-in speakers. However, the lack of an HDMI port on the Ray causes some frustrations that really should be a thing of the past in 2022. ===PROS=== - If you already own other Sonos products or have set up Sonos speakers in the past, then the Ray is incredibly easy to set up. The soundbar can only connect to your TV via an optical cable (included), so there's not much room for confusion. You may need to go into your TV's audio settings and change it to "optical out" like I did. After you've connected the Ray to your TV, you can add the Ray to the Sonos app and pair it with an existing Sonos system if you have one. - The Ray is the perfect size for bedrooms or smaller entertainment stands. It is just over 2.5 inches tall, so you will want to make sure that it won't block your TV screen. Compared to the Bose TV Speaker soundbar that I have in my other bedroom, the Sonos Ray doesn't feel quite as sleek or compact, though it still looks nice. - As expected, the audio quality of the Ray is lightyears ahead of my TV's built-in speakers. Dialogue is crisp and clear. Highs and bass are very rich. Nothing sounds overpowered or distorted. For smaller living rooms and bedrooms, the Sonos Ray delivers excellent sound for casual TV and movie watching. - There is minimal surround effect from this soundbar, but luckily you can pair it with two Sonos One speakers to achieve a true surround sound effect. - The Sonos ecosystem opens up the Ray to a vast library of music content from all major streaming providers. And music from the Ray sounds just as good (or maybe even better than) my smaller Sonos One speakers. The Ray also supports AirPlay 2 so you can easily beam music from your iPhone or iPad to the soundbar. ===CONS=== - The omission of an HDMI port is very disappointing, especially in this price range. I've seen soundbars that cost less than $100 with HDMI ports included. So the decision to not include one here is very perplexing and leads to some inconveniences as noted below. - The volume can only be controlled using infrared (IR) remote controls or via the Sonos app. If your TV or preferred remote control uses radio frequency (RF), it's not going to work with the Ray, and you'll be stuck using the app to control your soundbar's volume. - Sonos also markets the Ray as a "gaming speaker," but not many gaming monitors or computers have optical outputs that will work with the Ray. Most modern game consoles also do not have optical ports. - There is no apparent way to tell what volume level the soundbar is at. The light on the soundbar blinks when you adjust volume, but there's no way of knowing how many levels of adjustment there are or how far you are from max volume. - The status light is front and center above the Sonos logo, which can be distracting when watching TV in a dark room. Luckily, you can turn off the light via the Sonos app. ===OVERALL=== Despite the head-scratching decision to forego an HDMI port, the Sonos Ray is an excellent entry-level soundbar that will delight new and existing Sonos users alike. It has the signature sound quality and multi-room features that have become synonymous with the Sonos brand. The Ray soundbar in particular will open up the Sonos ecosystem to many more people who couldn't justify the pricier Beam and Arc soundbars. Recommended!