Sonos Ray Review: The Ultimate Compact Soundbar for a Big TV Audio Upgrade

Sonos has built its empire on premium, multi-room audio, but its soundbars have typically come with a premium price tag. The Sonos Ray changes that. As the company's most compact and affordable soundbar, it aims to bring the signature Sonos experience to a wider audience. It's designed for smaller TVs and smaller rooms, but does it make big compromises to achieve its smaller size and price? We plugged it in to find out.

Sonos Ray Soundbar

4.2 / 5.0

A compact and stylish soundbar that delivers crisp dialogue and balanced sound, making it a fantastic entry point into the Sonos ecosystem.

$199.00 $279.00

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Design: Compact and Clever

The Sonos Ray is impressively compact and thoughtfully designed. Its tapered cabinet and forward-facing acoustic components mean you can place it inside a media console without muffling the sound—a clever design choice that sets it apart from many competitors. Available in black or white matte finishes, it maintains the minimalist and premium aesthetic Sonos is known for.

At just 22 inches wide, it pairs perfectly with smaller TVs (55 inches and under) and fits neatly into bedrooms, offices, or apartments. Touch-capacitive controls on the top panel allow for quick adjustments, but most users will interact with it via the excellent Sonos app or their TV remote.

Sound Performance: Clear and Balanced

Sonos has always prioritized audio quality, and the Ray is no exception. While it lacks the room-shaking bass of larger soundbars with dedicated subwoofers, it delivers a remarkably clear and balanced sound profile. The standout feature is its dialogue clarity.

Thanks to Sonos's Speech Enhancement feature, voices are pushed forward in the mix, making them exceptionally crisp and easy to understand, even at low volumes. This alone makes it a massive upgrade over any built-in TV speakers.

The soundstage is surprisingly wide for its size, creating a sense of space that extends beyond the physical dimensions of the bar. However, the bass is modest. It’s tight and punchy enough to add weight to movies and music, but it won't rattle your windows. For those craving more low-end rumble, the Ray can be wirelessly paired with a Sonos Sub, but that significantly increases the total cost.

It's important to note that the Ray does not support Dolby Atmos. It's a stereo soundbar focused on delivering high-quality fundamentals, and it does so brilliantly.

Setup and The Sonos Ecosystem

Setup is classic Sonos: simple and seamless. The Ray connects to your TV via a single optical cable (included). There is no HDMI port, which is a key cost-saving measure. This means you'll need to use your TV's IR remote to control the volume, but the Sonos app guides you through this process effortlessly.

The real magic of the Ray is its integration into the Sonos ecosystem. Using the Sonos app, you can stream music from virtually any service, group the Ray with other Sonos speakers for multi-room audio, and use Trueplay tuning (with an iOS device) to optimize the sound for your specific room. This ecosystem is the Ray's killer feature and its primary advantage over competitors.

Verdict

The Sonos Ray is a resounding success. It achieves exactly what it sets out to do: provide a significant audio upgrade for your TV and serve as an affordable gateway into the fantastic Sonos multi-room ecosystem. While it lacks the booming bass and Dolby Atmos immersion of its larger, more expensive siblings, it excels at the fundamentals.

For anyone with a small-to-mid-sized TV in a bedroom, apartment, or den, the Sonos Ray is an easy recommendation. It's the best "starter" Sonos speaker you can buy and a brilliant compact soundbar in its own right.