Sonos Ray Soundbar Review: Can It Outshine The Beam?

[@Spictastic82]

PHIL!!! I miss you! Especially on Android central! Everyone is leaving android Central 😥

[@petermaz701]

I just purchased this soundbar for a small bedroom and I must say it is 1000 times better than the TV speaker and it sounds crystal clear to me. I have a Sonos arc and I had a beam. This is not meant to compete against either of them, it should be promoted for what it is meant for a small/medium room If you limit your expectations, you will be very pleased with the sound bar especially the clarity.

[@henry3k90]

I own a second gen sonos beam. It's a good soundbar with a small footprint. I would consider this sonos ray bar for my bedroom atleast.

[@petermaz701]

That’s exactly what I bought it for a small bedroom and it’s perfect, sounds fantastic certainly 1000 times better than the TV speakers.

[@danielzb]

Hey you're with digital trends now? Cool. Been following along from since your android days and modern dad

[@PhilNickinson]

Thanks!

[@haakonht]

I use the Arc, Sub and 2 One rear speakers in my living room, but for the bedroom the Ray is all I need.

[@danielruiz5348]

major issue is no ARC. It's understandable why they did not add EARC as it would be a direct competition to the Beam, but adding ARC would help with at least most of us that have newer TVs that have ARC option.

[@farren7254]

No arc needed on this. People getting this on a budget don’t care about high bandwidth codecs. So it would’ve been a useless feature. It’s like saying “a Camry doesn’t have a V8”.

[@joelrust6647]

Can the Sonos Ray be used as a desktop speaker?

[@cooktolivetocook]

Can i pair two sonos speaker and make a suround system?

[@TheArtOfJerry]

No sound demo?

[@sodem2810]

I just picked this up on a Black Friday deal (£149.99) to use in my bedroom and so far I’m impressed. The only niggle is no ARC but I understood this going in.

[@markwalsh2709]

Appreciate the quick review. How do you use the ray in a room to hear a tv in another room?

[@Yuval_A]

welcome back Phil!

[@PhilNickinson]

Thanks!

[@htz70]

Please review the new Samsung S60B soundbar, especially compared to Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Ray.

[@BNOVA]

What is the best Sound Bar setup for LG Oled Tvs...something that won't interfere with the screen.

[@JRBowling1997]

Samsung q70R soundbar

[@BNOVA]

@@JRBowling1997 Thanks for the feedback.

[@JRBowling1997]

@@BNOVA yup

[@jGRite]

It's the dad. Good choice DT.

[@CantankerousDave]

It’s a speaker! It’s a sound bar! It’s a floor wax! It’s a dessert topping! I saw an open box one at the local Best Buy yesterday for about $225. A little more palatable at that price.

[@champsdesigner]

For me it lacks a lot of must have feature. I wouldnt buy a soundbar without atmos in 2022.

[@GlennThoughts]

@@evandonahue He did not say Sonus specifically. He said he's not gonna buy a soundbar without atmos in 2022. Ant that includes that overpriced thing

[@champsdesigner]

@@evandonahue why anyone would buy a soundbar for a guest bedroom, a TV is enough. I have seen multi million houses without a soundbar for guest bedrooms or even guest houses without it. For me its pointless.

[@champsdesigner]

@@GlennThoughts exactly.

[@ery0ma34]

@@champsdesigner TVs above 55 inch have excellent audio. They don't need soundbar.

[@gbej1]

@@ery0ma34 Samsung tv audio are terrible

[@GrzegorzDurda]

In the end ALL soundbars sound mediocre compared to stereo speakers. There is only so much that tech can do. Soundbars are more for the stylistic choice then audiophile sound. I have two Aiwa Exos paired in stereo and they deliver excellent sound and bass. I highly recommend this setup over a soundbar.

[@andrewc31394]

*Sennheiser Ambeo has entered the chat*

[@GrzegorzDurda]

@@andrewc31394 For the money 2 Aiwa Exos will beat it in stereo mode. Room shaking sound and great with both music and movies. I took over a year to decide and went this route over even the best soundbars. Price was really no concern in this price range and Exos being cheaper was the better option anyway. For the price of the Sennheiser a proper setup can be purchased with speakers and amplifier etc.... This will yied a FAR superior experience. Don't get me wrong, the soundbars sound "good". They are all good, for what they are given their design constrains on how sound works they are good. But not GREAT. In the end you have to push AIR. And to do that effectively the soundbars will start to grow in size defeating the purpose of their sleek design element.

[@ery0ma34]

Soundbars have Dolby Digital or DTS. The virtual surround sound is better than stereo system. Stereo system is just too flat for movies and games.

[@akshaygarg6716]

@Digital Trends, Could you please review Samsung new soundbar Q990B? Your review would be very helpful in making a buy/not buy decision. Thanks !!

[@NickyHonings]

I see it more as a soundbar you could hook up to a PC and put it on the desk

[@randallsmith2521]

No ARC or eARC support... That's stupid on multiple levels. It will sell because it is SONOS... But that would be enough to keep me from buying it.

[@craigosterberg5045]

Thanks

[@hoopofficial4371]

This review can be summed up this way…. You might like it or you may not. I understand that you can’t puss off manufacturers but this “review” was useless! Thanks for the effort.

[@mauricioyoung6668]

How is the absence of hdmi the main reason there’s no atmos… like wouldn’t that be due to the fact that there is no upfiring speakers??😂

[@hussi10000]

Maybe if it was 150 I might consider buying ربما اذا كان 150 ربما قد افكر في الشراء

[@hadoukenocx4746]

the Sonos Bar's i rember it back wehn i had it years ago :D i belive jaytwocents had a sonos soundbar too :o

[@lubczyk]

Sonos in 2022: No Bluetooth and no HDMI for $279.

[@PhilNickinson]

Good thing this isn’t the only hardware Sonos has, eh?

[@randallsmith2521]

@@PhilNickinson the lack of Bluetooth is understandable. SONOS does everything through WiFI... The lack of HDMI ARC is ridiculous though. That's a hill I'm willing to die on. With that being said, I likely will never buy into the SONOS ecosystem for one simple reason; you must use an app to control them. In general I avoid any product (if I can help it) that can only be controlled via a smartphone app. Though I do admit, SONOS does the whole home audio thing better than pretty much every other company.

[@PhilNickinson]

@@randallsmith2521 All off those are legitimate reasons to not buy Sonos, I'd say!

[@Zoranurai13]

So basically a mediocre speaker made to give en entry point to a vendor lock-in

[@TemujinScott80]

No.

[@Sonic6293]

A soundbar with no HDMI is just a long speaker. Also ran.

[@toldenfr]

Maybe you should try it at a Windows PC speaker... good luck

[@garethsmith6611]

Disagree with this review. Could have been much better because the reviewer missed out the most vital part. I purhcased the ray as a way to connect it to my sonos ones for a full dolby surround sound experience, and its amazing. He says its just a sound bar and another product, but if your looking to have a surround sound system then the ray is great connected with two sonos ones. it sounds amazing when done right. Also, It can convernt dolby atmos as i have checked with 4k blu rays. Im getting dolby true HD multi. Also this is perfect for my small bedroom. Just powerful enough to fill the room with my sonos ones and have a cinema experience. Cannot beleive the reviewer didnt mention any of the paring with the soundbar. Thats the reason i purchased the ray Thumbs down from me.

[@cooktolivetocook]

Thank you vey much

[@PaulNewport]

Not really much of a review. I was interested in how it sounds, its plus and minus points, and alternatives, no ne of which were covered. Unfortunately I'm none the wiser.

[@TheRealPotoroo]

Am I watching this because I'm already the owner of a Sonos product? Mmm, no. Sonos charge a premium price despite making really dumb design decisions like not having HDMI (or HDMI pass-thru on their higher end soundbars). Even before getting to things like the lack of a subwoofer, lacking HDMI in 2022 is so stupid it's brain damaged. You can't do CEC over optical! Seriously, what planet do these people live on?

[@Jusaguy000]

Holy smokes i was wondering what happened to Phil the other day

[@PhilNickinson]

I often think that, too.

[@andrewc31394]

No way in hell is Sonos the best for under $300

[@nickspeck]

Agreed completely. I don't understand who exactly Sonos is trying to appeal to, here. No HDMI on an almost $300 sound bar? "It's to save on costs." Super underwhelming in my opinion. Glad I'm not the only one who seems to think so.

[@patrickyk1900]

you convince me not to buy the Sonos Ray

[@Leada1ne]

Lost me @ "No HDMI" 🤷🏾‍♂️✌🏾

[@kingkobra1956]

Why don't you just save your money and just get a tin can and some string. They would probably sound better than this soundbar.

[@nicknikes1557]

It sounds like a terrible piece of crap for $280 you can get a lot better stuff with a lot more features and sounds way better

[@hardsonfinl6859]

Ha ha ha ha what a funny information video

[@littleartimes121]

Vizio v 5.1 for 200 is definitely better then this

[@QuietStormX]

Soundbars? and you spend over $300+ for them including your flat screen. What are the audio specs on that???? Do you really need them. Read about them and learn. Extra!!!!!!! LOL

[@ery0ma34]

It's cheap compared to full surround sound with AV receiver.