Sonos officially announced its Sonos Ray soundbar this afternoon. Matching specifications and designs ledge First reported last month, the company’s new entry-level soundbar will cost a little more than the initially planned $279 when it goes on sale on June 7. (Hey, maybe Sonos is feeling inflation just like the rest of us.)
The Ray is being positioned ideally for first-time soundbar buyers looking to upgrade their TV’s flimsy built-in speakers. It’s capable of outputting Dolby Digital audiothere’s no Atmosand connects to a TV via an optical cable. Sonos is dropping HDMI and eARC for its more expensive Beam and Arc products. Gamers should note that soundbars that rely on optical connections can sometimes exhibit slight audio delay. But I think Sonos figures that anyone with an Xbox Series X or PS5 can opt for the Beam or Arc instead of plugging in their TV.
The Ray has two tweeters that handle the higher frequencies. And as seen in our original render, the soundbar has split waveguides on the left and right to route the sound “wall to wall”. In the center are two midwoofers that “ensure faithful playback of mid-range frequencies and solid bass.” Sonos says that because its acoustic elements are all forward-facing, the Ray is designed to perform acoustically well no matter where it’s placedwhen it’s tucked into a media stand.
The Ray is the most affordable Sonos soundbar ever.
Despite not having HDMI connectivity and thus lacking HDMI-CEC, Sonos believes the Ray sets itself apart from similarly priced competitors thanks to its full integration with the company’s multiroom audio platform. talking to ledge, Product Manager Scott Fink also cited other features such as TruePlay tuning as differentiators for the Ray. However, the Ray lacks built-in mics, so you can only optimize its sound by using TruePlay with supported phones. The new soundbar shares software features such as speech enhancement and night mode with Sonos’ other home theater products.
Like the Beam and Arc, the Ray can be expanded into a fuller surround system by using a pair of Sonos speakers, such as the Sonos One SL, for the rear. It can also be paired with a Sonos Sub, though I don’t imagine many people spending $749 on a subwoofer for a $279 soundbar. Unfortunately, the rumored, more affordable Sub Mini isn’t part of Sonos’s announcements today.
The Sonos Ray connects to the TV with an optical cable.
ledge It was originally reported that the Sonos Ray would be able to be mounted vertically and serve as the rear surround for other Sonos soundbars. However, the company did not mention this feature during its media briefing session. When asked if the functionality might still be on the way, Fink said he has nothing to share about the rumours. ,ledge Revealed internal Sonos materials that proved accurate to the Ray’s design, features, and release date, so the vertical mounting capability may have been scrapped at the last minute.)
The Sonos Ray will go on sale on June 7 in the US, Canada and several other countries.
Sonos’ portable ROM speaker now comes in new colors.
Along with the new soundbar, Sonos is also introducing new colors for its portable Sonos ROM Bluetooth speaker. The Red, Green and Blue versions of the Roam are available as of today for the same price as $179.
Photography by Chris Welch/The Verge
