Sonos introduced a compact and affordable Ray soundbar

Sonos has unveiled a new compact Ray soundbar. The smaller and cheaper audio receiver is intended to attract consumers looking for their first home theater system. It measures 71 x 559 x 95 millimeters and weighs 1.95 kilograms.

The Ray is a clear continuation of the successful Beam soundbar, which in its second generation released last year also features Dolby Atmos playback. However, the Ray does not offer Atmos audio, and the width is less than ten centimeters.

All the speaker elements are placed in front. In the company of D-class amplifiers there are two bass/midrange drivers and two treble elements. Waveguide drivers are used to improve the spatial perception. The reflex ports contribute to enhancing the bass reproduction.

On the connection side there is an optical input and an Ethernet port, but no HDMI. The Ray is able to decode stereo PCM, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS Digital Surround. The codec currently in use is displayed in the app. The device has an infrared receiver, which allows the audio bar to be synchronized with the TV remote control. A wireless network connection is also available at 2.4 gigahertz, allowing the device to be connected to both the Sonos multiroom system and the AirPlay 2 system.

Operation is handled in the usual way using the S2 app, which features a two-zone equalizer, a voice noise reduction function to improve dialogue clarity, and a night mode for quieter viewing and listening sessions. The Soundbar does not have microphones, so it cannot be controlled using voice assistants. Therefore, commands are made using the capacitive playback buttons located on the device itself.

To make the Sonos Ray even more complete, you can add two One SL speakers to it, to complement the bass from the Sonos Sub. The same system is also supported by the IKEAs Symphonisk series speaker and the sound-reproducing lamp. If you have an iOS device, you can use the app and the microphone on your mobile device to measure the room acoustics and optimize the soundbar accordingly.

Sales of the Sonos Ray will begin on June 7 at a retail price of 299 euros.

www.sonos.com