Sonos Ray - Compact Soundbar for TV and Music - Black

Glad I ran my idea of buying a Bose soundbar by my coworkers. Ubiquitously, I heard “I used to have it, and Sonos changed my mind”. I paired my Ray with a pair of One SL speakers, and turned my bedroom into what I can only describe as a home theater, audio-wise anyway. Do I miss having a subwoofer? At times, I do wish I had one. HOWEVER, these speakers create such clean low frequencies, even at lower volume, that I constantly contend with myself on purchasing the mini sub, since it is a bedroom setup after all. So far, symphonic music seems to come through with the most brilliance, especially watching movies. The clarity of vocal tone is also unmatched by anything I’ve tested at home. 10/10, have been recommending. I would also recommend the pairing of the One SL set. These are the first 3 Sonos products that I own, but are only the beginning. Buying these speakers is like buying a Volvo; I won’t have anything else in my home.

Finally gave in & downed the Sonos kool-aid after chucking a pair of HomePod Minis standing in for a soundbar. Fed up with every Apple TV and/or Amazon Fire Omni update, the Minis would need to be re-installed (one's bad enough, two's double the headache). For the mid-$200-ish price range, the Ray is the Porsche of the soundbar lot. All the knocks out there come across as splitting hairs once it's activated. The IR remote issue not a big deal as the whiners would lead you to believe. Just synced an old JBL soundbar remote and it took. They're cheaply available out there, beats the app.

All I wanted was a good quality soundbar for the 32" TV in my study. Hardware setup was straightforward, but I soon realized that I had made a questionable choice since the Ray doesn't have an HDMI port. I would not be able to use my Apple TV RF remote to control the volume. [EDIT: I have since been able to get IR volume control working]. Then the setup problems began. After fighting my way through the initial setup (more details below), and getting it to produce sound (ie via Apple TV) through the optical cable, the Sonos app says that it cannot detect any sound on the optical port. And that's where it goes off the rails. It will not complete the setup. I have to hit "Skip" to get through the rest of the sound setup steps (eg Disable TV Speakers) and then essentially abort the setup process. When I then tried to use the Sonos app to configure the sound for my room (TrueSomethingOrOther - which I now can't get back to), it just got stuck - wouldn't go forward or back. The only way out was to exit the app and wipe its saved state on the iPhone (swipe up). Lather, rinse, repeat. After deleting and reinstalling the app and logging back in, it no longer knew anything about my Ray soundbar. If I log into the Sonos website, it knows all about my Ray. Apparently, much of the trouble I am experiencing has to do with the soundbar not working well with my Unifi network. And yes, I tried the Sonos chatbot (total fail) and calling the 800 number (80 minute wait time!!!). Since posting the initial version of this review, I have become aware of the software issues related to Sonos recent software release. That seems to be the root of all my problems. The hardware is well made and sounds good.

I love this Sonos soundbar. I needed one for my tv and this was a great purchase. I wouldn’t recommend for large living rooms without any other Sonos speakers but for a bedroom or a small living room it will be sufficient.

The Sonos Ray is a solid upgrade to my TV sound, delivering clear audio and decent bass for its size. It was easy to set up and integrated well into my existing Sonos system, providing a much-needed improvement over the TV's built-in speakers. The compact design also fits nicely in my setup.However, software issues continue to be a frustration. As someone who has been with Sonos since the early days, I've seen my fair share of growing pains with their 2nd gen ecosystem. Unfortunately, I've had to scrap five first-gen units due to compatibility problems, which is disappointing for loyal customers. This Ray marks my 12th Sonos purchase, so I’ve stuck with the brand despite these setbacks.Overall, the Sonos Ray is a nice addition if you're looking for a better TV audio experience, but I wish the software and long-term compatibility were as reliable as the sound quality.Being a sonos customer is a bit like having a moody girlfriend—when she's happy, the world is wonderful, but when she's grumpy, it's an absolute pain in the behind!

The SONOS speaker was a great addition to the TV in our kitchen. Was easy to set up and can control the volume with my Apple TV with no issues. The speaker does come with an optical cord for easy connection to your TV. Great value for the money!!

Almost didn’t but because of all the mixed reviews, glad I didn’t list to the haters. Make sure your tv/pc supports optical, if so this is a great buy.