Phenomenally easy setup. Powerful sound. Great mobile app. Buildable system.

Sonos sets the stage for a much more affordable home theater system with the Ray.

Excellent sound for movies and music

Very good sound quality for both TV and music

The Ray is an affordable entry into the Sonos ecosystem—one that excels in meeting the most basic requirement for any soundbar: dialogue clarity.

If you’re looking for a small soundbar to go with a TV in a small apartment or bedroom, the Sonos Ray should be high on your list. It produces very good sound overall, with impressive bass for a unit without a subwoofer. If you have other Sonos speakers, it’s a natural fit and adds another option for multiroom sound. And it’s competitively priced at $279.

This is the most affordable soundbar Sonos has ever made, and while there are a few annoyances when it comes to the use of the optical connection, or really, the decision to forego an HDMI connection, the Sonos ray soundbar still sounds epic. It doesn’t sound as good as the beam or arc, which have dedicated channels for surround sound virtualisation, but for those starting out with a home cinema setup, this will amp up the dialogue on the TV, fill your living room with sound and do it without distortion. It’s a great first step for an affordable Sonos soundbar.

The Sonos Ray is the best-sounding bar of its size I’ve ever heard. Thanks to impressive engineering across the board, it offers premium sound quality and plenty of punch with low distortion, all in a profile that barely registers. It also tows along Sonos’ versatile networking features, multiple ways to stream, and the ability to build the system as you go. At under $300, that’s a helluva package.

I would say if you’re already in the Sonos ecosystem and perhaps already have some One speakers in the TV room, the Ray essentially fills the role of an excellent center channel; its shortcomings more than made up for by the surround setup.

The Sonos Ray is a major sound upgrade compared to the built-in speakers of just about any TV, and gets a massive recommendation on the front. We don't love the lack of HDMI, and movie lovers would do well to spend a little more… but for those who just want clearer speech and more thrilling soundtracks for little money, it's ideal.

The Ray delivers clear dialogue and room-filling sound on a budget

There’s lots to like about the Sonos Ray, though its price is more ambitious than the scale of its sound

The Sonos Ray is a wonderful, punchy speaker that sounds brilliant in small spaces. It has a small lovely form factor that makes it ideal for those limited with space. However, it doesn't have the beef of larger soundbars in filling a room, and the lack of HDMI or 3.5mm connectivity is a huge pain.

Balanced, crisp sound that surpasses many budget soundbars

The Ray is the smallest, most affordable soundbar that works with any Sonos multi-room system, but it's a bit too pricey for its bass-light performance and relative lack of features.

Smaller all-in-one wifi speaker packs the best of Sonos for powerful movies, music and multiroom audio – at a lower price