Ray - Compact Soundbar for TV and Music - Black

We have a Sonos ARC with a wireless Subwoofer 3 in our basement and decided to add a soundbar to our living room TV (which is not our main go-to theater / sports watching TV). It integrated seamlessly with the other Sonos components on our network and was easy to install. It comes with an optical cable so if your TV doesn't have an optical connector, you cannot use this soundbar. It is compatible "mostly" with infrared TV remotes. I say "mostly" because if you have an IR remote, there are no extra steps to set up beyond "plug and play." We have an LG TV which uses a RF Magic Remote. That took a few extra steps to set up so we could use our TV remote to control the volume. I don't believe it will necessarily work with all non-IR remotes so you may want to do your research before you buy. Sounds way better than the stock TV speakers. Good lows, considering the size of the package and the fact that it doesn't have a separate subwoofer, and nice rich sound in other frequencies. Great product.

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.

Great sound quality every day. Has a nice sleek look. Produces a lot of sound for the size. Has nice features and integration with other products. Good size. Great value product when on sale

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!