We already had the Sonos Beam and the even more powerful Sonos Arc, but this firm now presents a more affordable soundbar called Sonos Ray. This soundbar maintains the commitment to a more immersive sound, but in a more compact design.
There are also new features for voice control functions and for the portable speaker called Sonos Roam, which will now have editions in three additional colors.
Sonos Ray technical sheet
| Sonos Ray | |
|---|---|
| Sound System | 4 x Digital Amplifiers Clase-D2 x mid-woofers 2 x Tweeters |
| Characteristics | Bass Reflex System Adjustable equalizers via app TruePlay night sound voice enhancement |
| Formats | PCM stereo Dolby Digital DTS Digital Surround |
| Dimensions and Weight | 559 x 95 x 71 mm 1.95 kg |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11n Ethernet 10/100 optical input IR receiver Soporta Apple AirPlay 2 |
| Colors | Black White |
| Price | $279 |
More compact, but with a brutal sound
This is a soundbar that stands out for a smaller size, but Sonos says that even so, the Sonos Ray has “a brutal sound its size”.
We have had the opportunity to test it briefly during its presentation and our first impressions are that the result is up to the promised.
The Sonos Ray has custom waveguides to project the sound throughout the room. The Bass Reflex system, says the company, creates a balanced bass, and for its creation has collaborated with the Sonos Soundboard organization that brings together professionals from the world of music and film.
This soundbar has a voice enhancement function for clarity and also has the option to activate the night sound mode that reduces the intensity of the loudest sounds.
It has WiFi connectivity to be able to use it directly with our music streaming services. On the back, we find for example an optical input, and at the top are the touch controls.
There are some sacrifices in this new soundbar: it does not have integrated microphones, Dolby Atmos support, or HDMI connectivity, but in exchange, it offers an eye-catching option.
Thus, it is possible to configure two Sonos Ray as rear speakers in a surround system in which the Sonos Arc or Sonos Beam are the main characters. The bar can be mounted vertically for that purpose.
The soundbar does not need its remote control: the TV remote can be used to control its functions easily through the IR receiver on the bottom of the product.
Voice control and new colors for Sonos Roam
The firm has also announced its new voice control system, designed with a clear focus on privacy, which will allow you to control music playback. To activate it will be enough to say “Hey Sonos”.
This system will work with any Sonos speaker with this support (it must have the Sonos S2 chip), and the audio processing will be done on the device itself: there is no connection with external servers, and no audio clips or transcriptions are sent or stored.
The platform is compatible with Sonos Radio, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Pandora, but there is no mention of Spotify or YouTube Music among those options, although it is revealed that other services will be supported in the future.
The voice used by Sonos in the United States is also that of actor Giancarlo Esposito -known for his roles in ‘Breaking Bad’ or ‘Better Call Saul’-. Other voices will join the service as the experience expands to other regions, both a female voice and in other languages.
At the moment the service – which launches on June 1 as a firmware update – will be available in English, with more French to be added before the end of the year. Sonos has not confirmed when Spanish will arrive.
Along with the new soundbar, Sonos has announced the availability of Sonos Roam portable speakers in three new colors: “Olive”, “Wave” and “Sunset”.
Price and availability of the Sonos Ray
The new Sonos Ray soundbar will be available worldwide starting June 7 and will have a retail price of $279.
The Sonos Roam in its new three colors is available starting today with a retail price of $169.
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