Jus an addition: if this is possible I’d combine a One and a One SL for this. Not only is it the cheaper option, but it also gives you control over which surround speaker takes care of the voice control duties. With Google Assistant used with two Ones for example Sonos always chooses the right (I believe) speaker for voice.

Just my two cents, I think the lack of HDMI arc looks very odd on a brand that prides itself on being on the cutting edge of smart speakers. I'd expect it even at this price.

I'd be much more inclinded to buy a refurbed Gen 1 beam over this.

Hi all,

Just a quick note to let you all know that from today (7th June 2022) the Sonos Ray is available for general purchase!

You can purchase directly from Sonos.com right here: Sonos Ray

When are the Pre-Orders shipping, mine is still in “Prepare to Ship” mode….

When are the Pre-Orders shipping, mine is still in “Prepare to Ship” mode….

We’re unable to assist with direct order queries here on the community. I recommend reaching out to our sales team who will be able to assist with this.

^ answered, sorta.

Works fantastic as as a PC soundbar / speaker. To connect the Ray to a PC / laptop which only comes with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, I purchased a $15 analog to digital converter on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W5GNZX5. Just connect the laptop headphone out jack to the converter box (input) and from the converter box (output) to the on Ray with the Digital Audio cable. The converter box is very small (2.3” x 2.1”) and gets power from the laptop USB A port. No need for a separate AC plug. Altogether, this is an awesome PC audio solution. In fact, the best that you can get. For more details like Sonos app setup and preprocessing lag, see:

There are other analog-to-digital converter boxes but the one above works well.

-- Bill 

How about I pre ordered Ray on 5/11.  It has said “ preparing to ship for 5 weeks “.  Sonos customer service on the phone was next to impossible . I tried twice and both times I gave up after almost an hour on hold.  Ok let’s try the chat with a rep .  4 different chats !!! 
1. disconnected in the middle 

2. Said it’s shipping 6/7. Then disconnected again .
3. its shipping last week
   
   4.  And this is the best they said “ it’s preparing to ship “.  

Im at a loss for words . So glad I pre ordered . 

So I bought a Ray for my spare room which I’m very pleased with. I found out something interesting today too, after having difficulty pairing the TV remote via the Sonos app. It is a TV remote which had previously failed to work with a Playbase so I wasn’t at all surprised.

I read a review where the reviewer had similar issues pairing his remote, but he found out that his remote uses ‘Toggle Bit’ for its remote controls. In other words, when you hit the same button twice, the remote sends a different signal for each, alternating between two IR codes. So he worked out a work around by following the Sonos setup routine; but after every requested button press, he covered the remote’s IR sensor and hit the button again before continuing with the wizard. So essentially with say the + button, press it aimed at the Ray, then cover sensor with hand and press again, then press again aimed at the Ray, cover and press again, and finally press the last time aiming at the Ray. Repeat then for the - button and the mute button.

He said it worked even though when pressing his remote watching TV, he did have to often press twice for it to register say decreasing the volume or putting it up.

So I went upstairs to try it with my spare room TV and it worked! He is correct that when using the remote with the Ray, a couple of presses are sometimes required, but at least it works 

Maybe the community already knows about this work around but for new members this could be very useful. 

Hi All,

Today we announce Sonos Ray, a compact soundbar with impressive sound for its size.

Blockbuster Sound from Sonos Ray

Ray raises the bar for at-home entertainment with new acoustic innovations that deliver balanced sound, crisp dialogue and solid bass. 

 

Room-Filling Sound: Custom-designed waveguides project sound from wall to wall, and advanced processing accurately positions elements throughout your room so you feel like you’re at the center of the story. 

Precisely Balanced: A new bass reflex system with a proprietary design delivers thrilling lows with perfectly weighted bass, while custom acoustics precisely harmonize mid and high-range frequencies. 

Tuned to Perfection: Like all Sonos speakers, Ray was tuned with the input of the Sonos Soundboard, a collection of leaders across music, film and more. Fine tune the sound even further with Trueplay to create the ideal listening experience for any room.

Enhanced Listening: Sonos’ Speech Enhancement ensures even greater clarity so you never miss a word, while Night Sound reduces the intensity of loud effects so you don't disturb anyone else at home. 

Compact Design: Whether you’re placing it on your media stand or tucking it inside a credenza, Ray’s understated and impressively compact design blends into any space. 

Sustainable Sound: Ray also features our most sustainable design packaging to date, with a gift box and protective cushions that are 100% post-consumer recycled paper. 

 

 

Ray brings Sonos' category-leading simplicity and versatility to a more accessible price point, making it easy to build your first home theater setup or expand in more rooms. The new soundbar is compatible with all of your favorite streaming services, so you can enjoy movies, music and more with simple setup and control - just open the Sonos app and start listening in minutes. You can easily control Ray with your existing TV remote, the Sonos app, Apple AirPlay 2 and more. Add a pair of Ones to your home theater setup for surround sound or connect to any Sonos speaker for multi-room listening.

Sonos Ray is available globally on June 7, 2022 for $279 USD, €299, £279, $399 AUD / $449 NZD. You can purchase Ray directly from Sonos.com: Sonos Ray

Read the full press release on Sonos Ray and Roam Colors here.

Be careful and only buy if you can return. Voice sync has taken me 3 hours to adjust and it still doesn’t work because the sound delay adjuster is not precise enough either on the tv or Sonos. The sync is not good. I have a new Samsung tv, so it shouldn’t be an issue there. Multiple posts online report the same problems with hours of adjustment and even the need for new hardware. Seems not to happen on other soundbars 

The Sonos Ray is merely a speaker, it can only play the received audio when the connected device (the TV) sends it and the Ray doesn’t buffer the audio, or process it, it just plays it immediately.

It’s often the TV that does the processing and passing of the audio through its ports. So perhaps try setting the TV to use audio ‘pass-through’ instead to reduce/remove any processing. It will most certainly be your TV processor and/or limited memory that is slowing the audio. The TV is simply not up-to the job.

That’s the issue with some TV manufacturers they concentrate on the TV display and use cheaper internal processors and components to cut costs.

In some instances, an ‘audio extractor/splitter’ will solve such issues by bypassing the TV components altogether… Some TV’s may have a nice display, but there are reports here that some manufactures models can have this issue when set to process the audio output and so some users (not all) here tend to steer clear of those brands/models highlighted in some threads.

I’m not really looking for a TV soundbar as I’m quite happy with the Samsung I have connected, and this is not a comparison issue.  What I’m looking for is adding to the music reproduction in the house along with the One SL system I have presently.  Voice control is a non-issue also, so to get to the point which bar would be better for just music along with the SL’s, the Beam or the Ray or go another way all together.  Thank you for any input you can offer.

I’m not sure why you’re looking at soundbars, if the aim is to improve your music reproduction in your home, I would have thought a Sub-Mini/Sub would have been a better option to add to your One-SL’s and/or even add another pair of Ones, if your room needs to be filled with music.

A soundbar like Ray, or Beam, are geared more towards TV Home Theatre/Surround Sound.

Clearly though, if you want a soundbar, then the Ray is for small rooms/with TV’s, say up-to 32”, or thereabouts …and the Beam is for medium sized rooms/with TV’s up-to 55”.. Any bigger than that I would aim to get the Sonos Arc.

In my humble opinion though, a Sonos Sub/Sub-Mini would be my personal choice, if music has become the more important aspect for the room in question. 

Started looking at the bars based look.  The input shared is what I’m interested in, which is the best way to go.  I’ll look into the subs.  Thank you Ken_Griffiths.