Ray centered behind me or single One up a bit higher off to one side? Small Odd kitchen space.

  • 29 March 2023
  • 6 replies
  • 69 views

Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Not sure which would be the better choice. Ray would be centered directly behind me while I'm doing dishes and cooking. One would be up higher on top of the refrigerator off to the left behind me but it can easily be turned. There's a sub in the living behind  partial wall with beam and 2 ones behind me, however the sub is the only speaker that has a direct line of sight to the kitchen. I get ok indirect music into the area but would really like to add music directly in that space. No good way to put a speaker or two speakers by the sink and stove. The only room in my house without Sonos. No good space to put two ones or even one of them except on top of the refrigerator.


This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

6 replies

Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Went with a Ray no regrets at all. I needed a speaker that doesn't need to be very loud but needs to be in that space. Definitely gets some bass from the sub in the living room. Centered like 4 ft across from the stove and the kitchen sink. Perfect size for the space I had. 

Never a great idea to put obstacles in front of a speaker of any type, you’re just obstructing the sound coming out of it….but then, you may not have much of a choice, either.  Just be aware that it may not be everything you expect….and TruePlay, while it “may” help a bit, can’t overcome everything. 

Userlevel 1
Badge +2

I think I'm going to put a beam on top of the refrigerator it'll have a couple baskets of various things in front of it but it's just such an awkward space and also access to outlets.

Userlevel 7
Badge +22

I use a Beam in my bathroom, it was a spare and it fits on a shelf and sounds decent. I replaces a pair of One SLs that I had another use for, the SLs sounded better and had a better stereo image.

100s on top of your cabinets might be a good option, you can usually fish a power cord up there through a gap in the cabinet work.

I’d lean towards a pair of 100s on wall mounts if nothing else works.

Userlevel 7

Slightly more expensive…but I’d recommend the Era 100 over the Sonos One. You’ll get a wider sound stage and better low end.

I’ve used both a Five (well, a PLAY:5, but same thing) and a PLAY:3 on top of my fridge before, with no issues. I’ve also placed, in my last kitchen, a pair of Sonos Ones on top of the cabinets, on either side of the kitchen, facing in, with pretty good effect.

Not a huge fan of using the Ray as a ‘normal’ speaker, it’s really designed for connecting to your TV set.