【Deborah Sullavan Archives】

Sonos has just announced the Sonos Ray,Deborah Sullavan Archives a compact new soundbar aimed at someone looking to enhance their TV's bad sound. And at under $300, it certainly seems like one to consider if you want better audio on a budget.

Available in both black and white, the Sonos Ray has two tweeters and two midwoofers — speakers that provide high and mid-range sound, respectively — as well as four Class D amplifiers. Designed to be tucked inside a home entertainment unit, the device forgoes side speakers for a purely forward-facing grille, unlike the Sonos Beam and Arc soundbars. 

You can still pair the Sonos Ray with other Sonos speakers if you want to upgrade to surround sound. On its own though, the Sonos Ray is a very directional soundbar. Mashable got a brief preview of the Sonos Ray, and it certainly sounds richer if you're sitting directly in front of it. Moving directly to the side of the soundbar results in a noticeable drop in sound quality.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

Though if you're standing so far to the side you probably aren't watching the screen anyway, which may be a bonus if you'd rather ignore your roommate's Fast and Furiousmarathon.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Left to right: The Sonos Arc, Beam, and Ray soundbars. Credit: Sonos SEE ALSO: The Sonos Beam is an excellent way to bring Alexa, and good sound, to your TV

The Sonos Ray's small size also lends itself to being placed on a cabinet shelf, with the soundbar measuring just 22 inches long. This means it's more suited to smaller televisions measuring 50 inches or less, which may make it an attractive option for apartment or bedroom televisions.

The soundbar connects to your television's optical port, leaving your HDMI ports available for your gaming consoles, and has an infrared receiver that lets you consolidate control by syncing the soundbar to your TV remote. You can also stream music through the Sonos Ray as it connects to Apple Airplay 2 and WiFi, letting you pump your Spotify playlist.

Just like Sonos' previous speakers, Sonos Ray will offer Speech Enhancement and Night Sound modes so you can adjust the sound mix according to your circumstances, as well as Trueplay Tuning, which evaluates how sound bounces off surfaces to tune your soundbar. It won't benefit from Sonos' newly announced Voice Control though, as the Sonos Ray doesn't have a built-in microphone. 

Still, the Sonos Ray looks like a reasonable option to consider for anyone curious about trying out their first soundbar.

The Sonos Ray will come in both black and white. Credit: Sonos

The Sonos Ray will be available globally from June 7 for $279.

• Life
• Science
• Tech
• Social Good
• Deals
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture

• Against Fear
• Local affirmations accounts on Instagram help Gen Z feel less alone
• “True Story”: Some Advice for the Raconteurs of the World
• Is there such a thing as too much talking about your pet?
• A Typical Wall Street Republican
• Astrology: It’s Not So Bad!
• Psychics, hiking, podcasts, and cooking: What has Christy Carlson Romano been up to since Disney?
• The 16 best and funniest tweets of the week, including the night fruit and a building freak
• Best Sony headphones deal: Over $100 off Sony XM5 headphones
• Our Contributors Pick Their Favorite Books of the Year

• Chance the Rapper just gave 300 pairs of unreleased Jordans to high schoolers
• Irish people are not impressed by SNL's Aer Lingus sketch
• Apple now sells a SIM
• Brock Turner's lawyers want to overturn his sexual assault conviction
• We are all this opossum who snuck into a liquor store and got drunk
• Spotify announces most streamed artist, album, single of 2017
• Don't buy a smart suitcase that doesn't have a removable battery
• Armie Hammer to make Broadway debut in 'Straight White Men'
• Danny Masterson to be written off 'The Ranch' due to rape allegations
• Download this: Top Nine helps you find your best Instagrams of 2017

• Sony launches new flagship XM6 headphones: Order them now
• A Twitter meme about 'cancellable takes' is revealing a lot
• How to find lost TikTok videos you forgot to save
• Grubhub coupon code for October 2023: Save 25% off eight delivery orders between Oct. 10
• Every MCU movie villain ranked, from "Iron Man" to "Thunderbolts*"
• Gary Romain, the Greatest Literary Impostor
• Target Circle Week is live — shop tons of deals, plus 15% off a one
• Tomorrow Is a Drag, Man
• NYT Connections hints and answers for May 18: Tips to solve 'Connections' #707.
• He’s Just Like Us! A Brief History of the Martian in Fiction

• Episode 4: The Wave of the Future
• A Twitter meme about 'cancellable takes' is revealing a lot
• “Brushfire at Christmas,” A Poem by Judy Longley
• Our Winter Issue Is Here! Lish, Beckett, Lydia Davis, & More
• SpaceX's Starlink satellite launch in pictures
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for October 7
• BookTok is reviving print book sales and bringing readers together
• An Interview with “Splendidly Cranky” Utopian Curtis White
• Best Garmin deal: Save over $100 on Garmin Forerunner 955
• LA's hottest club: The members