TVs are getting slimmer with each passing year, and with it, come some rather obvious audio compromises that have many considering a soundbar soon after the TV purchase. Sonos, best known for its multi-room audio products, has a compact soundbar and subwoofer combo for you to consider – the Ray and the Sub Mini. Does the budget end of Sonos’ typically premium offering deliver enough punch for the money?
The Ray is a compact soundbar that is a perfect fit for smaller spaces (or smaller budgets) where the likes of the Beam and the Arc would be overkill, and its low profile allows it to be tucked away or wall-mounted rather discreetly. Plug in the power cable, plug in the Ray to your TV’s optical port with the included cable (strangely, not HDMI) and follow the easy instructions on the Sonos app, handily pairing with your existing TV remote. If you have an iPhone handy, you can run the Trueplay tuning process to use your phone speakers to analyse the room and its acoustics (furniture, walls etc) and tweak the Ray to better suit your environment.
Instantly the Ray impresses… and how! The Ray supports Dolby Digital and DTS formats (not Atmos) and amps up the dialogues and the background score in dramas, while deftly handling cinematic scenes in action movies with the right amount of rumble. You can even stream from your favourite music service directly over Wi-Fi via the app, but control is limited to basic volume, treble and bass adjustments. No Bluetooth connectivity, though it does offer AirPlay 2 compatibility for iOS/iPad/Mac devices.
Of course, if it’s rumble you seek, you should consider adding in the Sub Mini, a cylindrical subwoofer unit which wirelessly connects to the Ray (and a whole host of Sonos speakers and home theater products). You can place it anywhere in the room, requiring only a plug for power, and it connects over Wi-Fi to the rest of the system. Pairing is managed via the Sonos app, which allows you to move the unit if you do have more than one compatible Sonos unit. That’s the great thing about the Ray and the Sub Mini, they can either be the start of a Sonos system at home or be the add-ons for smaller rooms at a later stage.
While the Ray is no slouch, with the one-two punch of the Ray and the Sub Mini, the low-end benefited greatly, whether it was action sequences in Lord of the Rings or percussion instruments in musical performances. The difference the Sub Mini makes is appreciable - it packs in that extra bit of punch and dynamism even to everyday listening, without sounding boomy or overpowering the rest of the soundtrack. The only drawback with the Sub Mini is that at its pricing, it becomes a luxury add-on to your existing Sonos speaker. Plus, it can’t connect with some of Sonos’ portable speakers.
Rating: 8/10
Price: INR 36,999 for Ray and INR 59,999 for the Sub Mini