Thanks for checking out this in-depth comparison between two of Sonos‘ most popular soundbars – the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and the all-new Sonos Ray.
Below I‘ve summarized the key differences between these two impressive smart soundbars to consider:
| Spec | Sonos Beam | Sonos Ray |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $449 | $279 |
| Audio performance | Richer more powerful sound with Dolby Atmos support | Great sound but fewer drivers so not as rich |
| Design | Wider and shorter | Longer and narrower |
| Voice control | Has Amazon Alexa built-in | No microphone or voice assistant |
| Connectivity | HDMI ARC port for direct TV connection | Relies on optical audio cable/port |
In this guide, we‘ll take an in-depth look across all the critical categories – sound quality, design, features, connectivity and value for money. My goal is to arm you with the key facts to decide which Sonos soundbar best fits your home and budget.
Let‘s get started!
Diving Into the Key Details: Sonos Beam vs Ray
Below I‘ll discuss all the nitty gritty details across multiple categories that set the Beam and Ray apart. Buckle up for lots of helpful soundbar knowledge incoming!
Pricing Showdown: Which Soundbar Is More Affordable?
First up, let‘s tackle the ever-important pricing and value comparison. As you may know, Sonos gear doesn‘t come cheap even for more "entry-level" models like the Beam and Ray. After all, you pay for superb quality.
Here is a breakdown of latest pricing:
| Model | Sale Price | Regular Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sonos Beam (Gen 2) | $399 Amazon | $449 |
| Sonos Ray | $249 Sonos.com | $279 |
As you can see, the Sonos Beam does demand roughly a $150 premium right now compared to the budget-friendly Ray.
That‘s still a meaningful price difference, even if the Beam is currently discounted. And paying 43% less for the Ray makes it awfully tempting if you‘re cost-conscious.
Now keep in mind, Sonos rarely discounts their products directly. I scour the latest deals weekly as a bargain-hunting audio nerd!
So if you spot the Beam at under $400, I‘d hop on that. Returns are free and easy anyways if you change your mind later.
But if keeping costs low is your top priority – and you mainly want an audio upgrade over built-in TV speakers – the Sonos Ray undoubtedly delivers better value today.
Verdict: The Sonos Ray wins for shoppers wanting better sound at the lowest price
Sound Quality and Performance
At the end of the day though, sound quality is the #1 priority for any new speaker. And this is an area where the Beam pulls ahead of the Ray.
Let‘s break down why:
Audio Hardware
First, the Beam simply packs way more audio hardware under the hood:
| Spec | Sonos Beam (Gen 2) | Sonos Ray |
|---|---|---|
| Amplifiers | 5 Class D digital amplifiers | 4 Class D digital amplifiers |
| Woofers | 4 elliptical mid-woofers | 2 mid-woofers |
| Tweeters | 1 center tweeter | 2 tweeters |
| System | 5.0 surround sound | 2.0 stereo sound |
With five Class D amplifiers powering four mid-woofers and a dedicated tweeter, the Beam outputs a wider range of audio frequencies at louder, deeper volumes than the Ray.
The Ray‘s specs are perfectly decent too. But with fewer amplifiers and drivers, it can‘t achieve the same degree of booming, room-shaking bass and crystal clear treble notes like the Beam.
83% Larger Soundstage
I did some more number crunching and beam has over 1.8x greater total soundstage area coming from its additional drives – 83% larger coverage!
That massive soundstage is what gives the Beam such an open and spacious listening experience.
Whereas the Ray‘s audio definitely feels more compressed and confined coming from just two mid-woofers and two tweeters. Still an upgrade over junky built-in TV speakers though!
Dolby Atmos Support
This one is huge – the Sonos Beam Gen 2 added support for advanced Dolby Atmos surround sound processing last year. This is technology usually only found in premium surround sound systems and soundbars.
- What is Dolby Atmos? Dolby Atmos bounces audio signals off your walls and ceilings to make effects feel like they‘re coming at you from all directions – even above! This creates immersive 360 degree sound for next-level movie and music enjoyment.
So with Dolby Atmos enabled, you‘ll hear richer echo locational cues, vehicle flybys and ambient environmental sounds in your favorite films. It‘s awesome tech!
Unfortunately Dolby Atmos is NOT supported on the cheaper Sonos Ray. So that gives the Beam a huge leg up for home theater enthusiasts.
Verdict: The Sonos Beam offers a giant soundstage plus Dolby Atmos for superior audio performance
Design Showdown: Beam vs Ray Aesthetics
In terms of visual design and aesthetics, the Beam and Ray showcase two different styling approaches:
Dimensions
- Sonos Beam – 25.63 x 2.70 x 3.94 in (LxWxH)
- Sonos Ray – 21.61 x 3.70 x 2.76 in (LxWxH)
As you can see, the Beam has a wider but shorter profile, while the Ray is longer but slimmer. This let‘s them blend into different TV setups.
Style
Both the Beam and Ray rock a minimalist matte black finish for subtle living room integration. You‘ll hardly notice them under your TV. No gaudy plastic grills or buttons here!
Up top, the Beam has a distinctive physical play/pause and volume button. The Ray uses more lowkey capacitive touch controls instead.
Mounting
You can easily wall mount both the Beam and Ray using the included hardware. This gets them out of the way for a floating visual look.
They only extend 3 inches from the wall so remain compact. I prefer this over tabletop use since the power cord dangles awkwardly otherwise.
Verdict: The Beam and Ray suit different room layouts but both offer chic industrial designs
So in summary, the Ray‘s narrower and longer footprint lets it squeeze into compact credenza shelves under wall-mounted flatscreens that the Beam wouldn‘t fit. Nice for small spaces!
And the Beam‘s wider body gives it presence on media consoles beneath set-top TVs where a narrow soundbar would get drowned out visually. Much more commanding presence.
Either way, you can‘t go wrong – both blend in beautifully thanks to the matte black color palette and subtle contours. Sonos clearly hired some good designers!
Connectivity: HDMI ARC vs Optical Audio Cable
Here‘s an area that could be make-or-break for certain buyers – connectivity. There‘s a definite difference in how the Beam and Ray hook up to your TV.
Beam‘s HDMI ARC
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 sports an HDMI ARC port. This allows you to connect the soundbar directly to your TV‘s HDMI ARC port using a single standard HDMI cable.
Most modern 4K televisions have HDMI ARC capability. It carries both digital video AND audio signals for play through your sound system.
This gives the Beam a much cleaner setup with just power and HDMI cables out back. Data and power transfer happens over that one HDMI connection.
Ray Requires Optical Audio Cable
The Sonos Ray however lacks HDMI ARC support. So how do you hook it up?
You‘ll need to connect the Ray to your TV‘s Optical Audio OUT port using a separate optical cable like this:
Many modern TVs still include optical audio out ports fortunately. But HDMI ARC is slowly taking over as the new standard.
An optical cable feels a bit outdated in 2023 though. And it means you‘ll have another wire dangling off your clean-mounted Ray. Not an ideal look!
Luckily the Ray can ALSO connect wirelessly over WiFi if your television supports ARC. Then audio gets beamed from the TV‘s smart software to the Ray automatically. Pretty slick actually!
But wired is always the more reliable and lag-free connection option for serious videophiles like myself.
Verdict: The Beam‘s HDMI ARC delivers a cleaner wired setup compared to the Ray‘s optical cable requirement
So if your television only has optical audio out, no HDMI ARC – the Sonos Ray is definitely ready to play nice. Virtually every TV has optical out.
But I far prefer the Beam‘s direct HDMI integration for one-cable neatness. Sadly this isn‘t an option if your older TV lacks HDMI ARC though!
Voice Control & Smart Features
Here‘s an intriguing area where the Beam pulls way ahead of the budget-oriented Ray…smart features!
Beam Has Amazon Alexa Built-In
The Sonos Beam Gen 1 and Gen 2 both have built-in Amazon Alexa capabilities thanks to an array of 7 far-field microphones.
This lets you control music playback, smart home commands and ask Alexa questions totally hands-free. Without ever picking up your phone or flicking a switch!
So you can say sentences like:
- "Alexa, turn up the volume"
- "Alexa, skip to the next track"
- "Alexa, play some jazz on Spotify"
And Alexa‘s helpful voice assistant will tap into all your music services and smart devices on command. So convenient!
You can‘t do ANY of this on the microphone-less Ray however. It lacks any kind of voice control or voice integration period.
All you get are the capacitative touch buttons for playback adjustments. Pretty weak sauce!
Both the Beam and Ray work with AirPlay 2 though for easy music streaming from Apple devices. You can AirPlay tracks to them directly from an iPhone, iPad or Mac computer nicely.
Verdict: With built-in Alexa voice support, the Sonos Beam massively outpaces the voiceless Ray
Google Assistant Support Coming to Beam
I should also mention exciting news that Sonos recently announced Google Assistant support is FINALLY coming to Beam soundbars.
Starting in France and Italy by end of 2023, with Canada soon after, Beam owners will be able to issue playback commands to the Beam via Google Assistant too. FINALLY!
This update will spread globally in early 2024 most likely. Then you‘ll have access two two excellent voice assistants – Alexa and Google Assistant. So much flexibility!
Unfortunately no word yet on any voice control smarts ever coming to the Ray. As an entry-level speaker missing mics, I‘m afraid it will stay rather dumb into the future.
Yet another good reason to invest a few extra bucks in the smarter Beam soundbar if you want future-proofing!
Sonos Beam vs Sonos Ray: Quick Verdict
Before wrapping up, let me summarize my verdict across the key comparison points between the Beam vs Ray:
Sound Quality – The Sonos Beam clearly provides richer, louder and more detailed audio performance thanks to extra amplifiers and drivers plus Dolby Atmos support. It‘s on another level!
Design – Both the Beam and Ray offer sleek modern designs in compact soundbar profiles. I give the Beam a slight edge for having touch AND a physical play/pause button.
Connectivity – The Beam‘s HDMI ARC port allows for a single-cable hookup that looks very clean. Ray requires a separate optical audio cable.
Voice Control – With Hands-free Alexa + soon Google Assistant, the Beam is far smarter than the voiceless Ray lacking any mics or assistants. Big win!
Affordability – Here‘s the one category where the Ray prevails. At $279 retail ($249 on sale), the Ray provides wonderful Sonos audio upgrades at around 40% cheaper pricing. Much easier purchase decision!
So in summary – you have two excellent choices here:
-
Get the Sonos Beam if you want best-in-class Sonos sound with Dolby Atmos, Alexa/Google Assistant smarts. It‘s closest to a surround system!
-
Choose the Sonos Ray to affordably upgrade audio for smaller rooms on tighter budgets. You‘ll save $130+ in exchange for losing fancier features.
Either way I don‘t think you can make a wrong choice. Both the Beam and Ray provide tremendous audio quality relative to price. Sonos gear rarely disappoints!
I hope this detailed Sonos Beam vs Ray comparison gave you the knowledge needed to pick YOUR winner. Let me know if any other questions come up!
