When it comes to wireless speaker performance and reliability, Sonos is a speaker brand that consistently ranks high on many best of the lists, including ours.
Sonos has been around for more than two decades, and while the company originally cemented its reputation with its Wi-Fi-enabled hi-fi speakers, the company has also expanded into subwoofers and, yes, sound bars, so you can invest in sweet, room-filling sound from your beloved living room TV. And when it comes to the company’s soundbars, the two most popular options are the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and the Sonos Ray.
Not sure which Sonos sound bar is right for you? We’ve compared both models, weighing key criteria like design, sound quality, and price, to help you decide which Sonos device is best for you, your needs, and your budget.
Shape
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
The Sonos Beam is available in black and white and measures 25.6 inches wide, 2.7 inches tall, and 3.9 inches front to back, and weighs 6.2 pounds. Ditching the previous-generation Beam’s cloth grille for the sturdier plastic cover found on the Sonos Arc, the Beam is equipped with four elliptical midrange drivers, three passive radiators, and a center-firing tweeter. In terms of power and performance, the Beam uses five Class-D amplifiers to power the show, which means it packs a punch.
The Sonos Ray also comes in black and white and is clearly the smaller soundbar of the two, measuring 22 inches wide, 2.79 inches tall, and 3.74 inches front to back, and weighs 4.29 pounds. . A plastic grill covers the entire front of the soundbar, with flared edges that give the case a sharp yet modern look. In terms of audio peripherals, the Ray has two high-output midrange drivers, a tweeter, and four Class-D amplifiers to power everything.
The Beam and Ray can be controlled using the Sonos app, but each soundbar also has a set of rotary knobs on top to control playback and skip tracks. Both the Beam and Ray are relatively compact and can be placed on top of a rack or mounted on a wall.
While design category may not be as big of a factor for certain buyers, the Sonos Beam definitely is. look like a louder soundbar, but it’s not like the Ray pales in comparison, it’s just the smaller of the two. But with the extra speakers and power for the extra money, this comes down to your pocketbook and how much power you need for the space you have, which is why we call it the draw – you’ll be fine whichever you pick.
Winner: Undecided
Connections and controls
In terms of the actual inputs, the Sonos Beam and Sonos Ray are similar, except in one main category: the audio connection between the soundbar and your TV.
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) has a DC power port, an Ethernet port, a join button, and an HDMI ARC/eARC port. The Ray has the same Ethernet and power ports and join button, but instead of HDMI ARC/eARC, the Ray is equipped with a digital optical connection.
In the grand scheme of things, Ray’s digital optical connection will still provide a solid signal path from your TV to the soundbar, but it will provide less overall bandwidth, which means no Hi-Res or Dolby playback. Atmos (more on that later).
Both the Sonos Beam and Ray can be controlled using the Sonos app and your TV remote. And while they’re comparable in many ways, one notable control difference is that the Ray doesn’t have a built-in microphone, meaning it doesn’t support the Google Assistant, Alexa, or Sonos Voice controls that the Beam does. This isn’t necessarily a big deal if you add at least one voice-enabled Sonos speaker to your setup, like a pair of Sonos Ones as part of a surround sound setup or even an Echo or Google Home device, which will bring voice control to your home. Ray’s setup. However, all that fighting is what keeps Ray from being a more complete package than Beam.
Winner: Sonos Beam
Place
Setting up any Sonos component is a relatively simple task, requiring only the Sonos S2 app (for iOS and Android devices), power, and a Wi-Fi connection. However, if this is the first Sonos speaker you’ve purchased, you’ll be tasked with creating a free Sonos account before setting up your soundbar.
As with other Sonos hardware, once you’ve downloaded the app, verified your credentials, and connected a Beam or Ray, the Sonos app will automatically start searching for new devices on your home network. Once your soundbar is connected to the TV, you’ll also be prompted to program your TV remote to work with the soundbar (with in-app instructions).
Over the years, Sonos has always worked a little better with iOS devices, and if you’re setting up your Beam or Ray with an iPhone or iPad, you’ll be able to use Sonos Trueplay to calibrate the soundbar to your listening environment. (Trueplay is not available for Android devices.)
Winner: Undecided
Sound quality
Sonos Ray stacked on Sonos Beam (Gen 2). Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
From the ground up, the Sonos Beam has been designed to deliver bigger, more immersive home theater sound. Like the Sonos Arc, the Beam’s HDMI ARC/eARC connection gives the soundbar much more bandwidth. Because of this, Beam is capable of decoding a variety of high-resolution audio formats, including Dolby Atmos.
And that’s the other big benefit of Beam compatibility: Atmos. Note that unlike the Arc, which is equipped with premium drivers, the Beam’s main driver array focuses more on surround listening at ear level, with Atmos virtualization a secondary factor. But if you wanted a soundbar that could unpack some of the seriousness of an Atmos-encoded movie or song, you could do worse than the Sonos Beam.
But kudos to Atmos aside, the Beam sounds amazing, even without a dedicated subwoofer. The bass is bold but not overemphasized, and the mids and highs are crisp and clear. Ultimately, the overall soundstage isn’t as wide as the kind of coverage you’ll get with larger bars like the Arc, but for around $450 less, the Beam is certainly a much more affordable alternative to a traditional surround sound system.
So how exactly does the Sonos Ray compare to the Beam? Well, as the lack of passive radiators, fewer drivers, and fewer amplifiers might suggest, the Ray is the softer soundbar of the two. In fact, price-wise, the Ray belongs more in the entry-level soundbar category than the mid-range Beam.
Sure, the Ray is smaller, but while it’s only equipped with a digital optical connection (which eliminates any possibility of hi-res or Atmos playback), it’s not weak soundtrack. Thanks in part to the flared ends of the front grille, the Ray can create a much bigger soundstage than meets the eye. And while the bass, mids, and highs are toned down a bit compared to the Beam, the Ray’s sound is still rock-solid and on par with something like Sonos’ One line.
When you buy a Sonos product, you’re also investing in a world of expandability. Whether you want to add additional speakers in another room or group two speakers and a subwoofer with your Beam or Ray to create a complete surround sound system, how you add the components is up to you.
If your budget allows it, we recommend adding a Sonos Sub Mini to your Sonos Ray to up your bass game in your living room.
Winner: Sonos Beam
Price
The Sonos Beam retails for $429 and includes a one-year limited warranty. The Sonos Ray retails for $279 and also comes with a one-year warranty.
You may notice both soundbars drop in price over the course of the year, and if you’re interested in bundling multiple Sonos items together, the company sells the Beam and Ray as part of several different speaker bundles.
Winner: Sonos Ray
Judgment
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
At just $150 more than the Sonos Ray, the Sonos Beam is a bigger and better Sonos soundbar no matter what, and it’s designed to provide a more robust home theater experience for small to medium-sized rooms. If you can handle the added cost, this is your choice.
That’s not to say that the Sonos Ray is a bad soundbar. In fact, if you’re working with a limited amount of space and just want to skip the TV’s tiny speaker output, the Sonos Ray is one of the best entry-level soundbars on the market.
But alas, a soundbar has to take home the top prize.
Winner: Sonos Beam
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn