Sonos Ray: Is It More Than Just a Soundbar? Can You Use Sonos Ray as a Standalone Speaker?

The Sonos ecosystem is renowned for its seamless multi-room audio capabilities and exceptional sound quality. When considering a Sonos setup, the Sonos Ray often pops up as an entry-level soundbar option, designed to elevate your TV’s audio experience. However, a common question arises for those venturing into the Sonos world: can you use the Sonos Ray as a standalone speaker, much like you would a Sonos One or a Move? This article delves deep into the Sonos Ray’s capabilities, its intended purpose, and explores whether its functionality extends beyond being a mere TV companion.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Sonos Ray’s Design and Purpose

The Sonos Ray is specifically engineered to be a compact and accessible soundbar, primarily aimed at improving the audio of your television. Its slim profile makes it an ideal fit for smaller living spaces or for users who prefer a less obtrusive audio solution. Sonos designed it to be straightforward to set up and integrate with your existing TV, typically connecting via HDMI ARC or optical cable.

Key Design Features of the Sonos Ray

The physical design of the Sonos Ray emphasizes simplicity and functionality. It features a clean, minimalist aesthetic with front-facing speaker grilles and discreet control buttons on the top panel. The compact dimensions mean it can easily sit beneath most TVs without overhang, or be wall-mounted with a compatible bracket. Internally, the Ray houses four drivers – two forward-facing mid-woofers and two angled tweeters – all powered by dedicated Class-D amplifiers. This configuration is optimized to create a wide soundstage and deliver clear dialogue, which are crucial for a satisfying TV viewing experience.

Intended Use Case: Enhancing TV Audio

Sonos explicitly positions the Ray as a gateway to better TV sound. It’s built to overcome the limitations of built-in TV speakers, which are often tinny, lack bass, and struggle to reproduce nuanced audio. By directing sound towards the listener and offering a more immersive audio experience, the Ray aims to transform movie nights, gaming sessions, and even casual TV watching. Its processing capabilities are tuned to enhance dialogue clarity and provide a sense of spaciousness, making the audio feel more present and engaging.

Sonos Ray’s Connectivity Options: Bluetooth vs. Wi-Fi

A significant factor in determining if the Sonos Ray can function as a standalone speaker lies in its connectivity. Sonos speakers are fundamentally wireless and rely on Wi-Fi for their core functionality, enabling multi-room audio and streaming directly from online services.

Wi-Fi: The Heart of the Sonos Experience

The Sonos Ray connects to your home network via Wi-Fi. This is how it accesses streaming music services like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and others directly through the Sonos app. This Wi-Fi connectivity is also essential for multi-room playback, allowing you to group the Ray with other Sonos speakers for synchronized audio throughout your home. The Sonos app is the central control hub, managing playback, EQ settings, and grouping.

The Absence of Bluetooth: A Crucial Distinction

Unlike some of its portable brethren in the Sonos family, such as the Sonos Roam or Sonos Move, the Sonos Ray does not feature Bluetooth connectivity. This is a critical distinction. Bluetooth is the ubiquitous wireless technology that allows devices to connect directly to a speaker without requiring a Wi-Fi network. For a device to function as a portable, standalone speaker in the traditional sense, Bluetooth is almost always a prerequisite.

Can the Sonos Ray Stream Music Independently?

This is where the core of the question lies. Can the Sonos Ray, without a TV actively connected, function as a music player?

Leveraging Wi-Fi for Streaming Services

Yes, the Sonos Ray can absolutely stream music independently of your television, provided it is connected to your home Wi-Fi network. This is where its Sonos DNA shines. Once set up in the Sonos app, you can select your preferred music streaming service and play music directly to the Ray. The Sonos app acts as the remote control, allowing you to browse artists, albums, playlists, and control playback volume.

Direct Streaming vs. Bluetooth Pairing

The key difference here is the method of playback. Instead of pairing your phone or tablet directly to the speaker via Bluetooth, you are using your phone or tablet as a remote control to tell the Ray (via Wi-Fi) to stream music from the internet. This is a more robust and often higher-fidelity method of playback, as it avoids the compression inherent in some Bluetooth audio codecs.

Using the Sonos Ray for Music Playback: Practicalities and Limitations

While the Sonos Ray can stream music, it’s important to understand how this differs from using a dedicated Sonos music speaker.

The Sonos App: Your Music Hub

As mentioned, the Sonos app is central to using the Ray for music. You’ll need to have the app installed on a smartphone or tablet. Through the app, you can:

Add and manage your music streaming services.
Browse and play music from these services.
Create and manage Sonos playlists.
Adjust EQ settings to tailor the sound to your preferences.
Group the Ray with other Sonos speakers for a multi-room experience.

No Direct Device Playback (Without AirPlay 2 or Spotify Connect)

This is a crucial limitation for those expecting a portable speaker experience. The Sonos Ray does not have the ability to receive audio directly from your device via a simple tap-and-play mechanism like Bluetooth.

However, there are exceptions to this:

AirPlay 2: If you have an Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac), you can use AirPlay 2 to stream audio wirelessly to the Sonos Ray. This allows you to send audio from any app that supports AirPlay 2 directly to the Ray. This is a form of direct playback, but it is limited to Apple users and Wi-Fi.
Spotify Connect: If you are a Spotify Premium subscriber, you can use Spotify Connect. This feature allows you to start playback on your phone and then “cast” it to your Sonos Ray. The music then streams directly from Spotify’s servers to the Ray, and your phone essentially becomes a remote. This is another way to get audio to the Ray without needing to specifically select it within the Sonos app, but it’s tied to Spotify.

Sound Quality for Music

The audio tuning of the Sonos Ray is primarily focused on TV sound. While it delivers clear dialogue and a decent soundstage for movies, its audio profile might not be as rich or bass-heavy as dedicated Sonos music speakers like the Sonos One or Five. The compact design and driver configuration are optimized for a different listening scenario. However, for casual music listening, it will undoubtedly be a significant upgrade over basic TV speakers.

Comparing the Sonos Ray to Dedicated Sonos Music Speakers

To fully understand the Ray’s capabilities as a speaker, it’s helpful to compare it to Sonos products designed with music playback as a primary function.

Sonos One (Gen 2) and Sonos One SL

The Sonos One series, including the Gen 2 and the slightly more affordable One SL, are purpose-built for music. They feature a more advanced acoustic architecture with separate tweeters and mid-woofers, tuned for richer, more detailed music reproduction. The Sonos One also includes voice assistant capabilities (Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant), which can be used to control music playback. While both connect via Wi-Fi, the One series generally offers a more immersive and dynamic music listening experience.

Sonos Move

The Sonos Move is Sonos’s first portable smart speaker. Its key differentiator is its battery power and the inclusion of both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. This allows you to take it outdoors, use it with Bluetooth when Wi-Fi isn’t available, and enjoy music on the go. The Move also boasts a more robust sound profile, designed to fill larger spaces.

Sonos Ray vs. Other Sonos Speakers for Music

This table clearly illustrates that while the Sonos Ray can stream music, it lacks the portability, Bluetooth functionality, and dedicated music-focused acoustic design of other Sonos speakers.

Can You Group the Sonos Ray in a Multi-Room System for Music?

Absolutely. This is one of the core strengths of the Sonos ecosystem. If you have other Sonos speakers, you can group the Sonos Ray with them in the Sonos app to play music simultaneously throughout your home. This means you can enjoy your favorite playlist on the Ray in the living room while also having it play on a Sonos One in the kitchen or a Sonos Roam on the patio. The system is designed for seamless multi-room audio.

Final Verdict: Can You Use Sonos Ray as a Speaker?

To definitively answer the question: Yes, you can use the Sonos Ray as a speaker for music, but with important caveats.

It functions as a wireless speaker connected to your home Wi-Fi network.
You stream music through the Sonos app or via AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect.
It excels at playing music from streaming services directly.

However, it’s crucial to understand what it is not:

It is not a portable speaker; it requires a constant power source.
It does not have Bluetooth, limiting direct device pairing.
Its acoustic tuning is primarily for TV sound, so dedicated music speakers may offer a superior audio experience for pure music enjoyment.

In essence, the Sonos Ray is a capable secondary speaker within the Sonos ecosystem, perfect for expanding your multi-room audio setup or for casual music listening when you don’t need the advanced features or portability of other Sonos products. If your primary goal is a dedicated music speaker with advanced features and portability, you might consider other options. But if you’re looking to add another Sonos node to your home for music playback, the Ray is certainly up to the task. Its ability to integrate seamlessly into the Sonos multi-room system makes it a valuable addition for many users, even if its primary design intent is to enhance your television’s audio.

Can the Sonos Ray function as a standalone speaker for music playback?

Yes, the Sonos Ray can absolutely function as a standalone speaker for music playback. Through the Sonos app, you can stream music from a wide variety of popular services like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and many more. It also supports Apple AirPlay 2, allowing you to stream directly from any Apple device. This makes it a versatile option for enjoying your favorite audio content without needing a TV connection.

When used as a standalone speaker, the Sonos Ray delivers a surprisingly rich and room-filling sound. While it’s primarily designed as a TV soundbar, its acoustic architecture is capable of producing clear highs and satisfying bass for music. You can group it with other Sonos speakers in your home for a multi-room audio experience, or use it as a single point of sound for music in a specific room.

What are the primary advantages of using the Sonos Ray for home theater audio?

The primary advantage of the Sonos Ray for home theater audio lies in its ability to significantly enhance your TV’s built-in sound. It provides a much clearer and more immersive listening experience, making dialogue easier to understand and action sequences more impactful. Its compact design also allows it to fit discreetly in front of most TVs or be mounted on a wall, making it a space-saving upgrade.

Furthermore, the Sonos Ray brings the convenience of the Sonos ecosystem to your home theater setup. This means easy control via the Sonos app, seamless integration with other Sonos speakers for a surround sound experience (though it requires additional speakers), and access to a vast library of streaming content directly. Its HDMI eARC connectivity ensures a simple and high-quality connection to your television.

Does the Sonos Ray support Dolby Atmos or other advanced audio formats?

No, the Sonos Ray does not support Dolby Atmos or other advanced immersive audio formats like DTS:X. Its audio processing is limited to stereo and Dolby Digital. This is a key differentiator between the Ray and higher-tier Sonos soundbars such as the Arc or Beam Gen 2, which are equipped to handle these more sophisticated sound technologies for a more three-dimensional audio experience.

While the absence of Dolby Atmos might be a drawback for audiophiles seeking the absolute cutting edge of home theater sound, the Sonos Ray still delivers a significant improvement over standard TV speakers. For many users, the clarity and impact of Dolby Digital sound, combined with the ease of use and integration of the Sonos system, will be more than sufficient for their entertainment needs.

How does the Sonos Ray’s performance compare to a traditional soundbar from another brand?

The Sonos Ray’s performance generally stands out due to its seamless integration into the Sonos ecosystem and its user-friendly app control. While many traditional soundbars may offer more powerful bass or specific audio format support, the Ray excels in ease of setup and the ability to easily expand your audio system with other Sonos products. Its sound quality is well-balanced for its size and price point.

In terms of pure sound output for movies, some competitors might offer a more boomy bass or wider soundstage. However, the Sonos Ray’s strength lies in its clarity for dialogue and its ability to create a connected home audio experience. If you’re already invested in or considering Sonos for multi-room audio, the Ray offers a compelling entry point for your home theater without compromising the overall system’s coherence.

What are the connectivity options available with the Sonos Ray?

The Sonos Ray is equipped with essential connectivity options to ensure a straightforward setup with your television. It features an HDMI eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel) port, which is the primary connection for high-quality audio transmission from your TV. For older TVs that may not have HDMI eARC, it also includes an optical audio input, ensuring compatibility across a wide range of television models.

Beyond its TV connections, the Sonos Ray utilizes Wi-Fi for network connectivity, allowing it to access streaming services and integrate with other Sonos speakers. It also supports Apple AirPlay 2 for wireless audio streaming from Apple devices. Notably, it does not feature Bluetooth connectivity, meaning wireless audio playback to the soundbar must be done via Wi-Fi or AirPlay.

Can the Sonos Ray be used in a surround sound setup with other Sonos speakers?

Yes, the Sonos Ray can be incorporated into a surround sound setup, but it requires additional compatible Sonos speakers. As a central component, the Ray acts as the front soundstage, and you can add a pair of Sonos speakers (like the Sonos One, One SL, or Era 100) as rear surrounds to create a 5.0 channel setup. For a true 5.1 experience with a subwoofer, you would also need to add a Sonos Sub or Sub Mini.

When configured in a surround sound system, the Sonos Ray greatly enhances the immersive qualities of movies and TV shows. The rear speakers provide directional audio cues, bringing sounds from behind you and further deepening the cinematic experience. The integration is seamless through the Sonos app, which guides you through the setup process and allows you to adjust the balance and levels of each speaker for an optimal listening environment.

What is the size and design of the Sonos Ray, and does it require a soundbar mount?

The Sonos Ray is designed to be a compact and minimalist soundbar, measuring 22 inches wide, making it one of the smaller offerings in the Sonos soundbar lineup. Its sleek, matte black finish and low profile allow it to sit unobtrusively in front of most televisions without blocking the screen or overwhelming your entertainment center. It’s crafted to blend seamlessly into most living room aesthetics.

The Sonos Ray does not inherently require a soundbar mount, as its compact size and stability allow it to rest comfortably on a TV stand or media console. However, Sonos does offer an optional soundbar wall mount if you prefer to position it above or below your television. This mounting option provides flexibility in placement and can be particularly useful in spaces where TV stand placement is limited or undesirable.