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  1. Home
  2. Soundbar
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style - Bar
    2. Style - Subwoofer
    3. Style - Satellites
    4. Dimensions - Bar
    5. Dimensions - Subwoofer
    6. Dimensions - Satellites
    7. Mounting
    8. Build Quality
    9. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Stereo Frequency Response
    2. Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration
    3. Stereo Soundstage
    4. Stereo Dynamics
    5. Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion
    6. Center
    7. Surround 5.1
    8. Height (Atmos)
    9. Sound Enhancement Features
  6. Connectivity
    1. Inputs/Outputs - Bar
    2. Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC
    3. Audio Format Support: HDMI In
    4. Audio Format Support: Optical
    5. Latency
    6. Video Passthrough To TV
    7. Wireless Playback
  7. Additional Features
    1. Interface
    2. Bar Controls
    3. Remote
    4. Voice Assistants Support
  8. Comments

Sonos Beam vs Sonos Ray

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sonos Beam
Sonos Ray

Tested using Methodology v1.2

Updated Apr 09, 2024 02:27 PM

SEE PRICE
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Tested using Methodology v1.1

Updated Jan 11, 2024 03:41 PM

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Amazon.com
Sonos Beam Picture
Sonos Ray Picture
Channels
3.0
Channels
2.0
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Sonos

Variants

  • Beam (Black)
  • Beam (White)
  • Ray (Black)
  • Ray (White)

Review

See Sonos Beam Review
See Sonos Ray Review
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Our Verdict

Sonos Beam

Sonos Ray

The Sonos Beam is better than the Sonos Ray. The Beam is a 3.0 setup, meaning it has a discrete center channel to improve dialogue reproduction, unlike the Ray. It can reproduce a bit more rumble in the bass range, and its soundstage offers a much wider, more immersive listening experience. There's also an HDMI input, which the Ray lacks.

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Check Price

Black
Beam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Ray
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Beam
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Amazon.com
White
Ray
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Read more

Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

6.9
6.3

Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC 
 

6.3
0.0

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

7.2
6.7

Center 
 

8.3
6.3

Stereo Soundstage 
 

8.0
6.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style - Bar  

Style photo - bar  

Sonos Beam Style photo - bar
Sonos Ray Style photo - bar
Show Text 

Style - Subwoofer  

Style photo - sub  

Sonos Beam Style photo - sub
Sonos Ray Style photo - sub

Sub Wireless 
 

No
No

Enclosure 
 

No Subwoofer
No Subwoofer
Show Text 

Style - Satellites  

Style photo - satellites  

Sonos Beam Style photo - satellites
Sonos Ray Style photo - satellites

Satellite Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Dimensions - Bar  

Dimensions photo - bar  

Sonos Beam Dimensions photo - bar
Sonos Ray Dimensions photo - bar

Width  

25.6" (65.0 cm)
22.0" (56.0 cm)

Height  

2.6" (6.7 cm)
2.8" (7.1 cm)

Depth  

4.0" (10.1 cm)
3.7" (9.5 cm)
Show Text 

Dimensions - Subwoofer  

Dimensions photo - sub  

Sonos Beam Dimensions photo - sub
Sonos Ray Dimensions photo - sub

Width  

N/A
N/A

Height  

N/A
N/A

Depth  

N/A
N/A

Dimensions - Satellites  

Dimensions photo - satellites  

Sonos Beam Dimensions photo - satellites
Sonos Ray Dimensions photo - satellites

Width  

N/A
N/A

Height  

N/A
N/A

Depth  

N/A
N/A

Mounting 
 

Bar Mounting Holes  

Sonos Beam Bar Mounting Holes
Sonos Ray Bar Mounting Holes

Satellite Mounting Holes  

Sonos Beam Satellite Mounting Holes
Sonos Ray Satellite Mounting Holes

Mountable Bar 
 

Yes
Yes

Bar Brackets Included 
 

No
No

Mountable Satellites 
 

No
No

Satellite Brackets Included 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Build quality photo  

Sonos Beam Build quality photo
Sonos Ray Build quality photo
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box photo   

Sonos Beam In The Box photo
Sonos Ray In The Box photo
Show Text 
Sound

Stereo Frequency Response 
 

7.2
6.7

Stereo Setup  

Sonos Beam Stereo Setup
Sonos Ray Stereo Setup

Raw Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Frequency Response Small  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Tested Preset 
 

No Preset
No Preset

Slope 
 

0.63
-0.05

Std. Err. 
 

3.39 dB
3.05 dB

Channels 
 

3.0
2.0

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

49.7 Hz
73.4 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.9 kHz
19.9 kHz
Show Text 

Stereo Frequency Response With Preliminary Calibration 
 

7.5
6.7

Frequency Response Calibrated  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Suggested Preset 
 

No Preset
No Preset

Suggested Bass Setting 
 

0
0

Suggested Treble Setting 
 

-6
0

Slope 
 

0.18
-0.05

Std. Err. 
 

2.34 dB
3.05 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

49.7 Hz
73.4 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.9 kHz
19.9 kHz
Show Text 

Stereo Soundstage 
 

8.0
6.5

Crosstalk  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Crosstalk Error 
 

2.26 dB
2.82 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Dynamics 
 

6.4
6.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

91.2 dB SPL
90.2 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.85 dB
3.68 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Total Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.2
7.2

THD  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.73
0.51

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.51
4.08
Show Text 

Center 
 

8.3
6.3

Center Setup  

Sonos Beam Center Setup
Sonos Ray Center Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Discrete
Phantom

Slope 
 

0.39
0.35

Std. Err. 
 

2.87 dB
3.67 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

92.0 dB SPL
87.5 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

0.97
0.71

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.56
1.89
Show Text 

Surround 5.1 
 

3.1
4.2

Surround Setup  

Sonos Beam Surround Setup
Sonos Ray Surround Setup

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Localization 
 

Stereo (Downmix)
Stereo (Downmix)

Slope 
 

-0.27
0.01

Std. Err. 
 

5.44 dB
2.67 dB

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

85.2 dB SPL
86.4 dB SPL

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

1.74
0.31

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

1.95
1.60

7.1 Rears 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Height (Atmos) 
 

0.0
0.0

Height Setup  

Sonos Beam Height Setup
Sonos Ray Height Setup

H Frequency Response  

Sonos Beam H Frequency Response
Sonos Ray H Frequency Response

Localization 
 

Not Supported
Not Supported

Slope 
 

N/A
N/A

Std. Err. 
 

N/A
N/A

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD @ 80dB 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD @ Max Volume 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Sound Enhancement Features 
 

5.4
5.4

Room Correction 
 

Yes
Yes

Dialogue Enhancement 
 

Yes
Yes

Auto-Volume/Night Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Subwoofer Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Bass Adjustment 
 

Yes
Yes

Treble Adjustment 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

No
No

Surround Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Rear Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Height Level Adjustment 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Inputs/Outputs - Bar 
 

Physical Connections Bar Photo 1  

Sonos Beam Physical Connections Bar Photo 1
Sonos Ray Physical Connections Bar Photo 1

Physical Connections Bar Photo 2  

Sonos Beam Physical Connections Bar Photo 2
Sonos Ray Physical Connections Bar Photo 2

Optical Audio In 
 

Adapter into HDMI ARC
1

HDMI ARC 
 

No

HDMI Out 
 

ARC
No

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth 
 

No

Full HDMI In 
 

No
No

Analog Audio In 3.5mm (Aux) 
 

No
No

RCA In 
 

No
No

USB for Files 
 

No
No

Ethernet 
 

1
1

Subwoofer Output 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Audio Format Support: ARC/eARC 
 

6.3
0.0

Dolby Atmos 
 

Not Supported
No

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
No

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Not Supported
No

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Not Supported
No

DTS 
 

Supported
No

DTS:X 
 

Not Supported
No

eARC 
 

No

DTS-HD MA 
 

Not Supported
No

PCM Channels 
 

2.0

5.1 PCM (eARC only) 
 

No
Show Text 

Audio Format Support: HDMI In 
 

0.0
0.0

Dolby Atmos 
 

Not Supported
No

Dolby Digital 
 

Not Supported
No

Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Not Supported
No

Dolby TrueHD 
 

Not Supported
No

DTS 
 

Not Supported
No

DTS:X 
 

Not Supported
No

DTS-HD MA 
 

Not Supported
No

PCM Channels 
 

Not Supported

5.1 PCM 
 

No
Show Text 

Audio Format Support: Optical 
 

10
10

Dolby Digital 
 

Supported
Yes

DTS 
 

Supported
Yes

PCM Channels 
 

2.0
Show Text 

Latency 
 

9.8
8.2

Latency Video  

ARC 
 

-14 ms
N/A

Optical 
 

0 ms
55 ms

Full HDMI In 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Video Passthrough To TV 
 

0.0
0.0

1080p Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

1080p @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

4k Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

4k @ 120Hz @ 10-Bit 
 

Not Supported

4k @ 4:4:4 Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

8k Max Refresh Rate 
 

Not Supported

HDR10 Passthrough 
 

No
No

HDR10+ Passthrough 
 

No

Dolby Vision Passthrough 
 

No

HDMI Forum VRR Passthrough 
 

No

4k @ 60 Hz Passthrough 
 

No

FreeSync Passthrough 
 

No

G-SYNC Passthrough 
 

No

ALLM Passthrough 
 

No

4k @ 60 Hz @ 10 bit Passthrough 
 

No

4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4 Passthrough 
 

No
Show Text 

Wireless Playback 
 

3.0
3.0

Bluetooth 
 

No
No

Wi-Fi Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Chromecast built-in 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
Yes

Spotify Connect 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Additional Features

Interface 
 

Interface photo  

Sonos Beam Interface photo
Sonos Ray Interface photo

Display 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bar Controls 
 

Controls photo  

Sonos Beam Controls photo
Sonos Ray Controls photo
Show Text 

Remote  

Remote photo  

Sonos Beam Remote photo
Sonos Ray Remote photo
Show Text 

Voice Assistants Support 
 

Amazon Alexa 
 

Yes (Built-in)
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Built-in)
No

Apple Siri 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Beam
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Ray
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Beam
SEARCH
Amazon.com
White
Ray
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Back to Top

Sonos Beam

Sonos Ray

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Sonos Beam vs Sonos Ray: Main Discussion

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