I'm a huge fan of the Sonos multi-speaker ecosystem. I have eight Sonos speakers around my house, including the original Playbar soundbar on my main living room TV. Sonos speakers are known for their incredibly simple setup and ease-of-use, and the new Ray soundbar is no exception. It integrates perfectly with the rest of my Sonos speakers and sounds infinitely better than my bedroom TV's built-in speakers. However, the lack of an HDMI port on the Ray causes some frustrations that really should be a thing of the past in 2022. ===PROS=== - If you already own other Sonos products or have set up Sonos speakers in the past, then the Ray is incredibly easy to set up. The soundbar can only connect to your TV via an optical cable (included), so there's not much room for confusion. You may need to go into your TV's audio settings and change it to "optical out" like I did. After you've connected the Ray to your TV, you can add the Ray to the Sonos app and pair it with an existing Sonos system if you have one. - The Ray is the perfect size for bedrooms or smaller entertainment stands. It is just over 2.5 inches tall, so you will want to make sure that it won't block your TV screen. Compared to the Bose TV Speaker soundbar that I have in my other bedroom, the Sonos Ray doesn't feel quite as sleek or compact, though it still looks nice. - As expected, the audio quality of the Ray is lightyears ahead of my TV's built-in speakers. Dialogue is crisp and clear. Highs and bass are very rich. Nothing sounds overpowered or distorted. For smaller living rooms and bedrooms, the Sonos Ray delivers excellent sound for casual TV and movie watching. - There is minimal surround effect from this soundbar, but luckily you can pair it with two Sonos One speakers to achieve a true surround sound effect. - The Sonos ecosystem opens up the Ray to a vast library of music content from all major streaming providers. And music from the Ray sounds just as good (or maybe even better than) my smaller Sonos One speakers. The Ray also supports AirPlay 2 so you can easily beam music from your iPhone or iPad to the soundbar. ===CONS=== - The omission of an HDMI port is very disappointing, especially in this price range. I've seen soundbars that cost less than $100 with HDMI ports included. So the decision to not include one here is very perplexing and leads to some inconveniences as noted below. - The volume can only be controlled using infrared (IR) remote controls or via the Sonos app. If your TV or preferred remote control uses radio frequency (RF), it's not going to work with the Ray, and you'll be stuck using the app to control your soundbar's volume. - Sonos also markets the Ray as a "gaming speaker," but not many gaming monitors or computers have optical outputs that will work with the Ray. Most modern game consoles also do not have optical ports. - There is no apparent way to tell what volume level the soundbar is at. The light on the soundbar blinks when you adjust volume, but there's no way of knowing how many levels of adjustment there are or how far you are from max volume. - The status light is front and center above the Sonos logo, which can be distracting when watching TV in a dark room. Luckily, you can turn off the light via the Sonos app. ===OVERALL=== Despite the head-scratching decision to forego an HDMI port, the Sonos Ray is an excellent entry-level soundbar that will delight new and existing Sonos users alike. It has the signature sound quality and multi-room features that have become synonymous with the Sonos brand. The Ray soundbar in particular will open up the Sonos ecosystem to many more people who couldn't justify the pricier Beam and Arc soundbars. Recommended!