This Sonos soundbar is a Black Friday bargain, and it's guaranteed to sound better than your TV's speakers

The Sonos Ray is already the cheapest soundbar in Sonos' portfolio, but it's somehow become an even bigger bargain this Black Friday.

It may not feature any of the fancy 3D audio decoding capabilities of the Arc Ultra or Beam (Gen 2), but this straightforward soundbar has one mission: make a sound that's better than your TV's speakers, and we can verify it achieves this goal.

We reviewed it at £279; however, the black version is currently down to just £158 at Amazon; that's a £121 saving. The white version is also on sale, though it's slightly more expensive at £169 at Amazon.

Save £121

Sonos Ray: was £279 now £158 at Amazon

The Sonos Ray is a no-frills smart soundbar that prioritises simplicity over Dolby Atmos audio, offering a significantly reduced price compared to its Beam and Arc siblings. The Ray aims to deliver an improved sonic experience compared to your TV's built-in audio system – and it does so admirably.

View Deal

The Ray is something of an oddity in the Sonos lineup. The audio brand is known for its flagship Dolby Atmos soundbars and premium wireless speakers, so when news broke that it would be launching a budget soundbar, it's fair to say that there were quite a few sceptics around.

In practice, the Ray proved to be a plucky and likeable soundbar that scored four stars in our AV testing room. We approved of its "excellent vocal clarity", "detailed high end", and "punchy, forthright projection". We agreed that Sonos had fulfilled its brief to deliver a simple yet effective soundbar to replace your TV's speakers.

Despite it being an affordable alternative to pricier 'bars, Sonos kept its smart functionality intact, including compatibility with the Sonos app. This means that you can stream music directly to the bar via the app and link it to an existing Sonos multiroom system.

Furthermore, it has full compatibility with other Sonos products. This means that you can link the Ray to the Sub Mini and a pair of Era 100 wireless speakers to create a full surround sound system.

Naturally, not all features from the pricier models are included here. This soundbar relies on an optical connection rather than HDMI ARC, and there is no support for voice control via the likes of Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

That being said, this is still a pleasingly straightforward and effective soundbar that can be yours for £121 off the original launch price right now at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our full Sonos Ray review

And check out our picks for the best soundbars

And find the best soundbar deals here