Offering homeowners a new, lower cost of entry into its home theater products, Sonos has introduced its Ray soundbar.

The compact $279 soundbar can be used by integrators as a standalone multichannel solution with smaller televisions or it can be used as the focal point of a larger Sonos home theater.

“Homes have become movie theaters, fitness studios, gaming hubs, and so much more, all supported by a streaming era that is no longer exclusive to just TV, music and film,” comments Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos.

“Ray makes it easier than ever to enhance those listening experiences, thanks to its smaller size and impressive sound.”

Sonos Ray Complements a Variety of Home Spaces

With the research it has put into the Ray, Sonos says the new soundbar will integrate into a range of homes and it will enhance a range of lifestyle activities.

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Some of the features and of the Sonos Ray include:

• Large Soundstage: The Ray soundbar incorporates a custom waveguide that helps the speaker to project a large dispersion pattern
• Balanced Sound: Sonos says the soundbar employs a bass-reflex system that includes a proprietary design to enable the speaker to produce full sound
• Tuned with Expert Input: To help ensure the Ray provides high levels of sound quality, Sonos worked with the professional audio community, including mixing engineers, producers and musicians to ensure its performance
• Sound Options: Sonos points out the soundbar features its Speech Enhancement option that is said to provide greater clarity. The soundbar’s Night Sound option reduces the intensity of loud sound effects to minimize the potential of waking others in the home

Sonos Expands Roam Color Choices

In addition to the Ray Soundbar announcement, Sonos has also announced that it will offer its Roam portable smart speaker in more colors.

In addition to the standard black and white finishes, the $179 portable speaker was originally offered in, the company is now providing homeowners a choice of olive, wave and sunset finishes.

Sonos points out the olive finish was inspired by landscapes and earthy surroundings, while the wave finish comes from a beach inspiration. The sunset finish draws from desert sand and evening sky environments.

“As we reignite our sense of curiosity and chase new experiences, we’re being more considerate about how the things we wear and carry represent our personal style,” says Maxime Bouvat-Merlin, SVP for hardware and operations at Sonos.

“Inspired by the places you’ll go, Roam’s newest colors are the perfect accent piece to express individuality through more ways than just sound.”

More News from Sonos

In other Sonos news—the global audio company has ventured outside of the home audio market through the introduction of its new Sonos Voice Control technology.

Sonos says that users will find that its new voice control capabilities provides the best possible way to control their music.

“Sonos is committed to delivering new experiences that effortlessly connect listeners to the content they love.” says Joseph Dureau, vice president, voice experience, Sonos.

“One of the most natural ways to connect to your music is with your voice, but when we speak to our customers, we hear that many of them have concerns about privacy and are dissatisfied with the accuracy, speed and ease of use of existing voice services. Sonos Voice Control delivers the experience our customers want without compromise – one that puts speed, accuracy and privacy on an equal footing.”

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The company emphasizes that Sonos Voice Control technology works on every voice-capable Sonos speaker, and every command users issue is processed locally by the Sonos device. Sonos continues by saying by eliminating the need to send voice commands to the cloud where anyone could hear the command, it is offering users a more secure voice control experience.

The voice command technology works with Sonos Radio, Apple Music, Deezer and Pandora. More services will be added over time.

Sonos also adds the popular actor Giancarlo Esposito, who is known for his roles on shows that include Better Call Saul and The Mandalorian is the voice behind Sonos Voice Control.

Sonos Voice Control will be available after June 1. The Ray Soundbar will be available globally on June 7, and the new Roam colors are available now.