If
you’re
looking
for
a
home
theater
upgrade
to
amplify
the
screaming
crowds,
court
squeaks,
and
other
signature
sounds
of
NCAA
basketball
throughout
March
Madness,
you
should
check
out
the
sale
going
on
at
Sonos
right
now.
Through
March
25th,
you
can
save
20
percent
on
select
soundbars
and
speakers.
For
example,
the
entry-level
soundbar
in
its
lineup,
the
Sonos
Ray,
is
down
to
around
$223
(about
$57
off)
at
Amazon,
Best
Buy,
and
Sonos.
If
you
need
a
little
bit
more
power,
you
can
go
for
the
Sonos
Beam
(Gen
2),
which
is
also
on
sale
for
around
$399
($50
off)
at
Amazon,
Best
Buy,
and
Sonos.
Both
are
compatible
with
the
Sonos
Sub
Mini,
which
is
down
to
about
$343
($86
off)
at
Amazon,
Best
Buy,
and
Sonos.
The
Sonos
Move
2
is
also
on
sale
for
anyone
in
need
of
a
great
portable
Bluetooth
speaker
—
it’s
going
for
around
$359
(about
$90
off)
at
Amazon,
Best
Buy,
and
Sonos.
Which
of
the
two
soundbars
should
you
go
for?
If
you
have
the
budget
for
it,
we’d
favor
the
Sonos
Beam.
It’s
much
better
equipped
for
the
modern
home
theater
compared
to
the
Ray.
It
has
HDMI
eARC,
and
it’s
also
technically
a
Dolby
Atmos
soundbar
with
a
center
tweeter,
four
woofers,
and
three
passive
radiators.
But
there
are
no
upfiring
speakers
to
help
simulate
the
enveloping
soundstage
needed
to
really
sell
the
effect.
The
Beam’s
sound
is
noticeably
more
powerful
than
the
Ray’s,
but
it’s
still
outshined
by
the
Sonos
Arc
with
its
two
upfiring
speakers
(which
is
expected
considering
the
latter
is
larger
and
comes
with
a
substantially
higher
price
tag).
You
do
get
newer
features,
however,
like
voice-activated
Alexa
and
Google
Assistant
(and
technically
Siri,
but
only
while
using
Apple
AirPlay
2).
And
both
support
Trueplay,
which
uses
your
phone’s
microphones
to
tune
the
sound
specifically
to
your
room’s
acoustics.
The
Sonos
Ray
is
inexpensive
(relative
to
other
Sonos
soundbars,
anyway)
and
sounds
pretty
good
for
a
simple
stereo
soundbar,
but
it’s
lacking
HDMI
and
only
accepts
optical
audio
from
your
TV.
That
means
you’ll
miss
out
on
eARC
and
HDMI-CEC
functionality
that
can
help
you
cut
back
on
the
amount
of
remotes
you’ll
need
to
keep
up
with.
The
Ray
can
receive
direct
infrared
input
from
some
compatible
universal
remotes;
however,
we’ve
found
it
spotty
enough
that
the
experience
can
be
a
little
frustrating.
It
also
doesn’t
allow
you
to
play
back
music
via
Bluetooth.
It’s
a
solid
starter
for
a
first-time
Sonos
user,
but
it’s
quickly
falling
behind
the
times.
The
Ray
is
Sonos’
entry-level
soundbar
that’s
best
for
bedrooms
and
smaller
apartments.
It
only
connects
to
TVs
via
optical
cable,
thus
missing
out
on
HDMI-CEC
functionality.
It
also
produces
balanced,
dynamic
sound
despite
its
small
size,
easily
besting
built-in
TV
speakers.
Read
our
review.
$223
at
Amazon$223
at
Best
Buy$223
at
Sonos
No
matter
which
you
get,
the
Sub
Mini
pairs
well
if
you
want
to
satisfy
a
thirst
for
theater-like
bass.
At
its
core,
the
Sub
Mini
is
meant
to
do
all
the
things
its
full-size
brethren
can,
only
a
little
quieter.
The
sleek
cylindrical
speaker
is
easy
to
set
up
and
integrates
well
with
the
rest
of
the
Sonos
lineup
—
including
the
Sonos
Arc,
Sonos
Ray,
Sonos
Beam,
and
Sonos
Era
300
—
making
it
a
solid
choice
if
you
want
to
add
some
low-end
rumble
to
a
small
or
midsize
room
without
shelling
out
for
the
larger
model.
Acoustically,
it’s
not
as
powerful,
though
it
can
still
reach
a
floor-rattling
25Hz
with
its
dual
six-inch
woofers,
which
is
plenty
low
if
you’re
primarily
going
to
use
the
Mini
to
watch
movies
and
TV.
Plus,
it’s
more
discrete
than
the
standard
Sub,
making
it
(slightly)
easier
to
hide,
even
if
it’s
not
all
that
“mini.”
The
Sonos
Move
2
is
a
great
pickup
if
you
like
the
idea
of
a
rugged
and
portable
(but
still
kind
of
chunky)
Sonos
speaker
that
produces
satisfying
tunes
on
its
own
and
can
seamlessly
reintegrate
into
your
multiroom
audio
system
once
you’re
back
home.
It’s
one
of
the
best
portable
speakers
we’ve
reviewed
and
a
solid
upgrade
from
the
original.
It
builds
on
the
formula
by
adding
stereo
speakers
and
improving
battery
life
considerably,
with
runtimes
up
to
24
hours.
It’s
also
one
of
the
few
Sonos
devices
with
Bluetooth,
so
it
can
accept
playback
directly
from
smartphones,
tablets,
and
the
like.
(Sadly,
you
can’t
use
it
as
a
speakerphone.)
Sonos
also
excluded
Google
Assistant
due
to
ongoing
disputes,
but
it
still
supports
Amazon
Alexa.
You
can
use
the
USB-C
input
on
its
rear
with
a
line-in
adapter
to
connect
analog
devices,
too,
in
addition
to
7.5W
reverse
charging.
(Originally posted by Quentyn Kennemer)
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