I've been quite happy with Ra recently. When they first opened in Phoenix several years ago, the sushi and the service were, in my humble opinion, rather mediocre. Over the years, however, the food has gotten more innovative and become very good. I am a HUGE fan of the Hot Mess (crab sauce baked with jalapenos and sweet eel sauce atop crispy rice patties) and my mom loves their grilled salmon. Their sushi happy hour has quite a bit of variety and the value is pretty good for Scottsdale. Another thing I've noticed at both the Kierland and Old Town locations is that the service is consistently excellent. There was an error in one of our orders recently and our sweet server made it right tout suite!
Yes, the acoustics....they leave a lot to be desired. I get it: it's a rock 'n' roll sushi bar so loud music is part of the ambience. If you have a hearing loss or if you have difficulty tolerating loud music - be forewarned. I actually prefer to go when it's busier because there are more bodies to absorb the sound of the music. When it's slower, those hard surfaces (tables, glass windows) really make those sound waves bounce.
Check it out!