It seems to be like Sonos is making a pair of headphones. This could be fairly a departure for the model, which has constructed a popularity because the king of multi-room audio. But when the Sonos monitor report is something to go by, then we’re actually to see the corporate strive its hand at one thing new.
And the Sonos headphones might be right here very quickly certainly. In a current earnings name with traders, Sonos’ CEO Patrick Spence stated the agency would launch a new product in March 2021. Whereas he did not give any particulars, hypothesis is rife he was speaking about Sonos’ first wi-fi headphones.
So what sort of Sonos headphones can we anticipate? Will they be on-ear, over-ear or in-ear? Wireless? And what sorts of options and specs can we look ahead to?
We have rounded up all the newest Sonos leaks and rumours, and sprinkled a little bit of {industry} information of our personal into the combination, to convey you the absolute best thought forward of a launch. And if we’re in the best ballpark, it seems to be like we’re in for a deal with…
Sonos headphones: launch date
The Sonos headphones might be right here very quickly certainly. In his current name with traders, Sonos CEO Patrick Spence promised “to ship revolutionary new merchandise”, and stated a brand new machine would launch in March.
That might be the second Bluetooth speaker that was noticed recently. Or it might be Sonos’ first pair of headphones. Spence did verify for certain that “within the subsequent 12 months” there can be a product in a brand new class for Sonos. So this makes us very assured that the headphones are coming in 2021. Whether or not it is March or later within the 12 months, we’ll discover out quickly sufficient.
Sonos headphones: worth
For client audio, Sonos audio system are inclined to have a small premium over competitor merchandise – wi-fi audio system and in addition soundbars. So with its first headphones, we’d anticipate to see one thing on the extra premium aspect, with probably a extra reasonably priced product additional down the highway. That is actually the way in which Sonos approached the speaker and soundbar classes.
Whereas any Sonos headphones maybe will not hassle the Apple AirPods Max astonishingly excessive worth of £549 ($549, AU$899), we are able to anticipate them to be just like well-respected and well-established rivals like Sony and Bose.
Sony’s excellent WH-1000XM4 (which have been a few of our favorite over-ear headphones since they launched) retail for £350 ($350, AU$550), whereas Bose’s Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 go for £350 ($399, AU550).
It is a tough line for Sonos to stroll. Worth them too low, and shoppers will not anticipate nice sound high quality. Too excessive, and they’ll flip off some potential consumers. Sonos has a big and devoted following, however it’s not fairly at Apple ranges of slavish dedication. Therefore an asking worth of over £400 ($550, AU$700) might be off the playing cards.
In line with Bloomberg‘s sources, the headphones will price about £220 ($300, AU$400). That might undercut Sony’s vary toppers by fairly a manner.
Sonos headphones: design
Headphones are available in all styles and sizes: in-ear, on-ear, over-ear, wi-fi, wi-fi earbuds, sporty fashions, and so forth. It looks like Sonos goes for an over-ear wi-fi mannequin, as detailed by a patent that emerged in September final 12 months.
The patent exhibits two designs, each of which take an over-ear, wi-fi type. They each have oval earcups which are angled barely in order that the decrease half sits a bit of additional ahead on the wearer.
They appear to be a reasonably normal pair of over-ear cans, however the satan is within the element. Apple’s AirPods Max raised the bar considerably within the design stakes recently – not solely do they function premium supplies and an “obsessive craftsmanship“, in addition they allow you to swap the earcups for replacements. Useful if yours put on out, otherwise you simply need to sport a distinct color for a change.
Replaceable components are after all extra sustainable and one thing we’re additionally seeing in wireless speakers such because the B&O Beosound Level, and certainly the Sonos Move (Sonos now sells a replacement battery kit for the Transfer).
On condition that Sonos recently pledged to ship “revolutionary new merchandise”, and that it has already adopted a tradition of replaceable components in its different merchandise, there is a excessive probability that its first headphones will look to play on this.
Sonos headphones: options
The aforementioned patent additionally factors to some fairly cool new options. Chief amongst them? Swap, which lets the cans work seamlessly with your private home Sonos audio system just like the Play:5.
The thought is straightforward. You come residence listening to your headphones, and may ‘swap’ the music to your private home system, so the identical tune switches to play out of your Sonos multi-room audio system. It ought to occur seamlessly, so the tune would not miss a beat.
Because the patent places it: “For instance, if a specific piece of content material is presently enjoying on the wi-fi headphones, a swap modifications the playback to play that piece of content material on a number of different playback units on the native community.”
The “a number of” is essential right here. It implies that what’s enjoying in your headphones might ‘swap’ to blast from each speaker in your home, so long as they’re all on the identical community (and presumably are all Sonos audio system).
It isn’t one thing we have seen in headphones earlier than, although we’ve got seen one thing comparable in different units – for instance, apps that allow you to begin watching in your cellphone and decide up the place you left off in your TV whenever you come residence. Some headphones may also detect whenever you take them off and pause what’s enjoying. Sonos’ function would appear like a pure evolution of those two features.
Aside from that, the patent exhibits all the standard bells and whistles: voice assistant management (as seen on the agency’s multi-room audio system and soundbars, just like the Beam), quantity slider, playback controls and a mic for handsfree calls. In reality, in accordance with a Bloomberg report, which predates the patent’s emergence, the headphones will work with a number of digital assistants, very like the Sonos Arc and Sonos One audio system.
We’d additionally anticipate active noise cancelling (ANC), although what number of ranges and whether or not – and the way a lot – management the wearer has over it stays to be seen. One of many patent designs mentions a rotating knob, which might give the wearer management over the ANC. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 (pictured, above) offer you 10 ranges of ANC to select from – Sonos would not must match that essentially, however some management can be good.
Lastly, battery life. The AirPods Max handle 20 hours between expenses, whereas the Sony WH-1000XM4 handle 30. We’d anticipate Sonos to ship someplace between these two figures, although lots is determined by what sort of function set it gives. No noise cancellation? Then there is no excuse for not giving us greater than 30 hours playback on a single cost, thanks very a lot.
Sonos headphones: preliminary verdict
Launching a premium pair of noise-cancelling wireless headphones is not any imply feat – competitors is fierce at that finish of the market, with Sony, Sennheiser, B&W and Bose all vying for supremacy. It is solely been made tougher by the current entry of {industry} titan Apple into the house.
In its 20-odd years within the enterprise, Sonos has constructed a strong popularity as an audio pioneer, so a transfer into headphones might be a really good one certainly. If it may well marry a fascinating design, nice sound and a killer function set full with an industry-first function, it might be an actual game-changer.
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