Sonos' long-rumoured headphones finally have a launch date. Sort of. They could be here as early as April 2024, says a Bloomberg report, which details them and other forthcoming products.
But we'll start with the headphones. As rumoured, the report says they'll be a wireless over-ear pair which will retail for around $400 to $500 (around £350, AU$650). That pits them as a direct rival to the five-star Sony WH-1000XM5 (as well as pricier) Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and Apple AirPods Max) – quite a challenge for a firm that's new to the headphones market.
So how will they differentiate themselves from the other wireless headphones available? By slotting seamlessly into the Sonos ecosystem. According to the report, they will be able to synchronise music with the Sonos speakers in your home, so you could listen to a song through your Era 300 while getting ready, then carry on on your Sonos headphones as you leave the house without missing a beat. Sonos Voice Control will reportedly be onboard, and the cans will come in white or black colour options.
According to the report, Sonos has been working on the headphones since 2019, but has scrapped earlier versions of them. It also says the firm is working on a pair of wireless earbuds, but doesn't offer more details.
The report says Sonos has a TV streaming box in the pipeline, too. It will reportedly run the Android operating system, and cost between $150 and $200 (around £150, AU$270). Sonos is said to be in talks with Netflix about developing an app for it. It's rumoured to launch around the end of 2024 or start of 2025.
An even more high-end Arc soundbar is also reportedly in the works. Codenamed 'Lasso', it's said to have better bass and sound quality than the original, and to cost quite a bit more – $1200, compared to $899 for the current model. It will reportedly incorporate tech from Mayht, a speaker company that Sonos bought in 2022.
Sonos' CEO recently said the company would enter "a new multi-billion dollar category in the second half of the [fiscal] year", which certainly sounds like wireless headphones to us.
Branching out into headphones would be a departure for the company, but it's no stranger to diversifying its product portfolio. In recent years it has launched soundbars like the Beam and Ray, as well as portable speakers to go with its core range of home wireless speakers. Last spring, it launched the Era 300, its first speaker centred around spatial audio. And mighty good it is to, earning a What Hi-Fi? 2023 Award.
The report is from Mark Gurman, who has a very good track record with these kinds of leaks, and backs up a number of details previously reported. It says Sonos is also working on a second-generation Sonos Roam with controls on the top, a new Sub and a business-oriented version of the Era 100 with an Ethernet port. Lots to look forward to.
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