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Sonos has been loads busy lately, unveiling an reasonably priced new soundbar within the Sonos Ray, however information of the celebrated audio producer branching out into headphones is at present skinny on the bottom. Nonetheless, there are many Sonos headphones rumours price digesting from latest months, so learn on as we let you know all the newest gossip concerning the potential Sonos wi-fi headphones launch date, worth and specs.
The corporate has lengthy made a few of the greatest wi-fi audio system round and the multi-room specialist continues to interrupt new floor for its vary. At a March occasion, we noticed the introduction of its first ever moveable outside speaker, the Sonos Roam, which acquired us pondering that 2022 may very well be the 12 months of massive and daring new Sonos reveals. Are the oft-rumoured Sonos headphones subsequent up?
Learn on for an entire spherical up of all the newest Sonos wi-fi headphones information, together with worth and launch date rumours, to see what may very well be on the playing cards this 12 months or additional down the road.
When would possibly Sonos headphones launch?
We thought the Sonos headphones launch date was going to fall final 12 months, as firm CEO Patrick Spence has beforehand pledged to ship two new merchandise each 12 months. Ultimately, solely the Sonos Roam turned up, main us to consider that 2022 may very well be the 12 months that it diversified into wi-fi headphones.
It’s a idea that’s been given added weight by a latest LinkedIn put up from Sonos’ VP of International Advertising & Communications, Pete Pedersen. It reveals that the agency is trying to rent a brand new advert company to assist in “creating a brand new class for a longtime model” as a part of the “most bold initiatives in our historical past.” Which all sounds quite a bit prefer it may check with the corporate’s entry into the wi-fi headphone house in case you ask us.
Having stated that, the worldwide electronics provide chain continues to be recovering from the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, so like many producers, Sonos may see its wi-fi headphone ambitions delayed till 2023. Plus, Spence stated in a Q1 2022 earnings name that his firm’s focus for the 12 months can be on new merchandise in present classes, so it’s nonetheless anybody’s guess what would possibly go down.
Sonos headphones worth
When it comes to potential pricing, we’ve largely acquired our trade information guiding us. Sonos usually rivals Bose when it comes to its costs for wi-fi audio system, and as our Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 evaluation highlights, the Enterprise Class flagbearer carries a £350 RRP. This might even be the identical value because the superlative Sony WH-1000XM4 – the very best of the very best on-ear headphones – and preserve with Sonos’ premium however not exorbitant worth ethos.
Early studies from Bloomberg have Sonos undercutting the competitors, nonetheless, with the outlet saying such a product would launch within the US at $300 – round £220 earlier than tax.
Newest Sonos headphones rumours and information
A lot of what we expect we all know concerning the rumoured Sonos wi-fi headphones is predicated on patent filings from the previous few years, although most lately it was mooted that there may very well be a Sonos voice assistant within the works to rival the likes of Amazon’s Alexa. Clearly, the corporate’s whole portfolio may gain advantage from an in-house AI helper – however launching one alongside a blockbuster new product like headphones may work significantly properly.
We’ve additionally seen the Sonos Roam get some new colors, which at a stretch you may take as an indication the corporate is trying to broaden its shopper enchantment. Sonos headphones would additionally clearly obtain this, however as we stated, that is extrapolating issues fairly a bit.
Again to the these patents, although. They embrace each references to the potential design of such a product, in addition to hints about what options it’d provide.
The one that basically kickstarted the Sonos headphones hearsay mill was noticed by Protocol again in August 2020 and brings to gentle a USPTO submitting with pictures displaying off a few totally different over-ear and wi-fi design choices.
A patent drawing exhibits two potential designs for Sonos headphones
Most the options detailed within the documentation gained’t shock these accustomed to the wi-fi headphone market. They’ll possible provide ANC (lively noice cancellation), voice controls together with assist for a variety of voice assistants, and a USB-C charging port.
Nonetheless, what’s actually fascinating about this submitting is the way it particulars integration with present Sonos set-ups – or one thing known as Sonos Swap. This might see the Sonos headphones transfer playback to your native hi-fi system while you return residence, in order quickly as you are taking off the cans the identical tune (or podcast) is enjoying in your home.
Because the patent says: “For instance, if a specific piece of content material play is at present enjoying on the wi-fi headphone, a swap adjustments the playback to play that piece of content material on a number of different playback units on the native community.”
This sort of characteristic completely screams Sonos, as the corporate is thought for the slick multi-room software program that enhances its audio system to make whole-home audio desires a actuality.
A Sonos speaker in a lounge
Past that, there’s additionally an opportunity that your future Sonos headphones would possibly provide each Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Sonos was comparatively late to the Bluetooth social gathering, solely including it to a speaker in 2019 with the launch of the Sonos Transfer. Nonetheless, the Roam additionally affords Bluetooth assist so it’s clearly making its approach into the corporate’s portfolio – that, and no pair of wi-fi cans would actually work with out it.
Wi-Fi integration is the extra intriguing bit, as it could allow the headphones to stream music instantly from the web (reasonably than via an middleman Bluetooth gadget) and thereby allow lossless playback at 24-bit/192kHz. This was picked up by Digital Traits by the use of an August 2021 German patent utility.
In keeping with this documentation, the answer for how you can cram the required Wi-Fi package into the headphones with out compromising on aesthetics may very well be to position the antennae within the earcups, then run a connecting wire “nearly twice the diameter of a typical headband cable in a Bluetooth-only headphone” via the headscarf.
Sonos wi-fi headphones may embrace Wi-Fi in addition to Bluetooth
Throwing a component of doubt into issues, nonetheless, is Sonos’ latest acquisition of UK headphone producer RHA Audio. In and of itself, this would appear to additional gas rumours that headphones are very a lot within the firm’s future. The issue is that RHA’s experience is in-ear headphones, not the wi-fi over-ear cans we’ve seen detailed elsewhere.
This might imply that Sonos is hedging its bets and investigating the viability of launching each sorts of units. Nonetheless, it additionally serves to underline simply present speculative all these Sonos wi-fi headphone rumours are, particularly as they’re primarily based on patents,
As the corporate itself instructed Protocol in response to the primary USPTO submitting: “As an organization based in innovation, we’re all the time engaged on totally different concepts and improvements that may assist the world hear higher. We proceed to make investments in our robust patent portfolio with dozens of latest patents annually.”
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