Sonos, the audio company best known for itsspeakers and soundbars, is reportedly prepping to launch along-rumored pair of wireless headphonesin June,according to Bloomberg. The $449 headphones will reportedly be able to stream audio over Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth, and integrate into Sonos' existing wireless audio ecosystem.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Sonosoriginally plannedon releasing the headphones even earlier, but had to push back its launch to the summer due to a software issue “tied to how the wireless over-ear headphones connect to Wi-Fi networks.”
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The headphones' ability to stream higher-quality audio over Wi-Fi, and theoretically, pass audio to your speakers when you get in range of your wireless network, are just two possible features that would rely on solid connectivity to pull off. It makes sense Sonos would want to get this right.
Regardless of what state the headphones arrive in, the company is confident it can compete with the likes of Apple, Sony, and Bose. Sonos reportedly plans to make “between 650,000 and 1 million units over the next year” to keep up with predicted demand for the new headphones, according to Bloomberg, and its even considering creating in-ear headphones to compete with theAirPods Pro.
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How Sonos stacks up against the competition so far
While moving from speakers to something you wear on your head seems like a big departure for Sonos, the company’s been increasingly interested in portable speakers, whether it’s the backpack-sizedSonos Roamor the more backyard-friendlySonos Move 2. The difference between those comparatively affordable speakers and Sonos' rumored headphones is the price. $449 is not a small amount of money.
Charging that much puts Sonos somewhere in-betweenApple’s AirPods Max, which start at $550, and headphones from Sony and Bose, like the$400 Sony WH-1000XM5and the$429 Bose QuietComfort Ultra. All three companies had earned a reputation for personal audio products before asking that much for headphones, and in Apple’s case, might have even asked too much for what was a first-generation product at the time.
For a pair of wireless headphones that costs $350 and up, you’re able to typically expect excellent audio quality, active noise-cancellation (sometimes multiple levels of it), and extra software features like immersive 360-degree audio. All of these headphones excel at one thing or another, but the point is they cover all your bases and give you a better audio experience than you might get from a pair of wireless earbuds.
Possible Sonos headphones advantages
Without an official announcement, we can only speculate, but it seems like the advantages Sonos offers could be very similar to Apple’s offerings. Sonos has a comprehensive product ecosystem that it’s maintained for decades. The advantage of Sonos' audio products is that they all work together, improving your at-home audio experience the more speakers you buy. Sonos also makes it simple to set up speakers, tune them to your acoustic environment, and move audio between speakers all with the same app.
Without an official announcement, we can only speculate, but it seems like the advantages Sonos offers could be very similar to Apple’s offerings.
Similarly, one of Apple’s key advantages is that all of its products work better together than they do just about anything else. Go through the process of syncing your AirPods to your phone for the first time and, like magic, your Apple TV and MacBook Pro immediately recognize them and let you connect to them. Sonos has the potential to pull off a similar trick with its own headphones.As The Vergenotes, these rumored headphones could theoretically pull audio from any TV with a Sonos soundbar connected to it without you ever having to deal with a Bluetooth menu.
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And just like Sonos makes it easy to pass audio from its portable speakers to its stationary ones, headphones could take that to the next level. Listening to music while you get ready in the morning and want to keep listening as you head out the door? Imagine just holding your headphones near the speaker to pick up the song, slipping them on and heading out, without ever having to get your phone out of your pocket.That’s the kind of seamless connection that, paired with great audio performance, could be worth paying $449.
