Sonos looks to finally release its much talked about headphones in June, at the same time as the Roam 2. The hype is great, but what is the reason behind it?
Sonos has been stealing the show in the market for years with its speakers, but it never came of headphones before. Rumors and patents seem to point to change. Will 2024 be the year it will happen?
Reading through the comments online a bit over the last few months, we can at least be sure that many people are hoping it will. But we have our doubts about that. After all, what is a Sonos going to do in this area better than Sony, Bose and other brands have been doing for years? Why are we so excited?
The hype surrounding Sonos headphones
Earlier rumors said the Sonos headphones would see the light of day in April, but well-known tech journalist Mark Gurman reported that due to delays, the product will appear in June. That month would also see a new version of the Roam, the brand’s small portable speaker.
While a new Roam is interesting, our interest is mostly in headphones. That market is incredibly crowded and Sonos will have to show something special if it wants to really impress next to, say, the more expensive models from Sony and Bose.
(Image: Sonos/USPTO)
What will be the price of Sonos headphones?
There are plenty of rumors about the price of the headphones. Sonos originally wanted the price to be around $300, but according to Bloomberg, the product is already running toward $449.
Converted to 413 euros, but given the differences in tax we can expect a price tag of around 499 euros. We see that same difference, for example, with the Sonos Era 300, which also costs $449 in the United States.
The design of the Sonos headphones
In terms of design, Sonos usually manages to leave a good impression. Confidence that the headphones will do well in that area is there, although two different patents show that we don’t quite know what to assume yet.
In the latest version, it looks like the bars go directly to the ear cups. That drawing shows the brand’s familiar logo on the ear cups.
The AirPods Max (Image: Mark Hofman / WANT)
It also appears that the cushions are replaceable, something familiar from the AirPods Max, for example. On the bottom of the earcup is room for various buttons and there is a USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio port.
Wi-Fi on your headphones?
Sonos is known for the ease of use with which speakers can be connected. The same is rumored to be the case with the headphones. There is a good chance that the headphones will connect to the brand’s speakers, making music exchange lightning fast. We draw that conclusion based on previously leaked patents.
That connection may thus require a thicker headband than you might be used to from certain brands. It also makes for heavier headphones and impacts battery life.
So while these antennas are trickier to implement than Bluetooth, it can offer advantages. It makes it possible to stream hi-res audio, something impossible with Bluetooth. So there is a chance that this will improve the sound quality.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 gains a sizable competitor. (Image: Sony)
So in addition, you don’t need another device to stream music either. It could be directly from your headphones through the wifi connection. Because other companies don’t do this, it could be a pretty special one.
Bluetooth support
But in addition, the headphones (of course) also support Bluetooth. Sonos would opt for a Bluetooth 5.2 codec to provide strong connections. Moreover, this also ensures less audio delay when watching videos or gaming. Especially for the latter, it is important that the delay be as low as possible. You want to hear immediately when shots are fired at you in Call of Duty, for example.
Sonos previously acquired T2 Software. This startup specializes in LE Audio. This makes it possible to provide higher music quality via Bluetooth with lower power consumption, something good for battery life.
Noise reduction and battery life
In the price range that Sonos is going into, good noise cancellation is a must. It is not yet clear how the company will implement it, but at that price it should be possible to choose between different modes.
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One of the last things left is the battery life of the headphones. This is probably between the AirPods Max (20 hours) and the Sony WH-1000XM5 (30 hours). So it will depend on whether you choose wifi or Bluetooth then. If it adopts T2 Software’s technology and you only use Bluetooth, the duration could even go towards the Sennheiser Momentum 4 wireless (60 hours).
Why we’re looking forward to the Sonos headphones
Of course, these are all rumors and much of the information is based on patents. However, if some of these features are already coming to the headphones, Sonos really knows how to put something special out there. So it could certainly become a competitor to Sonos, Bose and Sennheiser.
Wifi on headphones is especially promising. As you can see, that requires a lot of modifications to actually make it viable, but bringing hi-res audio to wireless headphones is a real gamechanger. With that, it could offer even better sound quality than wireless headphones currently on the market.
Also, connecting it to your Sonos products really makes it a unique device. It may sound like the small thing, but how cool is it when you take off your headphones and your speakers in the house instantly take over a song?
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OK, the price of 499 euros may be hefty, but compared to the AirPods Max, it’s not too bad. Especially if it can offer all these features. Now just hope the design is as good.
