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Sonos is rumored to be working on several new products, including a super high-end wireless speaker (codenamed "Optimo 2") and a miniature version of its wireless subwoofer.
Sonos has had a pretty big 2022 to date. It announced the Roam SL, a cheaper and mic-less version of its ultra-portable speaker; the Sonos Ray, a new entry-level soundbar that costs $279; new colorways of the original Roam (now available in olive, light blue and orange); and Sonos Voice Control, its first voice assistant that can control your music and the various Sonos speakers around your home.
Of course, 2022 looks set to get even better if you're a Sonos fan. That's because the speaker giant is rumored to be working on a few other speakers, subwoofers and other devices — here's what you can expect (and hope) for in the coming months.
Sonos is strongly rumored to be working on a smaller, more affordable its wireless subwoofer, the Sub. This upcoming "Mini" model was spotted by name on the Sonos subreddit page in late 2021 and, as of May 2022, The Verge reportedly uncovered leaked images. The "Sub Mini" is expected to look very much like a smaller version of the current Sub (or a Sonos Move with a gap in its center). There's no word on how much the Sub Mini will cost, but we're guessing it'll likely go for between $350 and $400 — or half as expensive as the current third-generation Sub ($749).
As reported by The Verge in early August, the release of the Sub Mini has supposedly been delayed.
(Further context: Sonos last updated its Sub in May 2020, but only enhanced the internals and not the design.)
According to The Verge's Chris Welch, Sonos is working on a new high-end speaker that's approximately the same size as the Five, but it will fire sound in all directions and deliver a truly immersive experience. It's also going to have a multitude of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and supposedly a USB-C line-in jack (so you can hook up a turntable). The speaker is codenamed Optimo 2 and, according to Welch, it's poised to become the company's best sounding speaker ever.
Sonos has been linked with its own headphones for years. In fact, Bloomberg first reported that they were in the works back in January of 2019 and then, a year later, it was picked up by Protocol that Sonos had been award a patent for headphones. Well, give that Sonos has made the move to portable audio that uses Bluetooth recently, thanks to Move and Roam, these headphone rumors are only heating up in 2022.
A lot is still unknown about Sonos's potentially-upcoming headphones. They could potentially support both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, just like Roam, so that you could take them with you while you travel or potentially listen to higher-resolution audio when at home. As for price, Bloomberg is suggesting that they'll cost somewhere in the $300-range.
Sonos is rumored to be working on a set of true wireless earbuds, too. A patent was discovered in February 2021 that showed a pair of wireless earbuds with a unique long-and-flat (wedge-shaped) design and a silicone eartip for fit. The other unique thing about the patent is it shows a unique symmetrical charging case that houses the earbuds at either end of its body. (T3 has article that shows a sketch of these earbuds and charging case.) Like the rumored wireless headphones, not a lot else is known about these potentially upcoming wireless earbuds.
Ever since Sonos officially discontinued the Play:3 in 2018, there's been a little bit of a gap in its offerings — it's a big jump from the $199 One SL to the $549 Five. It would be awesome if Sonos revived this Goldilocks speaker, giving it a nice redesign and maybe support for a voice assistant or even a line-in connection (for a turntable). Unfortunately, there have been little rumblings of Sonos releasing a new "Three" speaker, but given that the company is trending towards smaller speakers (with the Roam and rumored Sub Mini), you should've give up all hope just yet.
We'd love for Sonos to finally make its own turntable. The company has a dedicated "Turntables" section on its site where it sells Pro-Ject turntables and bundles with its Five speaker (the only Sonos speaker with a line-in connection), but we think it's due time for Sonos to give us a turntable of its own. It could have a built-in preamp and be integrated with a wireless receiver (like the Sonos Port) so anybody could plug it in and listen to vinyl on any of their Sonos speakers.