Bloomberg: Sonos announces headphones in March, comes with media player later
Sonos will announce its expected headphones in March. Insiders report this to Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman. The headphones would be released a month later. According to the news agency, Sonos is also working on a media player for televisions.
Bloomberg journalist Gurman writes that the headphones are an over-ear model with a suggested retail price of $400 to $500. The company wants to compete with other high-end headphones, such as Apple’s AirPods Max and headphones from Sony and Bose. The headphones will be available in black and white, can be synchronized with other Sonos hardware and will have voice control for switching between music tracks.
Sonos headphones in patent application
Sonos is also working on a set-top box, says Gurman. It has to compete with other media players, such as Apple TVs and Roku set-top boxes. The Sonos media player should become a ‘hub’ for Sonos audio equipment and support Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision HDR.
According to Gurman, the set-top box will have its own OS based on Android. This gives the device support for apps, for example from streaming services. The media player should be released at the end of 2024 or in 2025.
Gurman also writes that Sonos is working on new amplifiers and ceiling speakers for ‘professional installers’, in addition to a corporate version of the Era 100 speaker. Sonos would also introduce a new Roam speaker and a new version of the Sub that can sync with the set-top box. According to Bloomberg, the company is also working on a new high-end soundbar, as an update to the current Arc.
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence recently confirmed that Sonos will enter a new product category next year. It was already expected that he was referring to the Sonos headphones, which have been expected for years. Last year Sonos acquired T2, a company that worked on headphones. In 2020 there was also a Sonos headphones on display in a company patent application.