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Sonos is a major player in the home audio world, with its range of super-connected wireless speakers and soundbars, making it a trusted brand for audiophiles and casual music listeners.
Now it looks like the audio company is set to enter a new market, after patents and confirmation of a mysterious product launch on March 9 fueled rumors of the first Sonos headphones.
With Sonos’ reputation for excellent speakers and whispers of integration with its existing multi-room system, expectations for supposedly wireless headphones are high, echoing the hype we saw last year for the arrival of Apple’s first circum-aural headphones.
In many ways, Apple’s AirPods Max lived up to the hype, delivering great sound and unmatched connectivity with iOS devices – although in other ways they disappointed, lacking in features from basic despite their incredibly high price.
While the Sony WH-1000XM4 are still the headphones to beat, we’re excited to see how Sonos approaches its first on-ear headphones compared to Apple – and if the company gets it right, it could blow up the AirPods Max. water, and even give Sony a run for its money.
Understand the basics
Before we get into the special features that Sonos could use to propel their headphones above the competition, it’s critical that the company properly understands the basics.
This means that the first Sonos headphones will have to offer excellent connectivity, a long battery life of 30 hours or more, a comfortable and stylish design, and state-of-the-art active noise cancellation.
While they are yet to be confirmed by the company, a series of patents have given us some clues as to what features they might use, basic or otherwise.
The first is wireless connectivity via Bluetooth – and to compete with the large number of wireless headphones on the market, Sonos should go for the latest Bluetooth 5.1 codec.
Going for the latest wireless standard should ensure that the first Sonos headphones maintain a solid connection with other devices – but it’s not the only thing on our connectivity wishlist.
We would like to see support for aptX Adaptive, which allows high-resolution 96 kHz audio files to be transmitted wirelessly. We’ve seen this technology adopted by the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 before, and it would be a welcome addition for audiophiles trying their luck on the first Sonos headphones.
The patent also describes noise cancellation technology, which is an increasingly sought-after feature for in-ear headphones. Hopefully Sonos will use adaptive noise cancellation as seen with the Sony WH-1000XM4; this intelligent technology adapts the level of noise reduction to your surroundings in real time, increasing for noisy environments and decreasing for quiet ones.
Of course, Sonos will have to have the right design to compete with the best headphones in the world. Sonos products generally follow a clean, minimalist design aesthetic, in black and white color variations.
We expect to see more of the same with the first Sonos headphones, with minimal external hardware and a sleek user interface, perhaps using touch-sensitive boxes that let you control your music playback without taking your phone out of your pocket. .
Unbeatable sound
Sonos already has an excellent reputation when it comes to the audio performance of its wireless speakers and soundbars, and we expect more of the same from its early headphones.
The brand consistently tops our lists of product recommendations, with the Sonos Arc soundbar, Sonos Move portable speaker, and Sonos One wireless speaker all delivering an exceptional sound experience.
That being said, the first Sonos headphones will indeed have to sound great to outperform the AirPods Max, which blew us away with their wide and well-balanced soundstage, excellent detail and rhythmic precision, and fantastic visuals.
Sonos may seek to emulate this by employing similar drivers; AirPods Max contain 40mm neodymium drivers, which feature dual neodymium ring magnet motors to reduce distortion.
Pair that with the support for high-resolution audio, and Sonos could indeed make a lot of audiophiles very happy.
We’ll also be interested to see if Sonos includes support for immersive audio technologies such as Dolby Atmos for Headphones. The AirPods Max feature Apple’s own Spatial Audio technology, making them a great pair of headphones for watching movies and TV shows.
Play your strengths
Sonos is a giant in the world of multi-room wireless audio solutions, and by leveraging its strengths it could blow the Apple AirPods Max and other rivals out of the water.
And it could be a reality. The most interesting feature revealed in the Sonos earphone patent describes how the wireless earphones could interact with existing Sonos speakers, with what the company calls “ the swap ”:
“For example, if a particular piece of content is playing on the wireless headset, a swap changes playback to play that piece of content on one or more other playback devices on the local network.”
So in theory you can listen to music on your Sonos headphones and quickly pass that music to your Sonos speaker, whether it’s part of a multi-room audio system or a standalone smart speaker like the Sonos One or the Sonos Move.
It’s certainly an exciting prospect, and it would really set headphones apart from the competition.
Addressing Apple’s Gaps
When the AirPods Max launched in late 2020, we didn’t know what to expect. Apple had never made a pair of wireless on-ear headphones before, and while the AirPods and AirPods Pro gave us a hint of the connectivity features we might see, things like design, sound quality, and usability was largely a mystery.
And we were pleasantly surprised. Apple’s AirPods Max turned out to be some of the best headphones we’ve ever tested, and their noise cancellation easily stands up to those of the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700.
However, their hefty price tag, limitations for Android users, and lack of a 3.5mm audio port mean we would only recommend them to iOS users with a lot of cash to spare – and no interest in. high resolution audio.
These oversights, along with their hefty price tag, are why we can’t recommend the AirPods Max as the best wireless headphones you can buy today – and that means if Sonos can fix these issues, the first headset the company’s wireless could be an exceptional foray. in the world of personal audio.
For what it’s worth, the patents we’ve seen suggest that the first Sonos headphones will come with a 3.5mm audio port, allowing audiophiles to use a wired connection for flawless music playback, as well as you. allow the headset to be used when the battery is working. to dry.
The price problem may be more difficult to resolve. Sonos products are rarely cheap, and we don’t expect the brand’s first headphones to be any different. However, if it can reduce Apple’s AirPods Max a bit to $ 549 / £ 549 / AU $ 899, that might be enough to push its first cans forward in the battle for your ears.
Either way, we don’t think Sonos will price its headphones any lower than the Sony WH-1000XM4, which costs $ 349.99 / £ 349 / AU $ 549 – but if it does, and we have those features. Sonos specials we’ve heard. By the way, the first Sonos headphones could even compete with Sony cans and win the crown for the best headphones in the world.
Of course, we’ll have to wait and see what Sonos reveals on March 9 to find out. Chances are the new product will be a wireless speaker, with rumors that a smaller, cheaper version of the Sonos Move is also being hinted at.
As much as we loved the Sonos Move (and would welcome a more budget model), so much we really hope to have a pair of headphones. After all, if the rumored specs are to be believed, they could turn the world of personal audio upside down in ways we’ve never seen before, even with Apple’s first in-ear headphones.
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