A earphone diagram from a Sonos patent of invention app . Sonos / USPO
If the many rumors , leak , andteasing by the CEOare true , Sonosis on the cusp of releasing its firstwireless headphonesin 2024 , and the benefits to Sonos ’ customers could be considerable . Being capable to practice one set of headphones for traveling , office , and home base use — that also integrate with the Sonos ecosystem of whole - abode wireless speaker unit — would be commodious .
And , assuming the new earphone exploit with Wi - Fi ( like the rest of the company ’s products ) , they will be among the first wireless headphones to hand over lossless , hi - rhenium audiowithout the need forspecial codecs , perfect wireless shape , or an accessory like aheadphone DAC / amp .
Still , the succeeder of likely Sonos radio headphones is far from assured . It ’s a very fledged market with cutthroat competition . If Sonos hopes to make this product a must - have for its customers , there are several pitfalls the companionship require to keep off .
Comfort is king
It should go without articulate , but headphones demand to be comfortable . Any pressure points due to a wretched fit or a poor pick of materials will fix how long you’re able to wear down them before fatigue duty sets in .
Even company that have been create headphone for years can unwittingly build a product hampered by an uncomfortable design . This was certainly the compositor’s case with theShure Aonic 40 , a fantastic - sounding set of stool that I just could n’t wear for more than an hour .
When you consider that Sonos has no history of designing product like headphones , earbuds , or other gadget that want a strong ergonomic constituent , there ’s a danger that its first attempt wo n’t impinge on the bullseye .
Home and away
Wireless phone have become our constant associate , whether we ’re using them to listen to podcasts on our daily commute , block undesirable distractions at the power or local coffee menage , or take voice and video calls from anywhere . In short , they go where we go .
Sonos headphones need to offer all of the flexibility and portability that we ’ve come to expect from brand like Sony , Bose , and Sennheiser while away , plus a unseamed transition to our Wi - Fi mesh when we get home .
Sonos has a unspoilt track record so far . TheSonos RoamandSonos Move 2speakers can be used away from home — thanks to built - in batteries and Bluetooth connector — and then re - conjoin the connection mechanically when you return . This will be a must - have capability for Sonos ’ earphone .
Where Sonos has prove weakest is its lack of app documentation when its devices are in Bluetooth - only mode . It may not matter that you ca n’t employ the Sonos app when your Sonos Roam loudspeaker is away from family — Bluetooth speakers only have a limited number of adjustments . Wireless headphones are a different story . We ’re used to having total control over configurations like fighting noise cancellation ( ANC ) and EQ all of the time . Sonos will have to adjust its app to make that happen .
Peace and quiet
Once upon a sentence , it would have been acceptable for a company like Sonos to betray wireless phone without ANC . But that ’s ancient story . Today , you ’ll find highly effective ANC on $ 60 wireless earbuds . Sonos will have to offer ANC that is at least in the same approximate range as Apple , Bose , Sony , and Sennheiser , even if it fails to scramble them .
The same is honest for transparency manner — an arguably much harder exploit .
Multiple uses, multiple devices
As I said earlier , we ’re as potential to use our wireless headphones for Microsoft Teams meetings as we are to heed to the latest Olivia Rodrigo album , so it ’s not enough for the audio to sound good to us — we require to fathom undecomposed to our callers .
That means Sonos ’ headphones must have enough microphones to capture our voice clearly while also blocking out undesirable outside sound .
They will also need to supportBluetooth Multipointso we can be connect to two gadget at the same time .
Killer spatial audio
With itsBeam Gen 2,Arc , andEra 300speakers , Sonos has proven that it understands the importance of spatial sound , whether it’sDolby Atmosfor shows and motion-picture show orDolby Atmos Musicfor rain buckets music services .
Still , spacial audio for speakers is a very dissimilar thing than spatial audio frequency for headphones . With headphones , complication abound : Do you use Dolby ’s applied science for binaural interlingual rendition or flap your own ? Do you offer practical spacial audio , which attempt to give any source of stereo a more immersive experience , or do you stick with just capacity created for Dolby Atmos or other 3D audio formatting ? Finally , do you includehead trailing — a sensing element - based technology that Apple has been heavily promoting on its AirPods and Beats family line of wireless earbuds and headphones ?
It ’s astonishingly hard to get this right . Apple has chosen to work only with Dolby Atmos mental object ( with and without psyche tracking ) without practical spatial audio . Depending on the source , it can vocalise great . Bose has taken the other route , letting you virtualize any audio into a 3D version , again with and without promontory trailing . It has also been successful .
But I was less impressed with Jabra ’s version of spacial audio on itsElite 10earbuds , and with some product , like theSoundcore Liberty 4 , it feels very much like a whatchamacallum .
Gotta be true TV
presently , if you have a Sonos soundbar like a Ray , Beam Gen 2 , or Arc , you ’ll get the honest possible Dolby 5.1 or Dolby Atmos sign from your TV viaHDMI or optical . If you require to partake that sound with other Sonos verbalizer in your home , you could do that by aggroup them .
However , your aggroup speakers — even if they are also soundbars — will only get a downmixed , stereo translation of the television receiver audio with no low - frequency communication channel ( subwoofer ) information .
That ’s not going to fly with Sonos ’ headphones . They must offer parity with the Apple AirPods Max , which can wirelessly synchronize with an Apple TV 4 jet , and get a full head - cover Dolby Atmos presentation of compatible subject matter .
Moreover , if there are multiple Sonos phone in one household , each needs to get this same high level of audio caliber .
Battery blues
Sonos do it that battery life matter . One of the most telling things it changed when it debuted thesecond - gen Sonos Move , was a more than repeat of the speaker system ’s stamina from 11 hours to 24 hours .
It ’s that kind of thinking that Sonos will involve to apply to its earphone . Wi - Fi is traditionally more power - hungry than Bluetooth , and with the extra demands of processors , sensors , and microphones , modern wireless cans can postulate a lot of juice .
TheHed Unity — the first Wi - Fi phone on the market — are a cautionary tale . Even when using Bluetooth alone , they ’re only rated for about eight hours of use . That might be acceptable for headphones that are destine to bide home , but a set of change of location - favorable cans will have to do far better .
