Sonos Bets on Spatial Audio as a Brand Differentiator

Spatial audio has excited the audio market ever since Apple introduced film and TV content material supporting it in iOS 14 on the WWDC occasion in June 2020. Spatial audio primarily delivers encompass sound and 3D audio by headphones by way of dynamic head monitoring. Sometimes, it’s not a characteristic present in conventional audio audio system.

Over the previous 20 years since its founding in 2002, Sonos has constructed an enviable premium audio model for multi-room audio merchandise. Although the good speaker market is crowded — even on the excessive finish — Sonos has been capable of pull off one thing that few manufacturers haven’t succeeded in with options that clients are keen to pay a premium for and fierce model loyalty.

With that as a backdrop, Sonos has primarily concentrated its efforts on two product classes over the previous few years: transportable audio system just like the Transfer and Roam; and costlier house theater merchandise just like the Atmos-capable Arc and Ray soundbars. Sonos One and Sonos 5, the corporate’s major set of music-focused audio system, nonetheless sound terrific however are starting to indicate their age.

Spatial Audio Functionality

The Period 100 and Period 300, Sonos’ two new “higher and greatest” choices, change that dynamic. Priced at $450, the Period 300 is the primary Sonos speaker able to taking part in spatial audio. Compared, the $250 Period 100 is a completely rebuilt successor to the Sonos One with a number of upgrades over its predecessor.

You should utilize a pair of any of them in stereo or as again encompass audio system in a house theater setup, as you’ll be able to with different Sonos audio system. When you have a Sonos Arc or gen-2 Beam and Sub, you’ll be able to have an outrageous 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos expertise by including a pair of Period 300s as your rear surrounds — that’s, so long as you’re ready to cough up $2,600 for that setup.

Period 300 — The Aaron Decide of the Dwelling Audio Market

The Period 300, proven above, has a novel look in comparison with different Sonos audio system however adheres to the model’s signature minimalist aesthetic.

Its barely peculiar knocked-over hourglass design has a sensible objective in that it permits the upward-facing tweeter to fireplace at a slight however exact angle, which the producer claims will present extra room-filling reflections for spatial audio.

There are three extra tweeters: two pointing left and proper, one pointing ahead and useless middle. Lastly, the speaker has two woofers on both facet, which ship plenty of bass.

Period 100 — A Extra Inexpensive Different to Apple’s New HomePod

The Sonos One is acoustically similar to the Sonos Play:1 that was introduced in 2013. The Period 100, alternatively, has extra tangible updates.

With its $250 worth level, the Period 100 is an inexpensive different to Apple’s newest HomePod, and it represents a big improve over the Sonos Play:1. The Period 100 has a woofer that’s 25% bigger than the One’s and a pair of tweeters offering left and proper stereo channels in a single speaker.

Period 100 speaker (Picture Credit score: Sonos)

Regardless that it lacks the spatial audio capabilities of the Period 300, it represents a big enchancment over the sooner mannequin.

Regardless of their expansive options and worth factors, these audio system have a substantial quantity in widespread. With an optionally available line-in adapter, you’ll be able to join a turntable or different audio tools to each by way of their USB-C connections. This functionality is a outstanding benefit in comparison with Apple’s HomePods (each the newest mannequin and the HomePod Mini) since each Period 100 and Period 300 can even function exterior PC audio system. Nevertheless, that utilization mannequin is clearly slender.

New Enhancements

Notably, in each the Period 100 and Period 300, Sonos, for the primary time, has included Bluetooth in a non-portable speaker, which is important. These audio system additionally embrace newly revised contact controls on prime, so now, you’ll be able to swipe your finger throughout a small ridge along with devoted ahead and again buttons to vary the quantity as an alternative of tapping on both facet of the play/pause button.

Furthermore, Sonos supplied a bodily change to show off the microphone as an alternative of merely muting the mic by software program. This welcome strategy actively cuts the connection to it for added safety.

The Period 100 and Period 300’s distinctive Trueplay tuning characteristic, which measures how sound displays off partitions, furnishings, and different surfaces, can even use these mics to boost audio based mostly on the place you set the audio system in your house. Trueplay was introduced by Sonos in 2015, signaling the corporate’s want to optimize audio high quality in several house environments.

As a cell phone app, Trueplay beforehand required an iOS system for setup. Android customers have been out of luck as a result of though Sonos has put in built-in microphones in its audio system for a few years, Trueplay was incompatible with Android gadgets.

Trueplay does make a big distinction, and this new functionality implies that many extra folks, particularly Android customers, will most likely put it to use.

Summing Up Sonos’ Period Audio system

Placing rivals apart, Sonos strongly believes that spatial audio is how music playback will develop sooner or later. The corporate’s management has asserted {that a}) the Period 300 would be the definitive technique to hear the finer factors of spatial audio mixes with out requiring a room filled with audio tools and b) that artists and producers are strongly within the format.

A single speaker can solely ship a lot, no matter how refined its driver array is. Trying on the streaming audio panorama at a excessive degree, it’s seemingly that the large hitters — Spotify, YouTube Music, and different companies — would seemingly begin supporting spatial audio sooner somewhat than later. Nevertheless, Amazon and Apple at the moment are the one two companies appropriate with the Period 300 for spatial music.

Even when taking part in stereo mixes, the Period 300 needs to be an impressive speaker. The 300 will seemingly be a extra specialised providing within the firm’s lineup, just like the wonderful however high-priced Sonos 5 speaker. But, it is smart for Sonos to be prepared for the growing spatial audio market pattern somewhat than play catchup if the spatial audio wave is about to take off.

Preliminary media experiences of Period 300 point out that it generates a particular sound. Given my expertise with Sonos merchandise, I anticipate the audio high quality can be excellent, although I’ll reserve judgment till I get an opportunity to make use of them.

It needs to be identified that Sonos first proved its mettle by reproducing normal audio, and in comparison with the Period 100, the 300 has much more quantity, bass, and presence. Provided that it prices $200 extra and has twice as many drivers, anticipate the audio high quality to be second to none.

Closing Ideas

The core motive why Sonos has succeeded within the extremely aggressive house leisure speaker market is that it has taken a no-compromise strategy to speaker improvement.

Whereas the speaker house has develop into muddled with sub-$100 options which are usually designed to regulate the good house, Sonos has spent its sources avoiding that morass to distinguish itself. In that sense, it’s unfair to check the brand new Period 100 and 300 in opposition to the Apple HomePod, as Sonos’ merchandise are unapologetically centered on delivering a world-class audio expertise — although each new Sonos audio system have built-in Amazon Alexa assist.

All that mentioned, embracing spatial audio is a management alternative for the corporate. One can view the Period 300 as the primary salvo in its efforts to boost the bar within the premium audio house.

The Period 100 and Period 300 have colour choices of black or white. Each are estimated to ship on March 28 and can be found for preorder now on the Sonos shop.