Sonos expands line-up with new Sub Mini

Sonos, the US-listed manufacturer of high-fidelity audio equipment aimed at audiences who don’t like the complexity usually associated with installing high-end audio gear, has expanded its range.

The company has announced a more affordable (and often-requested) wireless subwoofer, called the Sonos Sub Mini, just months after taking the wraps off its new, more affordable Sonos Ray soundbar.

The Nasdaq-listed company, which is headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, said the Sub Mini – a smaller version of its Sub, first introduced 10 years ago – will go on sale in South Africa (and other markets around the world) on 6 October.

The Sub Mini costs $429 in the US, €499 in Europe or R10 999 locally (the weaker rand exchange rate is starting to bite). That compares to the R18 999 recommended retail price for the bigger Sub (now in its third-gen release).

Tandhoni Rao, product creation leader at Sonos, said in an interview with TechCentral ahead of the Sub Mini’s release on Tuesday, that the new subwoofer is meant for small and medium-sized rooms of up to about 30sq m in size.

It’s also meant to be paired with the company’s smaller soundbars: the Beam and the Ray, which was introduced earlier this year (cost: R6 499). The top-end Arc soundbar (R21 999) will also work with the Sub Mini, though it’s more likely that users will want to pair the Arc with the larger Sub, Rao said.

He said Sonos is hoping to capitalise on the increasing trend to release movies directly to streaming, pushing demand for high-end audio solutions in the home. Even videogame development companies are paying much more attention to the audio fidelity of their titles, he said, helping drive consumer demand for high-end audio products.

5GHz channel

“Cinematic sound is becoming increasingly important at home … creating more depth and immersion across all types of content.”

The Sub uses a 5GHz channel and connects via Wi-Fi up to 802.11n. It also has a 100Mbit/s Ethernet port. It has a diameter of 230mm, is 305mm tall and weighs 6.35kg. Like other Sonos products, you get to choose from two colours: black or white. It has dual six-inch woofers facing inward towards each other for what Sonos calls a “force-cancelling effect”. It comes with software called Trueplay, which Sonos says “measures the acoustics of the room, then finetunes the sound” (provided you have an iPhone or iPad handy to set it up).  – © 2022 NewsCentral Media