Sonos Delays Release of More Affordable 'Sub Mini' Wireless Subwoofer

[MacRumors]

Sonos announced its third quarter earnings this week, during which it all but confirmed that its long-awaited Sub Mini subwoofer won't be coming as soon as originally planned.

Leaked in May by The Verge, the Sub Mini is a small cylindrical subwoofer that is expected to be more affordable than the current $749 Sonos Sub. The Sub Mini will wirelessly pair with the company's existing soundbar lineup, including the Ray, the second-generation Beam, and the Arc.

A month after the leak, the Sub Mini appeared on the FCC in June, suggesting the wait between filing and commercial release would follow Sonos' typical timeline. But it looks as if the Sub Mini has been delayed until the first fiscal quarter of 2023.

A Sonos spokesperson confirmed the news to The Verge in an email, saying "I can confirm we decided to push an anticipated product launch from Q4 '22 into Q1 '23." That puts the subwoofer's release to sometime between October and December.

Sonos reported lower than expected revenue in its Q3 earnings report, pointing to high inflation and the U.S. dollar's appreciation as factors that have adversely affected consumer demand for its electronics category. Sonos said it is holding onto more inventory than it would like and is facing a "challenging Q4."

Article Link: Sonos Delays Release of More Affordable 'Sub Mini' Wireless Subwoofer

 

[Sebosz]

Uh, too bad. I just got Beam 2 and I’m amazed by its sound quality. Can’t wait for Sub Mini, because the regular one is too big and too expensive for my taste.

 

[contacos]

how is Q1 23 October to December? is that a weird American calendar thing again? Surely Q1 is Jan to March?

 

[sehns]

The overpriced Sonos sub is the main reason I haven't entered the ecosystem. For the price of their one sub you can get an amazing Bose or Samsung soundbar/sub system which shakes the room. It's literally 2x the price to go with a Sonos system for really whats only about a 10% improvement in sound quality. Sonos is kind of lost as a company. They came out doing the high end and then started producing cheap IKEA speakers. Like Ok, but what about the primary market which is the mid range buyer? Such weirdos.

 

[Godspeed8230]

how is Q1 23 October to December? is that a weird American calendar thing again? Surely Q1 is Jan to March?

Ever heard of Fiscal Year?

 

[contacos]

Ever heard of Fiscal Year?

yes but like I said, its apparently a special thing of the US (and the UK) calendar again. A fiscal year runs from jan to dec here (and most countries) so the quarters are the same. That's why I got confused

 

[Godspeed8230]

A fiscal year runs from jan to dec here (and most countries) so the quarters are the same

No, not necessarily. I am from Austria and we do have a lot of companies with fiscal years that do not run from Jan-Dec. It’s up to the enterprise and has more to do with their business activity than with the country they operate in.

That being said, it can be confusing for people who are not familiar with the fiscal year of the company, i.e. non-investors.

 

[GDF]

The overpriced Sonos sub is the main reason I haven't entered the ecosystem. For the price of their one sub you can get an amazing Bose or Samsung soundbar/sub system which shakes the room. It's literally 2x the price to go with a Sonos system for really whats only about a 10% improvement in sound quality. Sonos is kind of lost as a company. They came out doing the high end and then started producing cheap IKEA speakers. Like Ok, but what about the primary market which is the mid range buyer? Such weirdos.

There is a reason it is overpriced, as it is an awesome system and when you pair with their sub it most definitely shakes the room, if you want it too. I have their full system starting with the Arc and it is an amazing system and continues to get even better with their firmware updates. Trust me, I have tried them all including some systems that cost over $2k and the Sonos beats them all and offers excellent value. Not overpriced at all.

Guess you probably think an iPhone Pro is overpriced too compared to the competition or any Apple product. You get what you pay for. 😀

 

[Mojohanna32]

Uh, too bad. I just got Beam 2 and I’m amazed by its sound quality. Can’t wait for Sub Mini, because the regular one is too big and too expensive for my taste.

Agreed. I like Sonos' products. I would like to add a sub, but couldn't justify 4x the cost of a single speaker for a sub. I'll bet this thing still comes in at $499 or more though.

 

[schneeland]

Uh, too bad. I just got Beam 2 and I’m amazed by its sound quality. Can’t wait for Sub Mini, because the regular one is too big and too expensive for my taste.

Same here. I have the Beam as well as two One SLs as surround speakers for my TV and I'm quite happy with them, but the regular Sub feels both overpriced and unnecessary for my setup.

 

[CK1Czar]

I have the sub for my living room. Would like this for my bedroom where the normal sub would be overkill

 

[kyleh22]

Ever heard of Fiscal Year?

I initially thought it was a typo. Macrumors shouldn't expect the reader to be familiar with the Sonos fiscal calendar.

 

[yayarod]

In all reports regarding the Sub Mini, it is described that it will wirelessly pair with the company's existing soundbar lineup, including the Ray, the second-generation Beam, and the Arc.
Is it not expected to work with Fives and Ones?

 

[6787872]

There is a reason it is overpriced, as it is an awesome system and when you pair with their sub it most definitely shakes the room, if you want it too. I have their full system starting with the Arc and it is an amazing system and continues to get even better with their firmware updates. Trust me, I have tried them all including some systems that cost over $2k and the Sonos beats them all and offers excellent value. Not overpriced at all.

Guess you probably think an iPhone Pro is overpriced too compared to the competition or any Apple product. You get what you pay for. 😀

tell me you know nothing about audio without telling me you know nothing about audio

 

[Valve1138]

There’s also that little issue of them sending multiple duplicate Units out for one order.

I’m curious how much money they ate on that.

 

[GDF]

tell me you know nothing about audio without telling me you know nothing about audio

Kind of funny comment. You obviously have not compared the Sonos Arc, Sub and two surrounds to a Bose and Samsung, which the previous poster was referring to. Sonos Arc and components better than all of those and also continuous updates to improve. I have even compared to an Ambeo and returned that and kept the Sonos, so know what I am talking about compared to most people that have never owned the Bose, Sonos, Ambeo etc and compared in real life. 👍

 

[steve gee]

Might have something to do with the fact that their most recent software update completely broke sonos systems. The sub is now crap. Warning - dont buy til they provide a fix.

 

[Jigga Beef]

yes but like I said, its apparently a special thing of the US (and the UK) calendar again. A fiscal year runs from jan to dec here (and most countries) so the quarters are the same. That's why I got confused

No

 

[contacos]

No

yes

I remember our finance department is always having the worst time in December because they have to have everything ready by the end of December

 

[MrGIS]

The overpriced Sonos sub is the main reason I haven't entered the ecosystem. For the price of their one sub you can get an amazing Bose or Samsung soundbar/sub system which shakes the room. It's literally 2x the price to go with a Sonos system for really whats only about a 10% improvement in sound quality. Sonos is kind of lost as a company. They came out doing the high end and then started producing cheap IKEA speakers. Like Ok, but what about the primary market which is the mid range buyer? Such weirdos.

SONOS was never considered high end audio. A more accurate description might be high-low end. It has always been a solid, easy to use, nice sounding ecosystem with mass market appeal.

 

[6787872]

Kind of funny comment. You obviously have not compared the Sonos Arc, Sub and two surrounds to a Bose and Samsung, which the previous poster was referring to. Sonos Arc and components better than all of those and also continuous updates to improve. I have even compared to an Ambeo and returned that and kept the Sonos, so know what I am talking about compared to most people that have never owned the Bose, Sonos, Ambeo etc and compared in real life. 👍

thanks for proving my point.

 

[cvam1985]

I have three Sonos speakers throughout my house. They’re just ok. They were so hyped to have magnificent sound and ease of use.

The sound is quite tinny and the process of connecting to them leaves a ton to be desired.

I really wish Apple would bring back the home pod , but with full support for Spotify.

 

[arcaporale]

I was waiting for the sub mini to complete my beam gen 2 + one SL surround system, as I thought the Sub gen 3 was too expensive and too large for my small living room.

I decided to finally get the sub last week and have no regrets, really rounds out the sound for music, and makes movies and TV more exciting and immersive. Seeing this article today, I'm glad I didn't wait any longer.

I would agree that the sound quality is overhyped and one could go further performance wise with less money with another system.

But when you also consider the design, user experience, modularity, and features. I think most sonos products are a good investment for regular non-audiophile people, who want good audio, and to be able to effortlessly integrate it into their home.

 

[Madmic23]

I have the Sonos Arc, Sub, and two One's for rear speakers, and they all combine to sound very, very good.

I purchased the Arc and Sub together with a 30% discount I had from owning a Sonos Amp. If it wasn't for the discount, I wouldn't have purchased the sub as I do find it too expensive for what it does.

If a sub mini had have been available at that time, I would likely have purchased that instead.

 

[FranzMarc]

thanks for proving my point.

One line snarky comments don’t really help the discussion along either.

Why is Sonos not what the poster claims they are compared to similarly or higher priced systems? Curiosity from someone who might consider adding a sub mini.