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Sonos Plans to Launch Apple TV-Like Streaming Box

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Sonos is developing a high-end streaming set-top box that's expected to launch this year, reports The Verge. While any set-top box will compete with the Apple TV, Sonos plans to price its upcoming device at $200 to $400, which would make it notably more expensive than the Apple TV.

sonos-logo.jpg

According to The Verge, the hardware is a nondescript black box that's slightly thicker than a deck of cards, with an included remote control. It'll run a version of Android, but Sonos has developed a "beautiful" interface.

The set-top box will offer content from Netflix, Max, Disney Plus, and other streaming services in a unified software experience that supports universal search. Sonos is said to be aiming to reduce the fragmentation of the streaming ecosystem, and the set-top box will be equipped with Sonos Voice Control. Apple has tried to do something similar, and Siri is able to provide content suggestions from a range of services.

Sonos' set-top box will double as an HDMI switch and it has HDMI ports with passthrough functionality. Users will be able to plug in gaming consoles, soundbars, and other devices. The device solves a latency problem that has long annoyed Sonos, and it will prevent TVs from experiencing audio sync delays with Sonos-branded soundbars.

For Sonos users who have Sonos speakers but not a soundbar, the set-top box will allow for the configuration of a surround sound system with Sonos devices. It will also support Wi-Fi 7 and offer gigabit ethernet.

Sonos struggled in 2024 after a disastrous app launch that ultimately led to Sonos CEO Patrick Spence stepping down, so the company needs a win in 2025 to restore its reputation. Sonos did not have much luck with its Sonos Ace headphones that came out around the time the app was refreshed, but the Arc Ultra Soundbar that launched late last year received better reviews.

Article Link: Sonos Plans to Launch Apple TV-Like Streaming Box
 
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https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/04/sonos-set-top-box/
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MacRumors said:
Sonos plans to price its upcoming device at $200 to $400, which would make it notably more expensive than the Apple TV.

​
According to The Verge, the hardware is a nondescript black box that's slightly thicker than a deck of cards, with an included remote control. It'll run a version of Android, but Sonos has developed a "beautiful" interface.
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and we are lead to believe that the next gen ATV might be below $100 ...

Good luck Sonos, you'll need lots and lots of it
 
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Sonos' set-top box will double as an HDMI switch and it has HDMI ports with passthrough functionality. Users will be able to plug in gaming consoles, soundbars, and other devices. The device solves a latency problem that has long annoyed Sonos, and it will prevent TVs from experiencing audio sync delays with Sonos-branded soundbars.
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As someone using an HDMI switch I had to get from Germany to get eARC to work (it's impressive, but adds one more piece to the mix) with my TV and my Sonos Arc, I'd be on-board for this. (It even sounds a little like the old Caavo remote system, which I always liked.) "But the app!" you say. It's working for me at this point (it was only broken for a little while for me, but maybe I don't have that complex of a system). If this can simplify a few things for me, then bring it on.
 
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Competition is always good for us consumers. Maybe it will do a number of desirable things and inspire Apple to step up the AppleTV game? There are many AppleTV threads full of Apple people wishing for a more loaded AppleTV box... some even calling for M4 AppleTV, HDMI passthrough, a path to real surround sound audio setups, etc.

I have AppleTVs connected to every TV in my home but have no interest in the rumored slightly faster-but-the-same 4K box gen 4. While I doubt this Sonos box will pull me from the Apple UI (and the much greater app availability that goes well beyond streaming video providers), it would be nice if it could help "wake up" Apple to perhaps finally lift this fantastic little box out of hobby status.

I also have several Sonos speakers in an Apple-heavy household and no problem at all with the new app. It generally doesn't even have to be used after setting up speakers because then AppleTV or Mac or the Apple Music app are in control. But if I really, really needed to use a Sonos app and had any trouble with the new iDevice one, I could use the "same old, same old" one on the Mac as a workaround... just like I find ways around the many Apple bugs in the various OS updates every year... or when Apple makes wholesale changes/refreshes to any of their own apps.
 
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Nah, I’m good.

In fact- whenever I go to friends house/apartment or an office etc and they try to let others connect to play music through their Sonos there’s ALWAYS a song and a dance to get it working (if it works at all). Never easy to just play from your phone after connecting to WiFi. They can’t ever get Bluetooth to work on it. Just a long list of weird issues…

Do others with Sonos systems have the same issue?
 
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airwalk331 said:
Nah, I’m good.

In fact- whenever I go to friends house/apartment or an office etc and they try to let others connect to play music through their Sonos there’s ALWAYS a song and a dance to get it working (if it works at all). Never easy to just play from your phone after connecting to WiFi. They can’t ever get Bluetooth to work on it. Just a long list of weird issues…

Do others with Sonos systems have the same issue?
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Mine does not have that issue at all. We have Sonos in four rooms in the house including two complete surround systems. Anyone on our wifi can easily use AirPlay to send songs from their phones or iPads to any of our speakers. It's not something we use often unless my teenage daughter has her friends over then it's a very popular feature.
 
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carniesandrubes said:
So you get to pay that much and have ads shoved in your face.
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It appears someone hasn't opened the AppleTV app lately. "Buy this, Rent this, Subscribe to this, etc." Slide down to "Library" expecting to find your own stuff... but no... it's limited to ONLY stuff previously purchased from Apple. You might have the TV app on Mac loaded up with ripped content, home movies, etc but since there's no new revenue in that, why would AAPL centralize it in this one main app? Just rows & rows of content offerings that generally demand buying (or logging into paid) subscriptions, buying or renting video.

My household has just given up on using that app at all... but a push of the wrong button on the remote and it pops up anyway.
 
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airwalk331 said:
Nah, I’m good.

In fact- whenever I go to friends house/apartment or an office etc and they try to let others connect to play music through their Sonos there’s ALWAYS a song and a dance to get it working (if it works at all). Never easy to just play from your phone after connecting to WiFi. They can’t ever get Bluetooth to work on it. Just a long list of weird issues…

Do others with Sonos systems have the same issue?
Click to expand...

Can't say I do. Biggest issue I have is latency over the Port when I'm playing from a stereo component (phono, CD) to another room (and that's to be expected, unfortunately, due to the buffer).
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
It appears someone hasn't opened the AppleTV app lately. "Buy this, Rent this, Subscribe to this, etc" My household has just given up on using that app at all... but a push of the wrong button on the remote and it pops up anyway.
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Idk, while I don’t use the ATV app all that much, I don’t remember being “bombarded” with ads. I do use my streaming services apps though, but I only have ad-free subscriptions so mostly no complaint there either…
 
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For anyone seriously considering a Sonos streaming box over an Apple TV, remember that Sonos revised their Terms of Service a little while back to take out the part about not selling information about your listening habits to third parties.

Apple gets their money up front (big time) and then, in return, doesn't pimp you out to advertisers / data brokers. Sonos used to be in the same position, but it's gotten a bit more slippery now.
 
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Given that basically every new tv has a bunch of this built in already, I don't see the point. The Apple TV is nice because the interface is miles away better than our Smart TV's, and it's way faster too. Its price is already higher than competitors.

$200 for a streaming box is laughable.
 
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I use AppleTV boxes with both my TVs. I have tried Roku, Chromecast and Amazon Fire and didn’t care for either of them. I think Sonos speakers offer a value and quality similar to Apple. I know they’ve made some poor decisions recently and sometimes there’s connectivity issues to the point you need to reset to factory settings and setup system from new. But, as someone else pointed out “competition is good”, and I love seeing new tech products released. That’s why I’m a tech nerd, doesn’t mean I will make the purchase but it’s exciting. I feel like a child on Christmas morning . ✌🏻
 
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