Sonos wireless headphones 'delayed until June', say industry sources
Sonos' wireless headphones have been delayed until June. Industry insiders – aka "people with knowledge of the matter" – have told Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that a software snag during testing has delayed production. The headphones were previously rumoured to launch in April.
According to the report, the issue is with how the headphones connect to wi-fi networks. It showed up during a stage called product validation testing (PVT), which usually takes place just two weeks before mass production.
The release could slip further, depending on how the issue is resolved, the report notes. But Sonos is hoping to start shipping in the first half of June.
The headphones are reportedly being manufactured in China. Sonos hopes to produce between 650,000 and 1 million units over the next year, say Gurman's sources.
With a rumoured price of $449 (around ￡355, AU$689), they would be a little pricier than Sony's class-leading WH-1000XM5 (￡380 / $399 / AU$550). Think premium, but not in the realms of the AirPods Max (￡549 / $549 / AU$899), B&W Px8 (￡599 / $699 / AU$1150), Focal Bathys (￡699 / $699 / AU$1199) or Mark Levinson No. 5909 (￡999 / $999 / AU$1599).
Headphones would be a departure for Sonos, which has spent the last two decades making wireless speakers that are among the best multi-room systems you can buy. It has since diversified into soundbars (Arc, Beam Gen 2, Ray), portable wireless speakers (Roam, Move 2), subwoofers (Sub, Sub Mini) and a speaker designed around spatial audio (Era 300).
The firm is rumoured to also be working on an Arc Gen 2 that would be even more premium than the original Arc soundbar, and a TV streaming box to rival the Apple TV 4K and Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. Smart diversification? Or is it throwing too many products at the wall and hoping some stick? We should find out before the year is over.
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