We recently wrote about the discovery of several new Sonos speakers that would be able to play Dolby Atmos audio in multiple directions. They appear to be just what Sonos needs to compete with the greatest soundbars, which use more complex rear speakers to create incredibly precise directional sound in a way that Sonos' products can't yet match.
But as I read the original article from The Verge, it occurred to me that these speakers don't appear to be appearing any time soon. They are most certainly not the mysterious launch Sonos claims is coming this year (widely believed to be the Sonos Sub Mini), and they may not even make it to 2023 at all.
I believe this because I spoke with Sonos about their development process, and I have a sneaking hunch that The Verge has seen a design that is at least somewhat close to that point.
I had the opportunity to speak with Brandon Holley, Product Creation Lead at Sonos, about how products are designed and developed there before the launch of the Sonos Ray. He revealed to me that Sonos works by creating rough prototypes that it can actually give to testers to see how they work in terms of acceptable sizes and fundamental design elements from fairly early on.
"Starting with actual cardboard box models, we'll put them together. simply attempt to observe the size, "Holley added. "Therefore, we'll begin from a pure design point of view while also beginning from a pure acoustic point of view. What number of drivers can we realistically fit into each of these models?"
The extremely crucial sentence from Holley is as follows: We'll create highly design-focused prototypes that don't produce any sound but are intended to be installed in people's homes, he said. "Some of our beta testers who are subject to NDAs will actually bring these models home. We'll ask them to take pictures of the location in their home where they would put it."
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The Verge's rendering of the Sonos Optimo 2 speaker is based on images it has seen. (Photo courtesy of The Verge)
The angular shape seems extremely purposeful, therefore I believe the product's images that The Verge has seen are likely from this stage. However, this doesn't mean the acoustic design has been decided upon.
The next Dolby Atmos speaker, which The Verge claims is called "Optimo 2," though that may just be a code name, is probably about halfway through that process. Holley told me in our interview that the Sonos Ray took a couple of years to build. I don't think a launch can be close at all when you take into account the requirement to begin manufacturing it as well.
Do they possess a heart?
Will they make use of the cutting-edge speaker technology that Sonos recently purchased? is another important query in this situation. In April 2022, Sonos bought the business Mayht, which was in high demand because it had created a revolutionary speaker technology that could fit the same amount of power and music quality in drivers that were a fraction of the size.
A Sonos One might roughly be compared to an Amazon Echo Dot in terms of power, while a Sonos Five could be compared to a Sonos One.
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A HeartMotion speaker prototype that claims the same amount of power and music quality is shown here next to the Sonos Five. (Mayht's photo credit)
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Would Sonos try to incorporate this technology into its upcoming speakers, and if so, will that impede their progress? Since it has only recently taken ownership of this new business, I doubt that these speakers will be released in the upcoming year. It simply takes too little time to test, comprehend, and design around a whole new technology.
We might have to wait even longer than anticipated for the results if Sonos decides to use this technology right now (which, to be fair, is exactly appropriate for a Dolby Atmos speaker that discharges sound in all directions).
The Samsung HW-Q930B, for example, offers a complete and cutting-edge Dolby Atmos surround sound setup for the same price as the Sonos Arc's soundbar unit alone. Let's hope that whatever Sonos eventually comes up with feels strong enough to catch up.
