Sonos whose products have been a strong seller in both specialist audio and mass CE retail stores is set to launch a soundbase.
What is not known is whether the Sonos Playbase will can deliver High Res or 24bit Audio.
Sonos doesn’t release speakers frequently, the last Sonos product launch in Australia was in 2015. A big fan of Apple at the expense of Android devices Sonos is tipped to include Alexa Voice technology into the new Soundbase later this year. Back in 2015, Sonos introduced room tuning technology that only worked if you owned an iPhone, they claimed at the time that Apple speakers or recording technology was superior to that found in Android devices. The technology failed.
The first hint of the new soundbase which will come in both white and black versions, came in November 8, 2013, when Sonos filed for the ‘Playbase’ trademark with the USPTO, revealing that a new product was in the works.
At this stage Sonos hasn’t confirmed the existence of the Playbase sound base. We asked for comment and received the following response: “It is Sonos’ policy not to comment on rumours or speculation regarding future products.”
According to retailers who have been briefed on the new soundbase the new product will debut in March 2017.
Leaked photographs reveal that the Sonos Playbase looks like a traditional sound bar, albeit with a flatter back end where the TV can sit. From the pictures, we can see that there’s a wraparound speaker grille on the front, an Ethernet port on the back, and a button on the side. It’s also possible that there may be touch controls, as was the case with the second generation Sonos Play:5 speaker.
In Australia, the device is tipped to sell for $899.
Currently Bose, sells the Bose Solo 15 Series II, which is a sound bar designed to bear the weight of your television.
We also hear that a European soundbase maker is currently shopping distributors in an effort to launch new Soundbases into the Australian market.
