Sonos’ next soundbar is expected to launch for less than $300. We already know what it should look like and what the on-board functions will be
A few weeks ago, it was discovered that Sonos was working on a new soundbar, codenamed S36 Fury. This sound bar, to accompany the Beam, Beam Gen 2 or Arc models, is once again making a name for itself with a definitive name and a few features.
The American site The Verge has indeed obtained several information on the upcoming announcements from Sonos. In a first article published on Wednesday, he reveals the name under which this new Sonos soundbar should be marketed. It should thus be the Sonos Ray according to “internal documents” and sources consulted by The Verge.
The Sonos Ray should be the entry point into Sonos’ soundbar category. Proposed around 249 dollars (235 euros excluding tax), it would thus be more accessible than the Sonos Arc and Sonos Beam Gen 2, launched respectively at 899 and 499 euros. Who says entry-level model also says more limited features. If the soundbar should logically integrate the ecosystem of connected speakers from Sonos, it would however benefit from no microphone, thus preventing the use of a voice assistant or calls in Bluetooth. The soundbar should also only offer horizontal 3.1 sound, without compatibility with Dolby Atmos or DTS: X, but with 5.1 compatibility by connecting it to other Sonos speakers placed at the rear. Moreover, the Sonos Ray soundbar should not benefit from an HDMI connection. It should thus be equipped only with digital audio input, as well as an Ethernet socket.
The Sonos Ray // Source: Ktronix
The Sonos Ray // Source: Ktronix
We should know more about the Sonos Ray in ” the next weeks “period of formalization announced by the site The Verge.
A voice assistant also in the pipeline
The American site also learned that the manufacturer was working in parallel on its own voice assistant: Sonos Voice. If it would not be offered on the Sonos Ray – absence of microphones obliges – it would arrive within existing Sonos products thanks to a software update scheduled for June 1st.
Concretely, this voice assistant will be offered in addition to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and will allow users to launch music simply by voice simply by pronouncing “Hey Sonos”. The Verge, for example, cites compatibility with several music streaming services such as Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, Deezer and Sonos Radio. However, Spotify and YouTube Music seem to be excluded from the device for the time being.
We’ve known for over a year that Sonos is also working on its first headphones. However, it is still unclear whether it too will be launched in the coming weeks alongside the brand’s voice assistant as well as its new entry-level soundbar.
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