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It looks like the next Sonos product due out this year is the new Sonos S36 Soundbar – a budget soundbar that’s smaller than the Sonos Beam and could cost $250 (around £190, AU$340).
Information about the soundbar was delivered to The Verge confidentially, which was then disseminated to the public. We’ve reached out to Sonos to confirm these reports but have yet to hear back.
According to the publication’s report, the soundbar will measure in at 550 x 69 x 100mm (WxDxH) and looks like it will contain just two front-facing drivers. That will mean the new budget soundbar won’t be capable of Dolby Atmos audio but, according to The Verge, it could be used to add up-firing speakers to another Sonos soundbar to create a more immersive experience.
Unlike the larger Sonos Arc or Sonos Beam soundbars, the S36 doesn’t have an HDMI port on it and instead uses digital optical audio, however it seems like it will be compatible with Sonos One speakers, allowing you to build a surround sound system one piece at a time.
Analysis: Is this what Sonos has to show us at the rumored Sonos event? Rumors have been circulating that there’s an upcoming Sonos event happening in late May that will focus around the company’s home entertainment aspirations.
A cheaper soundbar could very likely fit within that purview, as could Sonos’ wireless headphones that have been rumored to be in development as well as a home theater system that has also been cited by other publications.
All these products are, of course, only rumors until we can get Sonos to confirm them publicly – something it’s unlikely to do until a big media event.
That said, The Verge says tat the new soundbar could be available starting as early as June 7, which would line up nicely with that event that could take place in late May.
If we don’t hear more before then, that’s when you can expect to hear about these products in full detail.
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Nick Pino is the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar and covers TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He’s written for TechRadar, GamesRadar, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he’s not using if anyone wants it.
