Inside Sonos’ super secret lab where its sonic science is born

By Simon Cohen March 11, 2017

In the highly competitive world of consumer electronics, secrecy tends to be the guiding principle at most companies. Product leaks are avoided at all costs, and valuable intellectual property is guarded like the crown jewels. So it was a little unusual that Sonos decided to give a select group of tech writers a deep-dive behind the scenes at its Boston, MA headquarters. The occasion: The launch of the company’s latest product, the Playbase, a $699 alternative to its Playbar, that puts a full home theater kit in a 2.3-inch tall package that sits under, rather than in front of, your HDTV.

More: Sonos Playbase: Our First Take

It took just about four years for the Playbase team to get their product from concept to launch, and they were eager to show off the process. Above is a photo gallery from the launch event, including a detailed exploration of the Playbase development through a look at its various pre-final incarnations, as well as a peek behind-the-kimono at the extensive R&D facilities Sonos uses to create all of its wireless Hi-Fi products.

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Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…

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I had to try the Sonos Era 300 for myself and wasn’t ready for what happened

A Sonos Era 300 speaker.

This review has not at all gone according to plan. And I am not mad about it.

I’m a little late to the party, because, well, I kind of am! The new Sonos Era 300 speakers came out a couple of months ago, and along with them a rush of reviews — mostly wildly positive — absolutely singing their praises. This includes our own Simon Cohen, whose opinion I trust. There are a lot of “game-changer” headlines out there, which I typically to dismiss as hyperbole. So I wanted to try the Era 300 for myself.

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Android users are about to lose a handy Sonos feature

An Android phone with the Sonos app showing the music sources tab menu, next to a Sonos Roam wireless speaker.

Sonos customers who use Android devices to control their wireless speakers are about to lose the ability to play music files that are stored locally on their phones or tablets. As spotted by The Verge, Sonos recently (and quietly) announced that as of May 23, 2023, the Sonos app for Android will no longer give you the On this Mobile Device option in the app's Music Sources tab.

Apple users already know what this is like. The same feature was removed from iOS and iPadOS versions of the Sonos app several years ago. The difference, though, is that as Apple user owns a newish Sonos speaker (basically any product released since the Sonos One) they have the option to stream any content from their phones to their Sonos gear over AirPlay 2, a lossless, 16-bit wireless protocol that's supported on tons of Sonos products.

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Sonos could soon be the soundtrack for your next shopping trip

Store manager using Sonos Pro to control a local speaker.

Sonos has announced Sonos Pro, a new way for companies with multiple locations to manage all of their Sonos wireless speakers from a central, web-based command center. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) product has subscription pricing: each location you want to control costs $35 per month. It's a U.S.-only service for now, with additional markets planned for the future.

The system is flexible, letting companies decide how much control over individual locations should be in the hands of their employees -- all the way from full control to no control at all. The days of your local Kroger running its own quirky playlist could be over if that sort of thing goes against the brand's standards for its in-store experience. Or, companies could decide that a local flavor is exactly what they want to promote and give their store managers a big influence on the music their customers hear.