Sonos' wireless headphones are coming for AirPods Max and Bose
We've been tracking Sonos's long-rumoured wireless headphones for some time now, and it looks like they're about to become reality: a new report by Bloomberg says that they could launch as soon as April 2024. As you'd expect from a Sonos product these are going to be aimed at more discerning customers with a price tag to match; the closest rivals are likely to be Apple's AirPods Max, Sony's WH-1000XM5 and Bose's QC Ultra.
Given that they're all among the very best headphones you can buy, Sonos is going head to head with some serious competition. So what can we expect?
What to expect from Sonos' wireless headphones
The report says that the price tag will be in the region of $400 to $500, and there will be a choice of two colours just like other Sonos hardware: black and white. The headphones will synchronise with Sonos soundbars, speakers and subs, and you'll be able to control at least some of their features using your voice.
Bloomberg suggests that Sonos isn't going to go head to head with rivals on grounds of technical wizardry; rather, the focus will be on customisation and on giving users the ability to fine-tune the sound via the Passport app.
For now Sonos is only going to launch headphones, but a pair of earbuds is reportedly also in development. It's unclear how far along that development is so there's no expectation of a release date or ballpark price as yet.
Given that we're talking about Sonos here, impressive sound quality is a given. But it'll be interesting to see what else these headphones have to offer – and in particular, what they have to offer people who aren't sitting surrounded by Sonos speakers. The integration with existing Sonos kit is of course going to be liked by people who have existing Sonos kit, but what we don't know yet is whether these will also be compelling headphones for people who aren't already heavily invested in Sonos products. The price tag in particular could be an issue, because it's close to double the current street price of Sony's best over-ears, the WH-1000XM5. Given their truly exceptional performance and lower price, those are clearly the headphones Sonos needs to beat.
