Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Sonos Acquires Mayht to Develop Smaller Speakers That Really Sing

It looks like Sonos is on the prowl for new speaker technology that will work well in small form factor speakers. Find out why buying Mayht might be a significant move.

Mayht Speaker Driver

Sonos has announced the acquisition of Mayht Holding BV (aka Mayht) for $100 million dollars. Mayht is a Netherlands-based company that has invented a new, revolutionary approach to speaker driver construction that enables smaller and lighter speakers without reducing the audio quality.

Let’s take a closer look at Mayht’s speaker technology and why Sonos jumped on this opportunity.

Mayht Heartmotion Speaker Technology

Mayht’s Heartmotion® Technology represents the first fully balanced dual membrane speaker driver. This breakthrough provides a major improvement in key speaker capabilities such as maximum output, size, weight, and flexibility.

Heartmotion logo

Heartmotion® speaker technology can be used in soundbars, voice-assisted speakers, wireless home speakers,  portable, automotive, and professional speakers

Main Benefits of Heartmotion® Technology

Mayht Speaker Drivers in a row

Reduce Speaker Size

A Heartmotion® designed speaker driver of a specific size can output sound at levels that would normally require a much larger driver. The reason this is possible is because of the incredibly high air displacement (membrane excursion x membrane areas) of the heartmotion driver.

Mayht provides two examples:

  • A 3.5-inch diameter Heartmotion® driver has the same output as a conventional 8-inch diameter driver. 
  • A 1.5-inch Heartmotion® driver has the same output as a conventional 3.5-inch diameter driver. 

Self-Balancing Speaker Driver

Conventional speaker drivers are not self-balanced. This results in speaker shaking (which is often countered by adding weight to the speaker or using multiple drivers). Heartmotion® is the world’s first self-balancing driver tech, allowing lightweight audio systems that do not shake – solving a major problem in the audio industry.

Design Flexibility

For maximum design flexibility, Heartmotion® technology provides three air displacement variations. Dual firing, Front Side firing, and Front firing. In order to redirect the air, Mayht developed the Heartmotion® Duct to redirect air displacement of one or both membranes.

Addressing Air Pressure Issues

In free air, there is very little air pressure working against the movement of a driver membrane. However, when conventional drivers are placed in an enclosure, the air pressure prevents the membrane from making high excursions – resulting in a high amplifier power is needed, especially to get more low-frequency bass output.

Other Benefits of Heartmotion® Technology

  • Less Material is needed for production.
  • Smaller size and less weight.
  • Less freight shipping costs.
  • Reduced carbon footprint.
Sonos Logo

What All This Means

With this acquisition, Sonos is not resting on its laurels. Sonos wireless speakers have been well-received by both consumers and reviewers, but if they can up speaker performance and retain smaller form factors, that would be a significant edge against their competitors. 

Along with the Mayht acquisition, there are strong indications that Sonos is also developing a “Home Theater OS” aka “Next Generation Home Theater Experience” that would combine a new video streaming platform with its audio platform. 

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

For example, think of something like the Sonos ARC soundbar (or a newly developed wireless system, similar to Enclave or Platin) with a built-in streaming platform similar to Roku, FireTV, Apple TV, or Android TV.

Combine that with Mayht speaker technology (and, hopefully, reasonable prices) and Sonos would definitely increase its market penetration in the streaming and home theater markets.  

Tip: Sonos currently offers a music streaming service called Sonos Radio.

As more details emerge on the possible Mayht and/or Home Theater OS implementations, we will update this article or post and link to companion articles as needed. 

Recent Sonos Stories

Sonos Roam SL Portable Wireless Speaker

Sonos Adds Support for Amazon Music HD and Dolby Atmos

Sonos Adds DTS Support To Sonos ARC And Beam

Sonos Beam 2 Soundbar With Dolby Atmos is Easier on the Wallet

Sonos Releases Arc, Premium Dolby Atmos Soundbar

Sonos One SL Wireless Speaker Review

Sonos/IKEA Symfonisk Picture Frame WiFi Speaker

New US Patent Filed for Sonos Wireless Earbuds?

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Jean-François Héon

    April 14, 2022 at 2:33 am

    Now I want IAG to buy them so we can have mini Lintons & mini Mission 770!

    • stevenswall

      January 27, 2023 at 10:26 pm

      Lintons and Missions are focused on legacy designs rather than extracting maximum performance for the available speaker volume. They, like ATC, PMB, and several other companies would be going against their archaic nature pairing something like this with their lossy, heat based crossovers and poor cabinet designs.

      Hopefully Sonos can use them to their full potential and we’ll get something with the sound of a Devialet Phantom in a soundbar form with these Mayht drivers.

      The only downfall will likely be that Sonos and most other companies don’t know how to make a center channel speaker with good vertical and horizontal dispersion like Genelec and Devialet and KEF and Kali do with their coaxial drivers.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

New Products

Audioengine A2+ Next Gen Anniversary Edition in Matte Orange Wireless Desktop Speakers Lifestyle

New Products

Limited to 250 pairs in matte orange, Audioengine A2+ Next Gen wireless speakers offer bold color, stellar desktop design, powerful tech, and great value....

Monitor Audio Bronze 7G Loudspeakers White Monitor Audio Bronze 7G Loudspeakers White

Floorstanding Speakers

Five Monitor Audio Bronze Series 7G loudspeakers bring upgraded drivers, sleek design, and Dolby Atmos support at wallet-friendly prices.

Ikarao Smart Karaoke Speakers Group Ikarao Smart Karaoke Speakers Group

New Products

Ikarao's Shell S1, Break X1, and Break X2 combine wireless and wired music streaming with touchscreens, light effects, and karaoke features for the ultimate...

Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier Front Left Angle Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier Front Left Angle

Integrated Amps & Stereo Receivers

Musical Fidelity’s new B1xi integrated amp ditches streaming for pure Class A/B power, a quality phono stage, and hi-res digital inputs for $879.

AudioQuest Brave Heart Speaker Cable AudioQuest Brave Heart Speaker Cable

Audio Cables

ZERO-Tech speaker cables capable of advanced noise reduction and precise timing for high-end audio systems deserving of geekery loud on specs, quiet on sense.

Ortofon MC X10, X20, X30, X40 Phono Cartridges Ortofon MC X10, X20, X30, X40 Phono Cartridges

New Products

Ortofon’s new MC X Series cartridges bring high-end quad-coil tech and precision tracking to challenge Hana, Dynavector, and Goldring at every price point.

You May Also Like

New Products

Ikarao's Shell S1, Break X1, and Break X2 combine wireless and wired music streaming with touchscreens, light effects, and karaoke features for the ultimate...

Podcasts

Find out which wireless headphones and earbuds offer the best combination of sound quality, active noise cancellation, battery life, comfort and convenience in 2025.

News

Sonos updates Ace headphones with TrueCinema, dual TV Audio Swap, and better ANC. Worth it if you own a Sonos soundbar.

Gift Guides

Gift ideas guaranteed to bring the thrill of the Olympics into your home for a more enjoyable and memorable experience with family and friends.

New Products

The WiiM Sound smart speaker and WiiM Sub Pro deliver budget-priced multi-room wireless music streaming. Should Sonos be worried?

News

IKEA and Sonos end their Symfonisk cult—er, collab. Last chance to grab bookshelf and lamp speakers before they disappear into the forest.

A/V Receivers & Preamp/Processors

Yamaha's flagship AVENTAGE A/V Receivers now "Work with Sonos" thanks to a free firmware update enabling multi-room audio with Sonos Port.

Gift Guides

Upgrade Mom's home audio and video experiences this Mother's Day with 10 gift ideas she'll absolutely love -- and you might too.

Advertisement

ecoustics is a hi-fi and music magazine offering product reviews, podcasts, news and advice for aspiring audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and headphone hipsters. Read more

Copyright © 1999-2024 ecoustics | Disclaimer: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.



SVS Bluesound PSB Speakers NAD Cambridge Audio Q Acoustics Denon Marantz Focal Naim Audio RSL Speakers