Sonos has been very successful in both the wireless multi-room audio and soundbar markets. However, their products are expensive which means that Sonos may be missing an opportunity to attract more budget-conscious consumers that buy soundbars from Vizio, Samsung, Sony, and others.
It looks like that is going to change in the very near future with the launch of a much more affordable soundbar system that has the potential to be a very popular product as consumers who have sat on the Sonos fence finally have the opportunity to join the ecosystem.
UPDATE 5/11/2022: Sonos officially unveils the Ray Soundbar. For all the details, including pricing and availability, refer to our companion article: The Sonos Ray Aims to Disintegrate the Affordable Soundbar Competition
For those that want to check out the details of the initial leak, along with some other Sonos product and technology previews, keep reading our original story below:
New Sonos Soundbar Model and Price
- The model number for the new soundbar will be S36 but is being referred to as the Fury.
- It is expected that the S36 Fury will be priced at $249, way below the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Sonos Arc but definitely in line with many competitors.
- The S36 Fury is more compact than the Beam and Beam Gen 2 measuring just (WDH): 21.65 x 2.71 x 4-inches (550mm x 69mm x 100mm).
Some Features The S36 Fury Will Have
- Digital Optical connection and cable will be included.
- Users will be able to add wireless surround speakers (such as a pair of Sonos One SLs) to the Fury for a full 5.1 channel surround sound listening experience.
- Users will be able to use a pair of Furys mounted vertically as surround speakers for the Beam or Arc.
- Users will be able to use the Fury as Dolby Atmos height speakers only when used with the Sonos ARC or Beam by mounting it so that is it angled in a way that the speakers fire vertically using a special wall mount to be offered by Sonos.
What The S36 Fury Won’t Have
- No standalone Dolby Atmos capability. (Dolby Digital Only: No word is DTS will be included as it is now on the Sonos Beam and ARC)
- No Built-in Mics: This means no Alexa or Google Assistant support.
- No HDMI connection: This means no ARC/eARC functionality.
NOTE: No official images of the S36 Fury have been released, but The Verge has drawn some unofficial 3D renderings based on leaked photos. It’s also important to point out that when asked about the S36 Fury, Sonos had no comment.
More Coming From Sonos
Other rumored products coming from Sonos include a smaller, lower-priced subwoofer (S37 – presumably to complement the S36 Fury) and wireless headphones (which have been in development for about a year!).
Sonos also has other things in its pipeline, including a Home Theater Streaming OS (like Roku and FireTV). They also recently purchased MAYHT, makers of innovative speaker technology that Sonos could incorporate into a whole new range of speaker products.
Keep in mind nothing mentioned in this article is official as the name, features, and even price could change, or the speculated June 7, 2022 release time for the S36 Fury may be delayed. We will update the info as it comes in.
