Sonos

Sonos and Ikea loved to make speakers that look like other things. They launched the Symfonisk table lamp speaker, bookshelf speakers and a picture frame, among other products. But now the Sonos-Ikea partnership ends, according to reports.

The Symfonisk line of speakers, which also includes a bookshelf speaker that can hold books and a picture frame speaker that looks like wall art, is designed to blend in with your home decor.

Update: Sonos and Ikea just ended their lengthy partnership on the popular Symfonisk speakers, which included a table lamp and a picture frame, according to various reports.

“Over the past eight years, we’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Ikea and are proud of what we’ve achieved,” Sonos told The Verge. “Although our work together has largely wound down and we won’t be releasing new products as partners, we’ll continue to support every existing Symfonisk product so customers can keep enjoying great sound in their homes for many years to come.”

Sonos reportedly scrapped plans to launch its streaming video device. The Apple TV rival was “deep into development,” yet the company decided to pull the plug on its release.

The streaming device was going to be Sonos’ next big hardware product.

Sonos planned to launch a MagSafe speaker for iPhones. The device would attach to the back of iPhones, delivering louder, richer sound quality than the built-in speakers.

However, technical limitations eventually forced the company to shelve its plans.

In a big shake-up at smart speaker maker Sonos — whose high-end audio products are popular with Apple users — CEO Patrick Spence resigned effective immediately and a board member will step in as interim CEO, the company said Monday. Spence’s departure comes after a turbulent 2024 that saw the company struggle with a controversial app redesign, disappointing product launches and declining customer satisfaction.

Black Friday arrives on November 29, but many sales on tech gear kick off a week or more before that. Take Sonos, for example. You can find a range of great deals on headphones, speakers, soundbars and bundles of different products starting Thursday (November 21) in the Sonos Black Friday sale. Most of the bargains are at both Sonos and Amazon. Go to Sonos to see the whole sale on one page and grab the bundles. Follow links to either Amazon or Sonos below for various Labor Day deals on Sonos audio gear.

Apple-centric home audio nuts — and especially home theater aficionados — can officially get excited about two new high-end offerings from Sonos with new Sound Motion technology: the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar and the Sonos Sub 4 subwoofer. You can preorder now, with their release coming on October 29, Sonos said Tuesday.

“For decades, Sonos has revolutionized home theater and music experiences with products that look as great as they sound. Driven by our hunger for innovation, we created Sound Motion to break the boundaries of what’s possible by a single speaker, bringing this industry-first transducer technology to home theater where demand for extraordinary sound is equal to designs that fit modern living spaces,” said Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos.

“Arc Ultra is a reimagination of our best-selling soundbar, leveraging this incredible innovation to deliver an unprecedented sound experience from a sleeker design,” he added. And by the way, Sonos said it’s also making progress on improving its much-maligned updated app.

Labor Day comes up on Monday, September 2, but some sales on tech gear kick off as much as a week before that. Take Sonos, for example. You can find a range of great deals on headphones, speakers, soundbars and bundles of different products. Most of the bargains are at both Sonos and Amazon. Go to Sonos to see the whole sale on one page and grab the bundles. Follow links to either Amazon or Sonos below for various Labor Day deals on Sonos audio gear.

The CEO of Sonos threw cold water on hopes that the speaker-maker would replace its much-maligned new application with the previous version. Turns out that would make the problem worse.

Sonos users will instead have to wait for the new app to be improved — a process the company promises it’s working on as quickly as it can.

Sonos’ new mobile app is so bad that the company is reportedly considering bringing back its old S2 app. The company released its revamped mobile app in May this year, just a few weeks before the Sonos Ace launched.

Since then, Sonos users have criticized the app for missing basic features.

People love Sonos audio gear for good reason. But they rarely find it on sale. For Father’s Day, however, it has launched a bonafide Sonos speaker sale, offering up to 25% off an array of speakers and audio sets like home-theater rigs.

In one case of a premium immersive audio set for your home theater, you save $520 (see below). With that one, your living room entertainment center will be the envy of the neighborhood.

When it comes to fantastic and popular over-ear noise-canceling headphones that don’t stray too far from the realm of affordability, certain brands typically leap to mind. Apple. Beats. Sony. Sennheiser. Audio-Technica. Bose. And yet we noticed how seldomly flagship cans from Bose, one of the most famous and well-regarded brands in the United States, crop up in our computer setups coverage. Take the brand’s current top dog, for example — Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.

Today’s M2 Max MacBook Pro setup brings in a set of Bose Ultras alongside AirPods Pro 2, for when the user needs bigger audio guns with greater comfort than Apple’s top earbuds.

Sonos’ first headphones and its AirPods Max competitor, the upcoming Sonos Ace, have leaked online. The slip-up revealed the headphones’ design and the array of buttons on both earcups.

Like other Sonos products, the Ace also appears to have a premium design, which should help it stand out.

A lot of folks love Apple audio products like HomePod speakers and AirPods earbuds. But another cherished audio brand is running a promotion right now you don’t want to miss. That would be 25% off Sonos refurbished speakers and soundbars, plus a couple of other primo deals. See the details below.

After all, we know Apple’s refurbs are good, so why not Sonos?

Some home computer setups go extra-large on visuals, others pump up quality sound — and some go nuts with both in equal measure.

Today’s featured Mac Studio and MacBook Pro setup features not only six exceptional displays — including Apple’s vaunted, $5,000 Pro Display XDR — it also adds a bonus sound system to its complete Sonos home-theater audio array.

Continue reading

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Tim Cook recently said Apple has “very detailed” succession plans for when he eventually steps down as CEO. Plus, the company definitely plans to hire from within. That got us thinking … who’s next in Apple’s game of thrones?

Also on The CultCast:

• OLED screens might come to iPad Air and iPad mini somewhat soonish.
• Europe’s busybody technocrats have some more grand plans for Apple and other manufacturers. We’ve got mixed emotions.
• Sonos reportedly wants to take on Apple TV and AirPods Max with rival products.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

The revamped Sonos Move 2 portable speaker sports stereo sound, up to 24 hours of battery life — twice that of its predecessor — and a slew of design changes since the water-resistant speaker’s initial release four years ago, the company said Wednesday.

Sonos Move 2 becomes available September 20 for $449.

A humble light strip can have a huge impact on a computer setup and even the room it’s in, providing functional lighting as well as setting a mood with white or colored lights at different temperatures (cool, warm, etc.). Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup uses nothing but a Nanoleaf Essentials light strip behind the desk and a Xiaomi monitor lamp to light its way. And they do so to great effect.

Read more about the lighting below, plus the setup’s use of a Sonos Bluetooth speaker for audio and an iPhone with Continuity Camera for effective videoconferencing.

Rumors swirled over the past few years that Sonos would take on Apple’s AirPods Max by releasing its first headphones, possibly with Wi-Fi in addition to Bluetooth. But a little-known Swiss startup has beaten both companies to the punch with a pricey new set of cans.

HED Technologies recently unveiled HED Unity, the world’s first wireless headphones to offer lossless audio, high-resolution audio streaming over a local Wi-Fi network at up to 24bit/96kHz.

Alongside the release of its new Era 300 and Era 100 speakers, Sonos said Tuesday it will “add support for spatial audio on Apple Music in what will be a significant expansion of its next-gen sound experience offerings.”

The company said customers can access spatial audio on Apple Music via the Era 300 and two older Sonos speaker systems starting in three weeks — Tuesday, March 28 (the new speakers’ shipping date).

A new leak indicates Sonos will release its new Sonos Era 100 and 300 smart speakers in March with a slew of features that challenge Apple’s recently relaunched HomePod.

Of the two new Sonos speakers, the pricier Era 300 features a version of spatial audio. Both support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB-C line-in for versatile connectivity. The Era 100 is likely to replace the much-liked Sonos One, launched in 2017.

Vinyl is alive and well, and the Victrola Stream Carbon is a high-end turntable designed for homes with Sonos speakers. The record player wirelessly connects, and is controllable through the Sonos app.

Carbon is the first in multiple new products coming in the Stream turntable line.

Audio powerhouse Sonos launched the long-awaited Sub Mini on Tuesday. The small, cylindrical wireless subwoofer is designed to add low end to home theaters in smaller rooms.

It’s compatible with the company’s range of products, including its AirPlay-enabled sound bars and speakers. The affordable subwoofer goes up for sale on October 6 for $429. You can preorder it now.

We’ve seen a fair number of PC gamers converting to one or more of the new Macs lately, including some who let go of their main gaming machines entirely.

Today’s featured setup fits that bill. It belongs to a UI designer who ditched a gaming PC and got himself a Mac Studio and Studio Display to go with his work-provided MacBook Pro.

But he kept a few gaming devices around, along with a suite of Elgato AV streaming gear and a new Sonos Ray Soundbar used, strangely enough, as a wireless desktop speaker.

A new report said Sonos will soon release an affordable subwoofer called “Sub Mini” to pair wirelessly with its soundbar lineup. That will include the new, nicely priced Sonos Ray.

After leaks in April first revealed its impeding release, Sonos officially unveiled its lowest-priced Soundar, the Ray, on Wednesday.

The compact speaker features AirPlay 2 support for streaming from Apple devices as well as “Hey Sonos” voice control integrated with Apple Music.