Introducing Sonos Sub Gen 3, brilliant sound you can feel

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Introducing Sonos Sub Gen 3, brilliant sound you can feel

Available on June 10th, Sonos Sub is being masterfully engineered with its third generation. We’re enhancing the same iconic design and bold bass with updated internals including increased memory, processing power, and a new wireless radio.

 

Hear and feel the difference with Sub, the wireless subwoofer for deep bass. Experience lower lows and higher highs when you connect Sub to your Sonos system over WiFi. Place the award-winning design upright or lay it on its side and enjoy pure bass with no vibration or rattle. 

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No buzz, just bass

Sonos Sub features two force-canceling drivers at the center to eliminate vibration and rattle so you get powerful bass without any distortion. It brings the same great sound as the previous Sub, with updated internals including increased memory, processing power, and a new wireless radio. 

 

The custom-designed drivers take over the lowest frequencies for the Sonos speaker or home theater setup that Sub is bonded with, freeing up the speaker for higher highs, while the Sub handles all of the lowest lows. Connect Sub to Arc or Beam, and enjoy TV, movies, and video games like never before. Add a pair of One SL surrounds for an even more immersive home theater experience. 

 

Some more details on Sonos Sub gen 3:

  • Simple to set-up. Plug Sub into power and bring your phone up to Sub to automatically pair and securely transfer WiFi credentials using near-field communication (NFC).

  • Flexible Orientation. Sub’s enduring design continues to fit perfectly into any space. Stand Sub upright, lay it on its side, or tuck it under the couch without any loss in sound performance. 

  • Bold Bass. Frequency response plays as low as 25 Hz.

  • Tune with Trueplay. Trueplay puts the speaker-tuning capability of the pros in the palm of your hands, adapting and optimizing the sound of the speaker to the unique acoustics of the room. iOS device required. 

  • Dimensions. The dimensions are (H x W x D)15.3 x 6.2 x 15.8 inches (389 x 158 x 402 mm) and Sub weighs 36.3 lb (16 kg).

Pre-order today on Sonos.com in glossy black or white for $699 US (€799 EUR).

We’ve announced details for the Sonos Arc and Sonos Five. You can also check out our blog for some great stories. 

 

What would this mean for the sub gen 2 which I bought just 6 months ago. Will that become a legacy unit soon?  That would be pretty disappointing.

 

If not what would be the major difference between this and the gen 2 aside from the memory? I understand the gen 2 only has 128mb right?  

 


What would this mean for the sub gen 2 which I bought just 6 months ago. Will that become a legacy unit soon?  That would be pretty disappointing.

 

If not what would be the major difference between this and the gen 2 aside from the memory? I understand the gen 2 only has 128mb right?  

 

 

Since it has only now been discontinued, the soonest the Sub Gen 2 will be legacy is 5 years from today.  


What would this mean for the sub gen 2 which I bought just 6 months ago. Will that become a legacy unit soon?  That would be pretty disappointing.

No.  Sonos guarantees that products produced today will be supportted for at least 5 years, usually longer.  Being that the original Sub is part of S2, I susppect it will be much much longer in this case.

 

 

If not what would be the major difference between this and the gen 2 aside from the memory? I understand the gen 2 only has 128mb right?  

 

It doesn’t sound like there is any difference on the acoustic side of things.  I think the upgraded hardware is going to mostly be useful for reducing the possibility of wireless communication issues.


What would this mean for the sub gen 2 which I bought just 6 months ago. Will that become a legacy unit soon?  That would be pretty disappointing.

No.  Sonos guarantees that products produced today will be supportted for at least 5 years, usually longer.  Being that the original Sub is part of S2, I susppect it will be much much longer in this case.

 

 

If not what would be the major difference between this and the gen 2 aside from the memory? I understand the gen 2 only has 128mb right?  

 

It doesn’t sound like there is any difference on the acoustic side of things.  I think the upgraded hardware is going to mostly be useful for reducing the possibility of wireless communication issues.

 

 

Thank you!  I definitely hope so.  It would be pretty disappointing to have spent $900 for a product that I can only enjoy fully for 5 years.  I would expect full support for a longer period including software updates.  


The sub always being a slave device - seems its prone to being around for a long time without need for update.


And what should I say after just getting the Sub a week ago? :D 

I have the option to return it for few months from now.

The question is: is it worth it to do that and pay 150€ more for Gen 3? 

My main problem with the Sub is I can't pair it with 2 speakers in the same room (Playbar and play:5). And as I understand, Gen 3 won't change that...


And what should I say after just getting the Sub a week ago? :D 

I have the option to return it for few months from now.

The question is: is it worth it to do that and pay 150€ more for Gen 3? 

 

 

Tough question. Personally, I would not, particularly if your sub is working well now.

 

My main problem with the Sub is I can't pair it with 2 speakers in the same room (Playbar and play:5). And as I understand, Gen 3 won't change that...

 

No, I doubt that will ever change, but that’s just an opinion.


Hi,

I am also wondering why gen3 is having 2gb of RAM compared to the very low RAM of the gen2. 
it is even double the RAM Arc is having…

for a so called slave device it is weird…

i really think I will return my brand new gen2 to get the gen3 and more future proof... 


Thank you!  I definitely hope so.  It would be pretty disappointing to have spent $900 for a product that I can only enjoy fully for 5 years.

You mean like a smart phone 😂


And what should I say after just getting the Sub a week ago? :D 

I have the option to return it for few months from now.

The question is: is it worth it to do that and pay 150€ more for Gen 3? 

My main problem with the Sub is I can't pair it with 2 speakers in the same room (Playbar and play:5). And as I understand, Gen 3 won't change that...

Curious why you would have two devices speakers in the same room? Is it a particular big room? If so, why wouldn’t you just play both in a group and then get the sub at part of that group?


Hi,

I am also wondering why gen3 is having 2gb of RAM compared to the very low RAM of the gen2. 
it is even double the RAM Arc is having…

for a so called slave device it is weird…

i really think I will return my brand new gen2 to get the gen3 and more future proof... 

 

Where are you seeing information on the RAM of the gen 3 Sub and Arc?


My main problem with the Sub is I can't pair it with 2 speakers in the same room (Playbar and play:5). And as I understand, Gen 3 won't change that...

Curious why you would have two devices speakers in the same room? Is it a particular big room? If so, why wouldn’t you just play both in a group and then get the sub at part of that group?

 

Huge issue for me and why I have held off on buying a Sub. Because you have your tv sound using a sound bar (Playbase, Playbar, Beam, Arc), which cannot accommodate outboard L + R front speakers. But then in the same room (typically living room), you want a music-only setup with separated Ones/Fives. And because you’re not a sucker, you don’t want to pay $700 each for 2 Subs sitting right next to each other in the same room, that will never be used at the same time.

 

I really hope the extra RAM of this new Sub along with the 2.0 software means you can finally share a Sub between groups including auto switching the Trueplay data for the 2 groups (it’s been speculated a reason why you couldn’t previously do this was limited RAM in the Sub, but no idea if that’s true).


Hi,

I am also wondering why gen3 is having 2gb of RAM compared to the very low RAM of the gen2. 
it is even double the RAM Arc is having…

for a so called slave device it is weird…

i really think I will return my brand new gen2 to get the gen3 and more future proof... 

 

Where are you seeing information on the RAM of the gen 3 Sub and Arc?

It's in Features and Specs in the new product pages. I want to chalk it up to a typo but I can't imagine that it would go unnoticed by Sonos employees.


It even has 4GB of NV RAM (non volatile RAM) meaning certainly that it will be able to keep some settings permanently.

i wonder if previous modern units have NV RAM as well...


It’s still in GLOSS?

No matte Black to match the rest of the products?


@Ryan S 

 

I bought the SUB gen2 3 months ago at full retail.

The new SUB gen3, what would be the advantage of me selling the gen2 and buying the gen3?

 

Does the increased memory and CPU mean that it will be able to perform something different than the gen2?

 

 

 

Regards:Kristoffer


It’s still in GLOSS?

No matte Black to match the rest of the products?

This is holding me back from buying the sub...


Can Sonos please furnish the community with some benchmark results of the new Arc with / without the Sub, or a bass comparison of the Arc vs the Playbar?


Currently using a G2 Sub on an all Cat6 wired system. Hoping this is just a wifi radio update or I’m gonna lose it. I’m knee deep in Sonos and I don’t think I can take another product update. Just hoping S2 has a better interface. Would love to limit my ‘taps’ to listen to music without having to IFTTT.


Currently using a G2 Sub on an all Cat6 wired system. Hoping this is just a wifi radio update or I’m gonna lose it. I’m knee deep in Sonos and I don’t think I can take another product update. Just hoping S2 has a better interface. Would love to limit my ‘taps’ to listen to music without having to IFTTT.

 

Brace yourself …. according to the Sub product page, the Gen 3 has a large update to it’s internals, including double the RAM of any other Sonos player, including the new Arc. I bet they have big plans for what this new sub can do, maybe it will allow 2 or more subs at once or 2 or more rooms to use the sub or coordination with older speakers or separate airplay2 target.  


I have some wifi stability issues with my current sub gen 2. I see wifi radio is updated in the internals of gen 3, but what does that mean exactly? What’s the difference?


@Ryan S

I bought the SUB gen2 3 months ago at full retail.

The new SUB gen3, what would be the advantage of me selling the gen2 and buying the gen3?

Does the increased memory and CPU mean that it will be able to perform something different than the gen2?

Currently, and at launch, the increased computing components won’t be adding new features, but in the future there’s always a possibility that it may. The increase in memory, processing power, and more powerful wireless radio will help already in some situations where people might experience connection trouble, but they are targeted at improving the foundation of the device for features that will come in the future. There’s nothing currently that the old Sub can’t do, but the new Sub gen 3 will do them all better. 

I have some wifi stability issues with my current sub gen 2. I see wifi radio is updated in the internals of gen 3, but what does that mean exactly? What’s the difference?

The new Sub will be able to handle the job better, but if the environment is extremely poor, it still may have issues. A better wireless card isn’t always the solution. Like with the Boost, it will perform better, but it’s not a magic bullet. 


I was disappointed yesterday not to see the predicted announcement about a mid-range Sub option come true. I get it on the one hand, they are banking on people being locked in to the ecosystem that they’ll fork over the $700 for the Sub to get the best experience. And I may end up caving too eventually. But I still think something like a $350/$400 Sub would be much more appealing product, even assuming it was slightly inferior bass to the big model.  I would have likely eventually bought two since I have two Beams. Who knows though, I could also see if they had a mid range Sub that it could just cannibalize the more expensive one since most people aren’t audiophiles, but I sure do think they would sell a lot more of them. 


@Ryan S

I bought the SUB gen2 3 months ago at full retail.

The new SUB gen3, what would be the advantage of me selling the gen2 and buying the gen3?

Does the increased memory and CPU mean that it will be able to perform something different than the gen2?

Currently, and at launch, the increased computing components won’t be adding new features, but in the future there’s always a possibility that it may. The increase in memory, processing power, and more powerful wireless radio will help already in some situations where people might experience connection trouble, but they are targeted at improving the foundation of the device for features that will come in the future. There’s nothing currently that the old Sub can’t do, but the new Sub gen 3 will do them all better. 

I have some wifi stability issues with my current sub gen 2. I see wifi radio is updated in the internals of gen 3, but what does that mean exactly? What’s the difference?

The new Sub will be able to handle the job better, but if the environment is extremely poor, it still may have issues. A better wireless card isn’t always the solution. Like with the Boost, it will perform better, but it’s not a magic bullet. 

Thanks Ryan for the clarification, So now I will have to order the new Arc for my movies and can keep the Gen2 Sub. 😍 Which then should perform excellent in the new S2 platform if I understood correctly...


Similarly, I bought the Gen 2 only last week and was unsure whether I should exchange with the Gen3 for an additional £130. Spoke to a Sonos rep today and he advised I should stick with the  gen2 at the cheaper price as the only advantage of the gen 3 is future proofing. Food for thought.