Sonos Sub - The subwoofer for more intense bass - But no sex appeal

  • 11 December 2018
  • 13 replies
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Let me start by being clear, i'm not here to dis sonos or their products as I'm a great fanboy of what they do and make and I've just ordered a pair of One's to go with my existing x6 Play 1's.

I wouldn't argue that the Sub is capable of delivering deep bass to your sonos setup, but I would like to challenge sonos on how the Sub looks aesthetically as a product. If we look at the Play 1's, the PlayBar an even the current Play 3's they are good to look at and can be placed anywhere in a room, but there is one thing and only this thing that has ever stopped me buying this whopping £699 Sub. (Well apart from her indoors)

Frankly it's an Ugly lump of plastic that's sits in the corner of a room hoping that one day instead of being heard someone will take time to admire it. Come on sonos you're making some great new and updated products that are eye candy to me but you fail to turn your Sub from a lump of plastic to something of beauty - you even bowed to screams for a white sub from the community.

Yes I'm waiting for the backlash from the community on this but be honest people do you find the SONOS SUB SEXY - Oh wait I've just come up with a new product name "The Sonos SS" (Limited edition in White)

Your thoughts on this people?

Dave

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13 replies

Userlevel 7
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I think they really designed it to be rather hidden and not seen. The slim design helps hiding under or behind furniture vs. the normal subwoofer square box.

I have a traditional box sub in one room and its like a piece of furniture and actually fairly intrusive in my living room.

The Sonos Sub I have in my sunroom you would have to look for to see it.
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oh yea - and welcome back!
Userlevel 6
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However Chris that's my point and clearly you have stated in your opening sentence that it is designed to be hidden away like an ugly duckling. Yes I get it but when you look at sonos products and also look at how the sub is marketed visually in a room then it's still Ugly, or am I being to blunt.....

Well I'm only here as I ordered the Sonos One's tonight and got carried away, it's midnight here :? I'll catch up later Chris as need sleep but nice to speak and hopefully this topic so be swimming with replies.
Just curious, how would you like it to look? It seems a lot like all subs out there, a box shaped product, not terribly "interesting" visually. Other than being matte black, I'm not sure how I would make it look better. And in all honesty, both of mine are hidden, one beneath the couch, one beneath the bed, but mostly for space considerations.

Shoot, while we're at it, let's make the PLAYBAR more attractive, as I'm not overly enamored with the looks....but again, I'm not sure how to do that.

At the end of the day, we're really talking about a subjective thing. Some may find it extremely attractive, others not so much. I don't find it objectionable, nor am I willing to hang it on the wall in a frame, it's just a piece of furniture.
The shape doesn't really bother me, it's the matte that I don't care for much. If they could just fixed that up a bit, and possibly some method for keeping dust off of it, that's be great.

That said, if you can get away with hiding it, there's no reason not to, IMO. Part of the reason you go with Sonos over a more traditional system is so that you don't really notice that it's there. No wires and as small a footprint as possible.

I currently have one in between couch and wall, the other is beside an entertainment console. The second is clearly visible, but it blends in fairly well. If I ever get one for the bedroom, I'll definitely look for a good hiding place.
Sonos Sub is far more elegant than any previous subwoofers I've owned, apart perhaps from a couple of pretty anonymous down-firing units. Place it flat against the wall or at right-angles next to a piece of furniture. The force-balanced drive units are mostly hidden from view. I don't need a macho exposed cone throbbing away.
But I think that's the OP's point....he does want that. Which I don't....as I said, it's all a matter of taste. I guess what it might boil down to is which version would sell the most, as opposed to making two different versions to appeal to both sides of the aisle. My guess is that they went with the one that they felt was the best option. Which doesn't take away Dave's desire for something different.

And yes, at least for me, there's a certain amount of "I've seen that a billion times, now I don't even notice it" with all of my speakers.
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I like the way the SUB looks, and it's hardly a 'lump of plastic': it's very solid and heavy. Looks just as good as the funky, expensive, rounded KEF thing I have as part of my 5.1 setup, and kicks out more oomph. It's clever, too, due to the use of the balanced drivers.
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I can't argue that all Sub Woofers are limited by their form factor and I couldn't direct you to any Sub that is really aesthetically pleasing. If I did have the Sonos Sub it would be hidden away as the layout of my living room dictates this.

Just because it's the norm this does not make it right and I stand by what I said "Ugly lump of plastic"

It's a Box, just think outside it sonos.
Do post a link to a third party sub which you consider to be 'sexy'.
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Do post a link to a third party sub which you consider to be 'sexy'.

I didn't start this topic for defensive replies @ratty - this is our community and as a customer and contributor I sometimes would like to add my thoughts. If you had read my last post I clearly stated that....

I couldn't direct you to any Sub that is really aesthetically pleasing

Sometimes we need to challenge the norm and think outside the box, sonos are a wonderful team and all I'm asking is they take the limitations of this form factor and turn it on it's head.
Do post a link to a third party sub which you consider to be 'sexy'.

I didn't start this topic for defensive replies @ratty - this is our community and as a customer and contributor I sometimes would like to add my thoughts. If you had read my last post I clearly stated that....

I couldn't direct you to any Sub that is really aesthetically pleasing

Well, okay then. I guess we'll have to remain in the dark about what kind of styling would excite you. My enquiry was genuine: in the interests of broadening the discussion I was simply curious about representative examples.
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Just because it's the norm this does not make it right
Nor does it make it 'not right', of course. Although it has to be said that the Sonos SUB is already distinctive due to its driver arrangement.

It's a Box, just think outside it sonos.
Ok, what do you suggest, or what properties do you think an ideal sub would have? Bearing in mind that there are some pesky physical laws that have to be satisfied.