Sub Mini Design


Userlevel 7

As always, it’s from The Verge:

https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/16/23073977/sonos-sub-mini-affordable-subwoofer-design-preview


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25 replies

Userlevel 7

That mock-up looks looks like a Move with a hole in it.

The last two paragraphs on that article are pretty telling, IMHO. Unfortunate that there’s such a gaping hole in the company that leaks like this are occurring. 

That mock-up looks looks like a Move with a hole in it.

 

I have a feeling that’s going to be about the right size of the mini sub, maybe a little bigger.  Much bigger and it likely will be too close in performance (I guess) to the main sub and cut into sales.  Much smaller and I have doubts it will be powerful enough.  But I guess.

 

The last two paragraphs on that article are pretty telling, IMHO. Unfortunate that there’s such a gaping hole in the company that leaks like this are occurring. 

 

Almost feels like you could narrow down who the leaker is to a short list, based on who knew what,  with all the vearious leaks.  

I wonder would they launch with a $300 price point or a $400. I have a 2nd gen sub and it's overkill for most uses. Sonos on a roll with their product roadmaps. Everything has been selling like hotcakes.

I wonder would they launch with a $300 price point or a $400. I have a 2nd gen sub and it's overkill for most uses. Sonos on a roll with their product roadmaps. Everything has been selling like hotcakes.

 

I lean more towards $400, simply because at $300, you would be able to get 2 mini subs ($600) for significantly less than the price of one full sub ($750).  I would bet two mini subs sounds better than a single full sub too.  And since you can now bond 2 subs in single home theatre space….that’s probably what people would do.

Honestly though,  even at $400, $800 for two, sounds like a better deal than a single at $750.   If the mini is $450, then it becomes a decision.  $450 feels reasonable paired with a $450 Beam?  Not so much for a Ray, but I don’t know that those getting a Ray are going to pair with a more expensive sub very often.

I hope it’s around $300, but I kinda doubt it.

 

As a side note, sort of wonder if the reason Sonos added the ability to pair a second sub to a home theatre room is directly tied to the introduction of the minisub.  It’s been theorized that Sonos didn’t want to add a mini sub as it would hurt full size sub sales, particularly if the mini was good.  They may not have thought the market was big enough for both.  However, they could now just phase out the full size sub in favor of the mini sub...which can be used in pairs for larger rooms.  At the very least, Sonos is probably not as concerned about mini sub eating into full size sub sales anymore….or as much.

Userlevel 7

I lean more towards $400, simply because at $300, you would be able to get 2 mini subs ($600) for significantly less than the price of one full sub ($750).  I would bet two mini subs sounds better than a single full sub too.  And since you can now bond 2 subs in single home theatre space….that’s probably what people would do.


When the rumour of the mini sub first gained a bit of traction, it was based on a screenshot from the Sonos app stating the Sub Mini was not supported as the 2nd sub. That will be what differentiates the current Sub gen3 from the mini sub, if true. The larger sub is a flagship product for Sonos. Unless the mini sub sounds amazing, and can be used in dual sub setups, I can’t see the larger sub being discontinued.

I believe that screenshot was saying you can't bond a sub gen 3 and mini sub....that would be a mismatch. It doesn't necessarily mean you can't bond 2 minis.

 

You could be right though, we just don't know yet.

Userlevel 7

It won’t allow me to attach the pic here, but wording below.
 

Connecting a Second Sub
You can connect a second Sub to your home theater setup for even more room-filling bass.
You need at least one Sub (Gen 3). The other must be a Sub (Gen 1, 2, or 3).
Sub Mini is not supported.

 

You could be right though, we just don't know yet.

Indeed, until it is officially launched, things could change.

It is a pity that this will not bond with a Roam pair; in up to a moderate sized room, I am pretty sure that the sound would be in HiFi class, with the Roam pair relieved of bass duties. The roam units could be left permanently on charge at home for uninterrupted play, which would also allow one or even both to be taken on the road at short notice, with just a charging wire permanently kept in the travel kit.

I have a minirig pair that serves in a somewhat similar way, which sounds quite good even without the minirig Sub, so I don’t see why a Roam pair with a Sub would not outdo that.

I have no space for this solution, but it would make for an excellent gift to someone starting both the music and householder journey, where space is also at a premium.

It is a pity that this will not bond with a Roam pair; in up to a moderate sized room, I am pretty sure that the sound would be in HiFi class, with the Roam pair relieved of bass duties. The roam units could be left permanently on charge at home for uninterrupted play, which would also allow one or even both to be taken on the road at short notice, with just a charging wire permanently kept in the travel kit.

I have a minirig pair that serves in a somewhat similar way, which sounds quite good even without the minirig Sub, so I don’t see why a Roam pair with a Sub would not outdo that.

I have no space for this solution, but it would make for an excellent gift to someone starting both the music and householder journey, where space is also at a premium.

 

I’m using a pair of of roams in a bathroom, and would not want to add a sub if that were even possible.  Roams work great for these small spaces, and as a small portable, and I don’t think a sub is really warranted for either use.  For larger rooms, I think you’re much better off using a pair of Sonos Ones, $40 more a speaker, with a sub.  Sure, you lose the flexibility of being able to take one or both speakers away for portable use, but from my experience, that’s a bit of a headache.  You’ll have to re-bond the  setup each time you switch from portable to ‘stationary’ use, which is easy on it’s own, but causes havoc on my smart home setup.

But again...since Sonos hasn’t even announced the mini sub yet, we really don’t know what it can do.

 

But again...since Sonos hasn’t even announced the mini sub yet, we really don’t know what it can do.

Roam does not work the regular Sub, hence my assumption.

The thing is that since it does not, no one just now knows how a Roam pair with a Sub bonded to it will sound compared to alternatives. But typically, the small satellite + Sub configuration is known to work very well and is often preferred to full range speakers in large boxes, but with no Sub.

 

But again...since Sonos hasn’t even announced the mini sub yet, we really don’t know what it can do.

Roam does not work the regular Sub, hence my assumption.

The thing is that since it does not, no one just now knows how a Roam pair with a Sub bonded to it will sound compared to alternatives. But typically, the small satellite + Sub configuration is known to work very well and is often preferred to full range speakers in large boxes, but with no Sub.

 

I’ll put it this way.  I know what a pair of Roams sounds like.  I know what a pair of Ones sounds like.  I know what a pair of One +sub sounds like.  I am perfectly happy with a pair of Roams in a small space and can’t imagine I would want to throw in a sub, if were available.  I can’t see using a pair of Roams for a medium to large size room, as a pair of Ones would be better.  If I want to add more bass to the room, I still would prefer a pair of Ones + Sub over Roams + sub.  Yes, you save $80 and gain portability with the Roans over Ones, but it’s not worth it to me.

 

gain portability with the Roans over Ones, but it’s not worth it to me.

It makes a lot of sense to me because I am on the road often; my mini rigs go with me, but if I did not have those, I would even think about allowing S2 into my domain if the Roam pair can do double duty, and serve with a scaled down Sub at home.

Price is the least of it; an even lower footprint than One pair + Present Sub, and the dual use would be the clinchers.

Obviously, I would first test for sound quality - which can’t be done today so this is all academic.

A small correction to the post above: Compared to a One pair + Sub, a Roam pair + Mini Sub would be cheaper by a lot less than a hundred bucks - the saving should be in the region on 300-400 dollars depending on how the new Sub is priced and this would make the lower price also a factor.

 

gain portability with the Roans over Ones, but it’s not worth it to me.

It makes a lot of sense to me because I am on the road often; my mini rigs go with me, but if I did not have those, I would even think about allowing S2 into my domain if the Roam pair can do double duty, and serve with a scaled down Sub at home.

 

 

If I need a portable device often, I still wouldn’t go this route.  My Move sits as it’s own room.  When I need a portable, I put it BT mode and use it, without any concern about breaking up a stereo pair (or messing with a bonded sub).  In fact, I went ahead and bought a 3rd Roam, which I’ll use as portable SVC remote (mostly for outside) and the few times the Move is too big for portable use.  I really don’t enjoying breaking up my pair of Roams.

 

Price is the least of it; an even lower footprint than One pair + Present Sub, and the dual use would be the clinchers.

Obviously, I would first test for sound quality - which can’t be done today so this is all academic.

 

I love the Roam footprint, which is a big reason why I use it in the bathroom, replacing a pair of Ones.  However, the Ones are plenty small enough, IMO, for any room that warrants a sub.

 

A small correction to the post above: Compared to a One pair + Sub, a Roam pair + Mini Sub would be cheaper by a lot less than a hundred bucks - the saving should be in the region on 300-400 dollars depending on how the new Sub is priced and this would make the lower price also a factor.

 

Not sure if you referring to my comparison, but I was considering using the same sub whether it be bonded to pair of Ones or pair of Roams. I’d take a 2 Ones + sub over 2 Roams =sub for the $80 difference. Obviously, never heard what the mini sub sounds like, but I’m pretty sure I would also take 2 Ones + mini sub over 2 Roams + mini sub...also $80 difference.

I think it would be a huge miss to not allow the sub mini to be added to a room just like any other speaker considering the form factor. I would love to be able to add it one of my stereo pairs as well as use it with the Beam and Ones for movie night. I would be fine if that required adding the mini sub to the Beam when wanting to use it with that speaker and then removing it to be able to group it with other speakers each time. The flexibility would be immense.

I think it would be a huge miss to not allow the sub mini to be added to a room just like any other speaker considering the form factor. I would love to be able to add it one of my stereo pairs as well as use it with the Beam and Ones for movie night. I would be fine if that required adding the mini sub to the Beam when wanting to use it with that speaker and then removing it to be able to group it with other speakers each time. The flexibility would be immense.

 

The Sonos sub has always required bonding to an existing Sonos speaker/room.  It’s never been allowed to be a Sonos room all by itself.  You can bond it to one room, then remove it to add to a different room, but that’s a matter of configuraiton, not grouping.  I would be very surprised if this changes with the mini sub.

Userlevel 7

Getting closer…

https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/2/23151437/sonos-sub-mini-budget-subwoofer-fcc-specs-design

 

I’d predict a release in Sept/Oct time frame over summer.  That seems to be typical for Sonos, starts off the fiscal year for them,  and gives plenty of time before Christmas

Are

I think it would be a huge miss to not allow the sub mini to be added to a room just like any other speaker considering the form factor. I would love to be able to add it one of my stereo pairs as well as use it with the Beam and Ones for movie night. I would be fine if that required adding the mini sub to the Beam when wanting to use it with that speaker and then removing it to be able to group it with other speakers each time. The flexibility would be immense.

 

Has it been confirmed the mini sub wont link with One’s? I have a stereo linked pair in the kitchen that just needs a bit of bottom end at higher volumes and I thought the mini sub would fit the bill perfectly.

No, it has not, and won’t be until the mini Sub is released. 
 

I would be extraordinarily surprised if the mini Sub didn’t work with the Sonos One or PLAY:1s running S2.
I would not be terribly surprised if the mini Sub does not work with the Move or Roam. 

No, it has not, and won’t be until the mini Sub is released. 
 

I would be extraordinarily surprised if the mini Sub didn’t work with the Sonos One or PLAY:1s running S2.
I would not be terribly surprised if the mini Sub does not work with the Move or Roam. 

 

If the mini sub did work with Move or Roam, and I agree that it’s highly unlikely, that brings in to question of whether the mini sub can bond with a Move/Roam while those speakers are in bluetooth mode.  If not, then you end up with a situation where that bond would need to be recreated every time the Move/Roam is reset to normal WiFi mode….exactly what happens when you have a stereo pair of the portables.

If the mini sub can  bond with a Move Roam over bluetooth, then that begs the question of why you can’t  have  a stereo pair over bluetooth?  As well, it asks the question of whether the mini sub perhaps is actually portable itself.  Would be rather interesting if you could have a fully portable setup of 2 Moves + sub that can be connected over bluetooth or WiFi.   

That said, if it were all these things, it seems likely that you would be able to use the mini sub for non-portable use, with Fives, Ones, Ray, Beam, Arc, etc.  I think the lose of that basic feature would be not worth the trade off for portable use with a Move or Roam...in terms of sales and customer requirements.

Userlevel 3
Badge +7

Any release date for this.

No Sonos acknowledgment whatsoever that this is even a “thing”, despite all the various rumors. 

Userlevel 3
Badge +7

No Sonos acknowledgment whatsoever that this is even a “thing”, despite all the various rumors. 

Ok thanks. I was really looking forward to this.