Tag Archives: SONOS

Sonos Apologizes for Flawed App Update, Promises Bi-Weekly Fixes

Sonos, the popular wireless audio brand, has acknowledged a major misstep with its recent app update. In a blog post on July 25th, 2024, CEO Patrick Spence offered a sincere apology to customers and outlined a roadmap for addressing the app’s numerous problems.

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Source: Sonos

The update rolled out in May 2024, was met with widespread criticism from users who experienced a range of issues. These criticisms are well documented, highlighted by various news outlets. These problems significantly hampered the user experience, making it difficult for customers to control their Sonos sound systems.  

In his blog post, Spence acknowledged the severity of the situation. He stated, “We know that too many of you have experienced significant problems with our new app… There isn’t an employee at Sonos who isn’t pained by having let you down.” This candid admission reflects Sonos’ recognition of the negative impact the update had on its customer base.  

A Bi-Weekly Roadmap to Recovery

Spence went on to detail a plan for fixing the app. Central to this plan is a commitment to bi-weekly software updates. Each update will include detailed notes outlining bug fixes and upcoming features. This transparent approach aims to keep users informed of progress and demonstrate a commitment to resolving the issues as quickly as possible.  

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Source: Sonos

While specific dates were not provided, Spence mentioned several key features slated for future updates. These include:

  • Alarm functionality (targeted for September)
  • Edit mode for playlists and queues (expected in September or October)

The inclusion of alarms is a welcome addition, addressing a significant omission in the current app. The ability to edit playlists and queues is another highly requested feature, allowing users greater control over their listening experience.

Sonos understands that regaining user trust is crucial. They are offering a dedicated email address (ceo@sonos.com) for customers to directly communicate their concerns to Spence himself. This demonstrates a commitment to open communication and a desire to address user feedback.  

The Sonos app fiasco serves as a cautionary tale for tech companies. Pushing out major updates without thorough testing can damage customer relationships and brand reputation. Sonos’ swift apology and commitment to fixes are positive steps towards recovery. However, only time will tell if they can successfully navigate this challenge and regain the trust of their user base.  

Whether Sonos can fully redeem itself will hinge on the effectiveness of their bi-weekly updates. Delivering consistent improvements and restoring core functionalities will be key to winning back frustrated customers. This situation serves as a reminder for tech companies to prioritize user experience and maintain open communication with their customers.

Sonos Quietly Releases the Roam 2 with Bluetooth Connectivity and All the Highlights of the Original

Hot on the heels of the Sonos Ace, their budget-friendly portable speaker, Sonos has stealthily released the Roam 2. This new iteration of the popular Roam portable speaker seems to address a key user pain point: Bluetooth pairing.

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The original Sonos Roam required a confusing two-step process – connecting to Wi-Fi first before enabling Bluetooth functionality. This frustrated users accustomed to the simplicity of Bluetooth pairing on most portable speakers. The Roam 2 rectifies this issue, allowing for a seamless Bluetooth connection right out of the box. This makes the Roam 2 a more user-friendly option for those who want to enjoy high-quality audio on the go, without the need for a Wi-Fi connection.

According to the official Sonos website, the Roam 2 retains the core strengths of its predecessor. Users can expect the same durable, IP67 water-resistant design, impressive sound quality for its size, and compatibility with the Sonos ecosystem for multi-room audio experiences. It also boasts Automatic Trueplay tuning, which according to Sonos, automatically adjusts the speaker’s sound to optimize the listening experience in any environment. It will also have 10 hours of playback on a single charge. However, details on how Bluetooth connectivity will impact the battery life of the Sonos Roam 2 are still unknown.

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Pricing and Availability

The Sonos Roam 2 is currently available in the official Sonos store. It is retailing for the same price point as the original Roam – €199. It will be available in Black, White, Red, Blue and Green colourways.

No information is available yet from TC Acoustic on regional availability in Singapore and Malaysia. However, with the price point remaining the same worldwide, we expect that the same will be true when it launches here.

The Sonos Ace Brings The Best from Sonos in a Portable, Personalized Package

Sonos is taking its offerings to the next level. Having already had decades of experience in the home theatre and home audio arena, the company is taking its know-how and making it more personal. The Sonos Ace is the first over-ear headphone set from Sonos and it’s ready to take on the big guns.

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Intentionally Designed For Comfort & Simplicity

The Sonos Ace continues the company’s ethos of having aesthetically pleasing, minimalist design. The new headphones bring together premium design and materials with premium audio quality. It has a slim profile accented by the signature Sonos matte finish. Its main body and headband are made of high-quality, durable plastic. The adjustable arms are lightweight metal with a Chrome finish for that touch of elegance. More importantly, the Sonos Ace is made for comfort. It’s lightweight and feels nearly weightless when worn. The ear cups are made of memory foam wrapped in vegan leather that conforms to the contours of your head.

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The design of the Sonos Ace is intentional. The subtle cues like the Sonos logo being only on the right earpiece are intentionally placed to make it so wearing them is effortless. Similarly, the insides of the earcups are coloured differently to signal their orientation subtly.

Interacting with the Sonos Ace is simple and intuitive. For the most part, you’ll be interacting solely with a single, tactile button. This metallic button is located on the right earcup. Pushing it down turn the headphones on, pushing it up or down adjusts the volume and double-pushing pauses and plays your media. There is another button that blends seamlessly into the Sonos Ace’s design. This button is used to control the Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) feature on the Ace. It will also allow you to connect to your Sonos Arc for a personalised theatre experience.

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Custom-made for that Signature Sonos Audio

The Ace’s sleek design and slim silhouette are just the tip of the iceberg. Sonos has custom-designed the drivers in the Sonos Ace. These drivers are designed to deliver high-fidelity audio to your earholes. It’s calibrated to deliver live-like audio quality delivering the full range of sounds from the rumbling lows to reverberating highs. Sonos hasn’t shared any information about the technical setup of the headphones.

The Sonos Ace also plays well with your preexisting Sonos setup. The ANC button mentioned earlier allows you to connect to the Sonos Arc with a simple holding of the ANC button down. This feature allows you to have the full theatrical experience of your movie even when the kids are sleeping. This feature also brings next-level immersion with head tracking.

The Ace also comes with Active Noise Cancellation allowing you to tune out the world as you immerse yourself in your favourite albums. It also comes with a pass-through mode (Aware Mode) that allows you to interact with the world around you (should you want to). It comes with 30 hours of use on a single charge. A quick 3-minute charge will get you an additional 3 hours. It also comes with a USB-C cable in the box.

Pricing & Availability

The Sonos Ace will be available in Black and White. It will retail for RM2,299 in Malaysia and USD$449 worldwide.

The Sonos Ace is available for pre-order starting today, 21 May 2024 from the Sonos Concept Store or online via TC Acoustic website in Malaysia and Singapore.

Bring Home a Symphony of Sounds with Sonos’ 12.12 Promo

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With the holiday season closing in as we enter the last month of the year, Sonos is kicking it off with their 12.12 promotion on their audio and speaker systems.

If you’re looking to brighten your living space or home theatre setup, you just might want to grab a couple of Sonos speakers during the sale. During the 12.12 promotion, you’ll be able to grab your favourite products at a special discount. Here are a few of the incredible deals you can expect to see:

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Check out the full list of deals and purchase them on TC Acoustic’s official website or head over to the Sonos Concept Store at The Starhill if you prefer to shop in-person.

Sonos Move 2 Marries Premium Design, Portability & Heart-Pumping Stereo Sound

Sonos is creating new ways to enjoy your sound yet again with an update that makes the Sonos Move even more appealing. The new Sonos Move 2 comes with meaningful updates that put its competition to shame.

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Source: Sonos

The new hallmark of the Sonos Move 2 is an update to true stereo audio. The update brings immersive music and sound for every event – be it at the beach, the pool, at the campsite or in your dining room. Yep – that’s right. You’ll be able to use the Move 2 with peace of mind at the pool or beaches with peace of mind thanks to its IP56 rating. Keep in mind that this only means that the speaker is splashproof and not meant to be taken with you when you swim. To make things less of a hassle, the Move 2 comes with wireless charging capabilities, You’ll be able to use the wireless charging pad that comes in the box with every unit and it’ll be fully charged anytime you need to go.

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Source: Sonos

In addition to these updates, the Move 2 now has 24 hours of battery; that’s double the battery life of the original Move. You’ll also be able to stream your audio over WiFi or Bluetooth. It also comes with Trueplay tuning which will continually work to optimise your sound to bring the fullest, richest sound for the environment you’re in. It can also now support concurrent connections from both WiFi and Bluetooth as well as stereo pair to another Move 2 unit. You also have the option to use the Sonos Line-in Adapter.

It’s not just about the music with this new offering. It’s also one of the most sustainable speakers from Sonos. The Move 2 has been optimised to reduce idle energy usage by more than 40%. It also incorporates recycled plastics and has a replaceable battery unit. However, with the replaceable battery, you will need to go to a Sonos service centre or a TC Acoustic Service centre in Malaysia and Singapore.

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Of course, the Move 2 comes with a design update with the minimalistic design cues we saw in the Sonos Era. This includes the same capacitive volume slider and Sonos Voice Control. You’ll also be able to use Amazon Alexa and Apple Airplay2. More controls are available through the Sonos app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Pricing & Availability

The Sonos Move 2 will be available in Black, White and Olive colourways. It will be priced at USD$449, SGD$799 and MYR2,799.

It will be available for pre-order starting now (6 September 2023 at 9 p.m.) from TC Acoustics online store and at the Sonos Concept Store at The Starhill from 7 September 2023. In the US and other regions, it will be available from the Sonos Official website.

Enter the Era of Immersive Audio with the Sonos Era 100 & Sonos Era 300

Sonos is entering a new era of audio in more than one way with its new Era 100 and Era 300 speakers. The new line brings an immersive audio experience to a lineup of devices made for audiophiles. It also marries the simplicity of design that Sonos is known for with bold new features that have never been on Sonos’s mainline products.

Sonos Era 300: Immersive Audio for the Audiophile

The new Era 300 brings Dolby Atmos into a single speaker and ups the immersion when paired with other Sonos audio products like the Arc. The Sonos Era 300 comes with six powerful drivers that send the sound in all directions enveloping the space and listener in an immersive soundstage.

Sonos Era 300

The speaker has been designed to deliver a crisp and immersive audio experience which is enhanced by its complex acoustic architecture. The six drivers are positioned to deliver audio in all directions with two tweeters positioned outwards, to the sides, a single forward firing mid tweeter and a sub. All of these are loaded into a sleek, clenched hourglass body. The hourglass body also comes with a revamped user interface which comes with a tactile strip for volume control.

The performance of the Sonos Era 300 is further enhanced when pairing the speaker with a Sonos Arc or Beam (Gen 2). The new setup allows Sonos to finally deliver a complete theatre experience with 7.4.2 sound. You’ll be taken into your content and placed in the middle of the action with the new Era 300’s Dolby Atmos audio.

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Speaking of pairing, the Sonos Era 300 comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. Also along for the ride is a combo USB-C port which allows you to connect a USB-enabled storage or line in for playback and also for a direct line to your router. This comes, in addition, to support for Apple AirPlay 2 and WiFi 6.

Sonos Era 100: The Sonos One Remastered for Immersive Audio

Yes, Immersive audio is the word for the Sonos Era lineup. The Sonos Era 100 brings the best Sonos has to offer into the familiar form factor of the Sonos One. The sleek, compact cylindrical form factor packs a whole load more power than the Sonos One though.

Sonos Era 100

The new Era 100 comes with stereo sound out of the box with two angled tweeters and a larger midwoofer. The combination delivers crisp high frequencies and a fuller bass for true sound immersion. Designed to be powerfully compact, the Era 100 will seamlessly blend into your home and deliver well-rounded, full audio.

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Just like its bigger sibling, the Era 300, the Sonos Era 100 comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, support for Apple AirPlay 2 and WiFi 6 support. It also sports a USB-C port for ethernet, line-in and USB connectivity. It also shares the new revamped on-device user experience with the tactile strip for volume control.

Sonos TruePlay Comes to Android Devices

One of Sonos’s signature features has been locked to iOS for the longest time. TruePlay, the technology which customises your Sonos sound experience uniquely to fit your space is finally coming to Android. It does this by measuring how sound reflects off the walls and furnishings in your space and fine-tunes the Sonos speakers to deliver the best audio quality. Initially, this was only possible via the on-device mics of the iPhone.

However, with the new Era series, the capability is being built-in into the Sonos Era speakers themselves. The Sonos Era 300 and Era 100 come with mics which enable voice control via Sonos voice and Amazon Alexa. These mics are also being used by Sonos to enable TruePlay for Android devices. So, instead of relying on the on-device mics in Android devices, Sonos is bypassing the complexity of coding for hundreds of devices by relying on the built-in mic of the Sonos Era speakers.

If you’re worried about your privacy, both the Sonos Era 100 and the Sonos Era 300 come with physical kill switches to “disconnect” the mic.

Pricing & Availability

The Sonos Era 300 and Sonos Era 100 are available for pre-order starting 7th March 2023 at 10 p.m. In Malaysia and Singapore, you will be able to order them from the TC Acoustic website. Internationally, you’ll be able to place your orders at Sonos’s official website.

Both the 300 and 100 will be available in Black and White. The Era 300 will be priced at MYR2,799 while the Era 100 will be priced at MYR1,599. Both of them will be available on shelves starting 28th March 2023.

SONOS Sub Mini Drops the Bass in Petit Form

SONOS is no stranger to audio products. Having just recently released the Beam Gen 2 and the Ray, the company is now introducing a new complement to complete a true cinematic setup. The new SONOS Sub Mini completes the immersion by bringing in the boom with deep, reverberating bass.

The new SONOS Sub Mini isn’t your run-of-the-mill subwoofer, it’s compact and specially crafted to bring immersive, balanced lows to enhance the listening experience. The Sub Mini comes with dual force-cancelling woofers that are able to generate dynamic, deep lows without the buzzing and rattling that we’re used to seeing in normal, everyday subwoofers. The dual 6-inch woofers are designed to bring the oomph and feeling when watching movies. Sonos has designed the Sub Mini uniquely facing both of the 6-inch woofers inward for a force-cancelling effect.

In addition, the SONOS Sub Mini comes with Class-D digital amplifiers which are tuned to complement the unique design. It’s also got Trueplay compatibility which allows the SONOS app to dynamically adjust and fine-tune the settings of the Sub mini to adapt it to the acoustics of the room. This feature is, however, limited to iOS devices at the moment.

The design of the SONOS Sub Mini is minimalistic and compact. This allows it to seamlessly blend into the decor of your space. Coming in at only 12-inches (30.5cm) tall and 9.1-inches (23.0cm) in diameter, the compact subwoofer isn’t going to be an eyesore. It comes in white or black in a matte finish.

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SONOS has also designed the Sub Mini to be simple to set up. Using the SONOS app, you’ll be able to synchronise the new subwoofer to your existing SONOS setup. It’s as simple as clicking the join button or tapping your smartphone to the unit to toggle the new device screen on the app. Once you finish the setup on the app, the Sub Mini will round out your listening experience with rich, warm bass.

Pricing & Availability

The SONOS Sub Mini will be available in Singapore and Malaysia. It will be available for pre-order starting at 9 pm on 13th September 2022 on trysonos.my and trysonos.sg. It will be available starting on 6 October 2022.

It will be available in Black and White and will retail for MYR2,999 in Malaysia and SGD$869.

The SONOS Ray Redefines Compact Home Cinema

SONOS is no stranger to cinematic sound. The company has already released two soundbars – the SONOS Beam and the SONOS Arc. It’s now adding a new, more affordable option to its lineup with the SONOS Ray.

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Source: SONOS

The new SONOS Ray is the company’s most compact soundbar to date. It’s also the most feature rich 3.0.0 soundbar in the lineup. The sound bar is only 55.9cm long and 95mm wide which allows it to blend in seamlessly into any room. In fact, it’s only 7.1 cm tall so you can even slot it into the small shelves in your living room or room centre console. Aesthetically, the SONOS Ray comes with SONOS’s signature, minimalist design with a perforated grill in two colours: Black and White.

The SONOS Ray inherits a lot of design cues from previous SONOS soundbars. It has LEDs embedded in its minimalist design for power and connectivity indication. Also along for the ride is the capacitive touch buttons we have grown used to in SONOS soundbars.

Aesthetics aside, the crux of the Ray lies in the audio innovations that allow it to immerse users into the content they’re consuming. It comes with SONOS’s proprietary bass reflex system which complements the professionally tuned sound that SONOS is known for. The Ray comes with two tweeters and two mid-woofers which complement the bass reflex system. It also has four Class-D digital amplifiers that have been tuned for the soundbar’s unique acoustic design. The hardware itself has been expertly tuned by SONOS’s soundboard – a collective of some of the audio industry’s top experts.

SONOS isn’t just letting the hardware do all the work. It’s also complementing the hardware with software features in the SONOS S2 application. Using the app, users can customise the sound profile of the SONOS Ray to fit their unique tastes. In fact, for the best audio experience with the Ray, users can use TruePlay in the app to calibrate the sound stage. This feature is only available on iOS for now. That said, both Android and iOS users are able to take advantage of features like Night Sound which dampens the sound stage so you don’t wake your sleeping child and Speech enhancement which lifts vocal audio and dialogue in your movies and series so you don’t miss out on anything said.

You get a lot of the same connectivity when it comes to the SONOS Ray. IT is able to connect to WiFi networks on the 2.4GHz band with support for 802.11a/b/g/n standards. It also is able to connect via Ethernet. However, unlike the Arc and the Beam, the Ray only connects through optical connectivity. There is no HDMI, USB or Aux support. According to SONOS, this allows the sound bar to be compatible with televisions released over the past 15 years. That said, it is more than likely that we’ll be seeing accessories to allow you to connect to the soundbar via HDMI etc in the near future.

Pricing & Availability

The SONOS Ray will be retailing for MYR1,799 in Malaysia. Internationally it will be priced at USD$279 in the US, CAD$329 in Canada, GBP£279 in the UK and EUR€299 in Europe.

It goes on pre-order in Malaysia starting at 4.05 am on May 12, 2022, in Malaysia and will be gl;obally available starting 24th June 2022.

IKEA and Sonos are Back at it with New SYMFONISK Table Lamp Speaker

IKEA and Sonos’ partnership started with their bookshelf speakers. In 2019, they came up with another Sonos speaker product that is supposed to blend into the home environment better. They came up with a SYMFONISK table lamp.

As soon as it launched though, opinions around the table lamp started to divide. Some liked how it looked while others do not. We kind of think that the earlier table lamp SYMFONISK looked quite funky.

2021 is a different year though and IKEA and Sonos decided its time to give their table lamp a revision. But because it is a different breed of product too, the IKEA x Sonos SYMFONISK table lamp speaker offers a slightly different level of customisation. Now you must buy the table lamp and its shade separately.

Aside from the additional options of lamp shades that are available to you from IKEA, they have also added some light customisation options. You can now use E26/E27 socket light bulbs also available from IKEA for lighting up the table lamp. With the extra customisation option, the IKEA x Sonos SYMFONISK can be customised really to fit your living spaces.

Of course, a new speaker is not really a new speaker if they do no change or improve the speaker module itself. They have done that with the new SYMFONISK table lamp though. Sonos say that the new table lamp features a new acoustic architecture. You can see the slightly different build of the new SYMFONISK table lamp compared to the old one of course. The new speaker features a new custom waveguide that is supposed to create better sounds to fill up an entire room. Of course, because it is a Sonos speaker, it is connected via WiFI and can be used either as the only speaker or even as part of a network of speakers throughout the home.

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The IKEA x Sonos SYMFONISK table lamp is scheduled to be available in IKEA stores and on IKEA.com in North America and selected European markets starting from October 2021. IKEA says that the SYMNFONISK table lamp will reach other IKEA markets around the globe in the coming year. The thing is, their track record with Sonos speakers in Malaysia has not been great, so we cannot tell you if it will ever make it to Malaysia. There are also no confirmed prices for the products at this time.

SONOS Beam (Gen 2) Brings New Audio Formats and Dolby Atmos

Sonos has made a name for itself over the years with its offerings when it comes to wireless sound. The company has one of the largest portfolios when it comes to wireless audio products. Having only just released their new Sonos Roam not too long ago, the company is announcing their new, updated second-generation Sonos Beam.

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The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a step forward when it comes to home entertainment and soundbars. The second-generation Beam shares some of the hallmark features of the first generation Sonos Beam including its compact size and iconic design. The minimalist design that has become the signature for any Sonos product is also along for the ride. However, the Sonos Beam Gen 2 brings an updated grille design to allow it to stand out in simplicity.

However, while the outsides remain iconic and about the same, the insides bring a leap forward when it comes to the sound experience. The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is the first to come equipped with Dolby Atmos support. It will bring a more immersive sound experience that puts viewers in the middle of their content with object-centered sound. This will allow viewers to immerse themselves as they listen to the sound as is intended by sound designers. Blasts from behind as they escape an explosion in their favorite game or whisper in the corner as danger approaches in the dark.

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The soundbar also packs a faster, more capable processor which allows the soundbar to produce more realistic sound. It’s also equipped with upgraded speaker arrays which allows more complex interactions between the transducers allowing for a more spacious sound space and dialogue clarity.

The new generation Sonos Beam also supports a wider range of audio types with enhancements already in place for high-definition audio. It will be able to support Amazon Music’s Ultra High-Definition audio which will be launching later this year. With this support, the Sonos Beam will be one of the first in the market to support lossless audio with bitrates of up to 48kHz or 24-bit audio.

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Together with higher fidelity audio, the Beam is also able to support more audio formats. It has HDMI eARC support and even supports DTS:X. Controlling and interacting with the Beam will be as easy as touching your phone to the soundbar with its NFC support. You will be able to seamlessly add it to your Sonos groups on the S2 platform. However, daisy-chaining multiple Beam units isn’t an option – yet.

Pricing & Availability

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) will be in stores in Malaysia starting October 6, 2021. It will be available in white and black and will cost MYR2,699.

If you can’t wait to get your own, it’s available for pre-order starting 14 September 2021 on the official Sonos Malaysia website starting at 9 pm.