Sonos' New $249 Soundbar Just Leaked: What We Know
Sonos' new budget soundbar could arrive by June and cost less than $250. On April 21, The Verge reported that the new "model 26" soundbar, which is codenamed "Fury," will take a spot at the lower end of Sonos' product range. Verge Writer Chris Welch, who has accurately reported Sonos leaks before, claims to have seen "genuine" photos of the new soundbar. The article includes some 3D renders based on Welch's memory of the leaked images, which he describes as "not an exact match but more than enough to give you the gist."
Grayson Blackmon / The Verge
The leak describes the dimensions of the new soundbar as being smaller than the already compact Sonos Beam (Gen 2), with the speaker's exact dimensions being 550mm wide, 69mm deep, and 100mm tall. The budget bar will not include features like Dolby Atmos and built-in microphones, unlike the Beam and Arc, and Welch also suggests the "Fury" may lack an HDMI port and rely solely on optical digital input like the old Sonos Playbar. The soundbar is expected to be released on June 7 and cost $249.
The budget soundbar will fill a spot at the bottom of Sonos' range
Sonos' soundbar range currently consists of the high-end Sonos Arc and the mid-range Sonos Beam (Gen 2). The top-of-the-line Arc retails from $799. Unlike the Beam and potentially the Fury, the Arc has some heft. The soundbar is 14 inches long and weighs around 15 pounds. That extra bulk is comprised of eight woofers for low-frequency output, three tweeters for high-frequency output, and 11 Class D digital amplifiers to boost the woofers and tweeters. Arc also features Dolby Atmos audio. The cheaper option is the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) — a smaller, easy-to-use improvement on the original Beam that retails from $449. The Beam (Gen 2) also supports Dolby Atmos by using some clever software trickery; this gives a sense of extra height to the audio.
Although it may lack some of the features of Sonos' higher-end offerings, any entry-level addition to their soundbar range is still expected to punch above its weight in quality, not to mention the ease of use we've come to expect from the company. What's particularly interesting is Sonos' reported option to use the Fury as the wireless rear surrounds with an Arc. Currently that's possible with a pair of speakers like Sonos One or Five, or a Sonos Architectural installation if you're feeling ambitious, but Fury is apparently designed to be wall-mounted in a vertical orientation for a surround system with extra punch.