Exclusive: this is the new budget soundbar from Sonos

Sonos is approaching the release of a new entry-level soundbar and you’re looking at it. Codenamed “Fury” and officially known as Model S36, the new device is yet another soundbar that will join the company’s lineup under the $ 449 Beam and flagship $ 899 Arc.

It seems that Sonos is no longer willing to give up the cheaper soundbar market to Vizio and other competitors, as I can reveal that the new product is expected to sell for around $ 249. It’s significantly cheaper than any Sonos soundbar to date. It is currently set for release in a few weeks on June 7th.

I’ve seen real pictures of the new soundbar, and The edge have used them to create the 3D renderings for this article. It’s not an exact match, but more than enough to give you the essence. (You can trust me, I think.) Like the Arc and Beam, Sonos’ budget soundbar will be offered in both black and white.

*Here’s a 3D rendering of Sonos’ new soundbar that gives a closer look at the design. It clearly cuts down on the number of speakers compared to the Beam and Arc.*

The device is even more compact than the Sonos Beam – not a surprise as it contains significantly fewer drivers.

Sonos model S36 “Fury”: 550 mm (width) x 69 mm (depth) x 100 mm (height)
Sonos Beam (gen 2): 651 mm (width) x 68.6 mm (depth) x 100 mm (height)

As expected at a lower price, the new Sonos soundbar will omit certain features like the Dolby Atmos, and it lacks built-in microphones for voice assistant functionality. Sonos will place this as a soundbar for TV and music, leaving the smartness to its more expensive siblings. In fact, internal specifications suggest that there is not even an HDMI port on this product (only an optical cable is included in the box). It limits the new soundbar to Dolby Digital surround sound. You can still extend it to a 5.1 system if you own other compatible Sonos speakers.

Here’s an interesting treat: Sonos expects a fair number of customers to use the new soundbar as paired surrounds for the advanced Sonos Arc. And so the company has created a wall bracket that allows Fury – again, it’s just the code name, and I’m unsure of its final branding – to be mounted vertically beyond the standard horizontal orientation.

Sonos has not yet announced its upcoming soundbar. So while I’m more than happy to do it for them, I expect we will all hear more details about the Model S36 and the company’s broader home theater ambitions in the coming weeks. Reached via email about this story, a Sonos spokesman said “we do not comment on rumors or speculation.”

Other products still under development at Sonos include a smaller, cheaper subwoofer (model S37) and the company’s long-rumored wireless headphones. The latter will lead Sonos into a new product category for the first time since it expanded to portable speakers with Move and Roam.