In the world of tech , there are a few companies that you do n’t anticipate give birth a catastrophic year . For all of its depreciator , Apple still pose out quality product year after year , as does Garmin , and until 2024 make out around , Sonos would have been lumped in the same crew .
However , even if you caught only a glance of the reportage that the Californian audio frequency society received in 2024 then you ’ll know that , for several reasons , Sonos just could n’t watch a break . Yet , despite what the company went through , I think it ’s necessary to head out that of all the technical school purchases I made in 2024 , it was theSonos Raysoundbar that easily stood grandiloquent as my favourite , and why that ’s important go forward .
What happened to Sonos?
Of of course , if you did n’t catch any of the Sonos news program this class then you might be wondering what on globe it is that I ’m babble about , so let ’s set out with a bit of linguistic context . Sonos endured two major setbacks in 2024 : the launch ofa revamp appand the introduction of its first duad of earphone , theSonos Ace , neither of which stuck the landing .
In the casing of the Sonos app , it ’s difficult to translate what went incorrectly here . The app in its previous flesh , from what I ’ve been recite , did the caper just fine – acting as a hub not just for one ’s own Sonos products but also any machine-accessible audio streaming services . Well , for whatever grounds the classical adage of “ if it ai n’t erupt , do n’t fix it ” never seemed to reach Sonos HQ .
Not only were core features like the alarm and eternal sleep timekeeper remove with the intention to reintroduce them at a later date , but the app itself became a batty mess that made day - to - day use a bit of a incubus . fortuitously , things have smooth out quite a minute since the start of the twelvemonth , but the whole matter seemed so unnecessary , even if it did make the app look nicer from an esthetical point of scene .
What did n’t help matters was the incredibly tepid reception to Sonos ’ long - awaited first pair of earphone , the Sonos Ace . collapse just how well - regard Sonos ’ other products are , the hype for these cans was quite substantial , and yet that same Sonos magic just could n’t seem to translate into these first - generation headphones .
To make matters worse , these headphones were priced far too gamey , ringing in at £ 449/$499 to match the far more powerful AirPods Max . To see a plummet to around £ 299/$299 over the Black Friday period was telling .
None of this paint a pretty picture , and yet in spite of it all , I have not stopped commend the Sonos Ray to almost everyone I make love .
A (Sonos) ray of sunshine?
For the longest time , I ’ve been on the lookout for a soundbar that can give a sure pizzaz to late - night amusement but without the type of rocket - firing sound recording that ’s likely to get someone evicted out of their flat . The Sonos Ray had always been tempting , but when it fell down to a measly £ 130 over Amazon ’s October Prime Day I make out the time had add up to buy it – and it did not let down .
Despite the fact that it ’s small enough to outfit underneath my TV , the Sonos Ray still boasts a racy and expansive soundscape , and being capable to utilise it for music via Apple AirPlay has been the cerise on top . Honestly , if ( like me ) you ’re not an audiophile and you simply want a great soundbar that can get the caper done then I can not recommend the Sonos Ray enough , particularly as it still seems to be hard discounted as I write this .
The reason why I impart this up at all is to say that while its doubtlessly had a rugged class , Sonos is far from being out of the wash . year - honest-to-goodness products like the Sonos Ray have stood the test of time , and the late release of the excellentSonos Arc Ultrashows that there are better days ahead .
I expect that Sonos has read a valuable deterrent example over the row of the last 12 months , the teachings of which are no doubt being employed in convey the app back to its best self , and hopefully being utilise in developing a far higher-ranking successor to the Ace headphones . With 2024 in the rear - scene mirror , do n’t be surprised if we see a wise to Sonos in the New Year .
