Sonos is giving its audio operating system a huge update that adds several AI tools and a speaker sensing tool that could change how you use your speakers: Dubbed Sonos 27 and announced at an event in NYC, this is the latest version of the company's control app and promises to be open and adaptable.
"We built our system around a shared love of music and the belief that nothing sets the mood like great sound," CEO Tom Conrad said in a press release. "Sonos 27 takes that further, bringing acoustic engineering, adaptable software, intelligence and design together in a way only Sonos can."
The last time Sonos attempted an overhaul, the controversial redesign cost CEO Patrick Spence his job. After public outcry, it took nearly a year for Sonos to bring the app back to an acceptable state. Here's hoping history isn't about to repeat itself with Sonos 27.
What's new with Sonos 27?
Sonos 27 comes with two AI features, Sonos 27voice and Sonos 27mcp, both of which utilize AI to change how controlling Sonos systems works.
Voice is a Sonos-built assistant for music and mood curation. The company is also introducing Sonos Custom Agents, which would allow users to create their own AI agents through the system, "each with its own model, persona and voice." Mcp lets you connect an outside AI chatbot to your Sonos system, including OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Mcp lets you connect an outside AI chatbot to your Sonos system, including OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Sonos claims you could ask ChatGPT to play music anywhere in your home without leaving your AI chat.
Sonos didn't provide many details in its press release on how Custom Agents or AI assistant integration will actually work or how you'll connect them to your system, but these details are likely to be discussed during the event in New York City.
Other more interesting features
One of the more interesting features Sonos announced is called Sonos Fabric, a system capability that is supposed to enable Sonos devices to "sense each other" and then adapt to positioning.
According to Sonos, the positioning technology uses high-frequency sound to sense a speaker's location and then adapt its role in the system based on that.
Why is this necessary? It specifically enables portable surround sound features that let the Move 2 or Sonos Play become rear surrounds when they're moved into position. (It's unclear whether this will be added to non-portable speakers.)
Another new feature launching in Sonos 27 will allow linking the Sonos Ace Ultra (also unveiled today) directly to your speaker system, letting you push or pull sound to and from speakers and your headphones. This is launching in early access to start, so you'll need to sign up for that.
Finally, Sonos is adding new features that are supposed to make the app "more intuitive to navigate." Sonos claims these new features were shaped and tested by the Sonos community; hopefully it doesn't break the app like the last update.
So when will it be available?
Sonos 27 will be available for all Sonos S2 products, though some features are only available on certain devices. (More details to come soon.)
The new app navigation features rolls out on September 8, and Sonos 27mcp launches in early access at the same time.
This will all roughly align with the launch of two new Sonos products — the Sonos Beam Ultra soundbar and Sonos Ace Ultra headphones — that launch on September 29. The Beam Ultra is an updated version of the Sonos Beam Gen 2 mid-sized soundbar that will come in at $699, while the Sonos Ace Ultra headphones are a sequel to the original Sonos Ace that will cost $449 at launch.
Both are available for pre-order now.
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