Wi-fi speaker and soundbar massive Sonos has been awarded a patent for two pairs of wireless over-ear headphones, giving us an titillating study the prolonged-rumored cans.
The patent, which used to be seen by Protocol, describes how Sonos’ first-ever headphones could well work, with facets like active noise cancellation, wireless connectivity, and built-in microphones for advise managed song playback.
- The most attention-grabbing headphones of 2020
- Learn our Sonos Arc soundbar review
- Or, take a look at out the Sonos One tremendous speaker
Interestingly, the patent also describes how the wireless headphones could well engage with present Sonos speakers, with what the company calls ‘swapping’:
“Let’s direct, if a explicit piece of snarl material play is currently having fun with on the wireless headphone, a swap adjustments the playback to play that piece of snarl material on one or extra diverse playback devices on the local community.”
So in theory, you should be ready to be taking note of song on your Sonos headphones and snappy switch that song over to your Sonos speaker, whether it be section of a multi-room audio system or a standalone tremendous speaker just like the Sonos One or the Sonos Hump.
More than one designs
Apart from to describing the specs shall we look from the first Sonos headphones, photos contained during the patent has given us an belief of how they would look, too.
Every wireless headphones within the patent feature oval-formed earcups – relatively of like these considered on the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 – every with diverse headscarf designs.
The first, appears to be like very equivalent to the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, with a scarf that transitions from a flat to a cylindrical shape where it meets the eacrups. The second comprise appears to be like extra just like the Sony WH-1000XM4, with rotating earcups connected to the headscarf by skill of versatile hinges.
It be price noting that a patent would now not sing that a product will ever look the light of day – and meaning we can simplest guess as to the sign of these Sonos headphones, to now not direct once they is presumably released.
Pronouncing that, rumors of a pair of Sonos headphones had been circling for a whereas now, first emerging in early 2019.
In accordance to a file from Bloomberg at the time, the headphones will possible be pleased extra than one digital assistants that would operate equally to the company’s Sonos Arc and Sonos One speakers, and would specialize in competing with Sony, Apple, Bose and Sennheiser by offering excessive-discontinue audio performance.
Bloomberg’s sources also urged that Sonos could well target a sign level of around $300 (£200 / AU$400) – cheaper than the Sony WH-1000XM4 (however now not by noteworthy).
Mounting rumors of Sonos headphones could well demonstrate to be distress for Apple, which shall be rumored to be launching its first over-ear headphones in 2020. The so-known as AirPods Studio shall be released alongside the iPhone 12 in October, and within the occasion that they are anyplace shut to as neatly-liked because the AirPods, they would in actual fact shake up the audio world.
