For June, HBH Woolacotts proudly features Sonos as our Brand of the Month. Sonos has redefined home audio, creating a smart home sound system that brings incredible sound to every room and everyone together. Their wireless speakers seamlessly deliver music, TV audio, podcasts, films, shows, audiobooks, radio, and more, making it easy to share what you love out loud. As pioneers of wireless audio, Sonos transcends the limitations of current technology, driven by a bold vision for the future of home sound. They have meticulously invented the technology needed to turn this vision into a reality, transforming how we experience audio in our homes.
A History of Sonos
The story of Sonos began with a daring vision from founders in Santa Barbara, California: John MacFarlane, Tom Cullen, Trung Mai, and Craig Shelburne, who aimed to revolutionise home music systems. In 2002, home audio meant tangled wires and bulky speakers, and digital music was in its infancy with no existing technology for wireless, multi-room audio. Despite this, the founders pursued their mission to help music lovers play any song, anywhere in their homes, wirelessly and with exceptional sound.
Faced with a lack of necessary technology, the Sonos team embarked on a journey of innovation. They prioritised ease of use, ensuring fast and intuitive setup, seamless integration with various technologies and services, and superior sound quality in any environment. Their breakthrough came on January 27, 2005, with the launch of their first product, the ZP100 ZonePlayer: which distributed, played and amplified all your digital music, so you could enjoy it all over your house regardless of where your music was stored. The product received immediate praise for its simplicity, design, reliability, and sound quality.
The launch of the iPhone in 2007 and the subsequent boom in apps provided another opportunity for Sonos. They introduced a free app for iPhone users, transforming the device into a controller for their system. In November 2009, they released the PLAY:5, an all-in-one smart speaker that further solidified their reputation for innovation. Throughout their journey, Sonos has filed over 2000 patents, continually pushing the boundaries of home audio technology.
Sonos remains dedicated to its mission of filling every home with music. As Sonos’ Mieko Kusano puts it, Sonos is “By music lovers. For music lovers.” This ethos has driven their sustained success and innovation, ensuring that any song can be enjoyed in any room with exceptional sound quality.
Fun Fact: During the testing phase for the ZP100, dictated by the early days of scrolling through long alphabetical-order lists of songs and bands, the most-played song by Sonos engineers for testing was “3AM” by Matchbox 20, for no other reason than it was at the top of a list.
Sonos & HBH Woolacotts
We began stocking Sonos in the summer of 2011, when their popularity was quickly growing in the UK market. By that time, Sonos had a few more products under their belt, and the first products we brought to HBH Woolacotts customers were the Play:3 & Play:5 wireless speakers, Bridge wi-fi extender and, the now pretty nostalgic, Dock, a handy little wireless charging dock for your iPod or iPhone.
Since that time, we’ve seen some incredible Sonos inventions come and be replaced, or joined by, even more incredible ones we never thought possible. Soundbars? Check. Bluetooth speakers? Yup. And their newest, most requested product? Headphones!
Introducing: Sonos Ace
Meticulously designed and expertly tuned, Sonos Ace headphones immerse you in the sounds that matter most. Experience every frequency with exceptional precision and clarity, enhanced by lossless streaming and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. Maximise your listening with world-class Active Noise Cancellation and stay aware of your surroundings with Aware mode. Enjoy up to 30 hours of battery life, outstanding comfort, and crystal-clear calls. Connect wirelessly via Bluetooth or use the included USB-C and 3.5 mm cables. Additionally, bring home theatre content to life with unparalleled audio quality.
The incredible Sonos Ace headphones are BRAND NEW – having only just entered their general release period 2 days ago – and are available in black and white. If you’d like to hear Ace – or any other Sonos products – pop into your local HBH Woolacotts branch for a demo.
