Sonos’ first headphones may revolutionise the sound game

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For the first time ever, a Wi-Fi-enabled pair of wireless headphones may be able to give greater sound quality than Bluetooth.

image via rtings

After months of silence, rumours are abounding concerning the alleged first shipment of Sonos headphones and the wireless technology they may be equipped with.

Even though we don’t anticipate the Sonos headphones to be available any time soon, we’re getting more information on what to expect when they do. The addition of Wi-Fi connection is the most important feature.

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It’s not out of the question that Sonos may be branching out into Wi-Fi headphones in the future. It has successfully constructed a trustworthy ecosystem of networked audio devices based around a range of multi-room speakers, including the Sonos One smart speaker, along with its Beam and Arc soundbars, and Move and Roam portable speakers.

Since high-resolution audio enthusiasts would benefit from a networked headphone model with superior audio handling capabilities, this seems like a natural next step. Sound Swap hand-off technology from Sonos’ Roam portable might potentially be used to transmit playing across linked Sonos devices over a home network.

Sonos headphones: Why Wi-Fi is better

For music lovers, Bluetooth has altered the way they listen to their music on the finest wireless headphones or the best wireless earbuds. When it comes to transmitting high-quality audio, wireless technology has a limited capacity.

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While advanced codecs like aptX HD and Sony’s LDAC attempt to enhance audio data transmission by applying compression to better handle audio signals within Bluetooth’s limits, it still falls short of transmitting the greatest amount of data for the best sound quality.

Compromises in the processing of audio signals do not apply to Wi-Fi linked devices. Audio data streams stay intact, ensuring audiophiles get to hear their favourite music in full CD-sound-quality or beautiful better-than-CD high-resolution.

There have been rumblings about Sonos wireless headphones since at least 2019, but the development of such a device is likely to be difficult, which might account for the extended delays in its release.

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The headphones would have a major hurdle in terms of power usage. For wireless headphone and earbud designs, battery life is a major concern. Wifi is still more power hungry than Bluetooth and may drain batteries faster, despite the fact that the standards have grown less demanding on connected devices in the last few years.

How to optimise Bluetooth signal management for maximum music quality when users are not connected to a wi-fi network is another problem. Sonos is reportedly also developing Bluetooth connection, although no information has been provided on what codec support may be supplied to enhance the transmission of sound quality.

Booming audiophile headphones

The introduction of Sonos’ first set of headphones later this year is becoming more plausible, even if the company has yet to make a firm commitment. If this is the case, Sonos will be one of the many headphone manufacturers whose new models we anxiously await.

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According to recent reports, the Sony WH-1000XM5 will be released in 2022, making it an exciting year for audiophile headphones. With Sony’s LDAC codec support, we can expect the highest-quality audio to be delivered through Bluetooth, and we’re awaiting further information and a debut early next month.

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