What could be the rumored Sonos Optimo line of speakers has passed through US and Canadian regulatory bodies.
The Sonos “S39” (SBV RM039) popped on the FCC late Friday and was discovered to have materials dating back to September leading me to an earlier November filing in Canada… which makes me wonder if this product hit an unexpected delay. On the flip side, I could imagine the audio streaming pioneer holding off until, what could be a sister product, the also newly discovered “S41” (RM041) is ready.
While neither of these are the upcoming Sonos headphones or earbuds nor are they likely portables, these new Sonos speakers feature full-on Blueooth, in addition the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) that’s been used for pairing efficiency. Not only could Bluetooth be a convenience for owners (both direct streaming and moving Bluetooth audio to WiFi as currently seen), there are indications Sonos has much broader aspirations from this protocol. This new wireless functionality, for a stationary Sonos speaker, lines up with the Verge’s reporting, which includes the Sonos Optimo 2 rendering embedded up top.
Also on the wireless, front both of these speakers feature WiFi 6 with WiFi 6E confirmed for the S39 (but presumably also present within the S41) — another first for Sonos, which could potentially result in more reliable streaming and conceivably a higher speaker count without resorting to a Boost. Indeed, the S39 FCC filing contains materials I’ve not encountered before which maybe suggest some sort of new WiFi 6E mesh approach.
As Sonos’ CEO indicates the company is locking onto the good, better, best approach to serve various consumers or, at least, room prioritization by price point, the Optimo line is supposedly going to be superior to the prior speaker lineup — with thoughts that the Optomo 2 replaces the Sonos Five or slots in above. If that speculation holds, I could imagine the Optimo 1 coming in above the Sonos One where a Play:3 once existed.
Given the presence and timing of these new filings in relation to Sonos’ disclosed plans for (fiscal year) 2023, I can’t imagine the wait for more info will be long.