Sonos Sub by Sonos Inc. - more bass for home cinema setups

Sonos Sub delivers up to 25 Hz bass from a compact wireless subwoofer that slots under the living-room sideboard. This product is driving the price of Sonos Inc. stock (ISIN US83570H1086).

Sonos Sub is the kind of box you feel before you really see it: a glossy black rectangle humming quietly in the corner while the floorboards vibrate under a movie explosion. In many Sonos setups it hides under a couch or sideboard, but it does the loud, low work.

Wireless bass for Sonos systems

Sonos Sub is a wireless subwoofer designed to pair with Sonos speakers and soundbars, most often the Beam, Arc or Era home speakers. The company positions it as an add-on that extends bass down to a claimed 25 Hz, giving more impact for film effects and electronic music. The housing uses a distinctive O-shaped cutout with two inward-facing drivers and dual acoustic ports to reduce cabinet buzz during high-volume playback.

Product director Scott Fink describes the Sub as "for listeners who want to feel their content," pointing out that many owners start with an Arc or Beam and add the Sub once they miss the physical punch. Setup runs through the Sonos app: users plug in power, press a single button on the back, then follow on-screen pairing steps to assign the Sub to a chosen room. The Sub connects over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and is not intended as a standalone speaker; it only operates in combination with other Sonos devices.

Design, drivers and controls

The Sub’s form factor is taller than it is deep, around 15 inches high and wide, with a depth of roughly 6 inches, so it can stand upright against a wall or lie flat under furniture. A glossy lacquered finish shows fingerprints but also helps it visually match the black Sonos Arc and Beam. Reviewers often note the tactile feel of the central cutout; you can literally rest your hand inside the cavity while the two force-cancelling woofers fire towards each other from above and below.

Instead of front-facing controls, Sonos hides the few physical buttons on the side edge: a power port, Ethernet jack for optional wired networking, and a single connect button. All volume and crossover adjustments live in the Sonos app, where users can fine-tune the Sub level relative to the paired speakers. In home cinema mode, the app offers a dedicated “Sub audio” slider so the bass can be lowered for late-night sessions or pushed aggressively for action films. Trueplay tuning, where the user walks around with an iPhone while the system plays test tones, measures the room and adjusts the Sub’s response.

Use cases from living room to small studio

While marketed mainly for living rooms, the Sub also appears in smaller project studios that already use Sonos speakers for reference listening. Jason McGrath, a sound designer working out of Portland, says he uses a Sub with two Sonos Five speakers to quickly check how streaming mixes will feel on consumer hardware, describing the bass as "honest but not brutal". For home users, the main pattern is a soundbar plus Sub plus two rears in a 5.1-like configuration, giving streaming services’ Dolby content more impact.

Maximum output power is not highlighted as a number in Sonos materials, but independent measurements suggest the Sub can reach high sound pressure levels appropriate for rooms up to roughly 25 square meters before distortion becomes noticeable. Because the unit is sealed and powered, there is no need to match it to a separate AV receiver; the app handles timing and crossover internally. Owners can add a second Sub for even bass coverage in larger open-plan spaces, though that is a minority use case.

Pricing, availability and product positioning

Sonos lists the Sub at a suggested retail price of about $799 in the United States and around 899 € in Germany, with occasional short-term promotions. On the official Sonos webshop, the Sub appears alongside the cheaper Sub Mini, which targets smaller spaces and lower budgets. This positioning makes the Sub the full-fat option for larger rooms and for buyers who already invested in an Arc or Five and now want to round out the system.

Availability is broad: Sonos sells the Sub via its own online store, major electronics chains and audio specialists in North America, Europe and parts of Asia-Pacific. Amazon Germany lists multiple Sonos Sub variants from Sonos and authorized resellers, often bundling it with the Arc or Beam in home theater sets. The product can be purchased in black and periodically in white, depending on market and stock.

How Sonos Inc. uses the Sub

For Sonos, hardware like the Sub is a way to deepen household penetration beyond a single speaker and build higher average revenue per user. In earnings calls, CEO Patrick Spence regularly highlights home theater setups as a growth area, pointing out that combinations of soundbar, Sub and surrounds generate more lifetime value than a lone smart speaker. That makes the Sub strategically important even if unit volumes are below mass-market devices like the Roam or Move.

In the broader market, rivals such as Bose, Samsung and Sony also offer wireless subwoofers for their soundbars, but Sonos leans on its multi-room ecosystem and app control to keep buyers loyal. Once a household has a Sub in the living room, the chance of adding speakers in the kitchen or bedroom rises. That helps Sonos defend pricing and maintain a premium image in a segment where TV makers increasingly bundle basic subwoofers with mid-range sets.

Context for Sonos stock

From an investor perspective, the Sub sits within Sonos Inc.’s broader home theater lineup, which has become a central pillar of the company’s revenue mix according to recent financial disclosures. The steady demand for home cinema upgrades, even after pandemic stay-at-home peaks, means hardware add-ons like the Sonos Sub contribute meaningfully to Sonos Inc.’s average selling prices and margins. On Nasdaq, Sonos Inc. stock trades in US dollars under the ticker SONO and ISIN US83570H1086.

Sonos Sub at a glance

• Product: Sonos Sub
• Manufacturer: Sonos Inc.
• Category: Accessory / home theater subwoofer
• Market launch: Originally introduced in 2012, with the current generation available since the mid-2020s.
• MSRP / Price: Approximately 899 € in Germany, around $799 in the US.
• Availability: Sonos online store and major electronics retailers in North America, Europe and selected Asia-Pacific markets.
• Target group: Home cinema users and music listeners who already own Sonos speakers or soundbars and want stronger low-frequency response.
• Highlight / USP: Wireless, app-controlled subwoofer with force-cancelling dual drivers designed specifically for Sonos multi-room and home theater setups.