Sonos is teasing the launch of a new product. And it may be a pair of headphones.
The audio company on Monday said that it's planning to make a product announcement on Tuesday (May 21) at 9 a.m. ET. And while the company stopped short of saying what it has planned, the rumor mill has been hinting for months the company is working on its first-ever headphones.
"Coming soon," Sonos wrote on Facebook. "This is our most requested product ever."
Sonos has tried to keep the possibility of launching headphones out of the headlines, but some of its partners haven't cooperated. Just last week, singer Suki Waterhouse was caught filming a commercial while wearing white headphones with the Sonos branding on them. That came just days after a Sonos partner leaked images of the Sonos Ace headphones that come with a hefty $450 price tag.
Of course, Sonos hasn't said what it has planned and likely has no interest in sharing any details until its product launch. But a $450 price tag on a pair of white headphones wouldn't necessarily be out of the question. After all, Sonos has long built high-end audio devices, including speakers and soundbars, that are notable for both their simple designs and high prices. The company has largely gotten away with that because of the quality of its products, but whether it can achieve the same success in headphones is unknown.
Indeed, the headphone market is notoriously competitive. At the lower end and midrange of the market, customers find a host of outstanding headphones that sound great and don't break the bank. At the higher end of the market, Sonos will be met by serious competitors, including Apple and the Apple-owned Beats brand.
But that may not necessarily be a bad thing if the Sonos headphones can deliver. After all, at a price tag of $549, the Apple AirPods Max may sound nice, but it could be $100 more expensive than the Sonos alternative. And if Sonos' headphones can match or even surpass Apple's option, that could be good news for the audio company.
Luckily, we won't need to wait long to find out. If Sonos is indeed planning to launch new headphones on Tuesday, we're just hours away from their launch.
