Hands On: Sonos Sub

I was skeptical about the Sonos Sub ($699). How good could a subwoofer that looks like a Cheerio sound? Two drivers facing each other? But after spending a couple days with the new Sonos Sub, count me as a believer.

One of the many nice things about the Sonos system is you don’t even need to set it up with a computer - I setup the entire system in about 10 minutes (a couple PLAY:3 speakers and the wireless Bridge) on my iPhone and added my Samsung Galaxy Tab as an additional controller.

Integrating the Sub into a Sonos system is easy. Like the PLAY:3 speakers, the Sub is wireless and includes its own built-in amp. It actually has two class D amps, each one drives a woofer that together equal about a 10-inch driver (Sonos won’t reveal the power spec). The two woofers face each other inside the circle design of the Sub, which Sonos says helps cancel out vibration so there's no rattle. The Sub can be played upright or lying flat on the floor.

Sonos designed the Sub in-house, challenging its engineers to design a subwoofer that would stand out in the market. The result is a solution with a force-canceling alignment and a simple one-button interface that integrates the unit into a Sonos system.

“We decided we wanted to make a subwoofer because we thought there was a segment of the audience that would really want a serious subwoofer," says Sonos product manager Craig Wisneski. "We did our own research and ... the feedback was universal [regarding subwoofers]: ‘I love what they do, but I don’t like the way they look.' Once people saw the basic shape [of the Sonos SUB], they said they liked it.”

Once the Sonos app recognized that I’d added a sub to my network, it asked me what room it was in. I then paired the room’s two PLAY:3 speakers and went through a simple setup procedure within the app to adjust the phase and volume (the Sub doesn’t include a phase switch, and Sonos doesn’t even use the term phase). After that I dove into some music.

Performance
Being that it was early in the morning, and my kids where peacefully sleeping, I decided to start with something loud and obnoxious - Ozzy Osbourne’s Bark at the Moon and then I moved on to AC/DC. I just learned a new trick to get my kids out of bed.



After jumping around to a few different tracks, I was convinced this sub was designed by rock fans. It added a lot of presence to rock music in terms of depth, soundstage and overall power. Sonos told me that when you add a sub to the system, the other speakers tend to get louder because less of their amp energy goes to low frequencies.

I confirmed that with a sound meter and RTA app. On average, the system played about 3-5db louder with the Sub engaged (you can easily turn the sub on and off for A/B testing within the Sonos app), but volume wasn’t what gave the system life. All I had to do was turn the volume down to the original listening level in order to hear what the sub was really offering.

Once the kids were up and moving, I turned to Cat Stevens’ Wild World, and while this isn’t a bass-heavy track, the sub filled out the gaps for a more three-dimensional sound. On some Johnny Dodds blues tracks I was impressed with how the sub helped the trombone come forward.

While there was lots of bass provided by the Sub, it doesn’t overpower the music. The sound was tight and well-integrated into the music. It’s a bit more thumpy in rock than in jazz or classical, but nothing out of line with the music style.

I was pretty satisfied with the sound quality of the PLAY:3 speakers, but adding the Sub to the mix takes the system to a higher level. While $699 sounds like a big jump considering a pair of PLAY:3 speakers and the Bridge will run you $650, believe me, it’s worth it.

Robert Archer contributed to this report.