Sonos announces its first outdoor speaker

As we've suspected since the summer, Sonos is finally leaving the home for the first time.

The multi-room music maestro and architectural speaker specialist Sonance have announced a new range of in-wall, in-ceiling and waterproof outdoor speakers.

The ‘Sonos Architectural by Sonance’ are designed and ‘optimized’ for the Sonos Amp ($599/£599), which launched in the US in August and has just become available to pre-order in the UK.

The Outdoor speaker see Sonos bringing hardware outside of the home for the first time, and naturally has a weatherproof design that allows owners to, say, fix them to the outside of their house or place them in their garden.

According to Sonos, they are engineered to withstand humidity, water, salt spray, heat, UV rays, and freezing temperatures.

Sonos In-Ceiling speaker

Sonos In-Ceiling speaker

One Sonos Amp can connect with up to three pairs of the new speakers, also gifting them Sonos functionality such as streaming service access via the app and AirPlay 2 control. 

When connected to the Amp, the in-ceiling and in-wall speakers can activate Trueplay calibration software, which measures the size, construction, and furnishings of the room in which the speakers are placed, and automatically adjusts the EQ for optimal sound.

They also feature specially designed round, or optional square, grilles that can be painted to match the wall or ceiling.

Sonos In-Wall speaker

Sonos In-Wall speaker

“Our goal was to create a solution optimized for installers, bringing the Sonos experience to architectural speakers for the first time,” said Sonos CEO Patrick Spence. 

The Sonos In-Wall ($599/pair) and Sonos In-Ceiling ($599/pair) speakers by Sonance are available for pre-order on sonos.com now, with shipping beginning on February 26th. The Sonos Outdoor by Sonance ($799/pair), meanwhile, will follow in April. As was the case with the Sonos Amp, the rest of the world will have to wait patiently for availability and pricing details. 

MORE: Which Sonos speaker is best for you?

 

Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10 years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech (and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by). In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.