Sonos has confirmed that some of its wireless speakers and soundbars will get more expensive, in an odd move that sees the company raising the cost of existing devices. We've reached out to Sonos to find out why it would be appropriate to do so for products that have been on the market, in some cases, years, but we're still waiting for a reply. The full list of cost changes is shown below:
- Sonos Arc: previously € seven hundred ninety-nine / € seven hundred ninety-nine / AU € one-three hundred ninety-nine, now € eight hundred ninety-nine / € eight hundred ninety-nine / AU € one-four hundred ninety-nine (€ 899, AU € one and four hundred and ninety-nine)
- Sonos Sub: before € six hundred and ninety-nine / € six hundred / AU € nine hundred and ninety-nine, now € seven hundred and forty-nine / € seven hundred and forty-nine / AU € 1,099
- Sonos amplifier: before € five hundred ninety-nine / € five hundred ninety-nine / AU € nine hundred ninety-nine, now € six hundred ninety-nine / € six hundred ninety-nine / AU € 1,099
- Sonos One: was € one hundred ninety nine / € one hundred seventy nine / AU € two hundred ninety nine, now € two hundred nineteen / € one hundred ninety nine / AU € 319
- Sonos One SL: before € one hundred and forty-nine / € one hundred forty-nine / AU € two hundred and sixty-nine, now € one hundred and ninety-nine / € one hundred and seventy-nine / AU € 289
- Sonos Five: was € four hundred and ninety-nine / € four hundred and ninety-nine / AU € seven hundred and forty-nine, now € four hundred and ninety-nine / € five hundred and forty-nine / AU € 799
- Sonos Roam: before € one hundred and sixty-nine / € one hundred and fifty-nine / AU € two hundred and seventy-nine, now € one hundred and seventy-nine / € one hundred and seventy-nine / AU € 299
What the hell, Sonos?
One of the biggest price spikes on the planet comes from the company's flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Sonos Arc, which is now £XNUMX / £XNUMX / AU$XNUMX more expensive than it ever was before. That said, UK buyers are also treated pretty unfairly with a hefty €XNUMX price increase for the Sonos Sub. In a statement published in The Verge, Sonos said it has evaluated and will continue to list on a "market to market" basis, and that the cost increases are part of its promise to grow the business sustainably and sustain the " simple, connected experience" awaits your service customers. The company also cited supply and demand as factors in its decision to raise costs, something The Verge speculated could refer to the current chip shortage affecting everything from automakers to IT companies. This will be some small comfort to anyone who has saved up for a Sonos speaker and is now very low on the money they now have to pay. In truth, we have trouble understanding this ad. You rarely hear of a company raising the cost of existing hardware; it is much more common for brands to permanently reduce the cost of their devices in an effort to attract more customers to the service.
(Image credit: Sonos) Either Sonos is incredibly confident in the attractiveness of its ecosystem and wants to bet on losing some customers for the chance to make a lot more money, or it was really struggling to cover its costs. what it offered However, in a recent earnings call, Sonos asserted that its speaker sales thrived in the third quarter of XNUMX, saying revenue grew XNUMX% year-over-year, thanks to "the introduction of Roam and the progressive success of Arc and Sub". . . Interestingly, Arc and Sub have experienced some larger cost increases. À notre avis, les increases de prix ne devraient pas se produire sans une mise à niveau matérielle des produits, qu'il s'agisse d'une connectivité améliorée, d'un meilleur son ou d'une durée de vie de la batterie plus long. Even though materials are scarce, how can we feel like we're paying fair value for these Sonos speakers when we know how much the company thought they were worth last week? Whether this attracts potential buyers remains to be seen, but we daresay that the undeniable shine of certain Sonos products will continue to attract a relentless stream of customers for the service and more revenue for a company that has reported a XNUMX% increase. . of your income last month. . Our advice? Wait until Black Friday XNUMX if you want to pick up a Sonos speaker. You can (virtually) ensure that costs will drop again by the time the Christmas shopping season begins.