Sonos Sub Mini review: The practical sub we’ve been waiting for

Lastly, Sonos has a subwoofer that is extra inexpensive and sensible for smaller areas, the Sub Mini. It solely took 10 years to get right here. Sonos’ unique wi-fi Sub, which debuted in 2012, has all the time been focused at its most hardcore customers. With a launch worth of $699, it was simply as costly as the corporate’s flagship Playbar, and its monumental dimension made it overkill for flats. (It is now $50 extra after Sonos’ latest worth hikes.)

Informal Sonos followers had been principally out of luck, particularly as the corporate launched extra inexpensive soundbars, just like the Beam and Ray. You in all probability would not wish to pair a $699 subwoofer with a speaker that prices $400 or much less. Merely put, the $429 Sub Mini fills an enormous hole in Sonos’s lineup. However is it really any good?

If I might, I might present you my cat’s shocked response as I blasted Child Driver’s opening automotive chase on the Sonos Arc in my household room. Sonos might not be essentially the most price-conscious firm round, but it surely’s all the time made reliably nice audio system. The Sub Mini isn’t any exception.

Now I do know, for those who personal an Arc, you’d almost definitely go for the beefier Sonos Sub. However I used to be nonetheless impressed by how a lot the smaller subwoofer helped, particularly for a soundbar that already delivered some fabulous low-end sound by itself. Muffled shotgun firing originally of Child Driver shook my partitions (and made one cat leap into the air). I might viscerally really feel the rumble of engines, the affect of automotive crashes and the burden shift each time Child used the emergency brake for a pointy flip. The Sub Mini remodeled the film from one thing I used to be simply watching to one thing I used to be experiencing.

I used to be genuinely shocked by how huge the Sub Mini sounded, particularly since it is a comparatively small cylinder. It weighs 14 kilos — 22 kilos lighter than the large Sonos Sub — and options twin six-inch woofers that face inward. Its sealed design means it would not push out a ton of air like ported subs, however that additionally ensures a tighter bass response. The Sub Mini can attain all the way down to 25Hz – greater than sufficient to make the opening of Blade Runner 2049 hit me proper within the intestine.

Whereas I would not name it transportable, I appreciated how simple it was to maneuver the Sub Mini round my house to check in numerous rooms. (Belief me, that was loads much less enjoyable with the large Sonos Sub.) You possibly can pair the brand new sub with Sonos’ powered audio system, just like the Beam, Ray and Play:5. Sadly, it would not work with Sonos’s transportable choices.

That is smart for the tiny Roam speaker, however I used to be genuinely disillusioned to study the Sub Mini would not help the bigger Transfer. That is a speaker I’ve grown to like lately, because it lets me simply deliver music into my yard. It is a disgrace Sonos could not make the Sub Mini work whereas the Transfer was sitting on its charging base. (At that time, how is it totally different from a speaker with a plug?)

Regardless of that annoyance, the Sub Mini appears well-suited to houses with loads of Sonos audio system. Transferring it over to a Play:5 in my front room took round 30 seconds. And as soon as it obtained going, it immediately added a powerful quantity of depth to a few of my common take a look at tracks. Tan Dun’s “Evening Battle” from the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack appeared like I used to be internet hosting a standard drumming live performance in my house. Flying Lotus’s “Zodiac Shit,” a go-to monitor for low-end testing, despatched one other certainly one of my cats cowering into one other room.

As nice as it’s for music, I might greatest most Sub Mini patrons would find yourself pairing it with certainly one of Sonos’s soundbar for higher film and TV sound. It definitely made an enormous distinction on the first-gen Beam in my bed room, which sounded twice as massive throughout that Child Driver chase sequence. Clearly, that is not a room the place I might wish to have thumping bass on a regular basis, but it surely certain is good to have the choice.

That is my largest takeaway. After a decade of ready, Sonos followers lastly have a viable choice for beefing up their sound that isn’t obscenely costly. And for those who’re fortunate sufficient to have a number of Sonos units, you may simply transfer that bass magic throughout your house. It could be known as the Sub Mini, however actually it’s all about maximizing sound the place it issues.