Apple’s Beats lineup of headphones could soon face some new competition from one of the HomePod’s biggest rivals.
Sonos is allegedly planning to create a set of premium headphones. Development for the over-the-ear buds is reportedly in the early stages, but they could launch by next year and offer some features rivals can’t.
According to Bloomberg, Sonos will supposedly go after the high-end headphone market, pitting it directly against Beats, Bose, Sennheiser and other premium brands. Most of those brands’ top end headphones go for $300 or more.
Sonos goes outside the home
Sonos has already approached some overseas manufacturers about making the headphones. The company wants to focus on audio quality and the ability to work with multiple music services and digital assistants. Its speakers connect to dozens of services and work with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and can be controlled via-Siri with the new AirPlay 2.0 and HomeKit updates.
While Sonos hasn’t commented directly on the headphone rumors, the company did tell shareholders in a recent letter that it is “investing resources to make the experience of Sonos outside the home a reality.”
Apple might introduce its own premium headphones this year. The company is rumored to be making its own over-the-ear headphones that could come out as early as mid-2019.