What you need to know
- Sonos has reportedly acquired Bluetooth audio startup T2 Software.
- The move suggests Sonos could soon enter the wireless headphones market.
- T2 Software has been working on implementations of Bluetooth LC3, which delivers high-quality audio at significantly lower data rates than current codecs used in Bluetooth audio devices.
Smart speaker maker Sonos has purchased Bluetooth audio startup T2 Software, according to Protocol. T2 Software, which is based in Louisville, Kentucky, had been working on implementations of Bluetooth LC3, an audio codec for the Bluetooth LE audio standard.
The Bluetooth LC3 codec enables streaming of high-quality audio at significantly lower data rates than codecs used in Bluetooth audio products today, resulting in lower power consumption.
Bluetooth LC3 is described as a "new high-quality, low-power audio codec" on the Bluetooth SIG website. It is claimed to offer superior audio quality over the SBC codec, even at a 50% lower bit rate.
The Bluetooth LC3 codec also allows multiple synchronized audio streams to be sent to headphones at the same time, enabling better stereo pairing. Broadcasting audio signals to multiple endpoints is supported as well, which means users can stream the same song to multiple headphones. A similar feature is also available on the best Sonos speakers.
Sonos VP of global marketing and communications, Pete Pederson, recently posted on LinkedIn that the company is looking to partner with an ad agency for one of its "most ambitious projects."
The post also mentioned that the agency must have previous experience in "launching a new brand/product/service in an established category" and "creating a new category for an established brand." Even though there's no mention of headphones in the post, it does suggest Sonos' rumored pair of headphones could finally be announced soon.
Sonos has been rumored to be working on a pair of wireless headphones since 2019. A Bloomberg report published in early 2019 claimed the headphones would be priced over $300 and support both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
