If you’ve been holding off on getting a Sonos speaker because they’re too expensive, some bad news: They’re about to get more expensive. Starting Sept. 12, Sonos is raising prices on almost all its products.
Technically, this isn’t coming out of the blue. During its earnings call last month, Sonos Chief Financial Officer Brittany Bagley confirmed a price hike was in the cards.
“We always evaluate our prices based not just on cost, but where we are from a supply perspective and what the demand is,” Bagley said on the call. “And when we look at all of those factors, we will be raising some prices ahead of our next financial year.”
That seems to indicate that the global chip shortage and supply chain issues have finally hit Sonos. In a statement sent to Gizmodo, a Sonos spokesperson confirmed that “marketing dynamics including demand, supply chain, and components costs and the competitive landscape” factored into the decision.
Not every Sonos speaker will see a price hike. The Sonos Move, Port, and Boost will remain at their current prices, as will Sonos’ Ikea Symfonisk speakers. The newly launched Sonos Roam will see the smallest increase, a $10 jump from $169 to $179. The Sonos One and One SL will both cost $20 more at $219 and $199, respectively. The Sonos Five, Sub, and Amp will cost $50 more each. That brings the new prices to $549 for the Five, $749 for the Sub, and $699 for the Amp. The biggest hike, however, is for the Sonos Arc. The Dolby Atmos soundbar will now cost a whopping $100 more at $899.
Some of these price hikes are relatively minor, while others are a little harder to swallow. Most noticeably, the prices for Sonos’ home theater speakers seem to have been the hardest hit. It makes sense: More people have invested in home theater gadgets thanks to the pandemic. However, home theater setups have always been expensive, and making them even more expensive is a tough pill to swallow. This is especially true when you consider Dolby Atmos—the Sonos Arc’s big selling point—is being added to an increasing number of affordable soundbars.
While Sonos had said its prices would be increasing, two days is short notice for anyone who’s been mulling a new Sonos speaker. Sonos didn’t say what time on Sept. 12 the change would occur, so if you’re going to buy before the hike, you might want to make sure you do it between now and Saturday evening.