Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg
The much rumored Sonos streaming box is finally coming into focus and, if the latest leaks are accurate, it could be one of the Santa Barbara brand’s most ambitious products yet.
Codenamed ‘Pinewood,’ the set top box has been swirling around the rumour mill for well over a year, but a new report from The Verge claims to have seen it in the flesh.
At first glance, Pinewood’s design won’t turn many heads; it’s reportedly a compact, black square, slightly thicker than a deck of trading cards.
But Sonos isn’t aiming to win a beauty contest here. The real draw is what’s under the hood. If the leaks are accurate, Pinewood won’t just be another streaming box; it’s designed to be the central hub for Sonos home theatre setups, offering both content streaming and HDMI switching.
That’s a bold move in an already crowded market, where devices from Apple, Amazon, Google, and Nvidia dominate.
But Sonos appears to be banking on its long-standing reputation (which has taken somewhat of a battering in the last 12 months) for high-quality audio to set Pinewood apart.
Rather than simply plugging into a TV and offering another way to watch Netflix, the device will reportedly feature multiple HDMI ports with passthrough support.
Pinewood could finally solve some of the persistent audio issues that Sonos soundbar owners have complained about for years. Problems like audio dropouts, format mismatches, and syncing issues with TVs and third-party set-top boxes.
If Sonos gets this right, it could make Pinewood an essential piece of kit for home theatre enthusiasts already invested in its ecosystem.
Pinewood might also allow users to create a full surround sound setup without needing a Sonos soundbar at all. Instead of anchoring everything to an Arc or Beam, users may be able to configure standalone Sonos speakers, such as Era 300 or 100s, as left and right stereo channels.
That opens the door for much more advanced Dolby Atmos configurations and a truly modular home theatre experience.
Of course, streaming remains a key part of the package, and Sonos is reportedly planning a unified software experience that aggregates content from the usual players, complete with universal search.
Sonos is purportedly developing the OS for the streaming box in partnership with ad-tech company The Trade Desk, and there are understandable concerns about just how much advertising will be baked into the experience.
Then there’s the issue of price. The Verge reports that Pinewood could land somewhere between $200 and $400; which could prove a tough sell considering the – much lower – prices of existing streaming boxes.
If it leans toward the higher end, Sonos will need to make a strong case for why it’s worth the premium, especially if ads are part of the equation.
After a turbulent 2024, Sonos and its new interim CEO desperately needs a win.
Whether Pinewood is the product to deliver it remains to be seen, but if these leaks are anything to go by, it could be one of the most interesting Sonos launches in years.
