Inside Sonos’ super secret lab where its sonic science is born

By Simon Cohen March 11, 2017

In the highly competitive world of consumer electronics, secrecy tends to be the guiding principle at most companies. Product leaks are avoided at all costs, and valuable intellectual property is guarded like the crown jewels. So it was a little unusual that Sonos decided to give a select group of tech writers a deep-dive behind the scenes at its Boston, MA headquarters. The occasion: The launch of the company’s latest product, the Playbase, a $699 alternative to its Playbar, that puts a full home theater kit in a 2.3-inch tall package that sits under, rather than in front of, your HDTV.

More: Sonos Playbase: Our First Take

It took just about four years for the Playbase team to get their product from concept to launch, and they were eager to show off the process. Above is a photo gallery from the launch event, including a detailed exploration of the Playbase development through a look at its various pre-final incarnations, as well as a peek behind-the-kimono at the extensive R&D facilities Sonos uses to create all of its wireless Hi-Fi products.

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Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…

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