The much rumoured Sonos headphones just got one step closer to being a reality. The US multi-room giant has just taken a controlling stake in UK headphones maker RHA Audio, according to documents from Companies House (spotted by Forbes). That suggests it will use RHA’s knowhow to produce its own headphones.
Sonos took a controlling stake in RHA Audio – which recently changed its name to Origin North Ltd – on 26th October.
Glasgow-based RHA made some pretty decent headphones in its decade in the business, including the TrueConnect and TrueConnect 2.
One thing strikes us about this: RHA was known for in-ear headphones, not over-ear models, which Sonos is rumoured to be making (one appeared in a Sonos patent last year). So either nothing will come of the patent, or Sonos will use RHA’s knowhow and supply chain to produce a different model to the brand’s speciality.
Sonos’ headphones are rumoured to have the same ‘Swap’ feature as the Sonos Roam Bluetooth speaker. This lets you press one button to switch the audio from one device to another – your speaker to your headphones, say, which would be useful for uninterrupted listening as you leave the house.
We’re also expecting all the usual bells and whistles: voice assistant control (as seen on the firm’s multi-room speakers and soundbars, like the Beam), volume slider, playback controls and a mic for handsfree calls. According to a Bloomberg report, the headphones will work with multiple virtual assistants, much like the Sonos Arc and Sonos One speakers.
We’re hoping they will be revealed before the end of the year, as Sonos previously hinted. We’ve contacted Sonos for comment on this latest development and will update this story if we hear back.
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