Sonos has been quiet for about a year. It's been working in the background, improving the controversial app and ensuring users get the best possible experience. When I put together my living room's Sonos surround setup, I learned that there are still some kinks — but we're otherwise there.
It looks like the firm has also been working on something new to give the world. It's called the Sonos Amp Multi, and instead of the loud-and-proud Arc Ultra soundbar or the Era 300 smart speaker, it is designed to be the wired-in center of a whole-home audio system. Let's dive in.
For all the speakers
The Amp Multi isn't going to work on its own — it's an amplifier that needs speakers to make the sound. There are eight different stereo channels on the back of the amplifier, which you then need to wire to speakers around the house.
That's going to be done by an installer, so it's unlikely to be something you'll do yourself. Unless you're a Sonos installer with a house that needs speakers.
Once you've wired up all the speakers around the house (through the walls and the floors), you can create rooms for each channel. You can put multiple channels in one room for more sound as well.
All running through the Sonos app
The amp and all the speakers you attach to it are going to be powered by the Sonos app — and depending on your viewpoint, that could be either a great thing or some of the worst news you've ever heard.
For the most part, current experiences with the Sonos app are positive. It seems like the alarm and playback issues have been ironed out, and users of the Era line and other smart speakers are not experiencing anywhere near as many issues as they did when the app was relaunched.
But things aren't perfect, even now. I recently set up a full Sonos surround system in my living room, and I had to spend days troubleshooting before disconnecting everything from the internet and starting completely from scratch. I even had to disconnect my router before TruePlay would work, and the surrounds would make noise.
Despite these issues, the Amp Multi seems to be evidence that Sonos is now ready to leave them in the past. This is a device that relies entirely on the app, with no controls on the device at all. You choose your channel in the app, and then play your tunes/podcast/whatever audio thing you want.
Volume? App. Playback? App. It looks well featured for connection standards, as you might expect, including "Apple AirPlay, Spotify Direct Control, and more." It'll get wired into your house's cable internet for better stability, making for fewer potential app issues. You can still connect to Wi-Fi, if you wish — but if you're wiring in speakers, it would be a waste not to get an ethernet cable plugged into the back.
There are physical connections as well, including a USB-C port and a pair of RCA inputs. You won't be short of ways to plug in — although I'm sure some will miss an HDMI port.
With ProTune, you can dial in the sound for each room (or channel) individually. There's a Parametric EQ for fine adjustments to room acoustics, giving more granular control than TruePlay. This is likely going to be a part of the install, sorted out by your installers.
Still, there's a lot of faith here for a new product to rely on an app that's previously been troubled. It's also a lot to ask of potential consumers, considering that this is going to be permanently wired into your house. Or, at least, wires traipsed around the house. Either way, it's a larger investment than a soundbar or smart speaker.
Simple design that you're not supposed to see
Sonos has made the Amp Multi look as attractive as a permanently situated box could ever be. But given that it's supposed to be tucked away in a media console or even placed in a rack, it's still very much just a black box with some speaker interconnects on the back.
Price is available when you book yourself an install — it's all paid at once. So the box on its own doesn't yet have a price. If you're interested in picking up (or getting one buried in your wall), you can enquire on the Sonos website.
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