The Sub Mini was created for this reason. The $429 subwoofer was originally scheduled to ship much before its eventual release date of October 6, as The Verge first reported back in May. However, the company had to delay the launching of the Sub Mini by a few weeks due to a difficult financial quarter and weak demand for the budget-friendly Ray sound bar. The more compact, more reasonably priced subwoofer is almost here. Over the course of more than a week, we tested the Sub Mini, sampling its low-end performance in TV, movies, video games, and music. We don’t believe you will be dissatisfied if you have been counting down the days till you can get your hands on one. The bigger, more expensive Sub is still preferable in some situations and use cases. However, the Sub Mini has all the power required for movie night as long as you intend to use it in a small- to medium-sized room. Although they are both built using similar acoustic principles on the inside, in our opinion, the glossy, boxy Sub’s design looks much nicer. also you can check our article on Sonos Sub Mini review.
Sonos Sub Mini review: Design
The Sub Mini is unmistakably related to the original Sonos Sub, a design icon in its own right, yet having its own distinct aesthetic. The subwoofer has a compact cylindrical body that is available in black or white and is about the size of a wastepaper basket. The recognizable cutaway, which initially appeared with the original Sub, is in the Centre. To eliminate case vibration, two low-frequency speakers are placed inside, facing one another (more of that later). The Sub Mini is a substantial piece of speaker even though it is physically small (305 x 230 x 230mm) and weighs a substantial 6.35kg. It needed to be lifted out of the box and set down on the ground, which required some force. The Sub Mini has a new cylindrical body that looks fantastic, but it lacks one useful feature: it cannot be laid horizontally and slid out of the way, like underneath a sofa. We adored that about the original because, despite being arguably the most aesthetically pleasing subwoofer, it was also made to be hidden. You’ll have to accept that the Sub Mini will require some floor space. Although you can usually go wireless and only connect the one power lead, there is an Ethernet port underneath.
Features
The Sonos Sub Mini has a number of capabilities, such as Trueplay tuning, which allows you to place the Sub Mini for the greatest sound, and automatic equalization, which adjusts audio to match the associated speaker or sound bar. The Sub Mini will adjust volume in accordance with the Sonos component it is paired with, and you may control EQ levels and loudness using the Sonos app. In case you need to justify why you purchased the Sub Mini, or perhaps more likely, if the neighbors have complained and you need to lessen the booming late at night, you can also disable it so you can hear the difference between when it is on and when it is off. Additionally, the Sonos app has a Phase Control feature where you can select between 0-degrees and 180-degrees. However, if your sub is in a different area of the room from your sound bar or speaker, it’s worth experimenting with this setting to see if it helps them to integrate better. We left the Sub Mini on 0-degrees as it was positioned directly below the Sonos Beam (2nd Gen). As we previously stated, you want them to sound cohesive rather than disjointed. It’s important to note that while the Sonos Sub Mini can be paired with either the Sub or another Sub Mini, the Sonos Sub Mini cannot be paired with up to two additional Subs. You should instead look at the more potent original Sonos Sub if you want more bass. you read our article on Sonos Sub Mini review.
Connectivity
Instead of connecting directly to the sound source, Sub Mini simply connects to an existing Sonos network via Wi-Fi, with an optional wired connection to the network. Adding the Sub Mini to a network is easy; simply have the Sonos app ready on your phone, tap your NFC-equipped phone to the speaker, and it will connect to all other devices. The only downside is that the Sub Mini can only connect to other Sonos products – so you can’t pick this up to act as a subwoofer in other sound systems or soundbars.
Sonos Sub Mini review: Sound Quality
The Sonos Sub Mini is a good fit if what you’re looking for is a richer, deeper foundation for the home theatre sound from your Sonos sound bars without it being in your face or extreme. Its sound is not powerful—in fact, I’d say it’s a little too polite and restrained right out of the box—but it offers a level of bass extension that none of the Sonos sound bars can match, so there’s no doubt that it represents a significant improvement for all of them. Even though each of the three sound bars has different low-end capabilities, the Sonos Sub Mini seamlessly integrates its frequency range with all of them. As a result, you won’t ever hear the Sub Mini start or stop working. Simply put, the bar and sub will become one massive soundstage. In every case, it adds a deeper bass that extends to 25Hz, giving you access to those low, potent frequencies that would otherwise be completely absent without a subwoofer. The sub can keep the lowest frequencies rumbling in your ears and throat, which adds more realism to scenes such as explosions, crashing waves, and the sound of acoustic instruments being played. This also means that it adds resonance to the bass that is simply missing from all three sound bars. Additionally, as it does this, the sound bar’s bass is released. Low frequencies should, in theory, have no direction and serve only as a base for the remainder of the sound. The Sonos Arc is a little better, but still sounds constrained. The Sonos Ray and Beam in particular feel like the bass is coming from the small bar unit. The Sub Mini gives the impression of simply coating the entire space.
Sonos Sub Mini review: Performance
The Ray sound bar with which it was paired by the Sonos Sub Mini performs remarkably well when enhanced. Since we’ve been using the Ray, we’ve been pleased with the more even tonality and clarity it adds to my TV viewing, sounding better than the built-in speakers on my TV screen. The unity the Sub Mini delivers when it is merged with the Ray’s low frequencies is perhaps most instantly impressive. As was already said, Sonos hasn’t specified the frequency range the Sub Mini operates in or offered any crossover controls to let you change the frequency at which one speaker switches to the other. The bass output of the Sub Mini only goes down to 25Hz, though. The frequency handling is optimally handled to acoustically suit your environment during the speaker pairing and tuning process. However, all of this is moot because we don’t believe that the Ray and Sub Mini would integrate any better with an adjustable crossover control than they would with Trueplay tuning. Our initial effort produced an output that was so overzealous that the high bass output shook the living room windows during the opening scene to “Top Gun: Maverick,” so we had to repeat the process twice to find a balance that we liked in our room and seating position on the sofa. A second try at Trueplay tuning was necessary to bring the output down to a more subdued level, and the Sonos S2 app’s Sub Level slider was helpful for fine-tuning when a bit more bass texture and timbre was occasionally needed. The problem with adding a sub to a setup is that you’ll want to use it with all kinds of content the more you realize the advantages it brings to your degree of aural engagement. However, subtlety always prevails, and the Sonos Mini will deliver without being intrusive if the output is correctly optimized to the surroundings. The Sonos Mini Sub performed better musically than we had anticipated, giving tracks that can sound a little lifeless through the sound bar energy and pace. The sub’s love of rhythm is evident in Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” which also allowed us to follow Nile Rodgers’ guitar work while the fast-paced and driving beat did its bouncy energy thing in the background. Simply put, the track sounds more interesting and funky with the Sonos Mini Sub installed.
Price and availability
The Sub Mini’s $429/£429/€499 pricing is what raises the biggest red flag. By purchasing this, Sonos’s envisioned Sub Mini is at least tripling the cost of their audio setup because that is more than either the Ray or Beam. We believe that the majority of people who are willing to spend that much on a sound system would have instead just purchased the $899/£899/€999 Sonos Arc. also you will learn our article on Sonos Sub Mini review. However, the Sub Mini is significantly less expensive than the $749/£749/€849 Sub (Gen 3), and if you already own a Ray or Beam and are looking to upgrade, or you have a pair of even more compact Sonos speakers, adding a Sub Mini makes much more sense than throwing out your entire setup and switching to the Arc. Is it worthwhile to spend hundreds of dollars merely to increase the bass in the mix? Maybe. possibly not However, unless you already have a contract with Sonos, you won’t be considering this. In that case, this is your best available option.
Final Thoughts
The Sonos Sub Mini gives the company’s wireless speakers and sound bars a bigger boom and better range for a somewhat more affordable price. Although the company’s sound bars and smaller speakers have plenty of power on their own, for home theatre enthusiasts, there’s nothing quite like the rumble of a sub in scenes with lots of action. Except for the portable Roam and Move, all of Sonos’ speakers and sound bars can be wirelessly paired with the Mini. But the smaller Ray or Beam sound bars work best with it.
