STEREO GUIDE verdict in conjunction with Sonos Beam 2
+ clean, deep bass response,
+ Precision better than Beam 2 alone
+ Improving imaging and transparency
+ Trueplay room calibration for difficult positions
+ very simple setup
- With the Beam 2, the effect is rather subtle
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Sound: tonal balance / transparency7.9
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Sound: Bass / Dynamics8.5
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Sound: Spatial imaging8.2
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Ease-of-use/ Connectivity9.4
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Price/Performance9.3
Sonos´ Sub Mini seems to be an answer to the growing Sonos fan base´s demands. A slim soundbar plus a compact wireless subwoofer – this combination is definitely quite popular. Until now, Sonos did not have any answer to the subwoofer question. Both he Sonos Ray and the Sonos Beam 2 work pretty well without a sub, as we have experienced on our latest review of the latter. However, combining one of these with the rather chunky Sonos Sub seems not be a popular concept neither in terms of pricing nor sizes.
Sonos seems to have recognized this gap, and therefore launched the brand new Sonos Sub Mini. The retail price meets that of a Beam 2 or a pair of Sonos One. This makes it suitable as a bass extension for all smaller Sonos setup. However, there is no possibility to connect it to the Move and Roam mobile speakers, nor can it be combined with prehistoric Sonos models that only run the S1 app. On the other hand, it works with all IKEA Symfonisk speakers as well as passive bookshelf speakers powered by a Sonos amp.
Our first impression: With the black or white matte finish and the rounded shape, the Sonos Beam 2 seems to be a perfect match. So we have chosen to review this combination first. If you want to setup a more sophisticated home theatre into your living room, you can additionally integrate a pair of Sonos One as rear speakers. All wireless, of course. On the other hand, integrating two Sub Mini is not an option.
High tech and slim design
When it comes to integrating a subwoofer inconspicuously into the living room, Sonos has probably reinvented the genre with the Sub Mini: The monolithic, rounded enclosure with a matte finish remains inconspicuous. The cutouts on the left and right add a certain degree of filigran lightness to its appearance, so it seems to be smaller than the already compact dimensions would suggest. In diameter, the barrel measures just 8″/23 centimetres and a pretty decent 10″/30 centimetres in height. You may rotate it according to your taste – that´s acoustically irrelevant in any case.
The two narrow gaps are meant to let bass waves flood the room. You can spot two bass drivers inside, each offering a stiff, almost-flat diaphragm of 5″/15 centimetres in diameter. They push in the opposite directions, which virtually eliminates the vibrations of the enclosure. That is a significant achievement as the manufacturer is promising a bass response reaching down to 25 Hz out of a sealed enclosure. In a conventional subwoofer design this would inevitably lead to significant impulses shaking the enclosure and make it wander around. Sonos is not providing us with any exact specs of the installed Class D amplifiers.
Relax as you know it from Sonos
The fact that the Sonos Sub Mini can only be integrated wirelessly by combining it with other Sonos speakers via its own app is fitting quite well to the inner logic of a sophisticated multi-room system. Like all speakers with the latest generation of processors, the S2 generation Sonos app is mandatory.
Setting volume and choosing crossover frequencies are fully handled automatically by the system. The selection of the tone control in the app is also included. Likewise, the playback can be optimized for the room by calibrating via the Trueplay function in the app. However, an iPhone is required solely for this procedure.
A subwoofer as easy to integrate as you imagine
Having the Sonos Beam 2 connected with the Sonos Sub Mini is smooth and fast. The setup is similar to the procedure known from other Sonos components. You then just have to assign it to the same listening zone as the Beam 2 or another Sonos soundbar or speaker. After that, you will automatically receive the pairing request in your app. After that, you can calibrate the whole thing with Trueplay, if you have an iPhone or iPad. That’s it. It doesn’t get any more convenient than this.
Controling the sub/bar set is fully corresponding to operating the Sonos Beam 2 in standalone mode. We have already reviewed the Sonos Beam 2 as a soloist and described all of its useful features in detail. Users can adjust the subwoofer level separately from the soundbar’s sound control using a slider in the Sonos S2 app. However, boosting only really makes sense for movies with earthquaky sound effects or as a boost for electronic beats. Reducing the level is basically only necessary at night.
How the Sonos Beam 2 sounds with the Sonos Sub Mini
Doing a listening test with the Sonos Sub Mini turned out to start pretty seamlessly there where we ended with a Beam 2. The subwoofer does its job really well but surprisingly subtly. You have to have a certain listening experience to be able to grasp the effect properly. Those who just expect more bass in the sense of effects or party beats might be a bit disappointed at first. On the other hand, those who prefer bass quality over quantity will definitely like this combination.
Like all Sonos speakers, the Beam 2 produces an enormously rich bass for its size thanks to active technology. But the compact soundbar alone doesn’t really reach to very low frequencies. So if you want a proper show when experiencing action movies the combination with the Sub Mini quite sufficient, especially in small and medium-sized rooms.
Subtle perfection
Adding the Sub Mini can best be thought of in much the same way as the effect of Trueplay calibration. The bass gains in depth, contour and precision. In addition, there is a minimal gain in bass, but this is especially noticeable at higher SPL. Furthermore, an effect occurs that we could even observe again and again in large floorstanders with much, much larger woofers than in the dainty Sonos Beam 2: The bass support from the perfectly matched subwoofer not only makes the bass seem more commanding. The transparency in the midrange, which is important for speech intelligibility, and the impression of spaciousness also increase due to the additional active bass module.
Even works on small distances to the listener
All of this is really nice, especially since the Sonos Sub Mini cannot be located even at a short listening distance. This positive circumstance also makes it very suitable for demanding gamers who want to upgrade their desktop. However, this design in combination with the surprisingly subtle bass boost also led me to put my hand in the air gap between the two counter-rotating diaphragms several times during the listening test to convince myself that the Sub Mini was running at all.
The Sub Mini is most noticeable in combination with the already amazingly bass-strong Sonos Beam 2 when you listen to action movies with heavy special effects very loudly. The subwoofer level can be adjusted to increase the level without overtaxing the soundbar’s smaller membranes. The Sub Mini is least noticeable when listening to music at a moderate level.
Conclusion and alternatives to the Sonos Sub Mini
For Sonos users, the search for alternatives is quite simple. Since none of the Sonos speakers or soundbars have an analog subwoofer output and the enthusiasm for third-party solutions is likely to be very limited within the community anyway, there is only one alternative to the Sub Mini within the proprietary network audio system: The larger Sonos Sub, which only makes sense if you have a large room and can really turn up the volume.
For everyone else, the new Sub Mini is a perfect and reasonably priced solution, especially in combination with a pair of Sonos One, IKEA Symfonisk or the soundbars Beam 2 and Ray. The latter should benefit the most from the Sub Mini due to its small dimensions – bass needs the largest possible drivers and enclosures. This would also be an appealing and living space friendly solution for music fans. On the other hand, the small subwoofer would not make sense for the large Sonos Five, which we have already tested at STEREO GUIDE.
Specifications Sonos Sub Mini / Beam 2
- Retail Price: 500 Euro (Beam 2) + 500 Euro (Sub Mini)
- Dimensions subwoofer (D x H): 23 x 30.5 cm
- Weight subwoofer: 6.4 kg
- Features: LAN, WLAN, Sonos S2 app compatible, Trueplay calibration (iPhone only)
- More at www.sonos.com
