According to a new Protocol report, Sonos has acquired Bluetooth startup T2 Software. The acquisition signals that Sonos is preparing to introduce new technologies and new products to the wireless audio space, potentially including its first pair of wireless headphones. Previous reports from Bloomberg and other sources have suggested that Sonos is working on an entirely new product category, likely headphones.
Founded in 2018 in Kentucky, T2 Software develops and licenses “software for current and next generation Bluetooth LE Audio and Bluetooth Classic audio solutions. We also provide software development services for embedded and wireless applications,” the company’s LinkedIn page says. The same page states that T2 Software has between 11 and 50 employees and that its specialties include “Bluetooth, Connectivity, Audio, Codecs, LC3, LE Audio, Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Stacks, Classic Bluetooth, Bluetooth Profiles, Bluetooth BR/EDR and Firmware”.
Several reports suggest that Sonos plans to produce Bluetooth headphones because Bluetooth LE Audio will be a key technology in future headphones.
It is certainly possible, but we should not jump to conclusions. There is another category of Bluetooth audio that is sure to make use of Bluetooth LE Audio in the future: wireless ultra-portable Bluetooth speakers. A little less than a year ago, Sonos released a product called Sonos Roam that fits right into this category.
At the same time, Protocol notes that T2 was founded by Tim Reilly, who previously worked on wearable devices at Qualcomm.
Among other things, the new codec allows you to transmit synchronized audio to multiple devices simultaneously using Bluetooth. This same feature is core to Sonos’ line of smart home speakers, but existing Sonos products use Wi-Fi for this purpose.