Sonos Amp Multi revives launches after the app backlash, here’s who it’s for
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Sonos’ first new device in more than a year is a pro-only amp, and it’s also a quiet bet that the company’s app cleanup is finally sticking.
Sonos
Sonos is releasing new gear again with the Sonos Amp Multi, a large digital amplifier aimed at advanced installs. Bloomberg reports the launch follows an intentional pause, as Sonos redirected effort toward stabilizing its mobile app and rebuilding its reputation after a widely criticized overhaul helped drag down revenue.
Amp Multi isn’t meant for a TV stand. It’s built to disappear into an equipment rack in bigger homes where audio is planned into the walls and ceilings. The unit sits in Sonos’ components lineup, alongside boxes like Amp and Port that bring traditional wired speakers into the company’s wireless whole-home system.
That matters because Sonos hasn’t shipped mainstream consumer hardware since the Arc Ultra soundbar in late 2024. Putting a new product out now suggests Sonos believes the worst app issues no longer define the experience under CEO Tom Conrad.
Rack installs, fewer boxes
Amp Multi is designed for scale. Sonos says it can run up to four independently configurable zones per unit, compared with the regular Amp’s single-zone limit. It also has eight amplified outputs, letting installers power more rooms from one chassis.
In practice, that means fewer separate amps to buy, mount, and manage. It also gives integrators more freedom to hide the hardware while still spreading Sonos across a large footprint.
A cautious return to shipping
Sonos is restarting releases with something that won’t be judged like a mass-market speaker, and that choice feels intentional. The app redesign triggered months of customer frustration and was followed by leadership turnover, with CEO Patrick Spence departing and Conrad stepping in last January on an interim basis before taking the permanent role in July.
Conrad has pitched a simpler system and a narrower plan. Rather than chase brand-new categories, he has talked about getting existing households to add more Sonos devices over time, with the company pointing to a multi-billion-dollar opportunity in higher device counts per home.
What comes after Amp Multi
Sonos says hardware launches will ramp up in the second half of its fiscal 2026, and whatever comes next is expected to have broader appeal than this installer-first amplifier. The next near-term checkpoint is Feb. 3, when Sonos reports financial results.
If you’ve been waiting for a sign Sonos is steady again, this is the first breadcrumb. The bigger test is what it ships next, and whether customers keep buying into the system.
Paulo Vargas is an English major turned reporter turned technical writer, with a career that has always circled back to…
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