Sonos has acquired the Bluetooth audio startup T2 software, according to a new protocol report.
As Sonos prepares to introduce new technologies and new products into the wireless audio space, this acquisition hints, possibly with the first pair of wireless headphones. Earlier reports from Bloomberg and elsewhere suggest that Sonos is working on a completely new product range, possibly headphones.
Commenting on the protocol, a Sonos spokesperson simply said, "We will receive team, talent and / or technology from time to time that will expand our existing and future product roadmap."
Established in 2018, Kentucky-based T2 Software "develops and licenses software for current and next-generation Bluetooth LE audio and Bluetooth Classic audio solutions. We also provide custom software development services for embedded and wireless applications," according to the company's LinkedIn. The same page states that T2 software has 11 to 50 employees and their areas of expertise include "Bluetooth, Connectivity, Audio, Codex, LC3, LE Audio, Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Stack, Bluetooth Classic, Bluetooth Profile, Bluetooth BR / EDR and Embedded software. "
Several reports have speculated that Sonos plans to make Bluetooth headphones as Bluetooth LE audio will be a key technology in future headphones.
It is possible, of course, but we should not go to the conclusion. There is another Bluetooth audio range that will feature Bluetooth LE audio in the future: Bluetooth wireless ultra-portable speakers. Just over a year ago, Sonos released a product called Sonos Rome that fits into that category.
Overall, the protocol records that T2 was founded by Tim Reilly, who previously worked on wearables at Qualcomm.
According to T2's now closed website, the company is working with a new audio codec called Bluetooth LC3 for Bluetooth LE audio. As quoted in the protocol, the site's copy previously stated that "the codec is designed to deliver high quality audio at a much lower data rate than the current SBC used in Bluetooth audio solutions today, which will achieve lower power consumption."
Among other things, the new codec enables the simultaneous flow of tightly synchronized audio across multiple devices via Bluetooth. The same feature is at the heart of the Sonos line of smart home speakers, but Sonos' existing products use Wi-Fi for this purpose.
