Sonos raises prices on pro products as production moves out of China

Sonos today announced that it will increase prices on the Sonos Amp and Sonos Port by $50 as it shifts production out of China and into Malaysia. The Amp will now retail for $649 and the Port will sell for $449; the price increases will be effective January 9th, 2020. Other Sonos products will remain the same price.

Sonos telegraphed this move earlier in the year, telling analysts on earnings calls that it would be moving production out of China and prices might be affected. The company tells me the move is less about tariffs, which it called a “one-time hit,” and more about diversifying production for the future.

The Amp and Port are at the upper end of the Sonos product line — they allow custom AV installers and enthusiasts to integrate Sonos whole-home audio into virtually any kind of setup. (The Amp allows you to drive whatever speakers you might have, while the Port allows you to connect components from surround receivers to turntables to a Sonos system.) I’ve reviewed both the Port and the Amp, and they’re great products, but the bump in price — especially for the Port — means that they’re starting to get too pricey for average consumers. Sonos knows this; the company told me the Port and the Amp generally sell to high-end integrators who are a little less sensitive to pricing on devices like these. This tracks with what I’ve heard from integrators, who intend to just pass the price increase along to customers who are generally getting enormous total bills anyway.

Sonos customers are being notified of the price change today, and you can still buy the Port and the Amp for their lower prices until January 9th.