Review: Sonos Sub Mini Wireless Subwoofer

The Sub Mini comes in the traditional Sonos colors of white and black and weighs less than half of the Sub (Gen 3). Its smaller size makes it very easy to tuck away in your room, but its slick design isn’t something you’ll need to hide.

Deciding on the type of system you want to build out can help make your decision.

How does the Sub Mini work?

Sonos created dual, custom woofers to generate the full-toned low frequencies and advanced processing that further enhances the bass response. Both woofers are powered by class-D digital amplifiers and face inward to create a force-canceling effect, which combined with its sealed cabinet neutralizes distortion and enhances bass response.

How enhanced is that bass response? Well, it can drop down to 25Hz. Test this for yourself with some bass test tracks. In my Super Bass Qobuz playlist, I included some low-end sweeps so you can see how your system sounds from 20Hz to 400Hz, You can also do a full 20Hz to 20,000Hz test. It’s a little boring just listening to low-end sounds, but if you’re a little analytical, like me, it might be fascinating.

Either test will be good to hear the capacity of the Sub Mini. Or if you'd prefer, you can do an old fashioned rattle test (a test to find what in your room will rattle when a certain notes hit).

(Interested in trying Qobuz? Click here for a free 2-month trial.)

Adding a subwoofer to your Sonos system will allow your amplified Sonos speakers to focus on the high-frequency and mid-range audio, and the heavy lifting of the low-end will be done by the subwoofer.

Sub Mini is best for small to medium-sized rooms and is recommended for Beam, Ray, One, One SL, and Amp (with bookshelf speakers) when you want the bass to be present.

Sub (Gen 3) is best for a large room and is recommended for Arc, Beam, Five, and Amp when you want the bass to really pound.

According to Sonos, a single Sub has more output than (2) Sub Minis. But unfortunately, only one Sub Mini can be used with a Sonos system at this time. I really hope that's something Sonos allows in the future.

Final Thoughts

We’ve waited a long time to have an affordable alternative to the Sonos Sub. With the addition of the Sub Mini to the Sonos catalog, you now have the opportunity to go from a $1,100 full surround system all the way to a premium Dolby Atmos system for almost $3,500 without having to run a single speaker wire.

I had a ton of fun testing out the Sub Mini. Make sure to watch my video review above to hear my full thoughts and testing notes to learn more!