Sonos Sub Mini Review: compact sub that finally gives Sonos systems real low-end

I’ve been using Sonos for years, but always with just soundbars and small speakers. I finally grabbed the Sonos Sub Mini in black to see if adding a sub was actually worth it in a medium-sized living room (about 20 m²) with a Beam Gen 2 and two One SLs. I’m not an audiophile, just someone who watches a lot of series, plays some PS5, and listens to Spotify all day while working.

First reaction after setup: yes, it really changes the sound, more than I expected. Before, the Beam alone already sounded decent, but everything below a certain frequency was just missing. Explosions were loud but flat, music had no real weight. With the Sub Mini, you suddenly feel the bass in the sofa at moderate volume, without having to crank it up.

I used it daily for about two weeks: TV every night, music in the background, and a few gaming sessions. I moved it to three different spots in the room to see how much it changed the sound and played a lot with the Sonos app settings (bass level, loudness, night mode, Trueplay). The difference between “with” and “without” sub is clear enough that I don’t see myself going back to a Sonos setup without some kind of subwoofer now.

That said, it’s not perfect. The price is still high for what is basically “just” more bass, and if you expect cinema-level rumble in a big room, this is not it. But for a living room or bedroom setup with Beam, Ray, or One/One SL, it feels like the missing piece that finally makes the system sound complete.

Let’s be clear: the Sub Mini is not cheap. For the price, you can find traditional subwoofers that go louder and deeper, especially from home cinema brands. But those usually need an AV receiver, cables, manual setup, and won’t integrate nicely with Sonos speakers. So you’re basically paying a Sonos tax for simplicity and ecosystem integration.

For me, the value clicked because I already had a Beam and two One SLs. With that kind of setup, spending more to get a proper low end made sense. The difference in everyday use is big enough that I don’t feel like I paid for a gimmick. Everything sounds fuller and more enjoyable, even at low volume. If you compare the Sub Mini to the full-size Sonos Sub, the Mini actually looks like the more reasonable choice for normal rooms: it’s cheaper and still delivers more than enough bass for apartments and small houses.

Where the value becomes questionable is if your setup is very basic. If you only have a single Sonos One in a small room and you listen at low volume, adding a Sub Mini might feel overkill. Same if you’re not sensitive to sound differences; you might hear “a bit more bass” and that’s it. In that case, your money might be better spent upgrading to a better main speaker first (like a Beam or a pair of Fives) before going for a sub.

So in short: good value for money if you already invested in a Sonos system and care about sound, less convincing if you’re just starting or if you don’t really care about bass. It’s not a bargain, but it gets the job done very well in the specific context it was designed for.

The Sub Mini is basically a fat cylinder with a cut-out in the middle. It’s smaller than the regular Sonos Sub, and that helps a lot for placement. I went for the black model, and it blends in pretty well next to my TV stand. It’s about 9 x 9 inches wide and almost 12 inches tall, so you can’t really hide it under most low furniture, but you can tuck it beside a side table or next to the TV bench without it screaming for attention.

The finish is a matte polycarbonate. It feels solid, not cheap, and the weight (around 6.3 kg) gives you the impression that there’s serious hardware inside. The downside is that the black version picks up dust and fingerprints quite easily. After a few days, I noticed a fine dust layer on top and had to wipe it down. Not a drama, but if you’re picky about looks, you’ll be cleaning it from time to time. I’d say the white version probably shows less dust but more marks if you kick it or scratch it.

One thing I liked a lot: only one cable. Just power. Everything else is wireless through Wi‑Fi. There’s an Ethernet port if you want a wired connection, but I didn’t need it. No extra LEDs or flashy design; just a small status light that you can dim or turn off in the app. When the lights are low during a movie, you basically don’t see it at all, and you just feel the bass.

In terms of practical design, I also appreciated that it’s very easy to move around. I tried it next to the TV stand, behind the sofa, and near a side wall. Because it’s not huge, you can actually experiment with placement without rearranging your whole room. Compared to my old traditional sub from another brand (big cube, glossy finish, lots of cables), the Sub Mini feels much more “living-room friendly”, even if it’s not exactly a design object you’re going to admire every day.

The Sub Mini is made from polycarbonate (PC), so it’s clearly plastic, not metal or wood. When you tap on the side, you feel the hard shell, but it doesn’t sound hollow or cheap. The cabinet is sealed and feels rigid, which is important for a sub to avoid rattling when you push the volume. I tried a couple of bass-heavy tracks at high volume, and the box itself didn’t vibrate or buzz, which is already better than a few cheaper subs I’ve owned.

The overall impression is that it’s well-assembled and dense. The internal woofers are force-canceling (they face each other), and that probably helps avoid the cabinet dancing around the floor. Even with loud scenes in movies, the box stayed put. I also liked that the bottom has a stable base; it doesn’t feel like it will tip over if you lightly bump it with your foot or vacuum cleaner. That said, if you have kids or pets that love to ram into things, it’s still a tall cylinder; it’s not bolted to the ground.

On the downside, it’s still a plastic cylinder at a premium price. If you compare it to some hi-fi subs that use wood or heavier MDF cabinets, you might feel like Sonos is charging a lot for plastic. Personally, once it’s in place and you’re watching TV, you don’t really think about it anymore, but if you’re very into build materials, this might bug you a bit.

Long term, I don’t see any obvious weak points: no moving grills, no fragile feet, nothing that seems like it will break easily. The finish didn’t scratch during my two weeks of moving it around, but I was careful. Overall, it feels premium enough for a living room, without being showy. It’s not luxury furniture, but it’s miles ahead of the cheap, boomy black boxes you usually see at lower prices.

I obviously haven’t used it for years, but based on two weeks of daily use, the Sub Mini feels like it will last. I left it on 24/7 like the rest of my Sonos gear. It goes into a low-power state when not in use, and it wakes up instantly when you start playing something. No clicks, no pops, no weird noises. The cabinet never got warm, even after long movie nights at fairly high volume.

The finish on the plastic survived multiple moves across the room without scratches, but I was careful not to drag it on rough floors. The power cable feels decent quality, and the connector at the back is snug, not loose. I didn’t notice any rattling, buzzing, or parts moving inside, even on tracks with very low frequencies. That’s usually where cheap subs start to show their limits after a few days.

The bigger question with Sonos is always software and ecosystem longevity. Sonos usually supports products for several years, but you’re still relying on the app and their updates. If one day they decide to stop supporting older hardware, you might be annoyed. For now, the Sub Mini is a recent model (released in 2022), so it should be safe for a while. But it’s not like a passive sub you can keep for 15 years and plug into any amp; you’re tied to Sonos speakers and their app.

Overall, in daily use, I had zero technical issues: no dropouts, no disconnects from Wi‑Fi, no random reboots. It just sat there and did its job. If you already live in the Sonos world, you know the deal: the hardware usually holds up fine, the only risk is future software decisions. From a pure physical durability standpoint, it feels robust enough to handle years of normal use in a living room.

Let’s talk about what matters: how it sounds. Paired with my Beam Gen 2 and two One SLs, the Sub Mini brought a clear step up in every situation. On movies and series (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video), explosions, engines, and soundtracks gained real weight. You don’t just hear the bass; you feel a bit of vibration in the sofa and in your chest at moderate volume. Not cinema-level, but enough to make action scenes more fun. Dialogues stayed clear because the Beam doesn’t have to force the low end anymore.

On music (Spotify and Apple Music), the difference is also clear. Tracks with deep bass lines sound more complete, especially hip-hop, electronic, and rock with heavy drums. Before, I often pushed the bass slider in the app and still felt like something was missing. With the Sub Mini, I actually lowered the bass to keep it balanced. The bass is tight and controlled, not just loud. I didn’t notice the usual boomy effect that cheaper subs have where everything sounds like a mess.

Gaming on PS5 (connected through TV ARC) was also more fun. Racing games and shooters felt more physical; car engines and explosions had more impact. I didn’t notice any lag between sound and picture, which is always a concern with wireless systems. Everything stayed in sync with the TV, and the wireless connection to the sub never dropped or glitched during my tests.

Now, the limits: if you have a very big room or open-plan living space, the Sub Mini starts to show its boundaries. Pushing it very hard, you feel that it reaches its comfort zone and doesn’t go much further. It doesn’t distort badly, but you realize it’s still a compact sub. In my medium room, it was more than enough; in a huge space, you’d probably want the bigger Sonos Sub. Also, if you’re into very precise hi-fi listening with non-Sonos speakers, there are better subwoofers for the money. But inside a Sonos setup, in a normal home, I’d say the performance is pretty solid.

The Sonos Sub Mini is basically a smaller, cheaper version of the regular Sonos Sub, designed for small to medium rooms and the lighter Sonos gear: Beam, Ray, One, One SL, maybe a pair of Fives if you don’t go too crazy on volume. It connects only via Wi‑Fi, no cables apart from power, and you control everything through the Sonos app. No physical knobs, no remote, nothing fancy. You plug it in, the app finds it, you assign it to a room, and that’s it.

On paper, the specs are decent: two 6-inch woofers facing each other inside a sealed cylindrical cabinet, down to 25 Hz according to Sonos, and up to 250 W output. In practice, it’s not about the number; it’s about how it integrates with the rest of the system. Once you add it to a room in the app, your main speakers stop trying to handle the deep bass, so they sound a bit clearer, and the Sub Mini handles the low frequencies.

Important detail: this thing is not made for huge living rooms or people who want to shake the whole building. If your room is really big or open on several sides, you’re better off saving for the big Sonos Sub or a different system. But in a normal flat or house with a 10–25 m² room, it’s honestly already more than enough. Past a certain volume, I had to dial the bass down in the app because it was starting to annoy my neighbors.

So if you’re wondering what you’re paying for: you’re paying for clean, controlled bass that plugs into the Sonos ecosystem without headaches. No receiver, no manual crossover setup, no sync issues with TV. It’s clearly not the cheapest way to get bass, but if you’re already in the Sonos world, it slots in nicely and behaves like the rest of their stuff: you set it once, and then you mostly forget it exists… until you turn it off and notice how flat everything sounds without it.

In practice, the Sub Mini is effective at one thing: filling in the low end that Sonos soundbars and small speakers can’t handle properly. After a few days with it, I turned it off in the app just to compare, and the difference was brutal. The Beam alone suddenly sounded thin and flatter, especially on movies and bass-heavy music. With the sub back on, everything felt more balanced and less tiring at the same volume.

The Trueplay calibration (iOS only) also helps. I did one run with Trueplay and one without. With Trueplay, the bass sounded more controlled and less boomy in my room, especially when the sub was placed near a wall. Without it, some frequencies were a bit too present. So if you have an iPhone or iPad, it’s worth taking 5 minutes to walk around the room like a weirdo while the system sends test tones.

What I found effective too is how the app lets you fine-tune things: you can adjust the sub level, turn on/off loudness, use night mode for TV, and even completely disconnect the sub from a room if you want. After a few evenings, I found my sweet spot: sub around -2, loudness on, night mode off. For late-night watching, I turned the sub down more to avoid annoying the neighbors. The fact that you can do all this in a couple of taps makes it easy to live with daily.

So, does it justify its price in terms of effectiveness? If you already have a Sonos Beam, Ray, or a pair of Ones and you care even a bit about sound quality, yes, it clearly improves the experience. If you’re more of a casual listener who watches TV with the volume low and doesn’t care about bass, then honestly, you might not get full value out of it. It’s not a magic box that fixes bad content or bad TV speakers; it’s a solid upgrade for an already decent Sonos setup.