First Sonos Store Opens in New York

The notion of stores as we know them is fast eroding away, price tags and polo’d salespeople giving way to immersive displays and testing grounds for unreleased products.

And because we live in New York, we are at the blessedly sci-fi epicenter of it all.

The newest example? The just-opened Sonos brick-and-mortar in Soho, comprising seven individual “houses” for more than just jamming out — it’s an all-body listening experience.

The heart of the 4,200 square foot store is a collection of seven state-of-the-art “houses”: i.e., private rooms that recreate the all-wireless Sonos listening experience exactly the way it works in most homes. Each House is custom-built with four layers of acoustic sheet rock and a 2,000-pound steel-framed glass door. There’s a living room system on one wall, a kitchen system on another, and a study system on the third. A control panel allows guests to search for any song they can imagine and toggle the juice to one room or all.

Sonos Sound Experience Leader Giles Martin — a gifted composer and producer in his own right — collaborated with audio engineer Dr. Hilmar Lehnert and the Sonos design team to ensure every inch of the store delivers a superior listening experience. And we can vouch for their success: sitting in the center of their man cave, laid back in an Eames chair, Led Zeppelin’s When the Levee Breaks never sounded so damn good.

But the mindful curation of the space doesn’t stop there. There’s also a ton of rare music art and artifacts, like a collection of rare cassette tapes from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and vintage NYC music ‘zines like New York Rocker and East Village Eye. The staff is affable and well-informed, and there’s a very generous 45-day return policy for everything on display.

They also have a slew of exclusive event in store, beginning with a live broadcast from Pitchfork Radio featuring Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, Mobb Deep’s Prodigy, Frankie Cosmos and more.

Listen up.