Give your Sonos speakers an upgrade with these mix-and-match covers
Leave it to the Dutch to put a sweater on everything.
Netherlands-based designers at Studio Truly Truly are partnering with the award-winning TextielMuseum and interior design distributor VANMOKUM on a Kickstarter campaign to create knitted Sonos speaker covers and honestly we're super into it. It's the kind of weird, totally unnecessary product that makes us say, "cool, but why?" followed immediately by "I don't know why I want that, but I really do."
Sonos is the gold standard when it comes to home sound systems, with the new Sonos One getting rave reviews from Lance Ulanoff. They aren't ostentatious to begin with — a Sonos system stands out aurally, not visually. They're designed to be integrated seamlessly into your home, elevating your system behind the scenes and letting the quality speak for itself. For some, that's what they want, but you paid a lot for those speakers and there's no shame in wanting to show them off a little.
Soundskins hits that sweet spot between drawing attention to your status symbol and fitting in with your aesthetic that's perfect for our Instagram-driven culture. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel like a lifestyle influencer. Plus, with so many über-functional tech accessories on the market right now it's honestly refreshing to see one that openly admits it's only about the design.
Studio Truly Truly and the TextielMuseum's design lab worked on a 3D knitting technique that manufactures the cover as one piece, giving it a snug fit around your speaker. Theoretically this means there won't be any annoying bulges or gaps in the fabric.
According to the page, they've also ensured that Soundskins is "acoustically transparent" and won't lose sound quality or the Wi-Fi signal since that would defeat the whole point. Check out their campaign video below for a full explanation of the Soundskins design process.
Though the project is being funded on Kickstarter, it's not in the concept or prototype stage. According to information on the campaign page, Soundskins have actually been tested and perfected, meaning the manufacturing stage shouldn't take very long. The estimated shipping window to Kickstarter backers is Jan.-March of 2018.
The Kickstarter campaign wraps up on December 28, so there's still time to back the project and be sure you receive one of the first Soundskins at a discounted price. Prices range from €20 (about $24) for a Play:1 cover to €135 (about $160) for a home theater pack.
Currently Soundskins is available in five colors for the Play:1, Play:3, Play:5, Playbar, and Sub. If you've got a Sonos One, technically it's the same size at the Play:1 so while it'll definitely fit, you might not be able to use all of the swipe functions. According to the Kickstarter page, VANMOKUM plans on developing Soundskins for other Sonos speakers later in 2018 so if you have one that isn't covered, keep an eye out.
Let's be real though — this is basically a condom for your Sonos speaker. Just look at this diagram. It's even got a reservoir tip.
We still want one.
According to twitter, Emily Heller is a fake geek girl and a SJW. If you ask her friends, she laughs too loud and cries at cute animal videos. Prior to Mashable, Emily wrote for CollegeHumor and Reductress and most recently worked at a very bro-y tech startup. She lives in Brooklyn with three dudes, a cat who acts like a dog and a dog who acts like a houseplant.
