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Sonos is a leading American audio technology company that is best known for pioneering wireless multi-room audio systems, which make it easy for listeners to stream music and other content throughout their homes. The company continues to innovate, creating wireless speakers, home theatre systems, headphones, architectural components, and integrated home audio solutions that revolutionise how people listen and connect to sound.

The sharp crack of a wooden bat. A slap shot ricocheting off the post. The 

 of a ball finding the back of the net—and the crowd erupting half a second later. Sports would simply not be sports without these iconic sounds, which lend a dose of heart-pounding drama to the events playing out on the court or field.

But if your goal as a spectator is utter immersion, you don’t need to make the long trek to the stadium to get it. A home cinema system with surround sound can give you an even richer sports-viewing experience, complete with up-close angles, crisp broadcast commentary, and the sounds of the game coming at you from all directions. In this guide, we’ll break down how Sonos can help you achieve a sideline-quality experience from the comfort of your couch.

Can you watch sports with surround sound?

You can watch many of your favourite sports in surround sound—assuming you have a 

Most major sporting events now broadcast in 

, which uses five ear-level audio channels (left front, right front, centre, left rear, right rear) plus a 

. Broadcasters strategically position microphones throughout the venue to capture on-field sounds like player-to-player contact, ambient sounds like crowd noise, and point-of-action sounds like the clang of a basketball rim. These sound feeds are mixed to provide an audio experience that feels true to real life, with crowd noise coming in through the side and rear channels, and field-of-play sounds centred in the front.

Whether you’re watching via cable, satellite, or a streaming service, you’ll have access to the surround sound feed if it’s available. Some premium broadcasts even take advantage of 7.1 surround sound (which includes two additional side channels) or the 

 of Dolby Atmos (which adds a third dimension of sound—height).

To really hear the difference, though, you’ll need a system that supports surround sound. That means a dedicated home cinema system with speakers both in front of and behind your seating area, or a soundbar with surround capabilities, like the 

What does surround sound for sports feel like?

There have always been advantages to watching sports at home versus in-person—for example a clearer sight line to the action or helpful play-by-play commentary. But these advantages were traditionally counterbalanced by the sheer rush of 

, sitting in the stadium instead of watching from your couch.

Surround sound changes that equation. This technology lets you experience the game in ways a stadium seat can't—isolating and amplifying on-field sounds that would get lost in crowd noise at the venue. The overall effect is stunningly immersive, giving you a front-row audio experience from the comfort of home. Even if nothing truly beats the live experience, a well-designed 

 comes closer than you might think possible.

Enhanced commentary quality with surround sound

We mentioned above that a typical surround sound broadcast includes various feeds from microphones stationed throughout the venue. One of these feeds comes directly from the sound-controlled commentary booth, which provides an isolated audio track dedicated to the play-by-play announcer and colour commentator.

These announcers' voices are typically mixed to come through the centre channel in a surround sound setup, which is positioned directly below the TV screen. This helps to anchor the voices to the action on screen and ensures that you don’t miss a word even when crowd noise and field sounds are filling the surrounding channels.

 feature on our Arc Ultra soundbar, which uses machine learning models to help make dialogue crystal clear.

To get 5.1 surround sound with Sonos, you’ll need the following:

 for the centre, front left, and front right channels.

—one for the rear left channel, one for the rear right channel. We recommend two 

 speakers for a beginner-friendly setup that doesn’t sacrifice high-quality sound. For a premium spatial audio experience, consider two Dolby Atmos-enabled 

 speakers, each of which provides lateral and overhead channels to create an all-encompassing soundstage.

This setup will ensure a surround sound experience that extends from front to sides to rear.

For more options and configurations, check out our 

 to learn about possible surround sound pairings with older Sonos products.

Use Sonos audio swap for a personal sports experience

 headphones and a compatible Sonos soundbar, you can unlock an audio experience that puts you right in the middle of the action. Sonos’ 

 feature lets you instantly switch your sports broadcast audio from your main surround sound system to your headphones with the press of a button.

This connection (which requires a compatible Sonos soundbar 

) offers immersive surround sound quality with the privacy of headphones—perfect for watching late-night games in a different time zone, or anytime when you want to avoid disturbing others in your home. With Sonos Ace you’ll benefit from 

 that cuts through household distractions and keeps you centred in the stadium atmosphere.

If you’re looking for the best possible surround sound experience for sports, step into the winners’ circle with Sonos.

Our premium wireless speakers create a lifelike audio environment that, in its breadth of sound textures and focus on the action, comes as close as possible to catching a game in person. And with options ranging from 

, there’s an immersive option for every type of sports fan.

If you have any questions or need help selecting a Dolby Atmos-supported speaker for your next game-day party, get in touch with a Sonos expert by 

Friends watching a basketball game with a black Arc Ultra, Sub 4, and pair of Era 300 rear surrounds

The Beginner’s Guide to Surround Sound for Sports

Global Head of Editorial

Huddle up. We want your pre-party to sound just as good as the main event, so we’re sharing five tips for throwing a winning tailgate—including advice from grilling/smoking extraordinaire Jimmy Ho on how to uplevel your outdoor cooking game. Ready, set, hut!

Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent to sports, there’s one aspect of game day we can all enjoy: the well-executed tailgate. While a game is usually the reason (or excuse), a tailgate seamlessly blends all the elements of a great party—food, drinks, games, the outdoors, and a shared cause. What’s not to love? Just don’t forget to bring 

 along to get your guests hyped for kickoff.

As the air turns cool and we start tuning in to ESPN2’s game coverage, we wanted to share some of our best tips for throwing a tailgate to cheer for. And remember, even if you’re planning on watching the game with the new 

 in your living room, there’s no reason why you can’t throw a pre-game tailgate in your driveway. In fact, we encourage it.

Imagine heading out to the field without a play in mind. It’s not going to go well. “I know this is very adult-ey, but you gotta plan,” said Austin-based grill/smoke master Jimmy Ho. “Have a checklist. And the reason why you want a checklist is because you should always over-prepare.” And he should know. Scroll through 

 and you can tell that Ho does a lot of thoughtful pre-planning in order to create his photo-worthy outdoor feasts.

Make a game plan.

Ho shared a few more things to consider for your pre-planning: “You want to have extra fuel, whether that’s charcoal, wood, or pulping. You don’t want to be caught needing extra fuel in the middle of cooking and then have to leave your food unattended while you go find more.”

As you’re planning your meals, consider how long things take to cook and your balance of high-maintenance food (which needs to be kept cool or hot) and low-maintenance food (which keeps well at room temperature.) “And always bring extra,” Ho said. “When you’re cooking things that take a lot of time to cook, like brisket, you need a plan B in case you run out. But if you run out of brisket, you won’t have time to cook another one, so bring easier meats to cook, like sausage.”

Bonus Tip: If you slept through cooler-packing 101, here’s a refresher: Drinks at the bottom, then a layer of ice, and finally: food. Pack it with as little air at the top as possible. And if you want to get drinks cold quickly, remember these three elements: ice, water, salt. Then swirl, wait, and enjoy.

Depending on where you live and in what part of the season you’re tailgating, the weather can vary widely. When it’s hot, make sure to create oases of shade with easy-to-assemble tents, water spritz bottles, and hand-held or battery-powered fans. For colder games, bring extra blankets and sweatshirts. And regardless of the weather, bring plenty of water to keep everyone fully hydrated.

Make it comfortable.

While most people stand at a tailgate, provide lots of seating options for eating and relaxation. Because, really, no one wants to have to ask Grandma to get up in order to get a drink from the cooler.

Is it even a tailgate if it’s not drenched in your team’s colors? Everything is in play—cups, plates, napkins, silverware, table cloths, streamers, banners, and more. Raise everyone's spirits with a dessert featuring a healthy dose of food coloring. Cupcakes designed to look like mini footballs? That's a win for everyone.

Make it festive.

To offer more drink options (beyond those that come in cans and bottles), you don’t have to bring your full home bar. Pre-mix drinks in jars and add them to the selection of other alcoholic beverages. You can do this with mocktails too. Just make sure that you clearly label what’s what. Note: this is also your moment to shine with a signature cocktail. Name it after your mascot, or take it as an opportunity for some good-natured ribbing of your opponent.

When we asked Jimmy Ho for his advice on making a great meal on the grill, the first thing he brought up was food safety. In addition to recommending wearing gloves so that you don’t cross-contaminate the food and bringing things to help keep cold food cool and hot food warm, he recommended getting a meat thermometer—but not just for safety reasons. “For the average Joe, getting a meat thermometer is important for both safety and tenderness reasons,” he said. “Pros often know when meat is done by feel or touch. But if you haven’t been doing it long enough, you might not know what the meat should feel like when it’s done. So if you have a thermometer, this will help make sure you’ve cooked the meat long enough, but also, from a tenderness perspective, not too much.”

Make it safe.

He also recommends giving yourself plenty of time to fully cook your meal. “I always think I know how long something will take to cook—and it always winds up taking longer,” he said.

Ho encourages bringing along a source of power, such as a generator or a power inverter for your car, because “At the very least, someone always needs to charge their phone.”

No matter how thoughtful you are about using reusable materials at your tailgate, you’re going to generate some trash. Rather than awkwardly hang a trash bag off the side of the table (which will inevitably end up on the ground, susceptible to bugs), bring two collapsible laundry hampers—one for trash and one for recycling—and line each with a trash bag.

We saved the best for last. Nothing gets everyone more pumped up for a game than music.

Make it fun.

 help create the ultimate mood for a tailgate. Just place them wherever it makes the most sense to get the best sound—and don’t worry if that’s in the direct sun or next to the cooler. They’re designed to hold the line against both heat 

Now, what to play? Create a collaborative playlist and fill it with your team’s fight songs, upbeat classics, tracks that bring you back to high school or college, and Jock Jams. Lots and lots of Jock Jams.

Or, to make it easier, check out ESPN’s collection of 

, featuring the “top hype up music of all time.” Each playlist covers a different genre, from pop, hip hop, and dance to country, rock, and Latin.

When it’s time for kickoff, don’t worry if you weren’t able to score tickets. Stream 

 of the game to your speaker via Bluetooth. If you’re closer to home and within range of your WiFi, you can find local sports coverage on 

, which is especially helpful if you don’t live in the same city as the team you’re rooting for.

And, to get everyone in the competitive spirit (and distract them while the brisket cooks just a little bit longer), bring along yard games like cornhole, ladder toss, and spikeball.

Football has been bringing people together for generations. And a tailgate is a fun, easy way for both casual and hardcore fans to connect. Win or lose, if you show up prepared with food, drinks, and great 

It’s College Football Season. Let’s Tailgate.

Enrich your holidays (now and in the future) by harnessing the benefits of nostalgia. Take a deep breath and learn how tuning into your five senses can make for a cozier, more connected holiday—one that looks, feels, smells, tastes, and sounds merry and bright.

The holidays offer up many reasons to celebrate. Delicious smells. Beloved movies. Colorful decorations. Lively parties. Cozy conversations. And if you’re lucky, presents.

But if there’s one thing that really lets you know the holidays have arrived, it’s the music.

The feeling holiday music evokes can be unexpected and sudden. One minute you’re grocery shopping while Bing Crosby croons about silver bells, the next minute you’re remembering how you once ate a handful of sprinkles while decorating gingerbread cookies with your grandma.

This occurrence might be attributed to the experience of nostalgia, officially defined as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past.” While this feeling can come from out of nowhere, intentionally engaging in nostalgic reflection by tapping into your five senses can positively impact your current holiday, as well as future holidays.

In the short-term, nostalgia benefits us by reaffirming that our lives have meaning. That’s because nostalgia usually features significant life events—occasions like birthdays, weddings, and the holidays. Further, these events usually include close loved ones. So reflecting on these events re-establishes our sense of connection and belonging, making us feel more loved, protected, and secure about our existing relationships.

And it’s these short-term benefits that we tap into when our holidays don’t go as planned—whether it’s because of a cancelled flight or an unexpected snowstorm. In the case of the missed flight, nostalgia is what makes reminiscing in the airport lounge over a warm mug of cocoa a soothing comfort in the face of massive disappointment. With the snowstorm, it’s ordering a spread of take-out Chinese food when you can’t make it home because it reminds you of the year your parents burned the roast. These aren’t perfect substitutes, of course, but by bringing forward elements of previous cherished holidays, we infuse our present with comfort from the past.

Nostalgia has benefits that extend into our future as well. Studies have shown that engaging in nostalgic reflection is a powerful social motivator, propelling us to pursue social goals like making new friends, reconnecting with loved ones, and finding a partner to share our lives with. This turns out to be great timing; experiencing nostalgia during the holidays is setting you up to achieve the resolutions you make regarding your social life on New Year’s Eve.

With all its benefits, nostalgia might seem like it would be difficult to invoke. Lucky for us, it’s simply a matter of tapping into smells, sounds, tastes, visuals, and sensations from our past. No matter what you’re celebrating this season, consider the five senses as you prepare for the holidays. Here are some things to consider for each one.

Build a playlist that offers something for everyone at your holiday gathering. The songs that evoke wonderful holiday memories for you might not be the same ones that do so for your grandpa or your cousin. Create opportunities to get to know your loved ones better by asking them what songs remind them of the holidays in advance of your gathering. The result will be a playlist that spans generations and genres.

If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got you. Our Global Head of Music, Brian Beck, wrapped up 

 just for you, an enduring playlist of lesser-known classics featuring Woodie Guthrie, Pearl Bailey, Loretta Lynn, Louis Armstrong, and more.

Of all the senses, smell is the sense that most directly evokes emotional memories. When we smell something, that information goes directly to the part of our brain that is associated with experiencing emotions. Consider the scents that remind you of your favorite holidays and recreate them with candles, essential oils, room sprays, or diffusers. If you have time, tackle two senses at once by cooking or baking (see “Taste” below). Lastly, experiment with different scents in different rooms—try welcoming pine for the entryway, warming cinnamon for the living room, and refreshing peppermint for the bathroom.

There’s a lot of things that brighten up holidays…twinkling lights from menorahs, kinaras, and tiny villages that overtake every available flat surface in your home. But one of the most comforting things to gaze at during the holidays—a flickering fire on the hearth—can be impractical or more likely, impossible. That’s why we teamed up with sound designer Andrew Tracy to create “

.” With the proper log sizes, wood-to-flame ratio, and bark thickness, you can enjoy the mesmerizing flames on your TV with the soothing crackle through your home theater speakers.

Most often overlooked, incorporating the sensation of touch into your holiday can be an act of mindfulness. Take the time to bring your attention to the tactile sensations of the holidays—a rough firelog, a hand-knit scarf, a warm clay mug, the worn pages of a beloved book read once a year. And when in doubt, wrap yourself in a soft, fuzzy blanket.

This one gets the most attention around the holidays. And for good reason. But this is also where we have the biggest opportunity to expand our traditions. In addition to Christmas, people celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, Diwali, Los Posadas, and Chinese New Year at this time of year. Get in the spirit of the season by learning about cultural traditions other than your own. Then, incorporate a traditional dish you learn about into your family’s meal and use it as an opportunity to share what you’ve learned. Or, if you’re a book lover, look to cookbooks with recipes inspired by literary giants like Charles Dickens, Toni Morrison, or Louisa May Alcott. Above all, share. Whether you invite friends to your family’s meal or wrap up baked goods for neighbors, sharing food is a great way to connect with those you normally just share a wave with.

The holidays can be stressful. And don’t always go as planned. By getting in touch with your senses during the season, you can tap into comforting memories of the past, get motivated to create a better future, and savor each moment of the present.

Abeyta, A. A., Routledge, C., & Juhl, J. (2015). Looking back to move forward: Nostalgia as a psychological resource for promoting relationship goals and overcoming relationship challenges. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109(6), 1029–1044. 

Hepper, E. G., Ritchie, T. D., Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T. (2012). Odyssey’s end: Lay conceptions of nostalgia reflect its original Homeric meaning. Emotion, 12, 102–119. 

Hertz, R., Eliassen, J., Beland, S., Souza, T. (2004). Neuroimaging evidence for the emotional potency of odor-evoked memory. Neuropsychologia. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028393203002161

Pearsal, J. (Ed.). (1998). The New Oxford dictionary of English. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Routledge, C., Arndt, J., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Hart, C. M., Juhl, J., . . . Schlotz, W. (2011). The past makes the present meaningful: Nostalgia as an existential resource. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 638–652. 

Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Arndt, J., & Routledge, C. (2006). Nostalgia: Content, triggers, functions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 975–993. 

https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.91.5.975

Secrets of Nostalgia: Simple Ways to Warm Up Your Holidays

Sonos listeners are a loyal and passionate group of people. It was with them in mind that we were inspired to create our latest brand campaign, 

. We continue to be delighted by the unique and special ways Sonos shows up in your lives. In this post, we share the campaign video and a few of the stories that keep us inspired every day.

It’s my full-time job to describe what’s great about the Sonos experience and I always come up short. Always. Before I can get into why that is, I have to say something that may seem bold to anyone who hasn’t experienced Sonos for themselves, but here goes: Having Sonos in your home is not the same as having speakers in your home.

To really describe what it’s like to have Sonos, I have to communicate so much more than just the features of our products. Yes, our speakers are easy to set up and use. Yes, our speakers sound great. Yes, they are beautifully designed. But those are like pieces of a puzzle, mixed up and spread out across the dining room table. You can’t really appreciate the full picture of why people love Sonos until you fit all of those pieces together, sit back, and take it all in. That’s when it clicks. And you realize that Sonos isn’t just about listening—it’s about feeling.

One of the pleasures of working at Sonos is that when people find that out, they often want to share their stories about Sonos with us. The way their eyes light up after I tell them where I work gets me every time. And then they’re off, excitedly telling me what it was like for them the first time they heard music coming from two stereo-paired Fives. Or how incredible their favorite movie sounds with Arc. And after four years of working here, I’m still compelled to do the same, equally excited to share my own Sonos stories.

Reflecting on this, I think that one of the reasons why these encounters happen is because it’s just so fun to talk about Sonos with someone else who “gets it.” Because, like me, our listeners have probably tried to describe why they love Sonos to friends who don’t have it and felt like they weren’t really able to do the experience justice. Because of that, it’s surprisingly fulfilling to get to talk about it with someone else who understands.

It was with that in mind that we decided to let the people who best know what it’s like to have and love Sonos do the talking. We’ve included a small sampling of their stories below. Some were shared over social media, some were emailed to our CEO, Patrick Spence, and others were shared directly with those of us who work here. But they all have one thing in common: They get to the heart of what it means to experience Sonos. It’s heart-pounding suspense and the urge to dance. It’s the comfort of a classic album and awe inspired by new worlds. It’s food tasting better, loved ones getting closer, and every day feeling less everyday because you feel more.

“Last weekend my wife and I got married in a small elopement overlooking the ocean in Santa Cruz. Due to getting married on a cliff, there was a ton of wind so we weren’t entirely sure how we were going to do the music, but I decided to take my Move out just to see how well it would hold up. We were shocked. Not even at full volume you could clearly hear the music the entire length of our makeshift “aisle” that my wife walked down.

Later that night we returned to the house we had rented which had a small rooftop that we had decorated for dinner and toasts. The rooftop had built-in outdoor speakers, however when we arrived we realized they were no longer working. Luckily the Move was once again perfect and allowed us to have high-quality music during dinner and our dances. I’ve been a Sonos fan for years, but every new product I buy seems to top the last, and I think this experience has solidified my love for the Move. Thanks again for everything your company does and keep up the great work!”

“We brought our Sonos Move into our delivery room this week, and our playlist was such an important part of the birth of our first child.”

“We brought our Sonos Move into our delivery room this week, and our playlist was such an important part of the birth of our first child. I’m so glad we packed it. Just wanted to say thank you for making products that make a difference!”

“Since I’m working from home due to COVID, I took the opportunity to stay with my parents for several weeks in November and December. While there, I noticed the sound for their TV was just awful, so I knew my dad (who wears hearing aids in both ears) must have been struggling. I’ve been a Sonos customer for years, so I suggested buying them a system for Christmas. After a trip to Best Buy for a soundbar, Sub, and multiple Ones, we set up the system in minutes. My parents were thrilled with how easy it was to use and the sound quality. Later in the day, my dad and I were sitting on the patio and listening to some music. He said to me, ‘I can’t get over how good the sound is from this little speaker. It’s been years since I’ve been able to hear and understand the words in the songs.’ It almost made me cry. That statement alone made this the best Christmas gift I’ve ever given! Thank you for giving the gift of music to my dad!”

Now it’s your turn. What does Sonos make you feel? How does it show up in your life? What are some of your favorite moments you’ve had with our products, big or small? We love hearing from you. Just tag @sonos or send us a DM. #FeelMore

Feel More with Sonos

Listening is the world’s most versatile drug. Administered in the right quantities—and at the right quality—music, podcasts and other forms of culture can supercharge our mood, productivity, fitness routine, and personal relationships—yes, even our sex lives. That’s not just marketing hype from a speaker company. It’s backed by data.

Imagine, if you dare, a week without listening. No music, no podcasts or audiobooks, no dinnertime chatter with loved ones—Not even a movie or your nightly TV binge. If that sounds cringeworthy, the reasons may run deeper than you realize. As a growing body of scientific research suggests, consuming culture with our ears is an essential element of the human experience—one that naturally enhances many aspects of our daily lives.

Put another way, listening is the world’s most versatile drug. Not only does it help us feel less stressed and more productive, but the sound of music, podcasts, and other types of culture can motivate us to exercise more, supercharge our sex lives, spark new ideas, and even strengthen our bonds with family and friends. This isn’t just hype of the sort you might expect from a sound experience brand. It’s backed by science.

“Scientists have found evidence that we are wired to perceive and enjoy music as well as to bond with each other through music,” says Daniel Müllensiefen, a professor of music psychology at Goldsmiths College, University of London. “This explains why music is a ubiquitous part of the human experience, supporting the theory that music has a special, important function in our lives.”

The Brilliant Sound Survey is a new round of research that helps bolster the case for better living through listening. In an online survey of 12,000 listeners in 12 countries around the world, Sonos and its research partners found that listening, particularly to music, is reported by participants to have a significant positive effect on four key areas of life: mood, fitness, relationships, and productivity.

“Music is unique in that it appeals to different psychological functions,” says Dr. Müllensiefen. “It can trigger exactly the same areas in the brain that food and sex and other recreational activities and drugs can trigger. It can also be physical in terms of participating, like dancing along or playing drums.”

If sound matters, so too does its fidelity. According to some research, the transformative effects of listening may well be amplified when the sound quality is higher.

“It’s perfectly plausible that sound quality makes a difference, because it’s often small and subtle cues that trigger emotions, like the breath of the singer or the squeak of the guitar strings,” explains Dr. Müllensiefen. “If the sound is blurred or muffled, then it doesn’t have the same effect.”

Of Sound Mind: Listen Better to Feel Better

It hardly comes as a shock that listening has an impact on our moods. But the Brilliant Sound Survey results illustrate just how deep and multifaceted that connection between music and mood is perceived to be by listeners. Seventy-four percent of participants said listening to music helps reduce stress. Another 42% said that podcasts had a relaxing effect. Of course, the genre makes a difference. More than half (55%) of comedy podcast listeners said that those more humor-oriented shows helped relax them.

In the survey, majorities of listeners said they’re happier when listening to a favorite song (52%) and that music helps boost their mood at work (58%). More on that below.

Well sure, you might say, of course listening to one’s favorite music makes them feel happy. The connection between mood and music isn’t always predictable, however. In the survey, 36% of respondents said music has made them laugh unexpectedly. Even more (40%) said it’s made them cry unexpectedly.

“Many people probably aren’t aware of how much they rely on music to regulate their moods throughout the day,” says Dr. Müllensiefen. “We take it for granted because music is so much more available than it used to be. You can virtually listen to anything at any point in time these days.”

Once again, the quality of the sound appears to make a difference. A large majority (82%) of listeners said that a great sound system can make a party more fun.

Fitness Tune-up: The Power of Performance-enhancing Sound

Does getting yourself to the gym turn into an epic internal struggle? Next time, try putting on an uptempo playlist. According to the Brilliant Sound Survey, 68% of respondents say that music helps motivate them to workout when they’re tempted to skip it. The motivational role of sound and listening doesn’t stop when the workout gets going. Majorities of listeners say that music helps encourage them to workout longer (52%), push themselves further (55%) and exercise with greater intensity (51%).

When we’re exercising, music seems to play at least two distinct and important roles, according to Dr. Mullenfiesen: Distraction and stimulation.

“It basically distracts you from how hard you’re working out and takes your mind off how many more miles you have to run,” he says. “But you focus on something else, which is really important.”

Music also helps to stimulate us while we’re working out. “High paced, dynamic, loud music would cue to your physiology that you need to be in an alert state, keep going, and to keep the adrenaline flowing,” he says. “And if strong emotions are expressed, this can also boost your physiological system because strong emotions signal that there’s something important going on.”

If music operates somewhat like a drug when it comes to physical fitness and motivation, it appears to be a potent one. Three quarters of listeners say that music has a bigger impact on their workout regimen than any supplement does.

Sound quality can boost the impact of listening on fitness performance, according to one recent experiment conducted in the United States by Sonos and its research partners. The three-day experiment measured the physical and mental responses people had while working out in a high-intensity interval training in three scenarios: Listening on low-quality wireless speakers, listening on a pair of Sonos Ones, and working out in silence. When exposed to high-quality sound, participants reported a 26% increase in positive feelings about their workout and 34% increase in feelings of connection with their workout partners (despite a 3.5% increase in average heart rate and 2% rise in energy exerted). In other words, great sound enabled people to work out harder without feeling like they were doing extra work.

Sound & Relationships: Listen, Live, Laugh, Love

Listening also has a major effect on our connections with other people, from friends and family to lovers and long-term partners. Indeed, scientific research over the years has shown that musical taste and ability can play a role in our sexual attraction to one another. That finding is backed up by the Brilliant Sound Survey, in which 70% of respondents said they find others more attractive when they have similar taste in music. Even more people (76%) said they feel an instant connection with others when they realize the have similar taste in music.

“We seem to be hardwired to music,” says Dr. Müllensiefen. “It’s part of our evolution as a species that music has played a part of in social bonding, as a function of grooming within larger groups. It might have been useful for sexual mating as well, for example.”

The lust-fueling characteristics of music don’t just dissolve once that initial connection is made. According to the survey, most people say that music makes sex much better (59%) and that it can even make them more adventurous in bed (56%). It may come as a surprise, given how sexually-charged our relationship with music can be, that only 20% of listeners said they have a dedicated playlist for having sex.

Listening doesn’t just tighten our bonds with others in the bedroom. As the 2016 Music Makes It Home study commissioned by Sonos and Apple Music helped demonstrate, it can have all kinds of effects on our interactions with the people in our lives. In this new survey, 64% of people said that music helps them feel connected with family, while 69% said it can ease tensions at home.

“Listening to music and singing together has been shown in several studies to directly impact neuro-chemicals in the brain, many of which play a role in pleasure, closeness, and connection,” says Dr. Müllensiefen.

Your Brain on Listening: Productivity and Creativity

The notion that listening to music can help us focus and be more productive isn’t exactly breaking news. But would you believe that music is more potent than coffee? Sixty-seven percent of listeners say exactly that, according to the Brilliant Sound Survey. And just as many say music helps spark new ideas when they’re feeling stuck.

When it comes to listening and work performance, the survey results offer some pretty glowing endorsements. More than half (52%) of listeners say they wouldn’t be successful at work if they didn’t listen to music. Aiming for a promotion? Curating a playlist of your favorite focus-friendly music isn’t a bad place to start; A staggering 76% of respondents to the survey said that listening to music helps them produce their best work.

“Generally, music can have a strong stimulating effect that makes us alert and focused,” says Mullensiefen. But as with any other mind-altering substance, the results may vary based on the person and their circumstances. “There are several studies in the scientific literature that show that the right kind of music can enhance the performance on the right kind of task for the right kind of people.”

The Science of Listening: How Brilliant Sound Makes for Better Living

This album is titled “It Could Be Worse”, which feels both self-aware and gently optimistic. What was happening in your life that made this phrase feel like the right emotional anchor for this project?



I think it sums up the past few years of myself and my families life, the album is putting the past 4/5 years into perspective and allows me to sum it all up into that phrase, we’ve been through a lot these past years, my mum without both of us realising helped inspire that title, her optimism through the face of the losses she experienced inspired me to look at my situations in a very different way.

You’ve decided to release the album on vinyl first, which naturally encourages slower, intentional listening. What does ‘intentional listening’ mean to you - and why does experiencing an album front-to-back still matter in a world of playlists and skipping tracks?



When we made the album we cared about the journey of the album, we intentionally made an album and wasn’t focussed on the singles, even picking the singles wasn’t an over thought out process. When you write a book you don’t write it with the intention of people seeing one chapter, you want them to have context, every song that was written, was written for full consumption not to shuffle through and then make a conclusion. I also miss the experience of having a body of work and looking at the credits and I wanted people to enjoy it that way. Experience the art in a tangible physical way.

Do you remember the first time you heard music that changed depending on the sound system? Has that influenced the way you record and mix your own work today?



I don’t remember what I listened to but I do remember working on my first album untidy soul. I would give every song a car test and it would feel completely different to how it would sound in my headphones. Since then I began to notice all the details of an actual mix and want to make sure people have the best experience when consuming what we create.

You’ve spoken before about joy being central to your creative practice. How did you protect the joy in the making of this album, especially if you were working through harder themes or personal growth?



The process of creating the album was what made it joyful, the first half was hard but then it became cathartic releasing my feelings in my art, it was a very insular process small team of people all working towards one goal and that became joyful.

Were there any specific songs or arrangements where you and your engineers said, “People really need to feel this” - knowing the warmth, the bass and live instrumentation really comes alive on good speakers?



All of the songs but mainly Closer and Sun and Moon in particular as they were finished songs but I just wanted to make sure those songs felt a certain way musically we added string arrangements to them and that added layers to the songs that we knew would only truly be experienced through good speakers.

If someone is listening to “It Could Be Worse” on Sonos for the first time - on vinyl, lights low, uninterrupted - what do you hope they take away from that first full listen?



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