Sonos discontinued production of its black matte subwoofer –-...

Sonos discontinued production of its black matte subwoofer -- the Matte SUB -- “in order to simplify the Sonos product lineup,” the company said in an email to customers Monday. Matte models will remain in stock while supplies last, which is expected to be over “the coming months,” it said. The subwoofer remains at $699, according to the Sonos website. The matte and glossy versions -- both in black -- have incited some controversy, according to the Sonos user forum, which showed a few passionate preferences for either the glossy or matte finish dating back to last year. One customer had been waiting for eight months for the matte version, according to a post dated March 2013, and claimed to have been promised a price that was $100 less than the glossy version when it arrived in stock. The customer said quantities of the matte version were limited and that Sonos said it wouldn’t make them anymore after an initial small run, leaving the customer to “have to suffer with the glossy finish that I don’t like.” Two hours later, the customer reported that “scalpers” were getting $1,000 for the matte version on eBay. Both SUB models have a contemporary stylized block design with an open tile in the middle that looks starkly different from the company’s other traditionally styled audio products. Sonos didn’t immediately respond to questions on whether the glossy version is on its way out soon, too, since the style hasn’t been carried through to new Sonos products. The SUB, designed by Mieko Kusano, won a 2013 IDEA Curator’s Choice award from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), which described it as “an enigmatic object -- almost a distant relative of the monolith in 2001 -- streamlined yet blocky, polished yet dark.” The IDSA apparently sided with glossy.