This new leak shows the Sonos Sub Mini in all its glory

The story of the Sonos Sub Mini has been a bit of a rollercoaster: one minute it's coming, the next it's delayed. So there's good news for Sonos users who can't afford or just don't want Sonos's expensive Sub subwoofer. Leaked marketing images indicate that Sonos is finally gearing up to launch its much more affordable option.

The image above comes via WinFuture.de, and the fact that the images show the Sub Mini with other Sonos products including Sonos One speakers, the Sonos Ray and the Sonos Beam soundbars suggests that there may be some Sonos bundles coming our way.

The Sonos Sub Mini is smaller and cheaper but won't skimp on sound quality

We don't have price details yet but given that Sonos's most affordable soundbar, the Sonos Ray, is £279 / $279 / AU$399, we'd expect the Sonos Sub Mini to be similarly priced. That means you may be able to get one of the best soundbars and subwoofer pairs for around what you'd pay for a single Sonos Sub. As good as the Sonos Sub is – and it's very good – it's also very expensive, coming in at $699 / £749.

The leak of the marketing photos suggests that Sonos is gearing up for a fairly imminent launch, most likely in October or early November. That's a release window the firm isn't going to want to miss, because that's the time of year when many of us get excited and start upgrading our home cinema and home audio kit. 

If you're thinking along those lines, this would be a good time to do your research into the best soundbars and other audio options for your particular needs: while the Sonos Sub Mini clearly isn't going to be discounted from day one, many rivals will be – not least because Black Friday is not very far away now. So while the cost of a fully-featured Sonos-and-sub system is about to get a whole lot lower, some of its rivals are going to be getting a lot cheaper too. That means the next few months will be a great time to invest in soundbars, subs and other audio tech.