Matter has unified the smart home industry, with over 10 billion compatible devices and cross-brand control now standard for lighting, locks, and thermostats . Yet audio brands remain cautious—even hesitant—to fully embrace the standard. While names like Sonos, Samsung, and Harman participate in the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), most audio manufacturers limit their involvement to basic compliance rather than deep integration.
The $7,000 annual CSA Adopter membership fee often gets the blame, but the reality is more complex. For audio brands—especially mid-tier and niche players—Matter represents a series of tough business tradeoffs that extend far beyond membership costs. Let’s break down why even brands that support Matter’s mission are reluctant to go all-in.
The $7k Fee Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg
For audio brands, the CSA’s Adopter membership fee is a starting point, not the total cost of Matter participation. Here’s the true financial picture:
- Annual Membership: $7,000 (mandatory for brands wanting to certify multiple products without per-model listing fees)
- Per-Product Certification: $3,000 per base model, $2,500 for derivatives (e.g., a speaker with different color options or power ratings)
- Third-Party Testing: $2,000-$5,000 per model, required to validate interoperability with Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings
- Engineering Resources: 3-6 months of development time per product to adapt firmware, integrate Matter’s audio stack, and resolve compatibility issues
For a brand with a modest lineup of 4 speaker models (e.g., a compact smart speaker, a soundbar, a multi-room speaker, and a subwoofer), total annual costs can exceed $28,000—before accounting for lost sales during the transition period. For small brands with limited budgets, this investment is prohibitive, especially when Matter audio still feels like a “nice-to-have” rather than a customer demand driver.
Differentiation Is Everything—And Matter Threatens It
Audio is a deeply subjective category. Brands like Sonos, Bose, and Yamaha build their reputations on unique sound profiles, proprietary technologies, and ecosystem-specific features that set them apart from competitors. Matter’s “one-size-fits-all” approach puts these differentiators at risk.
Consider Sonos’ Trueplay room calibration, which adjusts sound based on a room’s acoustics—one of the brand’s most beloved features . Matter 1.5 has no framework for integrating room calibration tools; to support Matter, Sonos would either have to disable Trueplay in Matter mode (diluting the product’s value) or share proprietary calibration data with the CSA (undermining its competitive advantage). The same dilemma applies to Bose’s spatial audio algorithms, Denon’s high-res decoding, and Polk’s voice enhancement technologies.
For audio brands, the choice is stark: prioritize Matter compatibility and become a commodity device, or preserve your unique features and offer limited Matter support. Most choose the latter—adding basic Matter connectivity without integrating their defining technologies. The result? A lackluster Matter experience that fails to showcase the speaker’s true capabilities.
Matter’s Audio Roadmap Is Too Uncertain
Audio brands need clarity to make long-term investments, but the CSA’s Matter audio roadmap remains vague. While CSA CTO Chris LaPré has confirmed plans for a dedicated “streaming speaker device type” and improved audio controls, the timeline for these updates is unclear . Matter 1.6 (expected mid-2026) will address basic media controls, but advanced features like multi-room synchronization and lossless audio support won’t arrive until 2027 or later .
This uncertainty makes it hard for brands to plan product development. A speaker launched in 2025 with Matter 1.5 support will be outdated by 2027 when Matter 1.7 rolls out with critical audio improvements. Reworking firmware to support new Matter versions adds additional costs, and customers may feel frustrated by “partial” Matter support. For brands, waiting for a more complete Matter audio standard makes more sense than rushing to market with a half-baked solution.
The ROI Just Isn’t There—Yet
Matter’s value proposition for audio brands is still unproven. While consumers love the idea of cross-brand connectivity, most smart home users stick to a single ecosystem (Apple HomeKit, Google Home, or Samsung SmartThings) and prioritize sound quality over interoperability. A 2025 survey found that only 18% of smart speaker buyers consider Matter compatibility a top priority—compared to 62% who prioritize sound quality and 41% who value voice assistant integration .
For brands, this means Matter audio doesn’t drive significant incremental sales—at least not yet. Why invest $30k+ in certification and development for a feature that moves the needle for less than 1 in 5 customers? Most brands would rather allocate resources to improving sound quality, adding voice features, or lowering prices—investments with a clearer return.
The Future Is Bright (But Patience Is Required)
Despite these challenges, the tide is turning for Matter audio. As more consumers build mixed-ecosystem smart homes, demand for cross-brand audio compatibility will grow . The CSA’s upcoming audio-focused updates will address key technical gaps, making Matter a more attractive proposition for brands . And as larger brands like Sonos and Samsung push for better audio specs, the CSA will accelerate its efforts.
In the short term, expect audio brands to take a “wait-and-see” approach—offering basic Matter support while preserving their proprietary features. But by 2028, as Matter’s audio specs mature and consumer demand grows, full integration will become the norm. Brands will find ways to balance interoperability with differentiation, and users will finally get the best of both worlds: seamless cross-brand connectivity without sacrificing sound quality.
For now, the $7k fee and strategic risks will keep many audio brands on the Matter sidelines. But as the standard evolves, the calculation will change—and Matter audio will eventually fulfill its promise of uniting the smart home’s sound systems.