Life after Sonos
Discussion
Ten weeks ago we ended our seven year relationship with Sonos.
Why did a relationship that started with such promise and excitement come to an end? After all we’d made a pretty significant commitment to one another and had expanded to some thirteen zones around the house. Nearly every room had Sonos in. Sonos was ever present in our lives.
But over the past couple of years we had started to hit problems. The drops outs, the all too frequent and disruptive updates. A wife and children who just didn’t like the Sonos app and unit interfaces. We just got to a stage where the attraction had waned. Those little annoying habits of zones (or even half a zone) disappearing at random, the repeated updates from which some units wouldn’t return, the raised volume that buttons couldn’t control, the phone deceit where one iPhone would be hiding devices that another could see - even when the phones were side by side!
And then it got worse. Latterly my wife wouldn’t have anything to do with Sonos. My children wouldn’t use it except for parties and have now owned up to the fact that they and their friends didn’t like Sonos as much as I thought they did.
Bit by bit we started to spend time with other systems, even starting to seek reliability in standalone Bluetooth speakers rather than extending Sonos into another room. We found that we were increasingly going back to our first love of Beolink between our B&O audio and TV systems. Then younger, stylish B&O Multiroom devices moved into the house happily bringing old and new B&O units together. After a while Sonos just seemed plain, tired, unreliable, unexciting and increasingly unloved.
Then I decided it was over. One failed update too far pushed me to say “it’s you, not me” and was done. In early May Sonos was packed into three large boxes and moved out.
What do I miss?
Well first I should take the opportunity to thank Sonos for introducing me a wealth of music and artists that I would not have otherwise discovered. Spotify then Deezer and Qoboz all took me to musical places I would not have otherwise explored.
But, what do I actually miss?
I’ve thought long and hard about this. There really is very little. About the only thing that I can come up with is the Sonos OS X app. But the sexy Danish seductresses have other techniques that compensate for that.
What could Sonos learn from this experience?
This is far more than a seven year itch. Yes, following some counselling (help desk) we did try to patch up the connectivity problems by going hard wired for a number of zones but continuing with this seemed like a compromise and too much of a disruption. Device, iOS and OS X app updates were just too frequent and problematic. We never knew just what kind of state Sonos would come back from an update in. The product has to be reliable and usable and not require constant updates, fiddling or technical competence to keep it going. All we want to do is play music not play sysadmin.
Sonos does needs to work on its appearance and improve the interfaces. The Sonos iOS app just has too many hops to get to where you want to be. One of the reasons for this is that it lacks Bluetooth, AirPlay and Google cast; sorry Sonos, you’re getting on a bit now and to remain appealing you need to get back in shape and keep up with these latest fashions. Bridging into other systems would be good as well (has the promised Alexa interaction arrived yet?) With our Scandinavian around the house we now go to a TV, use the remote control to open Deezer, pick a flow or an album/playlist and we’re cutting a rug all around the place.
Sonos, you definitely need to become more tactile. Your physical interaction has gone stale. The ease of walking into a room, touching a device and it joining in with what’s playing in another room is wonderful. No app reqiuired. The ability to stroke (it’s either that or caress to describe the action) a Beosound 1 and change track, radio station, even the music source is quite sensual. App based interfaces aren’t always sufficient; sometime a little more physical intimacy is required. And a remote you can fondle is useful as well.
The strangest surprise of all has been visual. Play 5s, 3s and 1s aren’t exactly large and we put some thought into where they were placed, but some rooms seem more spacious now they have gone. You couldn’t but notice the Play 5s in the kitchen and although a BeoSound 1 is far more visually striking, funnily enough you don’t see it as much. It just has the knack of blending in to any room it’s in.
When Sonos moved out I did feel a slight tinge of regret that after so long it had come to an end. But the separation settlement was very amicable and even after seven years I recouped all the money I had spent and so we parted on good terms. Best of all, my wife and I now enjoy listening to music together again.
Why did a relationship that started with such promise and excitement come to an end? After all we’d made a pretty significant commitment to one another and had expanded to some thirteen zones around the house. Nearly every room had Sonos in. Sonos was ever present in our lives.
But over the past couple of years we had started to hit problems. The drops outs, the all too frequent and disruptive updates. A wife and children who just didn’t like the Sonos app and unit interfaces. We just got to a stage where the attraction had waned. Those little annoying habits of zones (or even half a zone) disappearing at random, the repeated updates from which some units wouldn’t return, the raised volume that buttons couldn’t control, the phone deceit where one iPhone would be hiding devices that another could see - even when the phones were side by side!
And then it got worse. Latterly my wife wouldn’t have anything to do with Sonos. My children wouldn’t use it except for parties and have now owned up to the fact that they and their friends didn’t like Sonos as much as I thought they did.
Bit by bit we started to spend time with other systems, even starting to seek reliability in standalone Bluetooth speakers rather than extending Sonos into another room. We found that we were increasingly going back to our first love of Beolink between our B&O audio and TV systems. Then younger, stylish B&O Multiroom devices moved into the house happily bringing old and new B&O units together. After a while Sonos just seemed plain, tired, unreliable, unexciting and increasingly unloved.
Then I decided it was over. One failed update too far pushed me to say “it’s you, not me” and was done. In early May Sonos was packed into three large boxes and moved out.
What do I miss?
Well first I should take the opportunity to thank Sonos for introducing me a wealth of music and artists that I would not have otherwise discovered. Spotify then Deezer and Qoboz all took me to musical places I would not have otherwise explored.
But, what do I actually miss?
I’ve thought long and hard about this. There really is very little. About the only thing that I can come up with is the Sonos OS X app. But the sexy Danish seductresses have other techniques that compensate for that.
What could Sonos learn from this experience?
This is far more than a seven year itch. Yes, following some counselling (help desk) we did try to patch up the connectivity problems by going hard wired for a number of zones but continuing with this seemed like a compromise and too much of a disruption. Device, iOS and OS X app updates were just too frequent and problematic. We never knew just what kind of state Sonos would come back from an update in. The product has to be reliable and usable and not require constant updates, fiddling or technical competence to keep it going. All we want to do is play music not play sysadmin.
Sonos does needs to work on its appearance and improve the interfaces. The Sonos iOS app just has too many hops to get to where you want to be. One of the reasons for this is that it lacks Bluetooth, AirPlay and Google cast; sorry Sonos, you’re getting on a bit now and to remain appealing you need to get back in shape and keep up with these latest fashions. Bridging into other systems would be good as well (has the promised Alexa interaction arrived yet?) With our Scandinavian around the house we now go to a TV, use the remote control to open Deezer, pick a flow or an album/playlist and we’re cutting a rug all around the place.
Sonos, you definitely need to become more tactile. Your physical interaction has gone stale. The ease of walking into a room, touching a device and it joining in with what’s playing in another room is wonderful. No app reqiuired. The ability to stroke (it’s either that or caress to describe the action) a Beosound 1 and change track, radio station, even the music source is quite sensual. App based interfaces aren’t always sufficient; sometime a little more physical intimacy is required. And a remote you can fondle is useful as well.
The strangest surprise of all has been visual. Play 5s, 3s and 1s aren’t exactly large and we put some thought into where they were placed, but some rooms seem more spacious now they have gone. You couldn’t but notice the Play 5s in the kitchen and although a BeoSound 1 is far more visually striking, funnily enough you don’t see it as much. It just has the knack of blending in to any room it’s in.
When Sonos moved out I did feel a slight tinge of regret that after so long it had come to an end. But the separation settlement was very amicable and even after seven years I recouped all the money I had spent and so we parted on good terms. Best of all, my wife and I now enjoy listening to music together again.
AREA said:
Sonos, you definitely need to become more tactile. Your physical interaction has gone stale. The ease of walking into a room, touching a device and it joining in with what’s playing in another room is wonderful. No app reqiuired.
Or voice control? Now that I have whole-house audio controlled from a GHome I wouldn't want to go back to app-control. With speakers arriving from B&O, LG, etc with Google Assistant built-in, or the Apple solution, the market will get crowded. I assume Sonos will eventually have mics & Alexa included, but I can't see a bright future for them?Edited by scovette on Wednesday 26th July 18:47
scovette said:
but I can't see a bright future for them?
Although it didn't work for us I do hope that Sonos does have a bright future. They certainly developed the market for wireless music players and deserve to thrive. I wrote the post for a bit of therapy, hopefully a bit of light hearted entertainment but also to flag up some of the shortcomings that I hope they can overcome. Edited by scovette on Wednesday 26th July 18:47
But - it's a fast moving game now and they need to up theirs.
The current B&O multi room range is so, so good, and so much better than all the competition it is a real shame that so many people discount it or don't even consider it.
Multi room, google cast, airplay, Bluetooth, line in, superb sound, simple interface, tactile hands on interface, bulletproof reliability, stunning design, completely portable battery speakers, and really good value when you consider all the features. Yet most people just go Sonos without even giving it a try.
Multi room, google cast, airplay, Bluetooth, line in, superb sound, simple interface, tactile hands on interface, bulletproof reliability, stunning design, completely portable battery speakers, and really good value when you consider all the features. Yet most people just go Sonos without even giving it a try.
Very useful this OP, thanks.
I've been considering Sonos but really, really, really want a wireless zoned system in a large open plan living, dining, kitchen area that can fill the entire area with music but that can also perform as a (wireless at least to rears) 5.1 home cinema system for me as well. Any ideas, or is the technology just not there yet?
I've been considering Sonos but really, really, really want a wireless zoned system in a large open plan living, dining, kitchen area that can fill the entire area with music but that can also perform as a (wireless at least to rears) 5.1 home cinema system for me as well. Any ideas, or is the technology just not there yet?
Interesting post OP. I'm happy to stick with Sonos for now, but I agree with your sentiments on the app and lack of bluetooth support.
More frustrating is the constant unpairing of our Play 1 pair in our kitchen, it looses the left speaker every 10 days or so for no apparent reason. My wife has low confidence in it now and despite me making light of it, it's become bloody annoying.
More frustrating is the constant unpairing of our Play 1 pair in our kitchen, it looses the left speaker every 10 days or so for no apparent reason. My wife has low confidence in it now and despite me making light of it, it's become bloody annoying.
I went down the Chromecast Audio route as I thought the money Sonos were charging for the Connect took the piss and I wanted to keep my hi fi.
How has the relationship gone? Well, I would say. I use and abuse Chromecast, neglecting it often for weeks at a time and then hammering it relentlessly for a day or two. And it keeps on coming back for more, with no drops in performance or protests either. The dirty, cheap slut.
How has the relationship gone? Well, I would say. I use and abuse Chromecast, neglecting it often for weeks at a time and then hammering it relentlessly for a day or two. And it keeps on coming back for more, with no drops in performance or protests either. The dirty, cheap slut.
Such a frustrating user experience, constant drop outs and updates.
If I am having a party I use my soundbar over bluetooth as don't want to risk the sonos cutting out and then spending 10 mins restarting the whole thing.
One day i'll snap, sell the lot and buy something else. It's not a matter of if, but when.
If I am having a party I use my soundbar over bluetooth as don't want to risk the sonos cutting out and then spending 10 mins restarting the whole thing.
One day i'll snap, sell the lot and buy something else. It's not a matter of if, but when.
Great post. I have not been as deeply wedded (or at least our joint estate isn't as extensive) but the matrimonial behaviours on their part have had me equally frustrated. The constant updates which throw stuff out and move it around are compounded by the fact they block functionality if you don't update. I went through a major near-seperation with them at one point where my NAS based setup started skipping tracks after one particular update. The thing that really got me was their complete denial that it was a software bug on their part and point blank refusal to allow me to roll back to the prior software version. The myriad of similar cases on their forum said to me it was their issue not the users and when the next software update came along it was miraculously cured.
I'm not a feature junkie and getting on a bit so I like to stick with what works for me but it does sound like they've somewhat lost the plot and been overtaken by viable alternatives. My UE Boom now gets fired up with my phone paired as often as the Sonos does.
I'm not a feature junkie and getting on a bit so I like to stick with what works for me but it does sound like they've somewhat lost the plot and been overtaken by viable alternatives. My UE Boom now gets fired up with my phone paired as often as the Sonos does.
Manners2001 said:
Very useful this OP, thanks.
I've been considering Sonos but really, really, really want a wireless zoned system in a large open plan living, dining, kitchen area that can fill the entire area with music but that can also perform as a (wireless at least to rears) 5.1 home cinema system for me as well. Any ideas, or is the technology just not there yet?
Have you looked at the Denon Heos AVR?I've been considering Sonos but really, really, really want a wireless zoned system in a large open plan living, dining, kitchen area that can fill the entire area with music but that can also perform as a (wireless at least to rears) 5.1 home cinema system for me as well. Any ideas, or is the technology just not there yet?
Interesting post. I am just about to throw some money at a couple of bluetooth speaker systems for the house and have short-listed it down to either Sonos or B&O. We currently have a B&O Beovision 11 tv with a pair of Beolab 9 speakers and the sound is very very good.
A couple of questions -
1/ Sound quality. Which is best in your opinion - B&O Play or Sonos?
2/ Which music service did you find works best with B&O? Spotify or Deezer seem to be the most popular on the B&O forum.
Cheers
A couple of questions -
1/ Sound quality. Which is best in your opinion - B&O Play or Sonos?
2/ Which music service did you find works best with B&O? Spotify or Deezer seem to be the most popular on the B&O forum.
Cheers
All the B&O speakers work with Bluetooth, airplay, cast, or the B&O multi room system so sound quality (which in my option IOM is better than Sonos even at the entry level) is dependant on how much you want to spend.
An M5 is £600, there are then other options at £800, £999, £1200 etc right up to the beolab 90 at £50k a pair
An M5 is £600, there are then other options at £800, £999, £1200 etc right up to the beolab 90 at £50k a pair
Phooey said:
Thanks talkssense.
I was thinking of the M5, A6, or Beosound 1 or 2 for our small kitchen. Really like the look of the B2 but not sure if it'll be overkill for a small room? Need to pop to B&O Lincoln for a demo!
Beosound 1 looks good in a kitchen and has the advantage of battery power portability as well. . Personally I think the BS2 looks better on the floor. I was thinking of the M5, A6, or Beosound 1 or 2 for our small kitchen. Really like the look of the B2 but not sure if it'll be overkill for a small room? Need to pop to B&O Lincoln for a demo!
Manners2001 said:
No, I hadn't to be honest. Looks interesting - any experience with it? How about the rest of the Heos kit?
I have a heos 1 and a play 1, play 1 sounds better and the app is easier to use, heos 1 has Bluetooth and aux in plus you can buy a battery to attach to the base to make it portable. I bought the play 1 with the intention of adding more sonos stuff then the prices skyrocketed. Decided to switch to heos as it was cheaper then the heos soundbar thing was updated and is now more expensive than the sonos
Both are supposed to be getting Alexa apps, neither have materialised so far.
One niggly thing with the apps, If i use the sonos before i go to work, when i come back in again the app appears as soon as my phone registers on the network so i can use it again. Heos doesn't so i have to go searching for the app and wait for it to come back on again (also does it sometime in the house if the phone locks its self)
ooo000ooo said:
I have a heos 1 and a play 1, play 1 sounds better and the app is easier to use, heos 1 has Bluetooth and aux in plus you can buy a battery to attach to the base to make it portable.
I bought the play 1 with the intention of adding more sonos stuff then the prices skyrocketed. Decided to switch to heos as it was cheaper then the heos soundbar thing was updated and is now more expensive than the sonos
Both are supposed to be getting Alexa apps, neither have materialised so far.
One niggly thing with the apps, If i use the sonos before i go to work, when i come back in again the app appears as soon as my phone registers on the network so i can use it again. Heos doesn't so i have to go searching for the app and wait for it to come back on again (also does it sometime in the house if the phone locks its self)
Thanks. Usability is key with these things as the OP says!I bought the play 1 with the intention of adding more sonos stuff then the prices skyrocketed. Decided to switch to heos as it was cheaper then the heos soundbar thing was updated and is now more expensive than the sonos
Both are supposed to be getting Alexa apps, neither have materialised so far.
One niggly thing with the apps, If i use the sonos before i go to work, when i come back in again the app appears as soon as my phone registers on the network so i can use it again. Heos doesn't so i have to go searching for the app and wait for it to come back on again (also does it sometime in the house if the phone locks its self)
Just had a go at pricing a 5.1 'system' speccing the HEOS AVR, sound bar/sub and only 4x HEOS 1s (would probably prefer the HEOS 3 instead) and 4x stands. Came in at £2.5k! Upon reading it won't give full 5.1 sound as it doesn't balance out the distance/processing required to get to the rears. As clever as it all seems, this sounds like it's getting into the realm of enthusiast money for a lifestyle product to me?! Although a similarly spec'd Sonos system is about the same money...
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