Why is Sonos Play cheaper than Connect?

[aww999]

I suspect the asnwer is "products are priced at the max price the market will bear", but it's still bugging me. I would have thought a Play contains all the expensive tech that a Connect does, eg wireless gubbins, software interface, power supply etc, but also has an amp and speaker(s) instead of a simple coax out. So why is the Connect double the price? And why don't they include line-out on the Play?

I love the Sonos' ease of use etc, and I would probably buy a couple of Connects to add to my existing amp+speaker systems, but now they're selling something that does more for less (although won't do what I want) I can't bring myself to pay out for them!


Sorry for typo in title, can't edit it and now I look like an illiterate fool.

[slinky]

fixed the title for you

[Terra1]

I think that's exactly it, the connect appeals to people who are interested in having hi-fi separates or at least an amp/speaker combo rather than a one box solution. The assumption then being these people probably spent a reasonable amount on this equipment so are prepared to shell out more on what is a fairly basic piece of equipment when compared with the plays. The connect does have optical out as well as coax, only the Play 5's have line-outs.

[gizlaroc]

I asked this on the Sonos forum, they need a small device that lets you connect digitally to other systems around the house, around £99 like a an Airport Express.

I was told to shut up basically, but they need to understand that so many more people would get into Sonos if they had something along these lines, so many of my mates say it looks great but to swap 5 zones is going to cost too much.

[talkssense]

The connect and connect amp have an input, which the play 1 and 3 don't.

Also, the play speakers all sounds it poo. If people could drive their own speakers with a device that only cost £100 everyone would buy other brand speakers and Sonos soend would be so low they would not make any money. You would end up with everyone having a Sonos sustem, and no one buying Sonos speakers.

[anonymous-user]

We have Sonos Play speakers in our kitchen, lounge and living room, where they provide an acceptable level of performance for radio, normal family music (mainly the Frozen soundtrack) and parties etc. In my study, where the serious listening gets done, I have a Connect attached to my Bowers and Wilkins stuff. That's what its for.

[rdjohn]

I have a Bose Homestyle 5.1 system that zones into other parts of my house and that had become extinct in my mind because I could not stream digital playlists.

The Connect has an optical output that links to the Bose, so to me it was a cheap solution at whatever price they wanted to charge. I guess they knew that, as well.

I also have a Play 1 in the bedroom and agree that it seems incredible value for what it does.

[megaphone]

It's because they can get away with it.

I'd like to see a Connect/Connect Amp with 4 zone outs, and even one with 8. I doubt they'll ever make one whilst they can sell 4 or 8 single units!

Edited by megaphone on Sunday 22 February 10:36

[gizlaroc]

talkssense said:

The connect and connect amp have an input, which the play 1 and 3 don't.

Also, the play speakers all sounds it poo. If people could drive their own speakers with a device that only cost £100 everyone would buy other brand speakers and Sonos soend would be so low they would not make any money. You would end up with everyone having a Sonos sustem, and no one buying Sonos speakers.

Don't agree with that at all.

The Play units work well for background music, but paying so much for another zone for other rooms just doesn't seem right, when all you want is a basic unit with digital out.

It would buy 3 of them tomorrow, and I know all my mates without Sonos would have a go with it for £100 and ultimately they would probably swap their old ipod docks in the kitchen, bedrooms etc. with Play units once they had tried it too.

[sparkyhx]

Which one do you mean? Connect:Amp or the Connect.

I think you are right with the connect, unless the DAC is significantly better than the Play1/3/5 s DAC. The connect does everything the Plays do without the additional cost of the drivers amp circuitry, and the enclosure. So why is it priced slightly above the Play 3. In theory it probably should be cheaper than the Play 1.

The Connect:amp I don't really get, unless you really really are after a compact solution. The price difference between the Connect and Connect :Amp is about £120 - so in that £120 you will have probably beefed up power supply and 'amp' components. So the AMP part, in hifi terms is going to be pretty low budget.

[phil_cardiff]

Good topic. It's the only thing putting me off Sonos.

There are more relaistically priced competitors from Pure and HK. But I've not been able to demo them.

[gizlaroc]

I have a connect amp, or the earlier ZP100 to be fair.

And to be fair to Sonos it is very good, I have been extremely impressed with it. Soundstage it a little narrower than my Meridian 555 that I have had it plugged into as a comparison, but it is is pretty powerful and the top end is smooth for such a compact unit.

So much so I have decided to sell the Meridian power amp, so a nice cheap system with more than reasonable sound quality.
Worth £400?
More like £299 I would say.



The Connect at £280 I don't get, it should be £120, it is an end point, a way to get people to try your product.
It is not even that good a dac, I know you can mod it to improve it a lot, but most people just want an end point that you take home, unbox and plug in.

I have done back to back testing between lossless files played on a gen 1 airport express streamed from itunes vs the connect streamed from sonos pointing at the same itunes library, the airport express at £79 has the slight edge, wider, deeper and more accurate soundstage.

Same files, same mac, same Meridian DSP speakers.

Sonos interface is good, but would I swap my 5 Airport Express' for it?
Not a chance.
£400 for apple vs £1400 for Sonos.

[VEX]

The HK Omni's and the Denon Heos sound miles better than the Sonos equivelent.

HK do a connect rival the hat has a Rrp of £99 but at the moment it is the app that lets it down.

Nothing touches Sonos for its app.

V.

[VEX]

The HK Omni's and the Denon Heos sound miles better than the Sonos equivelent.

HK do a connect rival the hat has a Rrp of £99 but at the moment it is the app that lets it down.

Nothing touches Sonos for its app.

V.

[sparkyhx]

phil_cardiff said:

Good topic. It's the only thing putting me off Sonos.

There are more relaistically priced competitors from Pure and HK. But I've not been able to demo them.

there are better sounding systems but NONE beat the sonos for reliability, adaptability, stability and flexibility and controlability - although others are catching up.

[sparkyhx]

gizlaroc said:

Sonos interface is good, but would I swap my 5 Airport Express' for it?
Not a chance.
£400 for apple vs £1400 for Sonos.

I may be wrong but but the express can't play different in different rooms from different sources and be controlled by different people.

Thats where the Sonos is bazinga. In a family home the above is a must if you are not then it probably doesn't matter.

[phil_cardiff]

VEX said:

The HK Omni's and the Denon Heos sound miles better than the Sonos equivelent.

HK do a connect rival the hat has a Rrp of £99 but at the moment it is the app that lets it down.

Nothing touches Sonos for its app.

V.

I found the sonos app to be brilliant. I'm hoping HK can up it's game as they have priced their system more to my taste!

[gizlaroc]

sparkyhx said:

I may be wrong but but the express can't play different in different rooms from different sources and be controlled by different people.

Thats where the Sonos is bazinga. In a family home the above is a must if you are not then it probably doesn't matter.

You can play from your phone/ipad etc. on different ones.
I also have a couple of early Apple TVs that I bought for £50, these sync with the host pc/mac and you can play from them too, on them or on other airport expresses.

There are 3 of us in our house and I must admit I had never considered it.


Don't get me wrong I am not knocking Sonos for the product, just I think they are a bit naive with their entry point pricing.
There is no reason a digital only connect should not be available for a price cheaper, or certainly no more, than a play 1.

[sparkyhx]

gizlaroc said:

sparkyhx said:

I may be wrong but but the express can't play different in different rooms from different sources and be controlled by different people.

Thats where the Sonos is bazinga. In a family home the above is a must if you are not then it probably doesn't matter.

You can play from your phone/ipad etc. on different ones.
I also have a couple of early Apple TVs that I bought for £50, these sync with the host pc/mac and you can play from them too, on them or on other airport expresses.

There are 3 of us in our house and I must admit I had never considered it.


Don't get me wrong I am not knocking Sonos for the product, just I think they are a bit naive with their entry point pricing.
There is no reason a digital only connect should not be available for a price cheaper, or certainly no more, than a play 1.

I agree about the connect pricing.
Not clear what you are saying about the flexibility, but I think its important to differentiate cos many people buy and then find out the limitations.
- 1 sonos device can be controlled simultaneously by any number of controllers (max 32 I think) - pretty sure Apple cannot.
- a controller can control any number of sonos devices simultaneously
- a sonos device can play a tune from phone, then spotify then NAS then phone then another streamer ad nauseum.
- NAS are supported (properly)
- multiple accounts on streamers not just one.
- you can have all sonos devices playing the simultaneously together from the same source or each playing from a different source.

now, whilst all that is great, if you don't need it, its a waste.
What I've come across with the competitors is limitations on :-
- controlling multiple devices - can only play music from one source at a time (i.e. not device 1 spotify, device 2 phone, device 3 NAS etc),
- no NAS support,
- limited streaming service support although competitors tend to cover the main ones anyway
- can only have one device or all playing a single tune.

I don't know about the Omni - I asked Vex about its controllability but he ignored me

[FarmyardPants]

I agree with the OP as well. Fwiw I have a zp80, zp90, zp100, zp120 and play3.

Maybe someone should open up a play:1 and tap into the preamp stage for a diy connect