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TIL. I am actually considering moving to Sonos and this got me rethinking. Sonos is what came up as the reliable option for wireless speaker systems. I am not

TIL. I am actually considering moving to Sonos and this got me rethinking. Sonos is what came up as the reliable option for wireless speaker systems. I am not an audiophile and so don't care too much about fidelity. Ease of use is the main functionality for me, and Sonos came up as the best option. I will wait for a bit to see how things pan out before deciding.

eawgewag 2y ago
I've owned Sonos for 10+ years, and I would not consider their products easy to use. They cater to a very specific use case (homeowners with distinct closed door spaces, 100% investment in their ecosystem, low interop outside of the ecosystem including with other Music streaming systems) and if you fit that narrow mold, you will have a great time. But if you don't, you will find yourself with a lot of overpriced equipment for what it is. In the 10 years I've owned them, I've used the app less than 10 total times. I much rather prefer just using them as an over priced surround system and use my Playstation to play music through the TV/sonos.
- qsi 2y ago
  I suspect that mold is not as narrow as you think. I bought most of my Sonos setup over a decade ago and it's still going strong because I never upgraded from the S1 app. It's the newer S2 app that has been horrendous. I would not buy or recommend new Sonos products now. Occasionally I do think about adding to my setup but since the update debacle that's no longer an option. Over the years my Sonos has been pretty reliable, and very importantly, the wife and kids can use it easily. We just want "Play X in Room Y." It works very well for that. Even my nerdy self is OK with that... I have plenty of other things to nerd/worry about and I just want my music to play. I did have a period of instability after I moved some Sonos speakers around, and I must say their tech support was pretty good (this was maybe four years ago). They looked at my logs and told me it was a weak signal issue, which I thought was ridiculous and initially dismissed... but after digging some more and troubleshooting my home signals, it turns out they were right. Old Sonos with old S1 app is still great for me! It really pains me to see how far they have fallen.
  - eawgewag 2y ago
    I was an S1 app user as well, I've never even used or heard of S2 until the recent drama. I think it's worth highlighting that "Play X in Room Y" mandates defined rooms, and if you are in any kind of living situation in which this is not the case, Sonos is not right for you. As a long time apartment/condo dweller, Sonos basically can't do what I'm looking for.
silisili 2y ago
I've never owned Sonos, but I have owned and researched a lot of wireless routers and generally active on their forums. Across them all, it seems like tons of topics of people constantly complaining about Sonos connectivity and blaming the routers. I don't know what makes them different, or if they are just that popular that I'm seeing the noise, but it's something that I'd personally dig into more before investing.
fnordlord 2y ago
I wouldn't recommend either. I bought into the ecosystem around 10 years ago because I had just gotten my first real job and wanted to treat myself to some nice stuff. I got the Play:5 and then the sound bar and subwoofer soon after. Then, like two years later, everything I bought became 2nd class citizens. I have use Legacy apps that are just barely working. It sucks. It was super cool when it all worked but if it took them this long to get rid of that CEO, then I don't seem them turning around at any point soon.
cheeze 2y ago
I'm a big fan of WiiM for a more affordable alternative (for some). I'm not an audiophile, but have a handful of passive speakers around the house and I hook up a wiim amp or a wiim 'streamer' (forget the name) to my existing amp/receiver setup. Works great for me. WHA works well, although I never use it. For me, the major thing that matters is that I can see a device in spotifys device list and can play to that device. Similarly, it needs to be zero setup for anyone else on my wifi network (wife, kids, friends). WiiM covers that perfectly. Granted, there is some work there if you don't already have speakers. I personally think Spotify is a great product. I just don't want my speakers running an operating system. I have speakers as old as 25 years that work perfectly with the WiiM. No point in adding additional tech in a speaker that works perfectly as-is. My biggest worry (which Spotify has been pretty good about) is that the speakers work over WiFi and at some point, will be sunsetted. Maybe not within the next few years, but I don't have much faith that a Sonos system will work well in 10-15 years.
- yalogin 2y ago
  This is exactly my setup. I have a multi room setup and want to control them with an app. Looks like Wim is something I should look at. Thanks for the suggestion
champdebloom 2y ago
I’ve been using Kef LSX II and their KC62 Sub for the past year and I love the sound and convenience. Sonos came up as a frequent alternative, but I preferred the look and sound of the Kefs. I only have them in one room, so I can’t comment on multi-room audio.
nycticorax 2y ago
I have a Sonos system at home, have for years. (I currently have to use the "Sonos S1" app because I have one older device that is not supported by the new app.) It sounds good (to me) when everything is working, but honestly the reliability has never been that great. After first buying it, I eventually learned that you really want to buy one of their 'hubs' (the one I have is the Sonos Boost) and have that plugged into your wired ethernet network. Otherwise, at least in my hands, things just don't work very reliably. (You can also, I am told, plug a single speaker into your wired network and achieve much the same effect, but for reasons it was easier for me to buy the Boost.) But even now when you select a new song/album/playlist, it seems to take a weirdly long time for it to start playing and have the album art show up on the phone, and sometimes it just fails and you have to try again (the 2nd time almost always works, FWIW). But it is really nice to have decent-sounding on-demand music throughout your home at the touch of a (few) button(s). I hear that bluOS and HEOS are decent alternatives, but they don't seem to be as popular as Sonos, and I've never seen a convincing demonstration that they would work better for me. And of cource there's the lock-in factor: Replacing all my Sonos equipment would be pricey at this point. I used to get really mad about lack of cross-manufacturer interop when I was younger and poorer, but nowadays I'm willing to stomach it if it means that stuff just works. But it's continually irksome that equipment at these prices isn't 100% glitch-free.
- eitally 2y ago
  For a use like you describe, I'm currently accomplishing that with a mix of various Google/Nest speakers & screens throughout the house, arranged into a few different groups. What would make Sonos a better option?
  - nycticorax 2y ago
    Maybe it's not, for you. But I don't think the audio quality of Google/Nest speakers is generally as good as for Sonos.
- javier2 2y ago
  I got a bluOS device just as a networked amped for my 25 year old speakers. But honestly its too much of a hassle to switch inputs. The price wasnt too bad, but I basically use it as a dumb amp with digital audio input from the tv. At least the amp fits under my tv.
tshaddox 2y ago
I've got the Arc soundbar and subwoofer one year ago to save space by replacing my more typical 3.1 setup with receiver, sub, and bookshelf speakers. I'm happy with the form factor, audio quality, and overall TV experience, and I honestly haven't used the app enough to even notice if there was a big update. That said, I haven't used any Sonos multi-room functionality. But I have noticed weird gaps in functionality with the Arc's Amazon Alexa integration. The Arc doesn't support moving audio to it from other Alexa speakers, or vice versa. I have to imagine they deliberately disabled this, as if I'm going to replace all my Alexa devices just to get Sonos multi-room audio working!
DidYaWipe 2y ago
Why even bother? Just get a $100 bookshelf system anywhere that you need music.
shepherdjerred 2y ago
Sonos sucks, but afaik everything else is worse
leonseled 2y ago
All this negative feedback had me second-guessing as well. But I took the plunge this month and I’ve been very happy tbh. Setup was flawless and I haven’t run into any issues since purchase. But my setup is just Beam + Ikea Symfonisk for surrounds. Planning to add the sub mini later on. My guess is the issues start to occur the bigger your setup and if you heavily use the app? I havent touched the app since setting it up.
- Nursie 2y ago
  I don't know if it's related to the size of the setup, but (quick calculation...) I have 8 zones, seven with individual speakers and one of them is a Beam+Symfonisk Frame+sub surround thing. We're on starlink, which is great but adds some latency to some stuff, and the new app has been terrible - barely loads, claims to start playing but nothing happens, volume adjustments take random amounts of time or may be ignore, all sorts. But also when not using the app (just watching tv) the surround system is still pretty perfect.
RobMurray 2y ago
You will have nothing but trouble, but it will sound great, even when blasting Spotify ads at you on your spotify premium subscription.
Nursie 2y ago
Sonos has been great for me for 12 years. The newer products also showed up as airplay targets, which made things even easier. You can do fun stuff like group one that target with other systems to stream the audio around, or group another room (say the kitchen) with the tv so you can keep listening to your show while you move between rooms. But the app they released last year is an unreliable clusterfuck, and while you don't need the app for things like tv audio, if you want to stick an album on in your shed while you do some carpentry (one of my use-cases recently) then you're probably going to want to use it. And right now that's very hit or miss. So I think a little bit of wait and see is probably the right choice. If they get good again and drop the moronic everything-goes-through-our-cloud approach, I'd have no hesitation in recommending them again.

eawgewag 2y ago

I've owned Sonos for 10+ years, and I would not consider their products easy to use. They cater to a very specific use case (homeowners with distinct closed door spaces, 100% investment in their ecosystem, low interop outside of the ecosystem including with other Music streaming systems) and if you fit that narrow mold, you will have a great time. But if you don't, you will find yourself with a lot of overpriced equipment for what it is. In the 10 years I've owned them, I've used the app less than 10 total times. I much rather prefer just using them as an over priced surround system and use my Playstation to play music through the TV/sonos.

qsi 2y ago
I suspect that mold is not as narrow as you think. I bought most of my Sonos setup over a decade ago and it's still going strong because I never upgraded from the S1 app. It's the newer S2 app that has been horrendous. I would not buy or recommend new Sonos products now. Occasionally I do think about adding to my setup but since the update debacle that's no longer an option. Over the years my Sonos has been pretty reliable, and very importantly, the wife and kids can use it easily. We just want "Play X in Room Y." It works very well for that. Even my nerdy self is OK with that... I have plenty of other things to nerd/worry about and I just want my music to play. I did have a period of instability after I moved some Sonos speakers around, and I must say their tech support was pretty good (this was maybe four years ago). They looked at my logs and told me it was a weak signal issue, which I thought was ridiculous and initially dismissed... but after digging some more and troubleshooting my home signals, it turns out they were right. Old Sonos with old S1 app is still great for me! It really pains me to see how far they have fallen.
- eawgewag 2y ago
  I was an S1 app user as well, I've never even used or heard of S2 until the recent drama. I think it's worth highlighting that "Play X in Room Y" mandates defined rooms, and if you are in any kind of living situation in which this is not the case, Sonos is not right for you. As a long time apartment/condo dweller, Sonos basically can't do what I'm looking for.

silisili 2y ago

I've never owned Sonos, but I have owned and researched a lot of wireless routers and generally active on their forums. Across them all, it seems like tons of topics of people constantly complaining about Sonos connectivity and blaming the routers. I don't know what makes them different, or if they are just that popular that I'm seeing the noise, but it's something that I'd personally dig into more before investing.

fnordlord 2y ago

I wouldn't recommend either. I bought into the ecosystem around 10 years ago because I had just gotten my first real job and wanted to treat myself to some nice stuff. I got the Play:5 and then the sound bar and subwoofer soon after. Then, like two years later, everything I bought became 2nd class citizens. I have use Legacy apps that are just barely working. It sucks. It was super cool when it all worked but if it took them this long to get rid of that CEO, then I don't seem them turning around at any point soon.

cheeze 2y ago

I'm a big fan of WiiM for a more affordable alternative (for some). I'm not an audiophile, but have a handful of passive speakers around the house and I hook up a wiim amp or a wiim 'streamer' (forget the name) to my existing amp/receiver setup. Works great for me. WHA works well, although I never use it. For me, the major thing that matters is that I can see a device in spotifys device list and can play to that device. Similarly, it needs to be zero setup for anyone else on my wifi network (wife, kids, friends). WiiM covers that perfectly. Granted, there is some work there if you don't already have speakers. I personally think Spotify is a great product. I just don't want my speakers running an operating system. I have speakers as old as 25 years that work perfectly with the WiiM. No point in adding additional tech in a speaker that works perfectly as-is. My biggest worry (which Spotify has been pretty good about) is that the speakers work over WiFi and at some point, will be sunsetted. Maybe not within the next few years, but I don't have much faith that a Sonos system will work well in 10-15 years.

yalogin 2y ago
This is exactly my setup. I have a multi room setup and want to control them with an app. Looks like Wim is something I should look at. Thanks for the suggestion

champdebloom 2y ago

I’ve been using Kef LSX II and their KC62 Sub for the past year and I love the sound and convenience. Sonos came up as a frequent alternative, but I preferred the look and sound of the Kefs. I only have them in one room, so I can’t comment on multi-room audio.

nycticorax 2y ago

I have a Sonos system at home, have for years. (I currently have to use the "Sonos S1" app because I have one older device that is not supported by the new app.) It sounds good (to me) when everything is working, but honestly the reliability has never been that great. After first buying it, I eventually learned that you really want to buy one of their 'hubs' (the one I have is the Sonos Boost) and have that plugged into your wired ethernet network. Otherwise, at least in my hands, things just don't work very reliably. (You can also, I am told, plug a single speaker into your wired network and achieve much the same effect, but for reasons it was easier for me to buy the Boost.) But even now when you select a new song/album/playlist, it seems to take a weirdly long time for it to start playing and have the album art show up on the phone, and sometimes it just fails and you have to try again (the 2nd time almost always works, FWIW). But it is really nice to have decent-sounding on-demand music throughout your home at the touch of a (few) button(s). I hear that bluOS and HEOS are decent alternatives, but they don't seem to be as popular as Sonos, and I've never seen a convincing demonstration that they would work better for me. And of cource there's the lock-in factor: Replacing all my Sonos equipment would be pricey at this point. I used to get really mad about lack of cross-manufacturer interop when I was younger and poorer, but nowadays I'm willing to stomach it if it means that stuff just works. But it's continually irksome that equipment at these prices isn't 100% glitch-free.

eitally 2y ago
For a use like you describe, I'm currently accomplishing that with a mix of various Google/Nest speakers & screens throughout the house, arranged into a few different groups. What would make Sonos a better option?
- nycticorax 2y ago
  Maybe it's not, for you. But I don't think the audio quality of Google/Nest speakers is generally as good as for Sonos.
javier2 2y ago
I got a bluOS device just as a networked amped for my 25 year old speakers. But honestly its too much of a hassle to switch inputs. The price wasnt too bad, but I basically use it as a dumb amp with digital audio input from the tv. At least the amp fits under my tv.

tshaddox 2y ago

I've got the Arc soundbar and subwoofer one year ago to save space by replacing my more typical 3.1 setup with receiver, sub, and bookshelf speakers. I'm happy with the form factor, audio quality, and overall TV experience, and I honestly haven't used the app enough to even notice if there was a big update. That said, I haven't used any Sonos multi-room functionality. But I have noticed weird gaps in functionality with the Arc's Amazon Alexa integration. The Arc doesn't support moving audio to it from other Alexa speakers, or vice versa. I have to imagine they deliberately disabled this, as if I'm going to replace all my Alexa devices just to get Sonos multi-room audio working!

DidYaWipe 2y ago

Why even bother? Just get a $100 bookshelf system anywhere that you need music.

shepherdjerred 2y ago

Sonos sucks, but afaik everything else is worse

leonseled 2y ago

All this negative feedback had me second-guessing as well. But I took the plunge this month and I’ve been very happy tbh. Setup was flawless and I haven’t run into any issues since purchase. But my setup is just Beam + Ikea Symfonisk for surrounds. Planning to add the sub mini later on. My guess is the issues start to occur the bigger your setup and if you heavily use the app? I havent touched the app since setting it up.

Nursie 2y ago
I don't know if it's related to the size of the setup, but (quick calculation...) I have 8 zones, seven with individual speakers and one of them is a Beam+Symfonisk Frame+sub surround thing. We're on starlink, which is great but adds some latency to some stuff, and the new app has been terrible - barely loads, claims to start playing but nothing happens, volume adjustments take random amounts of time or may be ignore, all sorts. But also when not using the app (just watching tv) the surround system is still pretty perfect.

RobMurray 2y ago

You will have nothing but trouble, but it will sound great, even when blasting Spotify ads at you on your spotify premium subscription.

Nursie 2y ago

Sonos has been great for me for 12 years. The newer products also showed up as airplay targets, which made things even easier. You can do fun stuff like group one that target with other systems to stream the audio around, or group another room (say the kitchen) with the tv so you can keep listening to your show while you move between rooms. But the app they released last year is an unreliable clusterfuck, and while you don't need the app for things like tv audio, if you want to stick an album on in your shed while you do some carpentry (one of my use-cases recently) then you're probably going to want to use it. And right now that's very hit or miss. So I think a little bit of wait and see is probably the right choice. If they get good again and drop the moronic everything-goes-through-our-cloud approach, I'd have no hesitation in recommending them again.