Sonos: everything you need to know

[What Hi-Fi?]

What is Sonos? How does it work? And how can you get started? The Sonos ecosystem explained.

Sonos: everything you need to know : Read more

 

[Jim Conway]

I’ve just received an email from SONOS informing me that there will be no more software updates for three of my Sonos units - including two Play:5 units. They will become obsolete as software updates leave them behind - and will bring my whole system down.
Over the years, I have loved my SONOS system and encouraged friends and family to buy it.
But now I know that their system has a short shelf life, I say beware.
Just think that potential customers should know this before buying SONOS’s relatively expensive system.

 

[scene]

Yes, I've received a similar email - see thread here.

And I know how you feel. I've got 7 devices that will stop receiving updates

 

[gowiththeflow]

I’ve got 5 Sonos devices that are affected, all about 5 years old.
There’s not much s/h value in them these days, so I’ll just keep using them until they are no longer able to work properly.
Thanks a lot Sonos and no, I won’t be buying any more products from you, even with a useless 30% trade-in offer.
I have enjoyed using my Sonos system, but now there’s no way I’d recommend this brand to anyone.

 

[lawh]

I have been a hifi enthusiast for over 30 years. I finally sacrificed sound quality for convenience and bought 6 pieces of Sonos equipment for plugging into existing legacy Amps and bringing sound to new rooms.

The experience has been painful with intermittent reliability but the main issue is that after spending over £2k ALL of that investment is now obsolete since Sonos have just announced they are withdrawing support for my devices, they offer 30% of the value against new products (yeah right, as if I am going to do that)

Sonos are the only equipment manufacturer I can think of that you buy a product from, then the company decides to effectively destroy it remotely (other than Apple of course). they are effectively hiring the device to you with payment upfront for 5 years. Its a recurring revenue model that is hidden from the consumer.

My Dual, Thorens, Nakamichi, B&W, REL, Denon equipment still works very well, some of it after 35 years and if it needs a new drive belt etc I can buy one for a few pounds or have the equipment repaired, (although I've never had too)

I urge anyone considering buying Sonos to look at alternatives unless they they are prepared for their investment to disappear via a remote update at a random stage in the future. The nagging fear in the back of your mind that would prevent me from enjoying anything whilst I owned it. The fact that a company I once believed in do this deliberately to their early adopters, brand ambassadors leaves me seething.

I will never buy sonos again, I recommend nobody else starts...

 

[lawh]

What is Sonos? How does it work? And how can you get started? The Sonos ecosystem explained.

Sonos: everything you need to know : Read more

Dont bother, it will be deliberately deactivated, remotely, one day relatively soon by sonos.

 

[smallstool]

What is Sonos? How does it work? And how can you get started? The Sonos ecosystem explained.

Sonos: everything you need to know : Read more

Sonos used to be the best music streaming system available.

The company has killed the product - DO NOT BUY

 

[scene]

Sonos used to be the best music streaming system available.

The company has killed the product - DO NOT BUY

In the interests of balance: (with thanks to bigboss)

For the sake of accuracy:
1. You will stop getting updates from May - this won't stop your devices working (but see 2), but you won't get any new features after this date
2. If one of the connected apps - e.g. Spotify, Deezer, Tune-in,etc. change anything to the way you connect/stream from their services that requires an update to the Sonos app/device, you won't get it and this service could stop working - which is an unquantifiable risk.

 

[lawh]

Just to bring this up to date slightly with the official announcement from Sonos, to quote their website...

We don’t expect any immediate impact to your experience, but access to services and overall functionality will eventually be disrupted, particularly as partners evolve their own services and features

This says WHEN not IF.

You can read Sonos' statement here and also the response from existing Sonos customers, most if not all vow never to buy Sonos again.

I don't believe any Sonos customer was told that their investment would be worthless within 5 years, it says this no where on the packaging.

End of Software Support - Clarifications | Sonos Community

We announced yesterday that some of our oldest Sonos products will be moving into a legacy mode in May of 2020. Our commitment is to support products with regular software updates for a minimum of five years after we stop selling them, and we have a track record of supporting products far...

en.community.sonos.com

Sonos announcement and customer responses

 

[Korbit]

I've used a Sonos Play3 for years with no problems. I've changed WiFi routers, computers etc and was always able to have Sonos find the new network. NOT ANY MORE!! Today (4/13/2020), I just got off the phone with tech support and unless you have a new phone or tablet to download their app you can't finish setup. My tablet runs Android 4.4.2 and is a few years old, and neither it nor ANY PC is supported as a controller now. Now I must either run a cable from the router to the Sonos, which defeats the whole purpose of WiFi speakers, or borrow or buy a new phone or tablet to finish setup. You've been forewarned!!

 

[Rob55m]

Sonos - your stuff is awesome and your end-of-life hardware strategy is very much on a par with industry standards. Keep up the great work.

To the moaners out there - take a reality check and get a grip. We live in a software defined world. Software development moves on at a relentless pace and development is not done based on "old" hardware specifications. At some point the newer software revisions outpace the ability of the old hardware to support it. Time to upgrade the hardware (don't tell me you never purchased a new PC over the last 10 years?).

If you don't like that - then don't buy a software defined product. Go back to buying "static" technology from the pre-2000 era where a software update was something done once in a blue moon when the device broke down.

My suggestion is that when you buy a new device (like Sonos for example), get the latest hardware available. Chances are it will be several years before it is end-of-life and then you will get another 5 years of further support,,,...and then (btw) the product still works fine, it is just not supported by the vendor if you have an issue.

Life.....

 

[Mark.DBW]

What is Sonos? How does it work? And how can you get started? The Sonos ecosystem explained.

Sonos: everything you need to know : Read more

I have had sonos for 2 years now, i wish i had never invested. i have 5 sonos Ones and i have had terrible trouble ever since buying them.

My speakers go on and off at different times, my controller tells me its playing through speakers when it doesn't. Speakers go missing from my app, i am just at the end of my tether with it. I used to have an amp with speakers attached by wire, im gradually going back to that.

I have spoken to the help desk more times that i wish to think about, more diagnostics done than i care for.

I then bought a boost which helped a bit, but oh my, how can people continue with all these issues.

I went into a local book shop some weeks ago before lock down and saw they had sonos too. I asked them if they have issues, he confirmed they had it going on and off all day.

I was going to buy a 2nd system for my other house but i am not now.

i will end up putting all the speakers in a box and putting in the roof.

 

[annoyed]

Unless your just streaming Spotify save your money. And even then, just save your money - buy something that’s properly supported - Sonos aint it.

My experience with Sonos:

• Unreliable. Disposable. Do not waste your money.
• Will not play Music and requires resetting every few weeks to overcome.
• Many, many, software "upgrades". These typically require some intervention to get the devices to work again. No opt out option.
• Sonos don't update promptly, or at all, to be compatible with upgraded Operating Systems. They just blame Apple.
• Product features that existed when I purchased in 2015 simply dont work ...they have, from the year that I purchased Sonos been progressively dropped “no longer supported”
• Entire product components are dropped by Sonos… in some cases software updates broke the item… this as little as a couple of years after purchase.
• Only really OK for streaming (Spotify etc) now. Music library support nearly non existent.
• Over $2000 spent on Sonos and a bigger waste of money I have never experienced.
• Appalling condescending Unprofessional and incompetent "support".
• Sonos forum is infested by people who belittle any request for support, I presume these are sonos staff and fanboys trying to fend off any complaint

By contrast I possess a traditional audiophile quality system I purchased about 15 years ago and it has never missed a beat...No constant updates, no lack of compatibility, no freeze ups, no repeated resetting. And sound quality is vastly better (though this is to be expected)

Unless your just streaming Spotify save your money. And even then, just save your money - buy something that’s properly supported - Sonos aint it.