Sonos rant

[MD5]

I have a few infrequently used Sonos bits, which I added to today. I thought I'd play a few music tracks from my phone after installation, to find out that you can no longer do this. Fuming! I remember a few years ago when they were going to brick older equipment, but gave way to public pressure. This has definitely taken away from the desirability of their product in my eyes, a bit like the bag of crisps with more air than crisps! Why do they do this?

 

[SpikyMikey]

I have a few infrequently used Sonos bits, which I added to today. I thought I'd play a few music tracks from my phone after installation, to find out that you can no longer do this. Fuming! I remember a few years ago when they were going to brick older equipment, but gave way to public pressure. This has definitely taken away from the desirability of their product in my eyes, a bit like the bag of crisps with more air than crisps! Why do they do this?

They're all at it: I've given up with Amazon Prime Music as now you can only shuffle play stuff that they think you might like, instead of actually choosing what you want to listen to. Unless you want to pay even more over and above your Prime membership for 'Unlimited Music'

 

[MD5]

Being 'old school', I don't really use streaming services. I have mp3 files stored on my phone, which I used to be able to play through my Sonos via wifi, set up playlists, queueing etc, and they've removed this facility. Apparently, some of their equipment is Bluetooth capable, but not the set up that I have.

 

[st13phil]

Why not just copy the mp3 files to a folder on your PC and add the location as a Music Library in the SONOS setup?

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Being 'old school', I don't really use streaming services. I have mp3 files stored on my phone, which I used to be able to play through my Sonos via wifi, set up playlists, queueing etc, and they've removed this facility. Apparently, some of their equipment is Bluetooth capable, but not the set up that I have.

Dumb question - is it not possible to attached a Bluetooth input widget to the Sonos?

 

[MD5]

I don't think so, Mike. Everything is in built and software controlled. This caused a scandal a few years back, as they were claiming that their old speakers were not compatible with new ones, so were being phased out (killed off). Nothing wrong with the hardware at all, just being gratuitously killed off by flicking a switch.

 

[DSM10000]

Dumb question - is it not possible to attached a Bluetooth input widget to the Sonos?

Not aware of any inputs. My system is all wireless.

 

[MD5]

Why not just copy the mp3 files to a folder on your PC and add the location as a Music Library in the SONOS setup?

Thanks, Phil, I'm looking for workarounds, and I've only just added the app to my laptop. The thing is, it's in a holiday home, and it's usually only used for music when friends are round or perhaps after a night out, and it was very convenient to just set up a playlist from a phone. As a 5.1 surround for tv, it's fine, but I just hate the way they've removed this feature.

 

[st13phil]

The thing is, it's in a holiday home, and it's usually only used for music when friends are round or perhaps after a night out

Ahh, OK, understood. I've had SONOS equipment for more than 10 years and ISTR that the ability to play directly from a phone disappeared a l-o-n-g while ago.

It was replaced (for compatible devices only) with Apple AirPlay support, which is obviously no good if you are wanting to use an Android device as the source. If you're using an iPhone you only need one AirPlay compatible item in your Sonos system to do this and can group the other non-AirPlay compatible products with it to listen to the same source.

If you're using an Android phone, this Sonos Support article tells you about your options.

 

[DSM10000]

On checking the Sonos Beam we use as the basis of the surround system here it does of course have an HDMI input which we use to take the audio output from the TV.

There are Bluetooth HDMI adapters available.

 

[MD5]

the ability to play directly from a phone disappeared a l-o-n-g while ago.

Thanks again, Phil. This is from Sonos' help (f you) desk! "Starting May 23rd, 2023, we’re removing the ability to play audio files directly to Sonos using the “On this device” menu in the Sonos app for Android." I just begrudge spending money with companies like this, and I wouldn't have bothered buying the sub woofer I've just bought if I'd known they are at it again. I certainly won't be buying an EV, where everything will become chargeable in more ways than one!

 

[Londonscottish]

I've just stuck with my separates over the years. For a while I used Bluetooth dongles then I found the ChromeCast Audio one. They're discontinued now so I have three new old stock as backups. You can fire any old content at them and still have the sound quality of proper separates.

So many new solutions are actually backwards steps.

Plus I didn't have to throw away a load of expensive kit. £30-£50 a dongle and it's done.

 

[st13phil]

I wouldn't have bothered buying the sub woofer I've just bought

What other components are in the system?

 

[MD5]

I have a Beam (gen 1) and a pair of Ones.

 

[st13phil]

Does the Beam have line in?

 

[MD5]

No, just an HDMI, which goes into the ARC input in the TV

 

[MD5]

I can't help but wonder if I hadn't updated the app, the feature may have remained, but probably would have been deactivated anyway.

 

[ChrisPDuck]

You could consider switching to Logitech Media Server (LMS), previously 'Squeezebox'. It started life as a way to stream locally held MP3 files to a device that connects to your existing separates, but over the years (and especially since Logitech stopped supporting it!) an army of contributors have turned it into a really super eco system, with all sorts of plugins, including for streaming services such as Spotify, as well as a variety of end points, including community developed hardware. The best bit, given your situation, is that it can treat Sonos speakers as end points, via a plugin called the UPnP/DLNA Bridge. When Sonos threatened to brick their older players a while ago, it was pointed out that they would continue to work with LMS.

LMS is built around a playlist approach, so you can build and save playlists of your locally held MP3 files. Multiple players can be synced or they can play different things independently. You could install LMS on your laptop, but the best option, in my opinion, is to run an 'always on' Raspberry Pi with the 'piCorePlayer' distribution. Connect a hard disk with your music library to the Pi via USB and off you go (there are other ways too). It can all be controlled by a nice modern interface (the 'Material' skin) that runs on a browser on your laptop and/or phone. I've used it for many years, and despite the buyout by Logitech and their subsequent abandonment of the concept, it's gone from strength to strength, largely because it's a software solution that is essentially hardware-agnostic.

It's not for everyone, and can get a bit geeky if you delve into all the plugins and setup options, but it can also be very simple to use once set up, and I'll be happy to give you pointers if you get stuck.

 

[MD5]

Great reply, Chris, thank you. As you say, it little bit complex for me just to play a few tunes after a few beers, but I'll explore it further. It just emphasises to me what an assenine and dishonest ethos Sonos have adopted by giving you something worth having, and then taking it way.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

No, just an HDMI, which goes into the ARC input in the TV

So you can't bluetooth your phone to your TV and then just listen to music / watch video from there?