Sonos sound systems

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I’ve recently bought a Sonos Beam to go with the two older Sonos 1 speakers I had, but it turns out that Sonos has adopted Microsoft’s policy of out dating its own products. Unfortunately I’m away from home, otherwise I’d return it within the 30 day period.

Worth considering if you are thinking of making a purchase.

From Discover on Google Sonos speaker update sparks anger
 
I’ve recently bought a Sonos Beam to go with the two older Sonos 1 speakers I had, but it turns out that Sonos has adopted Microsoft’s policy of out dating its own products. Unfortunately I’m away from home, otherwise I’d return it within the 30 day period.

Worth considering if you are thinking of making a purchase.

From Discover on Google Sonos speaker update sparks anger
Damn, just put a bid on a Sonos 5 on flea
bay to work with my Connect Amp....

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 
I spoke to Richer Sounds a couple of weeks ago as I was all set to buy a Sonos Beam.

The guy told me that Sonos was a bit of a gimmick and I should look at a Denon soundbar and sub woofer which is what I bought and am pretty pleased with.
 
I’ve got 4 x Sonos 1.

I got the first 2 as a present for Christmas 2016. Hope I’ll be ok.

The concern is if they do it now they will do it in the future.

My brother in law is a big fan, and when I saw a couple of 1s in a John Lewis clearance sale a couple of years ago, I bought them. I needed a second sound system elsewhere, so when I saw the Beam reduced a couple of weeks ago, I bought it and paired them all up and I was happy enough with the sound and the software, but I'll probably return the Beam on principle, as there is absolutely no need to disable hardware that is perfectly serviceable.
 
It is the same with any item that relies on software updates, there will come a time when the hardware cannot run the required software.

It is the price you pay for the benefits that a Sonos system brings in terms of connectivity etc. You can set your system to not download updates and it will still function.
 
The price you pay for Sonos is not just for the hardware which while OK, is nothing special audio wise.
It is the same for most of the Apple stuff. You are paying a percentage of the purchase cost for the software development component.
When that is no longer financially viable to support, the company drops it.

In this respect I think Microsoft are far from the worst offenders.
 
The price you pay for Sonos is not just for the hardware which while OK, is nothing special audio wise.
It is the same for most of the Apple stuff. You are paying a percentage of the purchase cost for the software development component.
When that is no longer financially viable to support, the company drops it.

In this respect I think Microsoft are far from the worst offenders.

I recently bought a SMART TV and gather it's a big issue with them as manufacturers don't update the OS and Apps stop working. Fine if you only use it as a monitor but we're just casual TV watchers and it's all we have.

I also bought a Sonis Beam when the price dropped a few weeks ago as I couldn't get on with voices on our the new TV. I'm very pleased with the way the Beam works in that respect.
 
The price you pay for Sonos is not just for the hardware which while OK, is nothing special audio wise.
It is the same for most of the Apple stuff. You are paying a percentage of the purchase cost for the software development component.

I agree about the audio aspect being nothing special, and it was a compromise as a second system, being tempted by a reasonable discount. From the software aspect, I like the set up and control via the app, but why does the hardware need to be disabled in the future? I would have thought any updates could be made backwardly compatible or older pieces could be left alone, but to knowingly disable hardware which, when all's said and done, is a wireless speaker?
 
I agree about the audio aspect being nothing special, and it was a compromise as a second system, being tempted by a reasonable discount. From the software aspect, I like the set up and control via the app, but why does the hardware need to be disabled in the future? I would have thought any updates could be made backwardly compatible or older pieces could be left alone, but to knowingly disable hardware which, when all's said and done, is a wireless speaker?

I don't use Sonos so may have missed the point but the details that I saw appear to say that no further updates will be published and AT SOME POINT, functionality MAY be affected.
Similar to older iPhones e.g. iPhone 6 will get no more updates after IOS 12 so at some point, apps that require later functionality cannot be used. They do not just stop working.

I think some people are over reacting on Twitter TBH.
 
I agree about the audio aspect being nothing special, and it was a compromise as a second system, being tempted by a reasonable discount. From the software aspect, I like the set up and control via the app, but why does the hardware need to be disabled in the future? I would have thought any updates could be made backwardly compatible or older pieces could be left alone, but to knowingly disable hardware which, when all's said and done, is a wireless speaker?

They cannot disable hardware if you choose not to receive and download software updates.

in addition there are a growing number of 3rd party apps that will let you interact and control Sonos via an iPad/ iPhone, Spotify, Pandora etc.
 
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I don't use Sonos so may have missed the point but the details that I saw appear to say that no further updates will be published and AT SOME POINT, functionality MAY be affected.
Similar to older iPhones e.g. iPhone 6 will get no more updates after IOS 12 so at some point, apps that require later functionality cannot be used. They do not just stop working.

I think some people are over reacting on Twitter TBH.
Twitter is mad, and full of dis-information, as usual :rolleyes:

What Sonos have actually said is that no further updates for what they have described as "legacy" products will be issued after May 2020. These devices will continue to function for the time being, but it doesn't take a genius to work out that, for example, if a streaming service changes their api, then at some point that streaming service will cease to work on the Sonos product that is no longer receiving software updates.

The bit that people are getting hot under the collar about is that Sonos have also said that no Sonos devices, legacy or current, will receive software updates if there is one or more legacy device in the network. This means that, in the api example I mention, the streaming service will cease to work on the whole system, not just the legacy components.

The last bit if the jigsaw is that Sonos are offering a 30% legacy product "decommissioning" discount against their equivalent new products. As part of that scheme, the legacy device will be "bricked" by a software update 21 days after you sign up to take the discount. Somehow the Twatter idiots have managed to mix this up with the withdrawal of software updates in May to claim that all legacy products will stop working at that point :rolleyes:

Now, as someone who has owned Sonos products for 10 years or so, my take on it is this:

Sonos have managed to shoot themselves in the foot with this announcement. They have always majored (whether wisely or not) on the fact that their products will work indefinitely, with software updates to keep them current. They may have got away with backtracking and saying that they are withdrawing software updates for "legacy" products, but to have the situation whereby software updates are denied to current generation products if there is as much as one legacy device on the same network stinks. What makes it worse is that some of the legacy products are not actually that old, and people are - rightly in my view - angry that they are being offered a relatively paltry discount against an equivalent replacement that as of today offers no additional functionality. Difficult sell, that one!

It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out, but even if the Twatter morons are taken out of the equation, there are a good deal of very angry people who have invested in significant quantities of expensive Sonos kit that is now deemed to be "end of life", and if they have the temerity to try to keep using it, it will (potentially) render the rest of their Sonos products inoperable over time too. It's a bit like the Photobucket ransom note saga, and that didn't end well for the company concerned.

For anyone interested, the list of affected products is available here.
 
Great reply, Phil, thank you. I only know what I read in the link in my OP, and the principle alone is enough to put me off the product. I can take it back to John Lewis with no questions, but I've sent an email to Sonos asking what kind of life expectancy their support offers before I decide.
 
I spoke to Richer Sounds a couple of weeks ago as I was all set to buy a Sonos Beam.

The guy told me that Sonos was a bit of a gimmick and I should look at a Denon soundbar and sub woofer which is what I bought and am pretty pleased with.

I bought my sub from RS to go with my Playbar and don't think they are a gimmick at all, in fact they are pretty awesome. Denon have had top products over the years, although I haven't heard their soundbar.
 
You are going to see this happen more and more with anything which is 'online'. Company's can't keep them updated/supported forever, makes you wonder did they even factor in the costs of keeping their products supported when they designed them.
 
Twitter is mad, and full of dis-information, as usual :rolleyes:

What Sonos have actually said is that no further updates for what they have described as "legacy" products will be issued after May 2020. These devices will continue to function for the time being, but it doesn't take a genius to work out that, for example, if a streaming service changes their api, then at some point that streaming service will cease to work on the Sonos product that is no longer receiving software updates.

The bit that people are getting hot under the collar about is that Sonos have also said that no Sonos devices, legacy or current, will receive software updates if there is one or more legacy device in the network. This means that, in the api example I mention, the streaming service will cease to work on the whole system, not just the legacy components.

The last bit if the jigsaw is that Sonos are offering a 30% legacy product "decommissioning" discount against their equivalent new products. As part of that scheme, the legacy device will be "bricked" by a software update 21 days after you sign up to take the discount. Somehow the Twatter idiots have managed to mix this up with the withdrawal of software updates in May to claim that all legacy products will stop working at that point :rolleyes:

Now, as someone who has owned Sonos products for 10 years or so, my take on it is this:

Sonos have managed to shoot themselves in the foot with this announcement. They have always majored (whether wisely or not) on the fact that their products will work indefinitely, with software updates to keep them current. They may have got away with backtracking and saying that they are withdrawing software updates for "legacy" products, but to have the situation whereby software updates are denied to current generation products if there is as much as one legacy device on the same network stinks. What makes it worse is that some of the legacy products are not actually that old, and people are - rightly in my view - angry that they are being offered a relatively paltry discount against an equivalent replacement that as of today offers no additional functionality. Difficult sell, that one!

It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out, but even if the Twatter morons are taken out of the equation, there are a good deal of very angry people who have invested in significant quantities of expensive Sonos kit that is now deemed to be "end of life", and if they have the temerity to try to keep using it, it will (potentially) render the rest of their Sonos products inoperable over time too. It's a bit like the Photobucket ransom note saga, and that didn't end well for the company concerned.

For anyone interested, the list of affected products is available here.
My equipment comes under ‘modern’ so everything is hunky dory.....for now.
 
Suspect some of this has been brought about by the Alexa voice integration and functionality.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
 
I bought my sub from RS to go with my Playbar and don't think they are a gimmick at all, in fact they are pretty awesome. Denon have had top products over the years, although I haven't heard their soundbar.
There We Are Then.
 
Well said, all. I'm prepared to update my six year old Sonos control box, as and when necessary, but I'm waiting until I see an issue.

I only use the thing to feed Spotify into a 15 year old system of hardwired amplification and speakers throughout the house. (Installed by a nerdy previous owner with too much money to spend)

So when change does come, I'm more likely to be changing the complete system more fundamentally anyway, updating to intelligent speakers yada yada.

best-smart-speaker-100748416-large.3x2.jpg
 
I spoke to Richer Sounds a couple of weeks ago as I was all set to buy a Sonos Beam.

The guy told me that Sonos was a bit of a gimmick and I should look at a Denon soundbar and sub woofer which is what I bought and am pretty pleased with.
I disagree with the "gimmick" comment, but if you don't want or need the multi-room, expansion, or streaming capabilities that the Sonos solution offers then I completely agree that a dedicated connected audio solution is a more appropriate solution, and more audio bang for the buck. Glad you're happy with your soundbar / sub-woofer solution.
 

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