Amazon Echo / Dot and Sonos Integration

We might even get the firmware update itself!

With Amazon's announcement of the new Echo having multi-room capabilities, you still think Sonos isn't losing sales?


Actually, the updated the firmware on existing echos, it's not just new echos that can do this.


There are probably 2 different markets for these speakers. There is the home theater/stereo market. Then there's the multi-room market. Amazon (Google and Apple too) are taking a large chunk of the multi-room market. If people go to Amazon for the multi-room aspect, then they might be less likely to go to Sonos for the "high end" speaker.


I don't think it's quite that simple. First off, people have varying levels of quality requirements. That means many won't us echo speakers until they vastly improve the quality. Second, people are going to look for different features in the same speaker system. Meaning, some may be fine with amazon for multi-room, but what it incorporated in home theatre, so opt for sonos. Then there is cost as a factor.

That said, I think you are generally right. There are people who may have gone for sonos that will be satisfied with Amazon echo system now. No doubt. However, I'd argue that Amazon expanded the market and will bring more customers to Sonos that may never have been in the market if it were not for voice control. I'd guess Sonos will gain as many customers as it theoretically loses...if not more.


Sonos has quality speakers. But their real selling point, what set them apart form their competitors, was the multi-room aspect. Now I fear they've missed the boat by not getting into voice control sooner and on a larger scale.

I'd say it is part of it. There is also ease of control and music selection, as well as good quality. Really, sonos was losing some customers to echo before echo went multiroom, just because echo was even easier to control.

If I were to guess who the 'big losers' are in the changes in the audio market, I'd say it's the amp/receiver makers and to a lesser extent, the passive bookshelf speaker makers. That really has been happening for a while as people start using Bluetooth speakers and such.

They don't have the processing power to run Sonos software locally on the DOT. There would have to be a way for Amazon to process in the cloud and stream the audio only to the DOT.

I don't buy the idea that stand alone Echo devices would cut into Sonos sales. Yes you may have someone who just uses a regular echo and doesn't buy a Play:1 or who uses a Dot and avoids having to buy a Connect. So yes you would lose sales there. But when those people purchased those entry level Echo devices..... you just put Sonos capability into probably 10 million homes. When those people decide to go buy a more critical listening speaker where do they then go (Bose....Samsung....Denon) .... they go out and start buying Sonos units. So you may lose several hundered thousand units sold where people didn't buy a Play:1 or Connect. You potentially added millions of units in sales to people who would never have joined the Sonos echosystem.

With Amazon's announcement of the new Echo having multi-room capabilities, you still think Sonos isn't losing sales?

There are probably 2 different markets for these speakers. There is the home theater/stereo market. Then there's the multi-room market. Amazon (Google and Apple too) are taking a large chunk of the multi-room market. If people go to Amazon for the multi-room aspect, then they might be less likely to go to Sonos for the "high end" speaker.

Sonos has quality speakers. But their real selling point, what set them apart form their competitors, was the multi-room aspect. Now I fear they've missed the boat by not getting into voice control sooner and on a larger scale.

The only official Sonos document stated what I quoted.

Wow, only one official document exists on this? I'd love to see a link!

Either way, it's coming. Kvetching over the intended release dates isn't going to add or subtract a single minute on the engineering development time. It will be here when it is ready, no sooner.

Right, see my original post. I'm a software engineer, I'm very aware of how dates work in engineering ha. Novembuarytoberish.

Sonos never said "early 2017". They said "general release in 2017".
https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-alexa-coming-to-sonos-music-systems/

This article says "expanded to public release in early 2017". Maybe the article was wrong, but I'm pretty confident I heard this from multiple sources last year.

The only official Sonos document stated what I quoted. Everything else is second hand, which given the state of the press nowadays, can be assumed to be sketchy. There are in fact articles where the original "quote" of "early 2017" has been subsequntly corrected. Me, I also assumed early 2017 and was wrong, so now I trust only the original source.

Either way, it's coming. Kvetching over the intended release dates isn't going to add or subtract a single minute on the engineering development time. It will be here when it is ready, no sooner.

Sonos never said "early 2017". They said "general release in 2017".
https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-alexa-coming-to-sonos-music-systems/

This article says "expanded to public release in early 2017". Maybe the article was wrong, but I'm pretty confident I heard this from multiple sources last year.

Sonos won't release, even to Beta(s), until/unless it is in a fit state so to do.

"They'll release it when it's done" is a banal and sarcastic answer and doesn't add anything to the discussion. I think people are asking if anyone has heard anything about when that will be, and unfortunately it seems like no, Sonos has left us hanging since saying 'early 2017' last year.

I wish they'd come out and give us some more info. Even an updated guess would be appreciated.

Sonos never said "early 2017". They said "general release in 2017". Some, me included, assumed it would be early 2017. We were incorrect in our assumptions. That's not Sonos' fault, for they have never said anything except that it will be released to the general public sometime in 2017.

They'll release it when they think it's good enough and we'll all benefit from them doing their best to get it right. In the interim I shall enjoy the music I know and explore that which I do not.

My personal uninformed opinion on Sonos / Alexa integration would be some betas making there way after we see some major Alexa updates (some of what Amazon working on making its way out to Alexa - like their push notifications). I think watching Alexa improvements will give clues to more Sonos integration coming closer.

Actually not all crickets with HEOs....they actually put out a public statement that while they had announced and promised Google Cast compatibility they WOULD NOT introduce the functionality

actually it is still 2017 but the beta would take on 2016...
Sonos doesn't give specific dates but that does not prevent me from saying "where is it ?" because although not specific, they had sort of a statement/promise.

and I would rather prefer them release a beta buggy or incomplete. (that's my own preference, not everybody would prefer) some things may be developed while in beta.

Look at the announcement:

The companies will begin rolling out the experience through an invite-only beta test later this year, with general availability in 2017.

The beta scheduled for 2016 was "invite-only", aka a private beta. General availability will be in 2017. Pedantically, your complaints aren't valid until 2018. Realistically, you should at least wait until July.

Heos doesn't just miss dates they actually don't even perform. They have previously announced several things like google chromecast support to only after a year of waiting tell customers they would not support (after people made purchase decisions and had the speakers for a year waiting).

As Sonos has said they are doing voice control I would far more trust Sonos then a press release from heos a week after Sonos saying "us too"

Hoes doesn't have any kind of public forum to take criticism or allow users to interact.