So with Sonos integrating Amazon Echo within their eco system a couple of questions: - If I install an Amazon Echo Dot in each room that I have Sonos speakers in will I be able to assign that particular dot to that rooms speakers? For example, I don't want to ask Alexa a question and then have all of the households Sonos speakers respond. - I assume using the Dots that as well as having full control of Sonos Music system I will also have full use of the usual Amazon Echo services i.e. Alexa, what's the weather forecast, and it will use that particular rooms Sonos speakers to respond? The potential is quite compelling if it's implemented well but good to get some clarification.

We can mark this request/question as answered now! Alexa integration is now live with our beta skill for Amazon Alexa. Check out the announcement here. Also, there's some info on the Sonos One here.

Amazon Echo / Dot and Sonos Integration

The Contol4 situation is an early indication that Sonos does not currently have the mindset needed to successfully maintain deep integration commitments. I wonder if they will really be able to embrace the level of change required to pull this off?

Did the switch get flipped with the new CEO or do they sill not have any #$@ to give?

Userlevel 7

+22

Chris
Lead Maestro
17582 replies
7 years ago
21 January 2017

Above mentions dot and doesn't have sonic ability to compete with Sonos. I meant in previous posts it is Connect alternative (it has audio out). Such as is Google audio dongle direct competitor.

E

Userlevel 1

+1

Well, SONOS new CEO had a front row seat for the rise and fall of BlackBerry. He wasn't in charge, but he was high enough up the food chain to see the mistakes being made. It would be interesting to know what his views were at the time on RIM's strategy. Since he jumped ship to SONOS in '12, I'm guessing he was not a fan of the direction RIM had been heading. He has to be thinking that Alexa and the Echo/Dot look to SONOS a whole lot like the iPhone looked to BlackBerry. BlackBerry failed to pivot as people completely changed how they used their phone. I doubt he will make a similar mistake with SONOS. Voice will completely change how most people use multi-room audio. He is going to force innovation at SONOS to keep up with this change or be fired trying - count on it.

You call it whining, I call it speculation. Taking everything at face value makes for pretty dull discussion.

Nope, when its the same lame retort, time after time, no matter the circumstances, it's whining. You have a specific complaint, you apply it to everything, and you beat it into shoeleather. Own it.

U

Wow, great announcement! Predictably, it took only minutes for the whining to commence, lol.

You call it whining, I call it speculation. Taking everything at face value makes for pretty dull discussion.

Wow, great announcement! Predictably, it took only minutes for the whining to commence, lol.

Great sentiment but it is incompatible with some of Sonos' most entrenched policies such as forcing people to use the latest firmware to maintain support while failing to acknowledge the unintended consequences of changing or deprecating certain features. The Contol4 situation is an early indication that Sonos does not currently have the mindset needed to successfully maintain deep integration commitments. I wonder if they will really be able to embrace the level of change required to pull this off?

Oh jeez.

Time for a new tune.

U

This just in:
Sonos’ new CEO wants its speakers to work with Alexa, Google, and ‘all the services that matter'
https://goo.gl/0hUlW8

Great sentiment but it is incompatible with some of Sonos' most entrenched policies such as forcing people to use the latest firmware to maintain support while failing to acknowledge the unintended consequences of changing or deprecating certain features. The Contol4 situation is an early indication that Sonos does not currently have the mindset needed to successfully maintain deep integration commitments. I wonder if they will really be able to embrace the level of change required to pull this off?

G

+1

When I say Sonos control Alexa I mean the Sonos application control Alexa. So if you want to play music you can actually group and play to Alexas just as if they were Sonos. Therefore Sonos becomes Alexas multiroom audio controller.

Ah got it. This might be possible now that Sonos can use WIFI as the backend mesh network. Guess they would need their code to run on the eco's. Interesting idea, but at the same time that could take sales away from sonos. You would then only need one sonos speaker and them could use eco every where else.

In terms of the Dot, the sound quality isn't good enough for Sonos to lose sales to it.

If anything, I see it like Chris mentions. That if someone has a Dot, and they learn that they can integrate it with Sonos, it might increase sales for Sonos.

Plus, throw in the cost difference, Amazon would have to sell a ton of Dots to be the equivalent of Sonos speakers. Something like sell 4 to 8 Dots to be the equivalent to selling 1 Sonos speaker.

P

Userlevel 3

+2

Peteo
Avid Contributor I
35 replies
7 years ago
20 January 2017

This just in:
Sonos’ new CEO wants its speakers to work with Alexa, Google, and ‘all the services that matter'
https://goo.gl/0hUlW8

Userlevel 7

+22

Chris
Lead Maestro
17582 replies
7 years ago
20 January 2017

There would certainly be major challenges to sync. A perfect sync probably would be unattainable.

U

One core feature that Echo does not have today but will need to have to support the Sonos integration is the ability to control a Dot or Echo in a given room from a different Dot or Echo in a different room. The ability to direct where you want music to play is a critical foundation step and I would not be surprised if it is released as a new Amazon Echo feature at some point ahead of the release of the full Sonos integration.

I doubt if there is a way for Echos to play in sync with each other let alone with Sonos speakers. I don't think that is on the roadmap because I don't think the Amazon hardware can handle it. It might be possible to kick off something on an Echo from the Sonos app if that was seen to be a worthwhile feature but I think it will always be an isolated speaker. I don't see any way an Echo can participate in any kind of group.

Userlevel 7

+22

Chris
Lead Maestro
17582 replies
7 years ago
20 January 2017

But of note: I don't see it happening.

Userlevel 7

+22

Chris
Lead Maestro
17582 replies
7 years ago
20 January 2017

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. Sonos has always integrated with the home wifi (even with bridge device connected to router they were always on the same network).

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.

P

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+2

Peteo
Avid Contributor I
35 replies
7 years ago
20 January 2017

When I say Sonos control Alexa I mean the Sonos application control Alexa. So if you want to play music you can actually group and play to Alexas just as if they were Sonos. Therefore Sonos becomes Alexas multiroom audio controller.

Ah got it. This might be possible now that Sonos can use WIFI as the backend mesh network. Guess they would need their code to run on the eco's. Interesting idea, but at the same time that could take sales away from sonos. You would then only need one sonos speaker and them could use eco every where else.

Userlevel 7

+22

Chris
Lead Maestro
17582 replies
7 years ago
20 January 2017

Dot's do not do multiroom - i.e. they currently do not talk to each other. That Amazon has to implement. They don't do multiroom now they can just be located in multiple rooms.

When I say Sonos control Alexa I mean the Sonos application control Alexa. So if you want to play music you can actually group and play to Alexas just as if they were Sonos. Therefore Sonos becomes Alexas multiroom audio controller.

Confused, Yes you need a dot in multiple rooms so you can use it any where. That's why amazon sells 3 and 6 packs

Sono speakers do not have beam forming microphones so they can not work as a way to talk to Alexa

What Chris means by "don't do multiroom" is they cannot play music in multiple rooms in perfect sync. That is what Sonos does, and for a Dot/Echo to be used as a Sonos speaker, it too would have to be capable of multi-room sync. Which as discussed, is not easily achievable with the processor contained in the Echo devices.

G

+1

Currently Dot's don't do multiroom. Sonos does. But Amazon is working with Sonos direct in integration of the Dot to controlling Sonos. So we all know Dot controlling Sonos is coming ...... but ..... what if they went the other direction .... Sonos control Dot. While maybe far fetched, since they are working closely and Amazon needs the Dot to go multiroom .... just like we said why should Sonos create their own voice recognition .... why should Amazon create their own multiroom.

My thoughts exactly. If they both want to get a leg up on Google and Apple, this is the route they should go.

There's no doubt in my mind we'll see a Samsung (or some other major manufacturer) release wireless speakers with Google Home built in, in the near future.

P

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+2

Peteo
Avid Contributor I
35 replies
7 years ago
20 January 2017

That is a good question. Currently Dot's don't do multiroom. Sonos does. But Amazon is working with Sonos direct in integration of the Dot to controlling Sonos. So we all know Dot controlling Sonos is coming ...... but ..... what if they went the other direction .... Sonos control Dot. While maybe far fetched, since they are working closely and Amazon needs the Dot to go multiroom .... just like we said why should Sonos create their own voice recognition .... why should Amazon create their own multiroom.

Confused, Yes you need a dot in multiple rooms so you can use it any where. That's why amazon sells 3 and 6 packs

Sono speakers do not have beam forming microphones so they can not work as a way to talk to Alexa

G

+1

Sorry if this redundant. But I can't tell from the comments. When the integration is complete, will you be able to add an Echo/Echo Dot as an additional speaker to the Sonos system?

I know the speaker quality of the Echo/Dot is not terrific. But I think being able to add an affordable speaker to smaller spaces would be a benefit. For instance, if i wanted to add a Dot to a closet, you would get the benefit of having music and Alexa. I don't need/want a high end speaker in that space. At least not one that costs $200+.

I highly doubt this is even possible. Syncing between speakers takes a lot of real-time processing power and the processor in the Echos are meager at best; all their logic is processed in the cloud. Besides, Sonos probably would not enter a partnership where they would lose possible sales.

I cringe to even type this here, but I firmly believe the future will be Alexa integrated into Sonos speakers. Alexa (and Google Home) are already being added to all kinds of devices. Having both a Sonos and an Echo device to work together as one will seem redundant and dated.

I cringe because of the investment some have already made into their current Sonos and Echo devices, myself included. But such is the case with technology I guess.

Userlevel 7

+22

Chris
Lead Maestro
17582 replies
7 years ago
20 January 2017

That is a good question. Currently Dot's don't do multiroom. Sonos does. But Amazon is working with Sonos direct in integration of the Dot to controlling Sonos. So we all know Dot controlling Sonos is coming ...... but ..... what if they went the other direction .... Sonos control Dot. While maybe far fetched, since they are working closely and Amazon needs the Dot to go multiroom .... just like we said why should Sonos create their own voice recognition .... why should Amazon create their own multiroom.

It doesn't seem that crazy. For Sonos it would build on the brand with all Dots being Sonos capable. The Dot even then becomes an affordable basic Connect (something Sonos needs to compete with the likes of Google Audio). With an Alexa dot you have a competitor to The Google Audio dongle. It would also give Sonos more exposure into every home with eventual upsell to full on Sonos speakers in house.

For Amazon - it gives it a stronger mutli-room then their competition like Google Home. This could be very important to them in winning the current major war brewing between who will be the home assistant of the future (we have ourselves a good old fashion Betamax vs. VHS storm brewing).

Fighting against all this - Amazon dots don't have the memory or processing power a normal Sonos speaker has (assuming). Everything playing to it will have to be coming from the cloud. How do you group a Dot room that normally could be done all via your local network when the Dot is getting all instruction via the cloud. How could you possibly sync them together (I guess its possible if Sonos would have ability to delay the other speakers if a dot joined the mix).

Probably far fetched and as I typed the technical hurdles seem pretty big. But a combo Sonos/Alexa music network would be pretty amazing.

Sorry if this redundant. But I can't tell from the comments. When the integration is complete, will you be able to add an Echo/Echo Dot as an additional speaker to the Sonos system?

I know the speaker quality of the Echo/Dot is not terrific. But I think being able to add an affordable speaker to smaller spaces would be a benefit. For instance, if i wanted to add a Dot to a closet, you would get the benefit of having music and Alexa. I don't need/want a high end speaker in that space. At least not one that costs $200+.

I highly doubt this is even possible. Syncing between speakers takes a lot of real-time processing power and the processor in the Echos are meager at best; all their logic is processed in the cloud. Besides, Sonos probably would not enter a partnership where they would lose possible sales.

G

+1

Sorry if this redundant. But I can't tell from the comments. When the integration is complete, will you be able to add an Echo/Echo Dot as an additional speaker to the Sonos system?

I know the speaker quality of the Echo/Dot is not terrific. But I think being able to add an affordable speaker to smaller spaces would be a benefit. For instance, if i wanted to add a Dot to a closet, you would get the benefit of having music and Alexa. I don't need/want a high end speaker in that space. At least not one that costs $200+.

So do you think you will be able to use the built in Mic on the Sono's speakers or will you need an eco device?

The microphone(s) on the Play:5 Gen. 2 is not a far-field microphone array like the Echo. With current Sonos players, you will need an Echo or Alexa device (Echo, Dot, Tap, Fire tablet, Fire TV, etc) to use voice control. Whether future Sonos player will incorporate their own far-field microphone array is unknown at this time.

P

Userlevel 3

+2

Peteo
Avid Contributor I
35 replies
7 years ago
12 January 2017

So do you think you will be able to use the built in Mic on the Sono's speakers or will you need an eco device?

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