Goodbye Sonos

Sounds like you need to change to Android OS! At the end of the day and you said this yourself, the sound quality out of these things is superb, in fact i went and bought a further 2 as they are that good, and thats what a speaker should do formost, so yeah ill live with the few problems here and there, and anybody ditching it over things like no audio jack, Bluetooth etc, well you knew all this before you purchased in the first place, so thats no excuse, but good luck finding something as good as the Sonos One for your money.

If your not using Sonos for what it’s intended. Multiroom. There can be better options depending on need. For multiroom there is no better alternative.

Thanks for the responses, I agree with you both.

I did know about the Bluetooth/ audio jack, however, I thought I'd give it a bash anyway!

I'm going to get a set of Bose Soundlink Revolve Plus, it seems to fulfil my requirements a bit more than the Sonos

Good luck finding something that better fits your needs. As a caution, Bose has redesigned its entire multi-room lineup twice since launching it a few year ago. That does not bode well if you are looking for something with longevity.

It took me years before choosing a system... WHY, because SONOS did not exist. I experimented various systems without satisfaction. Then SONOS started with his first Player 1:5 that is perfectly working. Since years, I complete every year my collection of players. None of the other systems have this level of accomplishment, even if some of them try to compare their performance.

Thanks for sharing, Nemza. If it helps ease your mind a little, Airplay2 is coming to Sonos this year. You'll be able to use your iOS device to play directly to the Sonos One using any of your Airplay capable apps. Wherever you land, I hope you're able to enjoy your music the way you want to!

This is quite an interesting post. It showcases that a number of persons misunderstand the core purpose and need that Sonos aims to fulfill. It’s a multi room modular music system meant for pretty solid quality at home listening.

Given that the author is simply going to replace it with a Bose Bluetooth speaker suggests a bit of that misunderstanding. That maybe what was needed in the first place. Btw jgatie the Bose product he refers to is not their multiroom SoundTouch line of speakers but a portable Bluetooth speaker. I actually rate Bose quite highly in that space and own one of their SoundLink speakers.

However like Chris has said if it truly is a multi room system you are after Sonos is probably still on balance the leader.

And my final point......I said this sometime ago for competitive smarts I still feel omitting Bluetooth and line in as connectivity options would likely have completely prevented Nemza’s departure. Yes he listed other issues but these simple ones contribute. I am not going to get into an argument over Bluetooth today btw.

I have a Bose Soundlink speaker. Works great on the road traveling as portable speaker. I WOULD never want to use it at home. In return I would never want to use any of my Sonos speakers on the road. Completely different functions.

Chris wrote:

I have a Bose Soundlink speaker. Works great on the road traveling as portable speaker. I WOULD never want to use it at home. In return I would never want to use any of my Sonos speakers on the road. Completely different functions.

Completely agree Chris.

It is more of a horses for courses thing, so good purchasing choices are essential. And as I explain further, it isn't an either/or choice.

Bluetooth by itself is not longer a bad word with reference to audio quality these days. For the last week, I am trying out a new Minirig portable speaker as a full service computer bluetooth speaker, that will also play Apple/Google Play Music from a variety of bluetooth sources including the computer. It sounds very good and a lot better than my son's Bose Soundlink Mini for about half the price, so I have just ordered a second unit to wirelessly stereo pair two. It will replace a redeployed play 1 pair on my desktop. And one unit can still be easily taken away for use while on the road/by the beach. Battery life at my usual sound levels at home is close to 40 hours, with easy recharge from the computer when needed - overnight charge once a week from the computer USB port adequately tops up the battery. Low gain mode works fine at home while high gain can make it go rude and loud enough for any outdoor application if desired. It even serves as the bedroom Alexa, via bluetooth from a Dot. Brilliant little unit.

But it won't play from NAS, and music will sometimes stutter a little; so I would never bring it into my main listening areas, where Sonos front ends/speakers still rule.

Even if Sonos has bluetooth, the mains power requirement would still be a hurdle to out of doors use. I agree that the computer speaker application would be fully addressed though.

Struggle to believe that a Minirig can sound twice as good a SoundLink Mini Kumar.

Hmm, interesting to see that Minirig is based in my home town of Bristol (UK), and is an offshoot of the city's two universities. Thanks for the pointer.

BurtBushell wrote:

Struggle to believe that a Minirig can sound twice as good a SoundLink Mini Kumar.

Why? (Although I guess one can argue over the meaning of 'twice as good'.)

Don't get me wrong not doubting that speaker sounds great its just that the SoundLink is also a mighty fine speaker so can't see a speaker the size of a Minirig with one speaker driver sounding significantly better. Although there have been a few shocks in speaker engineering these days.

First, I said lot better, not twice as good, but for half the price. And I suspect for the same price therefore as the Bose, the stereo paired Minirigs will sound more than a lot better, because of the much better stereo imaging from two physically separated units that the Bose can never achieve from one box.

And it is also a matter of taste - I just find the Bose to overemphasise the bass and muddy the mid range a little by doing that.

BurtBushell wrote:

can't see a speaker the size of a Minirig with one speaker driver sounding significantly better.

Digressing a little, in answer to comment above - why not? After all while mono, the Minirig has a 3 inch driver, while the Bose has 2 that must be less than 2 inch each, seeing that the box is just 2 inches high. And the stereo image of the Bose merges into a mono one once it is more than a couple of feet away anyway. On the other hand, a stereo paired Minirig will have two 3 inch drivers, and can be kept as many feet away from each other as is the listening distance from them, so as to deliver a convincing stereo image from the pair - which is what I am betting on in ordering the second unit.

It isn't just a matter of counting drivers, is all I am saying.

You are right it is also a matter of taste. I like the bassy output coming from Bose. I really think their Bluetooth speakers are top of the line as also evidenced by their stellar reviews both by technical reviewers and users.

I also agree that a pair of speakers in stereo will always challenge a single speaker whatever it’s claims of stereo separation.

Circling back to topic though, a sensible combination of technologies is a good approach, though requiring a little research and thinking through of the needs to be addressed. And in general, home audio has never had it this good.

No voice services for sonos one in SA?