I would like to be on the Amazon Alexa Beta if possible.

  • 27 December 2016
  • 34 replies
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See Title - I have no idea what other way to let them know.

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34 replies

DJZ

See below link:

Setting up Amazon Alexa on Sonos
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Interesting. I cannot seem to get Alexa to even understand the word Sonos.
The Amazon Alexa integration went live many months ago, and is part of the current software.....
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I would like to be in the Amazon Alexa beta test. I have Echo and 5 echo dots along with several Play 1s, Play 3, Playbar and
Sub.
I would really like to be a part of the beta testing group for Sonos x Alexa integration. I currently have 5 play 1's, 5 play 3's, 1 play 1 a PlayBar and the subwoofer song with 3 echo dots.
I would utilize this technology daily... can't wait for the release!
Not sure where you heard that, it hasn't been in any of the "official" channels that I've seen. They continue to be mum about the progress, so we likely won't know when it hits "beta" until they actually release it to beta. Whether or not that is as part of the current beta being tested, or after what they have in beta right now is released, it's hard to know. But I'm sure that as soon as they do release it to beta, everyone will be notified in the Announcements area, and there may well be quite a few posts scattered all over these boards.

But probably one way to be in the vanguard of all of this is to be in the current beta, making sure that you understand how it works, and the appropriate methods to deal with it.

Patience, grasshopper 🙂
Hi I have a couple Sonos pieces and I am an avid Amazon users. I really love the sound quality of my Sonos but Alexa is just so easy to use with the voice control and AI technology. I would love to be part of the Beta group test for this integration or perhaps a AI voice control unique to Sonos. Is there an update on this integration happening? The last I heard the Alexa and Sonos integration would roll out this month - March 2017.
Yea, I can see that perspective, too, especially with their early products. I came a bit later, when they did a product give-away at a concert that a friend attended, so my perspective may not be as deep. On the other hand, I'm also not saying that they are cheap consumer crap...I appreciate the fact that they're well constructed and have outstanding sound given the size/price. I've always been a fan of intelligently crafted products (Porsche, Apple, Sonos all seem to fit in that mode in my mind), but I still think that they're attempting to appeal to the mass market with ease of use/install, rather than what I consider to be a more niche group of audiophiles. I've always been a borderline audiophile, looking in the windows with drool on my chin, but never able to afford it, so I'm quite pleased with the quality that I get from Sonos. And no, I'm not in the "we need HiRes" camp, I'm actually pleased with what they have right now. My ears can't tell the difference between the two, and consequently I don't feel the need to spend dollars to support that. But I also recognize that others may be different, and can hear the difference.

I've wandered far afield, I fear. Thanks for the discussion 🙂
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Interesting perspective. I've always thought of Sonos as being as mainstream/consumer oriented as possible, and not attempting to be "High Fidelity" beyond what was necessary. Hence their lack of DTS/Hi Res, etc.

I guess I've been following Sonos since the beginning. Originally it was just Connects and Connect:amps. And it's price kept it in more of the Audiophile world. I had hoped that they would introduce products that went beyond the present 16/44.1 limit. And I understand it's about the convenience, that's what drew me in the first place. I just wish they had people working on options for 24/96, a set of really nice speakers above the Play 5. I did appreciate that they replaced the bridge with the boost.
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Seob. I hear you... but...

I think the shift is recognizing that, parlour trick or not, consumer expectations have, and will, go past the fidelity of the audio to the nature of the user experience... a failure to totally understand that would have Sonos yelling from the deck of a sinking ship that they do high fidelity mult-room audio better than anyone...

Truth is, people are listening to crap speakers because they can't be bothered to look at a phone that is in their hand... but want to speak to a device to make it play music. Wtf :? How lazy can a consumer be? Really... Remember when someone had to actually pull out a vinyl record, clean it, and place it on a turntable and actually had to move an arm bar over to start an album?!! 😃 but the quality audio can still succeed if they can make sure they do not miss out on the user integration. Hence the rush to be involved..... and an indicator of general consumer interest I think; what other beta has this site seen people signing in to ask if they can be involved??
Interesting perspective. I've always thought of Sonos as being as mainstream/consumer oriented as possible, and not attempting to be "High Fidelity" beyond what was necessary. Hence their lack of DTS/Hi Res, etc.
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I guess I'm in the minority, but I see Alexa integration as nothing but a parlor trick. Sonos seems to be moving away from concentrating on high fidelity, and moving much more to the consumer side.
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I so want to engage with Sonos on a Beta (could care less about Alexa... ) because I do want to be able to explore functionality and give feedback... but I know my wife wouldn't likely be too keen on the feedback part.... for this who have been involved, how stable have the betas been? I get that testing is testing. But I also know some betas are... well... 'loose' and others are pretty 'tight' before they go out the door for beta.... any input from current beta testers? Will my wife be fighting with the tech? 'Cause I'm ok with feedback... just not on her having to have poor experiences.... thought? Anyone?
Having managed my fair share of "beta" software releases, the majority of people who sign up for them aren't concerned about doing any testing at all, they just want access to the latest and greatest, no matter what's in it. If I could engage about 10% of users in providing useful feedback, I felt pretty good.

Yup, exactly my point! 😃
Having managed my fair share of "beta" software releases, the majority of people who sign up for them aren't concerned about doing any testing at all, they just want access to the latest and greatest, no matter what's in it. If I could engage about 10% of users in providing useful feedback, I felt pretty good.
When I got the beta, i was feeling really hopeful. But no juice yet. I actually tried telling Alexa to "play new music on Sonos" or "play new music on Sonos Kitchen" but she didn't know what I was talking about. Pout.

You should be reading the beta release notice, which covers what new functions and/or fixes are contained in the beta. Otherwise, how do you know what to concentrate on when participating in the testing?
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When I got the beta, i was feeling really hopeful. But no juice yet. I actually tried telling Alexa to "play new music on Sonos" or "play new music on Sonos Kitchen" but she didn't know what I was talking about. Pout.
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Hand in the air right here if there should be a beta about
A great way to get this now is to get a Harmony hub, it already works with Sonos and Harmony works with Alexa, you can play music in any room, start groups that are already connected together, and you can play favorites playlists. You cannot get as specific as you'll hopefully be able to with true and full integration but hey it gets the job done for me. Alexa turn on music in the living room...it plays a specific playlist keyed together in the harmony app.
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I too want to feel special and be a part of the private beta on Echo integration. I have a few skills myself and want to help make my 3 players and 8 echo devices all live in perfect harmony. With my harmony too.
Please see Ryan's post in this thread:

https://en.community.sonos.com/components-228996/sonos-echo-private-beta-6739965
I would also like to formally request to join the SONOS:Echo beta. I signed up for beta in the link posted above in this thread. I have and actively use SONOS in every room of my house and own at least one of every product you have made. Some rooms have PLAY3 stereo pairs while my TV sound is supplied solely by the PLAYBAR, SUB, and PLAY1's. I use the SONOS app to play MP3s locally, as well as stream Google Play, TuneIn radio, and Sirius XM.
They just rolled an update to beta, but it's very non-descript.
I'm another SONOS\Echo user, who is a member of the Beta program and would love to take part in any SONOS Echo integration testing. I have a technical background, numerous SONOS products (Sound bar (with satellites), Connect, Play 1, Play 3, Play 5) and Echo and Echo Dot already configured with Philips Hue lighting and a Nest Thermostat. (please let me play!)
i have been on other sonos beta tests and i would really like to be on the Alexa/Sonos beta as well. i am technical and can handle issues as they arise