Sonos is forcing people to buy new hardware as they've broken the Connect:Amp and they refuse to fix it

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B
Userlevel 4
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Sonos defenders, how can you defend this? This is indefensible. This product isn't being sold, but it's not marked as EOL unlike earlier Connect AMPs which didn't survive the S2 upgrade. Sonos needs to undo the changes it made to memory in the summer update so we can use our existing hardware. If you defend this, the time will come when Sonos does something that bites you, and we won't be here to support you..

 

Really?  You posted 3 years ago to complain about the S1/S2 changes, and posted nothing till now when you have another complaint.  You’re really going to claim you will be there to support others when there are issues that don’t impact you directly?  And who is this ‘we’ you claim to speak for?  The theatrics are silly.

Firstly, I love the fact you’re going through my post history to find dirt on me, well done. And secondly, I don’t come onto this forum that often, but I do follow Sonos news, I followed the story about the Arc, which didn’t exacly need my help by the time I found out about it. However something I’d never do is hang around a company forum telling people their issues with the companies product aren’t valid, and that the company can do no wrong - that’s pretty sad behaviour imo

 

 

There’s no dirt, just actually seeing if you have a history of actually doing what you said you would do.  You won’t actually be here to support anyone else.  You’ll just read the news. 

If you had actually looked around you’d see the majority of the people you claim are defending Sonos are actually helping people resolve their issues.  You know, that thing you claim you’re going to do.  

Does that sometimes mean Sonos is right and the people complaining have unrealistic expectations?  Yes.  As I said before, I do think it’s reasonable for you to ask for a discount on a new amp and see what you can get.  I’d be surprised if you get a full replacement or if Sonos rolls back features to get this to work.   Hopefully there’s a fix for it.  Anyone else with the issue should contactSonoss support, to eliminate the possibility it’s a network issue and get another name on the list.

 

 

 

The thing is though, that you're very hostile. I appreciate you help people here, but you're very hostile to people who suggest there's an issue with the product, there's no need to be so hostile.

If a big issue arises I will be here adding my name to the list, like I did with the S1/S2 transition. I didn't say I would be here helping people constantly, I don't have the time, I work a full-time job and have a family, you're reading something that I didn't say.

I'm not interested in just solving my issue, I want the issue solved for others who also have it, which seems to be a growing number. The easiest thing for Sonos to do would be to attempt to fix it in software, it's obviously doable as downgrading to s1 fixes the issue. If its a case of some new feature of s2 can't work on the CA, that's fine, I just want what I have to work, while also not limiting myself and preventing myself from buying s2 exclusive devices, without splitting my network, which I refuse to do (as it defies the point of Sonos imo)

A
Userlevel 2
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Well I spoke too soon (which is why I asked if any of my optimism was backed up by release notes).

My CA is as bad as ever. 

Ho hum. Whatever the solution is it won’t be a Sonos product. I will buy a cheap Bluetooth amp and simply connect to that from my phone when I need to. Not as seamless as the CA but, as my phone will be about 1 metre from the amp, I am fairly sure I won’t get drop outs. 

And had been tempted by Sonos’s double discount on their upgrade program but I simply refuse to spend any more with them whatever the deal ☹️

 


 

 

 

K

The easiest thing for Sonos to do would be to attempt to fix it in software, it's obviously doable as downgrading to s1 fixes the issue. If its a case of some new feature of s2 can't work on the CA, that's fine, I just want what I have to work, while also not limiting myself and preventing myself from buying s2 exclusive devices, without splitting my network, which I refuse to do (as it defies the point of Sonos imo)

It is almost certainly not the easiest thing to do in software engineering, to do this AND keep the unit up to being part of S2 environment that keeps asking for more memory to serve it, and is not equivalent to a downgrade to S1, a solution that seems to work, but is not for you because you do not want a split system. And a system that is not split, but has some units that cannot do what others on S2 can do defeats the concept of a system that is not split. I understand from posts here that there is a 30% discount on the Amp you can get, and you are well advised here by others to see if direct correspondence with Sonos can fetch you more of a discount - giving you that is by far the easiest thing for Sonos to do.

Bumper
Userlevel 7
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Hi, I have been experiencing the same Connect:Amp music drops since May or June of 2023.     We have two 5-6 year old Connect:Amps as well as three newer 1 year old Amps.  Since the update both the Connect:Amps drop periodically for about 5-10 seconds, the newer operate fine.   Frustrating that the only solution is to drop another $1400.00 for two new amps.   

You can wait and see if they are able to fix the firmware issue with an update. They say they are working on one so you never know. 
 

IMO Sonos  really should do the right thing and let owners know about the flaw so that they don’t trash units or waste time chasing non existent network errors. This is an eight month old problem at this point,  not just connect amps. The usual little to no communication from Sonos for this is bs IMO.

K

This is an eight month old problem at this point,  not just connect amps. The usual little to no communication from Sonos for this is bs IMO.

I agree. Sonos comms are never very good. But, at this point it is already more than connect amps?!

B
Userlevel 4
Badge +5

Hi all,

Sorry not been about for a couple of weeks, but some things I’ve noticed.

Rebooting the Connect Amp seems to fix the issue for a week or so (in my experience). Updates cause a reboot, so this can mess up the counting if an update happens in that time. So for those saying the update has fixed it, hopefully it has, but it might just be because it forced an reboot.

What I’ve done, which is the temp solution I’ll go with until it’s fixed, is to put the Connect Amp on a smart plug and I’ll just automatically reboot it every day. I’d much rather the issue was properly fixed though.

It’s weird though, if it’s true that Sonos has released a fix for this, and posted about it elsewhere, why haven’t they posted that to this thread? I don’t get them.

B
Userlevel 4
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Hi,

We have been a SONOS dealer for years and have sold hundreds of setups each year.

Count me in on tracking this issue. Since last summer we have had multiple clients reporting audio interruptions. This has been affecting multiple different devices across multiple different setups we have sold. The most common device we’ve witnessed having this issue is the Connect Amp. Although we have also seen similar issues with the new Amp as well.

 

SONOS has been a reliable product for years, I hope to see this resolved!

Pity you did not join the forum here sooner and report your issues, as it may have helped others (and Sonos) to have identified the issue sooner, rather than later. I assume (hope) you’ve been in touch with Sonos since the Summer in an effort to resolve the matters you encountered with your installations?

To be fair, I had the issue since Summer ‘23 and I didn’t create this thread till NYE! I kept checking the forum to see if anyone else had reported it, there was one thread that was locked for some reason which prompted me to start this one.

Bumper
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Just be sure to not purchase any ‘smart’ technology, that relies on memory modules to operate, as they go bad. Stick with old fashioned tech. 

Yup this is a good reminder that Sonos 5 year old devices might not be able to survive or cope with new firmware due to memory issues. Especially when there are bugs that specifically cause the issue 🤦‍♀️

K

my rollback to S1 doesn’t stay the course then a pair of WiiM Amps at $750 looks like a very attractive alternative to the pair of Sonos Amps. 

In that case, why don’t as many Echo Dots as there are Connect Amps not look even more attractive, at about USD 40 a piece? Why throw away perfectly good amplification electronics that is in the Connect Amps? I have never understood the sense in spending money on streamers when the Echo Dot does the job as well as is needed in most cases.

A
Userlevel 4
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my rollback to S1 doesn’t stay the course then a pair of WiiM Amps at $750 looks like a very attractive alternative to the pair of Sonos Amps. 

In that case, why don’t as many Echo Dots as there are Connect Amps not look even more attractive, at about USD 40 a piece? Why throw away perfectly good amplification electronics that is in the Connect Amps? I have never understood the sense in spending money on streamers when the Echo Dot does the job as well as is needed in most cases.

Good idea. I’ll investigate this too.

T
Userlevel 4
Badge +5

I am one of the mini users, running into problems with the connect amps. I have seven of them and they have all been dropping. Question— If you go back to S1 firmware, what is to keep the device from upgrading back to S2 the next time Sonos rolls out an update?    Novice question but wasn’t sure. Thanks. 

K

 

It’s weird though, if it’s true that Sonos has released a fix for this, and posted about it elsewhere, why haven’t they posted that to this thread? I don’t get them.

There is some talk by Sonos that the issue in the other threads is not the same as the one surfaced here and therefore the fix may not apply here, but there some lack of conviction in that talk. Basically, if the fix works for you, use it and be happy!

T
Userlevel 4
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Sorry for another question. It looks like Sonos has removed the ability to downgrade to S1. Is that correct?

M

I am having the same issue as the original poster. Regular short dropouts (usually one per song) from a single hard-wired connect amp. Very frustrating issue.

O

Is there a procedure to roll back the entire system of connects & connect amps to S1?  If that fixes it, that would work for me.  

K

 

Their whole way of life is based on fixing things which aren’t broken 

But that is the economic growth paradigm across almost every country now - what will happen do you think to the global economy if all of us used all we have to the end of service life? That will make the planet a better place to live for all, but who really looks at that lifesyle as one to adopt? Except the likes of Warren Buffett perhaps?!

Sonos can’t buck this universal behaviour but nothing stops us as individuals from refusing their Kool-Aid. Especially when it ends up leaving us with a degraded experience from what we were used to from their kit that we bought in the past. Just because 2 follows 1 does not mean S2 is better than S1.

M

Yes I did the latest S2 update last week and was hopeful that would fix things but the issue persists. It might be happening a bit less since the update but it’s hard to be certain.

I had resisted upgrading to S2 for a long time as my S1 worked great but I had to get a new Sonos Amp last year and apparently needed to update to S2 at that time. I’m worried if I revert to S1 the dropout issue might fix but I won’t be able to connect to the newer amp.

J
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Hi @britcowboy 

I appreciate that you are frustrated by this issue, so when/if I have something that I can share, I will share it here. It is unlikely, however, that I will have anything further to share until a fix is made available.

I'm not asking for a commit diff, just a basic update like, have the developers managed to recreate internally, do they need any input from us on this? And if they have, what's the prognosis for a fix. I'm not asking for source code here, presumably you have some system for tracking issues internally, like jira, just an update would be good. I'm a senior software developer, and while I have no idea on the Sonos firmware, I am quite good at debugging and making assumptions on what's likely going on.. Which leads me on to..

My latest theory is that it's a memory leak issue. Because I was having increasingly bad drop outs, to an extent where it just wasn't listenable at all, but a hard reboot later, and the drop outs stop (at least for a bit), they'll definately come back, as I've done this before, but I'm thinking a workaround for now is to put a smart plug on it and reboot it every day, not ideal, but as a temporary workaround, fine. But that should help your devs go in the right direction, as that is a very clear sign there's a memory leak that's been introduced, and probably all your devices are affected, but because of their larger memory spec aren't showing the issue as much.


I’ve had this issue (as other threads) & found the boxes perform ok for a day to three after reboot.  Unplug for half an hour…  and all ok until… very odd.  (Been through all options / can’t downgrade as other newer kit etc.  One my s2 connect amps was bought to replace an S1 model!)

A
Userlevel 4
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The only people who claim that Sonos is networked computers that happen to make music are people involved in the IT industry and mostly, it seems, programmers. 
 

Their whole way of life is based on fixing things which aren’t broken so it’s no surprise that they find it perfectly reasonable to junk an entire system which is less than five years old in the name of ‘progress’. 

 

Pretty harsh generalization there, chief.  I’ll have you know that I have 30 years of software engineering, mostly doing heavy load OLTP (~3 million transactions a day).  I just replaced a central transaction engine system back in 2019.  The system it replaced was 20 years old, and we had resorted to picking the bones of old development systems and buying hardware from digital scrap yards to keep it running.  The system that one communicated with was so old, our interface files were done on 1960’s era 9-track tape drives.  So no, not all IT people and programmers “find it perfectly reasonable to junk an entire system which is less than five years old in the name of ‘progress’.”


Fair enough - but if you were working on a banking and financial transaction system then the reason it was kept alive for 20 years and interfaced with 1960s style systems is that the core of what you were replacing was so mission critical that the risk of tampering with it was far greater than leaving it alone. 
 

And by the time it was left alone for long enough, the original programmers had to be brought out of retirement. 

Given your vintage, I suspect that you of all people can appreciate that coders today don’t have to exercise the skill that you did back in the day as processing power and storage has become so cheap. Unfortunately, hardware advances are the source of unnecessary obsolescence. After all, is today’s Sonos offering a better SQ than the units from a decade ago? I doubt it. Just as my hifi system is an equal quality match for any modern day equipment and the newest component in my hifi dates from 2002. 
 

 

K

It isn't just shameful, it is in bad faith. Sonos can do this only so many times before having to deal with the consequences of this appalling behaviour. And I am not referring to the removal of the ability to roll back to S1, that may well be one of the many unintended consequence of this latest debacle.

J
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Well I spoke too soon (which is why I asked if any of my optimism was backed up by release notes).

My CA is as bad as ever. 

Ho hum. Whatever the solution is it won’t be a Sonos product. I will buy a cheap Bluetooth amp and simply connect to that from my phone when I need to. Not as seamless as the CA but, as my phone will be about 1 metre from the amp, I am fairly sure I won’t get drop outs. 

And had been tempted by Sonos’s double discount on their upgrade program but I simply refuse to spend any more with them whatever the deal ☹️

 


Same here.  Even with a nightly shut down my CAs start ok but break up & stop working later in the day.  Ready irritating.

 

 

 

106rallye
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

Using my Connect (Gen 2) yesterday to play the new Walter Trout CD to my system I noticed too that the sound stops every few minutes. Since my other speakers are not affected I suspect my Connect also suffers from this. I hope that Sonos is able to restore the Connect to it’s former stable performance.

A
Userlevel 4
Badge +2

Using my Connect (Gen 2) yesterday to play the new Walter Trout CD to my system I noticed too that the sound stops every few minutes. Since my other speakers are not affected I suspect my Connect also suffers from this. I hope that Sonos is able to restore the Connect to it’s former stable performance.

Are you running the latest S2 update?

J
Userlevel 1
Badge +2

Does anyone have improved performance with the updated system?

T
Userlevel 4
Badge +5

Does anyone have improved performance with the updated system?

Same crappy app.  I downgraded my Connect Ones all back to S1 and they are working great.  Don’t plan to return to S2 unless/until they fix the crappy app.  

I did do the updates to the S2 that just went through.  I have my other equipment still on S2 and they are playing fine, but they were playing fine before this.   Sorry I’m no help if you’re wondering about the Connect Amps.  

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