system longevity

I’ve been using Sonos over 20 years. Given that Sonos isn’t just speakers, but a computer in each device, in addition to a speaker, there’s always the potential, but so far, Sonos continues to support every speaker device they have made. The only ‘retirements’ have been two remotes, and a 30 pin Apple adapter. 

Your speakers from Modaunt are only speakers, there is no possibility of their functionality changing. The device that powers them could. Sonos includes the powering device in the speaker. And that powering device runs firmware, which (and in the case of S2) often can.

You’d be better off considering the comparison between Sonos and a smart phone…except Sonos still supports their old products, whereas Apple and Google don’t. 
 

While I’ve donated to family and friends all my S1 devices, they all, at last check, continue to function well. Most devices I updated to S2 and are still part of my system. I’m quite happy with Sonos.

Just the fact that you call the evolution/upgrading of software "profiteering" shows me you will never be happy with smart speakers.  Revert to the 40 year old technology, both you and Sonos will be better off.

Consider just how odd it is to first compare a speaker that has no CPU, RAM or programming to what is pretty much a computer and digital amplifier with some speakers attached. 

Then maybe think about how in your comparison you are considering a complete audio system, Sonos, to only one component, the least complex one at that, of another audio system but excluding all the other components. 

Past that, here my passive speakers are still going strong, for the third generation of users, so 1980 to 2026 so far is 46 years. And a LOT of the years were being pushed by a 400 Watt amp and a dbx subharmonic synthesizer. My 2006 era speakers were also working as of a couple years ago when I last contacted the new owner.

I would have do a lot of looking/thinking to be sure but at least five reciecers or preamp-amp combos have expired. The list of CD players, tape decks, turntables (except the last Panasonic) have all passed.

My 2006 Sonos are gone, took the 30% off a replacement deal to upgrade them. They were still working fine but as computers they were suffering from low CPU and RAM capacity but also the 2000 era EEPROMs had very limited erase/write cycles and I thought it time to retire them.

Everything newer than my Play 5 gen1s and ZonePlayer-80s are still in service. Play 3s and original Sub are in the garage, original Play 1s went with my Arc, passed on to the kids.

With the improvements in technology from the original generations the physical limitations on lifetime appear to be past. The capacity issue still exists and Sonos  is dealing with that with the S1 system for older gear and selective updates for newer stuff, but without the need for another painful split to S3 or whatever it would be called.

If you actually find a component audio dealer still supporting components last made in the early 2000s let me know. It isn't  Bose, no way it is Denon, the Yahama folks were at least polite when saying there was nothing.

As has been stated by others Sonos continues to support their speakers except for those devices mentioned by ​@Airgetlam. Also as mentioned Sonos speakers are small computers at their basic core.

Your computer must be software updated to continue operating properly. However, unlike computers which at some point are left behind by Microsoft, Apple and Android due to internal hardware not being able to handle requirements of new programs and lack of internal memory. Fortunately, Sonos has not gone that route.

Sonos updating software is not profiteering. Below is the definition of profiteering by Websters Dictionary:

• The act or activity of making an unreasonable profit on the sale of essential goods especially during times of emergency

Sonos IMO is not an essential good. Although some with limited lives may try to make that claim 😂.

All jokes aside...will a Sonos speaker fail...that’s a possibility as with any electronic device. However, Sonos does provide a replacement path with discount for a newer product. You can check your upgrade and/or replacement discount status by logging into your account on-line and clicking “Upgrade” in your profile.

So the choice is yours if you choose to use a 40 year old analog speaker as a measuring stick for Sonos an electronic speaker.

Gad, computers! Forgetting my wire-wrapped mid 1970s 8008 and skipping to purchased stuff.

All my 8080 and Z-80 ones went obsolete and unsupported about 1981 with the IBM PC and 8088 introduction, that lasted a couple years when the 80286 obsoleted them, quickly followed by the 80386 and Pentium line. So many generations of the Pentiums are history, not just the 32 bit ones but the earlier 64 bit ones.

Punched paper tape, gone. Cassette data storage, gone. 8 inch floppies gone, 5.25 and 3.5 ones too. Digital tape drives  1/4, 8 mm and 1/2 gone. Does anyone even remember the 3600 foot long 9 track 1600 bpi  (6250 if you were rich) 1/2 inch tape reels and decks?  CDs pretty much gone, even as an option, DVDs too.

Windows, my v1 from 85 and the stack of floppies is long dead same for every version of that. NT, history too. Last time I booted Windows to check for a GPS update I was notified it was unsupported and my computer wouldn't run the newest version.

I do still have a set of DOS 6.22 3.5 floppies and a USB connected drive, booted last time I tried it.

And yet here we are with the old Sonos devices still chugging along and able to play all the old music and a fair bit of the new formats.

​@AjTrek1 , those devices I mentioned are not speakers. Sonos supports all speakers still, despite the fact that each has a limited computer (CPU/RAM/wifi card) in them. Something the OP’s other speakers don’t. 

It would be interesting to test those 40 year old speakers against the original specs. Speaker parts, particularly surrounds, spiders, and some types of crossover capacitors degrade with time. There may also be issues with the enclosure. Some enclosures were stuffed with plastic foam, rather than fiberglass. The foam has probably turned to dust and this changes the speaker characteristics.

The parts count in a speaker might approach a couple dozen, usually much less than that. Even “simple” computer based products can have billions of little parts inside integrated circuits and dozens, perhaps hundreds of parts on surrounding circuit boards. One critical part failure can bring down the whole system. It’s amazing and a testament to the parts quality used by SONOS that most of the 2005 products are still operational.

“Profiteering”? Perhaps, but with the public demanding free support, companies need to innovate to encourage new purchases in order to support the company. Until recently I had a 200x era computer that was still operational, but so slow that it was no longer practical to use. All of the software innovations overwhelmed the machine. What we now consider to be a “simple” web page could require 20-30 seconds to load while a modern computer will load it in a blink.

While still functional for playing music, the 2005 SONOS players do not have enough memory to support the newer features that customers are now demanding. Bluetooth was just trickling into the market. Low Energy Bluetooth was not available until 2009. Lack of Bluetooth support is an unimaginable shortcoming for today’s youngsters. 

​@Airgetlam 

Ha Ha! I left a crucial word out by mistake…that being “Devices”. My fingers can’t type as quickly (accurately) as my lightening fast mind can think/compose. 😂

I’ve never allowed that. 

Oh, wait, it happens at least daily.

;)

Just didn’t want to confuse the OP, who already has demonstrated a deeply confusing worldview, and a lack of understanding of electronics. 

I think the "edit post" button is the one I use most.