Contributor I

Question

Why can't I just use you like any other speakers?

Forum|Forum|10 years ago
December 26, 2015
120 replies
14038 views

So it's Boxing day, and I've just received a lovely big SONOS Play:1 speaker for Christmas. I set the speakers up and try to find them on my system. Nothing.

I do some research, trying to figure out why I can only play through SONOS app and verified programmes approved through the SONOS app.

Why something which clearly cost more than a few pretty pennies is essentially useless for anything other than playing music.

No live sound, no video sync, nothing but music through SONOS.

So the decrepit old speakers I have had since 2000 are essentially doing a better job than the basic model of SONOS. Not only this but my cheap shower bluetooth speaker I bought for my boyfriend (£5.99) can do what this supposedly amazing modern and high quality technology cannot. Which is play ANY sound off of my computer or phone that I want it to.

How is this a complicated concept and why, after literally years and years of community comments and wailings and clearly strong customer dissatisfaction haven't you developed a simple software fix for this? What, you can play my music at the highest sound level ever but can't handle a simple YouTube video? What kind of operation are you running? Please for the love of all things good and pure and sound related, just fix this issue. I don't think I've ever had more issue with such a supposedly 'amazing' product before. If Bluetooth is such a low quality sound how come they can do what you can't?

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K

Kumar

Of course; no arguments with that.

But someone that comes here and throws around rhetorical questions like - "So what is Sonos good at?" - implying that it isn't good at anything anymore, is going to be challenged for making a silly and childish attention seeking statement that add little value to anyone.

What is being said there is that since Sonos doesn't serve MY needs, all should agree with me when I say it sucks.

chicks

The demonstration above of using Sonos as LMS renderers kind of obviates the complaints about Sonos being a "closed system", doesn't it? It's not, of coure, any DLNA app can control Sonos, except to extensions like stereo-paired speakers. Don't like the Sonos spp? Use something else, like C5!

J

John B

Markets work like this. Companies design products/services and bring them to market, believing that there is sufficient demand for what's on offer to make a profitable business at the list price. The general public looks at what the product has to offer, and if it offers them what they are looking for and they think it's worth the money, then they buy it. There are competing products that may be stronger in some areas and weaker than others, but customers make their choice. They don't have to open their wallet.

Companies that get this mostly wrong go bust. Those that get it mostly right flourish. Sonos appears to be flourishing. No product is going to be right for everyone. I'm not going to a**e around trying to make it do things it wasn't designed to do and it has never claimed to do. If others wish to do so, they are perfectly entitled to.

I don't get angry with Honda because my S2000 won't go off-road, so why would anyone get angry with Sonos because it doesn't do something it's never claimed to do?

Sonos does what it does brilliantly. They are constantly improving what's on offer and are undoubtedly better aware than any of us about which new features are likely to improve its appeal most. If it doesn't do enough of what you want, don't buy it. The market will decide if Sonos knows what it is doing

I'll sign off now and get on with ordering my second pair of gen2 Play:5 speakers. Amazing product.

J

jdag

Prodigy III

...so why would anyone get angry with Sonos because it doesn't do something it's never claimed to do?...

Here's 1 of the problems: People will read the Sonos tagline that includes the phrase "all the music on earth" and get angry over limitations or specifics about how the system operates.

I read a complaint yesterday on a different board that ranted on and on about how the new Sonos Play:1s the poster received as a gift were garbage because they did this, and didn't do that, and required this, and on and on and on. And I laughed to myself because of the multiple complaints he had, all but 1 were user error or lack of knowledge. His speaker didn't simply plug into his computer, so he was confused, and rather than learn he went to a board and complained.

J

John B

Hi jdag. Wouldn't disagree with you. I wish Sonos would drop the tagline "all the music on earth", but I think there is a lot of fake indignation over that (not from you I hasten to add), when people know it's hyperbole but pretend to take it literally. And arguably the tagline refers to the general availability of music in the streaming age, because the webpage says "Now that you have all the music on earth, all that matters is how you listen to it".

J

jdag

Prodigy III

Hi jdag. Wouldn't disagree with you. I wish Sonos would drop the tagline "all the music on earth", but I think there is a lot of fake indignation over that (not from you I hasten to add), when people know it's hyperbole but effect to take it literally. And arguably the tagline refers to the general availability of music in the streaming age, because the webpage says "Now that you have all the music on earth, all that matters is how you listen to it".

Agree, people should not take it literally. It is marketing "fluff".

The_Bastard_Son

@kumar - I don't think that is what is being said at all, in most cases they just want to vent to Sonos and aren't trying to say

should agree with me when I say it sucks.

.

Not everyone is as eloquent as Volker when it comes to suggesting/complaining loudly/ wanting their Honda s2000 to 4x4 or whatever.

Frome: http://vowe.net/archives/015357.html

PLAY:Cast: I want to be able to transmit anything to a Sonos player near me. Anything that comes out of an inferior speaker right now. That's a big architecture play, probably best at the operating system level. Think big, start small, then build out.

PLAY:Mobile: I want to take a player out of the house. I am still on my WLAN, but I don't want to run a power cable. Bonus points for making it splash proof.

Single room/single user: Sonos is a multiroom, multiuser experience. There are many use cases where a single user has different needs. PLAY:Cast could work without passing the beer test (get out of the house to fetch beer without the music stopping).

Multiroom/single user: Taking the music with me from room to room is difficult. Easier than many people think it is, but not easy enough.

Playbar:next: S/PDIF is not good enough if the TV wants to route Apple TV audio. HDCP on HDMI is needed. Maybe have multiple HDMI ports to switch and route the video content to a projector.

Windows 10: Using a Win32 controller on modern Windows is not a good experience. Sonos needs a WUA (Windows Universal App) for Continuum so it becomes usable on Surface et. al. A Windows Mobile app would go right with it.

Platform play: You don't need to do it all yourself. Make Sonos a platform and let others contribute. That means giving up some control. 3rd party may make add-ons that don't meet your standards. Certify if needed.

Black & white: make all products available in black and white. PLAYBAR and SUB are only available in black. Look at your PLAY:5 (2nd gen) numbers. What is the mix?

Frome: http://vowe.net/archives/015357.html

His thoughts are from a recent trip to Sonos head offices
http://vowe.net/archives/015354.html

B

beetle777

Sonos great for music have no problem, just no concern or knowledge/ they lack in video, countless problems with video and 5.1 solutions for soundbar blame all other components constantly rather than trying to solve customers problems and concerns, and yes I realize some televisions don't output 5.1 dolby but more and more do, they tell you to call sony,samsung, lg toshiba, or direct tv or dish network and make sure you have proper cables also or tell you you need countless adapters or other work arounds all the previously mentioned are claimed to have incorrect 5.1 support. Really everyone is wrong you are right, hardly. But thats fine with me if you didn't totally mislead the way you advertise this sonos soundbar for video and it don't work except for pcm stereo which is not acceptable for the cost. Quit lying to customers and tell them the truth this is for audio and streaming music and listening to radio stations. May be on the wrong forum but don't care. Most customer don't realize it will take an additional 3 to 5 hundred dollars to get this soundbar to work properly with 5.1 dolby digital. Shame on you Sonos.

The_Bastard_Son

Quit lying to customers and tell them the truth this is for audio and streaming music and listening to radio stations. May be on the wrong forum but don't care. Most customer don't realize it will take an additional 3 to 5 hundred dollars to get this soundbar to work properly with 5.1 dolby digital. Shame on you Sonos.

Lots of people are critical of the sound bar but IMO I don't think you can say they lie about it in any objective way. Can you explain the additional 3-5 hundred dollars comment?

jgatie

Last I checked, the only protocol the Playbar definitely works with is Dolby Digital 5.1. If one's run-on sentence rant is to be effective, one should probably not call out the one protocol that is 100% supported. 😉

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