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alecf
Contributor I
April 28, 2012

Why is Connect more expensive than Play?

  • April 28, 2012
  • 179 replies
  • 75917 views
I just got my first pair of Sonos units - two Play:3's for the kitchen and bedroom and I absolutely love them. I'm not a huge audiophile, but the convenience and total plug 'n play nature of Sonos is what attracted me to it.

Of course the next thing that occured to me was how to get this connected up to my stereo.

What I don't understand is why the basic Connect is $349 while the Play:3 units are $299 each. I mean if anything it seems like a Connect is just a Play:3 without the speakers and amp? Why does it cost so much more for fewer features? Seems like the guts of the connect should be a $99 unit - I meant he appleTV is $99, and it does way more (At least in terms of technological capability - video/etc) than the connect.

To be honest I've been drooling over Sonos for years - and I know the quality is very high, but the expense of the units has always put me off. It wasn't until the Play:3 that I felt like there was enough bang-for-the-buck to justify diving in... I'm probably going to get at least 2 or 3 more Play:3's for elsewhere in the house, but it's going to be hard to justify the Connect until the price comes down further. It's still cheaper to just put a Play:3 in the same room as my stereo - it's small and powerful enough to just sit near my existing speakers.
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      179 replies

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      Diceman
      Enthusiast II
      January 13, 2013
      No. I realise the difference.
      What I was trying to say is that a Bridge (which was at one time about £75.00 and is currently about £39.00) is now available "free" with a Play 3 for a total cost of £229.00

      So, 2 components for £229.00 compared with £279.00 for one component that has no speakers and no amp.!!

      This looks a rip off to me. It seems that Sonos are using people who have a decent system to subsidise the ones that just want a single Play 3 and end up putting their bridge on E bay for £20.00 ish. Net effect is that a Connect costs £70.00 (30% !!) more than a Play 3.
      Diceman
      Enthusiast II
      January 13, 2013
      One more post and I can read links !!
      OK, this should do it then 🙂
      ratty
      ratty
      January 13, 2013
      This looks a rip off to me.
      It's called market pricing. See my post #2 in this thread.
      the_lhc
      Avid Contributor I
      January 13, 2013
      No. I realise the difference.
      What I was trying to say is that a Bridge (which was at one time about £75.00 and is currently about £39.00) is now available "free" with a Play 3 for a total cost of £229.00

      Not any more it isn't, that offer ends today.
      vannibombonato
      Avid Contributor I
      January 13, 2013
      I took the liberty to read the manual of two surround receivers in the normal price range, both the NAD T 748 and the Onkyo TX-NR515B actually have "Direct stereo mode". This is still the standard!

      From the NADs manual:
      The analog or digital sources are automatically played in their native formats. All the source’s audio channels are reproduced directly.

      Stop your shenanigans!

      I don't see the point in this.

      1- Direct mode exist, i never negated this. In some amplifier it zeroes the delays, in others it simply reduces it. In Yamaha amplifiers the latter is true. What is true in any case is that, for instance, if you have 7 speakers and a sub attached to your amplifier, using direct mode you will be able to listen only in "true" stereo mode with 2 active speakers, all the rest will remain silent.
      2. While many hi-fi aficionados have dedicated listening rooms with ultra hi-end gear and they listen to music only in stereo mode (2 speakers, no sub, etc.), this is simply not what 95% of consumers use their a/v receivers for.

      Net, if you use your Connect with an amplifier connected to 2 speaker for "true" hi-fi mode you surely don't have any "Play" speaker in the room, as this would obviously ruin the hi-fi experience, if on the contrary you have a setup like a big open space with a 5.1 or 7.1 set-up plus some Plays in the same ambient and you want to use them all, you simply can't without having unbearable echo and delay.
      Kumar
      January 14, 2013
      It's called market pricing. See my post #2 in this thread.
      Absolutely! Pricing is a philosophy/policy while costs are a fact. The two have nothing to do with each other in well run companies.

      As long as enough people see the value in the product, they will buy them at the price quoted, and I am very sure that Sonos tracks this aspect carefully.
      soundhd
      soundhd
      Contributor III
      January 16, 2013
      Probably because most people out there (including me) already have nice stereo systems that sound better then a Play 3 or 5 (not that they sound bad or anything) but already have invested money in the system(s) ...(receivers, AVR's, CD, DVD, Blue Ray players, Turntables, etc....) and just want to be able to play their "stored" music though those systems. Just a demand and supply thing.....with the SONOS system that I plan on getting I will be buying at least two Connects and 1 one Connect/Amp and one Play 5.
      They have done a good job (marketing wise) covering all the bases......
      Diceman
      Enthusiast II
      January 21, 2013

      They have done a good job (marketing wise) covering all the bases......
      Not for me,
      As long as I perceive that they are ripping me off I will not buy a Connect.

      As I type I am listening to music streaming wirelessly from my Media Drive (the same one that my Sonos players connect to) to my PS3 into my Pioneer 921 and out through my Athena Point Speakers. Quality seems spot on to me, and I can also use the PS3 to play games, stream TV, watch DVDs & Blurays and browse Photos.

      I love my Sonos Plays but am not willing to fork out £279.00 (£30.00 more than a PS3) for the occasional evening when I want the living room synched with the Kitchen and Bedroom.
      ratty
      ratty
      January 21, 2013
      As long as I perceive that they are ripping me off I will not buy a Connect.
      And when this becomes widespread market sentiment perhaps Sonos will review their pricing.

      For those with serious money invested in downstream audio equipment the cost of a Connect is a relatively modest additional expense for the benefit of extending the Sonos experience to their quality listening area.
      kshultz
      Lyricist II
      January 26, 2013
      I'm a business owner, and understand completely the notion of pricing for market and value (not cost), especially in discretionary industries. With that said, I'm glad that there are other alternatives such as AppleTV. I own a two channel audio system that is $10,000, along with 6 other Sonos zones. But I simply refuse to buy the Sonos connect for my hifi rack as there are clearly alternatives that cost hundreds less. Apple TV with MOG airplaying from your mobile device... $99.

      In time, Sonos will have to crack to sell. Industry leaders whom once touted Sonos almost exclusively are already making the switch away from a $350 solution that can be had for $50-$99 elsewhere: peachtreeaudio.com/computer-audio/airplay.html

      Yes, I understand whole house systems. But that's just the thing. Audiophiles aren't worried about integrating their 'baby' into the rest of their casual listening whole house system.

      Until then, enough are obviously buying the connect...
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