Contributor I

Why is Connect more expensive than Play?

Forum|Forum|14 years ago
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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BrentlyAV

Lyricist III

I remember back when we had to use the $349 ZP80 (Connect) as a bridge, before the bridge was released. When the bridge came out it was $99 and it made me happy. Later the price dropped by half, me happier. Now add in all the new PLAY:3, PLAY:5, Sub and free controller apps and somehow the price of the Connect doesn't really bother me. I usually add a Connect into a clients home theater when doing an entire home and no one ever complains about the price, of anything. They just LOVE LOVE LOVE their new Sonos system. If someone wanted to save money on a Connect I'd recommend eBay. Lots of good second hand components there.

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BladdyK

Lyricist I

It seems to me that the Connect is priced for high-end systems. If your stereo costs a thousand or more, the incremental cost of the Connect is relatively small.

I don't think the Play3 is a loss leader. If it were, then the price would be much lower. Also, once you have a Play3, what more are you going to spend? You're not going to replace a Play3 with a Play5 if you already have a Play3. If they lost money on each one, there'd be no way for Sonos to be profitable.

The Play3 is going to be the workhorse of their products, driving the most units since it is the cheapest product you can get to enter their universe. For them, that's where the profits are going to be. It might be priced to move, but it will still be profitable.

J

jochen121

Contributor I

at the moment i have a airport express that connects my nas/itunes to my stereo. i was thinking about adding a corresponding sonos device, so that i can use sonos for every room. but i don´t see a reason to spend additional 400 eur for the connect- and i am satisfied with the sound i get from airplay. as i have to manage playlists in itunes, i will stick with the airplay solution, until i see why the connect makes more sense and is worth the extra expense- so i vote with my feet 😉

H

HighEndMusic

Prodigy I

@NoBoB

I'd like to do the same but aren't yours getting hot of hidden? Mine are already hot, I can't imagine what would it be if without any air circulation.

thanks of your feedback

My ZP80 is also hidden inside a TV unit with a closed flap. On the back is one hole where the cables go through. It has been running 24/7 for the past 5 years or so. It is quite hot when you touch it - but has been running without any issues whatsoever.

A

amun

The weird thing from my perspective is how it sticks out like a sore thumb aesthetically in my very humble stack of home audio/video gear. That little white box just doesn't seem to fit into the "high end" enthusiast space the way one poster implied.

Yes, I'm not keen on the aesthetics, either - a 'standard' format in black would have been much more acceptable personally - but then everyone's different.

Regarding the price of a connect, in many ways they're good value for money. I take the points about comparison with the amplified models, but like others feel that the Play:3 is currently more of a 'loss (or at least low profit) leader'.

Component cost and manufacturing costs come into it, but software support must also be an expensive part of the overall package. I haven't seen anyone else producing a similar quality package for similar money. I only have a ZP90, feeding my AV amp. OK, I chose to use a NAS as well, but it could have worked on any wired PC/laptop.

So for about £260 I have a very good streaming system that most people find really easy to use via a number of popular devices - I call that excellent value, personally.

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Timpey

Lyricist I

I'm also getting frustrated with the price of the Connect.

I've recently purchased a 5 and am thinking about 1-2 3's for the rest of the house.

If I was Sonos I would use the Connect as the marketing push as most people have a stereo or home cinema type system in the house and it would get them into using the software.

I wish the price was 50% of what it is currently. It's paining me as I would love the Connect for my lounge but really can't see how I would ever justify £280 for basically nothing.

Its little more than a wireless access point :S (I understand it's slightly more than that but not really!)

I know I will eventually buy one but not before finding the absolute lowest price or way more likely a 2nd hand unit. If it was cheaper I would buy one direct from Sonos tonight.

ratty

Welcome to the forums.

Actually the Play:3 is pretty much the Sonos market penetration vehicle. It's in all kinds of retail outlets, many of whom would see the Connect as being for audiophiles and wouldn't carry it.

If you were thinking of looking for a Connect/ZP90 on eBay you'll find the price holds up (supported undoubtedly by the standard retail price) and you won't get much change from £220.

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the_lhc

Avid Contributor I

I wish the price was 50% of what it is currently. It's paining me as I would love the Connect for my lounge but really can't see how I would ever justify £280 for basically nothing.

Its little more than a wireless access point :S (I understand it's slightly more than that but not really!)

No, it IS distinctly more than that, the Bridge is basically nothing more than a WAP, which is why it's £39 or free with a Play:3, the Connect is a fully functioning zone player.

I

industryNorm

Avid Contributor I

I think what people forget is that with one sonos device - including the connect - you get all of the streaming capabilities. You could take a decades old setup and instantly have access to a whole world of music. It's changed the way I listen to music. I went from from the 70's to 2012 instantly.

I have a modest library of music (20 gb) on my iPad. I NEVER use it. With a $10/month subscription to RDIO I can listen to just about anything I want. Plus, I discover new music every day through Sonos.

To use Sonos to just listen to your old library of music through a Connect would seem like a $400 remote control. To use Sonos as a gateway to the world of music AND have access to your old system is worth way more than $400, in my opinion.

V

vannibombonato

Avid Contributor I

The connect used to be priced highly, but at least delivered on its promises as part of the overall Sonos setup.

It's not anymore the case.

As reported in several threads, when you link the connect to any modern A/V receiver (which is exactly what is supposed to do), it messes up all the sync the Sonos system brags about.
That is, if your using the connect with an A/V receiver connected to speakers AND you are using Play 3/5 speakers, your music will simply be out of sync, because the A/V receiver introduces processing and the sonos system does not have a very simple feature such as establishing an x amount of delay before the music is sent to the Play speakers.

This ruins the whole Sonos promise of everything your system in perfect sync, and suddenly makes Airplay solutions a ton more appealing and cheaper.

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