Legacy App Concerns

Hard to say without specifics, but most people are pleased with S1 and S2 at this point. As with any software, there’s always a few bugs. 

The new app release in May 2024 was not a great time for Sonos, and there was a huge resistance to its use. It was not tested properly and the release caused many users frustration because they could not connect to their speakers. This also revealed issues with users networks that many would not admit to. Lately, many have come to realize that proper network configuration is important in order for Sonos, a network dependent system, to function properly.

Recent app and system updates have made the experience a lot better for almost everyone, but there are still some users who have issues that are 99% of the time, network related. 

I am a Sonos user from the old ZP days an I still recommend it to friends and family. It works for everyone I know personally.

But I also feel that people are resistant to change, thing is, technology, is constantly changing... Constantly improving…. Constantly moving forward.

Sonos has not updated the desktop apps and has stated it will remove the Mac app from the download site soon. The web app was introduces, and while it still needs some improvement, it works for S2 systems.

With the hardware changes, software changes also have to be done. Sometimes that calls for a total revamp that may include a design you are not accustomed to. 

We learn to use software from other companies when changes are added: Microsoft, Apple, Gaming Consoles..etc..etc. So why not Sonos?

Sonos has supported older speakers and devices longer than any other tech company out there. Now they have to make improvements to hardware as well as software and some will be upset about it. But it is necessary in order for them to stay competitive.

I don’t know how long the S1 app will be around for older speakers. But if you have older speakers, dust them off and enjoy them.

If you are looking into getting new speakers, I say go ahead and purchase. The new app has come a long way and its an enjoyable experience for me.

Don’t listen to the noise on the in the market.

An issue with audio equipment of any sort is that we tend to think of it as “buy once, use forever”. While there may have been some repairs along the way, equipment purchased in the 1940’s is still playing. There were some wrinkles in the 1950’s and 1960’s with the addition of stereo records and stereo FM, however, there was and still is backward compatibility. 

Now, the market is features driven and implementation of the features requires the use of computer chips. A given chip is viable only when manufactured on a huge scale. As technology rapidly evolves, older chips are no longer available, or even viable to support currently demanded features that require more processing power. Equipment designs must be updated to use current chips and older chips are not available for use in repairs.

We’ve become accustomed to replacing phones/pads/computers every few years as they are no longer viable, but we balk at the idea of replacing audio equipment.

Sonos should be commended for still supporting their original products from 20 years ago. Most 20 year old computer based audio equipment is in the recycle bin or never worked very well to begin with. While these SONOS products don’t have the hardware capability to support Bluetooth, surround sound, or the latest network security protocols, they play music over the network as well as ever. 

Sonos S1 controller / S1 systems continue to work great, like they always have.

The Sonos S2 update in May 2024 is what all the negative press / comments are about. It was pushed out before it was ready, in order to meet corporate commitments. The aftermath is a case study in how not to handle mistakes like that.

Change in corporate leadership since, has been trying to right the ship. It has come a long way since then. Not everything is back the way it was, but it’s getting better with each release. At this point, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it again.