Can anybody suggest me an alternative to Sonos?

Can anybody suggest me an alternative to Sonos? My system is practically a useless brick, hence it'll end up in the bin.

All suggestions will be greatly appreciated

Thanks

RIP SONOS

Yes. Your alternative is to show a little patience and wait a couple weeks. They already fixed a lot of issues with the latest updates. What makes you think they won’t fix the rest in a few weeks or so?

And I realize people experience the new app differently. But for me it loads way faster, I don’t need to add a new device, so no issues there, and my 4 ones, Roam, and Port are always there. And access to my local library albums now works with the last fixes.

I have one of my Ones hardwired. I think that makes a lot of difference in happiness with Sonos both before and after the new app. If you can hardwire just one of your devices the whole thing seems to work better.

you are seriously having a laugh ! why should i wait for Sonos to fix what wasn’t broken in the first place , the new app is junk they should have released as S3 and not forced users into using it - i don’t want to relearn how to use my system , the new app is broken and why should we wait for it to be fixed , have always been loyal sonos customer but this has really pi**ed me off - all i want to do is listen to music like i have done up until the update - it’s really not much to ask

SONOS should not have forced users to update when there are known issues. Tone deaf and disrespectful to a loyal customer base. Why am I expected to have patience with SONOS when they’ve taken away my music? without warning, using customers as beta testers.why should I wait patiently, trusting a company that cannot be trusted. I’ve resorted to using airplay on the SONOS speakers that are compatible— Play 5, S1. And by grouping those speakers with Play 3, I can get it on that speaker also. But forcing end users to figure out workarounds, and telling them to have patience—we took away your music, but wait a month or two and we might have a solution to bring it back— ridiculous. Brand lives in the hearts and minds of the customer and customer experience with the brand drives that impression. Safe to say SONOS has taken a hit, shooting themselves in the foot. Very poor CX, UX, and customer service. They’ve lost their way.

I was forced to update. Old SONOS App would not respond without updating.

I AM TOTALLY SCREWED.

I invested in SONOS to play my owned (purchased) digital music archive.
The files are on a NAS drive. I have:
Play 5 (Media Room)
Play 3 (Studio)
Play 1 (pair) (Garage)
S1 (pair) (Office)
Port (to feed my analog vinyl and CD collection to SONOS

BEFORE update I could easily play my music in any room, or different music in different rooms; It was heaven— all controlled by iOS app.

I DO NOT WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO A STREAMING SERVICE.
REPEAT: I DO NOT WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO A STREAMING SERVICE.

AFTER update— NADA. ZIP, no music at all. Won’t recognize or connect to the NAS, won’t connect to a USB on my computer, won’t connect to a FOLDER on my computer. ABSOLUTLEY USELESS.

I’m going to cut my losses. $1000s + in equipment, hours of setup, and now hours of frustration.
Anyone want 7 boat anchors?
Any recommendations to feed my digital library throughout the house?
Perhaps AirPlay and new speakers will do the trick.

And SONOS remember—
1. it’s much easier to keep an existing customer than to find a new one.
2. An unhappy customer is much more vocal than a happy customer.
3. THINK Flywheel not Funnel. You burned me over and out. Lesson learned.

Hold up. They changed the SMB requirements. Your library missing is probably this. What NAS? You should contact support, they should be able to walk you through the adjustment. Worst case you need to buy a new NAS

I fully agree, don’t want to support theTim Crook way of doing business, by forced subscription. I already paid for my music. Hopefully Sonos will fix their screw up. In the meantime I can play in all rooms from my phone, which has the “guts” of my library. Playing through iTunes.

Can anybody suggest me an alternative to Sonos? My system is practically a useless brick, hence it'll end up in the bin.

All suggestions will be greatly appreciated

Thanks

RIP SONOS

Yes. Your alternative is to show a little patience and wait a couple weeks. They already fixed a lot of issues with the latest updates. What makes you think they won’t fix the rest in a few weeks or so?

And I realize people experience the new app differently. But for me it loads way faster, I don’t need to add a new device, so no issues there, and my 4 ones, Roam, and Port are always there. And access to my local library albums now works with the last fixes.

I have one of my Ones hardwired. I think that makes a lot of difference in happiness with Sonos both before and after the new app. If you can hardwire just one of your devices the whole thing seems to work better.

If you want to walk away from Sonos, I think Bluesound is well worth a look. I think that's where I'm probably going.

Alternatives to Sonos are Bluesound and HEOS.

While you look into alternatives, disable 5ghz in your router settings so the Sonos app, while feature are missing, at least runs fast and reliable.

marcos51, izi0,

There are a lot of alternatives to Sonos, and more coming on line all the time. Some cheaper, some more expensive, all more reliable. All produced by companies that are unlikely to declare war on its customer base (repeatedly) like Sonos.

That was the nail hit precisely by the hammer. There are other companies from time to time discontinuing products or ending their support, and it can have serious consequences for their customers. But they will almost all try to do it in a way that retains the customers - or at least let them go with a memory of something good. And there are bad companies that never fix important problems, like I just experienced it with Denon. But then you throw away those products, regretting to have ever bought them, and look for something better.

Sonos has the most absurd behavior of companies, and it is greatly helped by the many users of Sonos products who do not care about a few months of not being able to use their products, or about the need for several hours of consulting help to make things work again, or, work as it can be possible after Sonos’ latest attack.

What if Sonos made coffee machines? Suddenly one day your machine would deliver only cold water, and only sometimes, and not enough for a cup, as Sonos would be in a process of changing the way beans would be added and water would be heated, and that would take a few months. No guarantee, though, that you in the end would be able to drink coffee made by your coffee machine. Or, perhaps if you pay for a new one, then maybe it would work, who knows? In any case, you could buy their newly launched coffee cups, even though you would have no use for them, but they are fantastic!

Would the many fans just drink something else - or nothing - for the next few months if that would happen? And would they buy the new cups? Yes, I think so. Demandless people, perhaps a bit unhappy about the function of a small button somewhere in the user interface, but showing no affect when the whole system breaks down.

I am beginning to think that those Sonos fans aren’t interested in music at all - they don’t need it, so it doesn't matter for them if their music system works or not.

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

marcos51, izi0,

There are a lot of alternatives to Sonos, and more coming on line all the time. Some cheaper, some more expensive, all more reliable. All produced by companies that are unlikely to declare war on its customer base (repeatedly) like Sonos.

That was the nail hit precisely by the hammer. There are other companies from time to time discontinuing products or ending their support, and it can have serious consequences for their customers. But they will almost all try to do it in a way that retains the customers - or at least let them go with a memory of something good. And there are bad companies that never fix important problems, like I just experienced it with Denon. But then you throw away those products, regretting to have ever bought them, and look for something better.

Sonos has the most absurd behavior of companies, and it is greatly helped by the many users of Sonos products who do not care about a few months of not being able to use their products, or about the need for several hours of consulting help to make things work again, or, work as it can be possible after Sonos’ latest attack.

What if Sonos made coffee machines? Suddenly one day your machine would deliver only cold water, and only sometimes, and not enough for a cup, as Sonos would be in a process of changing the way beans would be added and water would be heated, and that would take a few months. No guarantee, though, that you in the end would be able to drink coffee made by your coffee machine. Or, perhaps if you pay for a new one, then maybe it would work, who knows? In any case, you could buy their newly launched coffee cups, even though you would have no use for them, but they are fantastic!

Would the many fans just drink something else - or nothing - for the next few months if that would happen? And would they buy the new cups? Yes, I think so. Demandless people, perhaps a bit unhappy about the function of a small button somewhere in the user interface, but showing no affect when the whole system breaks down.

I am beginning to think that those Sonos fans aren’t interested in music at all - they don’t need it, so it doesn't matter for them if their music system works or not.

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

I have been accused of being a Sonos Fan and ignoring the fact that people are impacted. However in my case, my audio experience hasn’t been affected so far. I don’t know why some users have issues that I can’t replicate but that is just the reality of my situation. However, I don’t use a local library, nor alarms. So your comment about Sonos fans may be because they aren’t impacted either.

However, your style of comment about Sonos Fans, and other negative comments when trying to help users is starting to make me hesitant at times to try and help people. This is a great Sonos user forum, just be careful what you wish for when attacking or posting negative comments about other users!

marcos51, izi0,

There are a lot of alternatives to Sonos, and more coming on line all the time. Some cheaper, some more expensive, all more reliable. All produced by companies that are unlikely to declare war on its customer base (repeatedly) like Sonos.

That was the nail hit precisely by the hammer. There are other companies from time to time discontinuing products or ending their support, and it can have serious consequences for their customers. But they will almost all try to do it in a way that retains the customers - or at least let them go with a memory of something good. And there are bad companies that never fix important problems, like I just experienced it with Denon. But then you throw away those products, regretting to have ever bought them, and look for something better.

Sonos has the most absurd behavior of companies, and it is greatly helped by the many users of Sonos products who do not care about a few months of not being able to use their products, or about the need for several hours of consulting help to make things work again, or, work as it can be possible after Sonos’ latest attack.

What if Sonos made coffee machines? Suddenly one day your machine would deliver only cold water, and only sometimes, and not enough for a cup, as Sonos would be in a process of changing the way beans would be added and water would be heated, and that would take a few months. No guarantee, though, that you in the end would be able to drink coffee made by your coffee machine. Or, perhaps if you pay for a new one, then maybe it would work, who knows? In any case, you could buy their newly launched coffee cups, even though you would have no use for them, but they are fantastic!

Would the many fans just drink something else - or nothing - for the next few months if that would happen? And would they buy the new cups? Yes, I think so. Demandless people, perhaps a bit unhappy about the function of a small button somewhere in the user interface, but showing no affect when the whole system breaks down.

I am beginning to think that those Sonos fans aren’t interested in music at all - they don’t need it, so it doesn't matter for them if their music system works or not.

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

The Moderators seem to be the only people within Sonos who are working.

Instead, I think they should invest their money in making their products working and robustly after releasing a new SW update dictated by their marketing department (a pair of headphones, really??! -- watch the review made by Marquee Bronwlee, a release nobody needed!)..... my coffee machine is delivering only cold squishy crap!!

Anyone who defends SONOS or objects to criticism of its crooked practices is clearly either not making much use of the products or is dishonest and probably in the pay of the b*******.

Those who have profited from the scam - including dealers who greedily took the 30 pieces of silver for installing crappy plastic boxes in poor suckers’ homes - need to be sanctioned and punished in some way that effectively discourages them from repeating the rip-off in some other format.

The effect on the lives of music lovers is no less impactful because pathetic apologists have nothing better to do than parrot excuses for the appalling treatment suffered - and expense and inconvenience incurred.

Moderator Note: Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

I actually just got done posting this in a different thread… hope it helps!

Roon provides a “controller application”, much like Sonos. It can actually play music through your Sonos speakers. Amazingly, it’s fast, and finds your equipment every time unlike the Sonos app. It’s got a decent interface but the streaming app choice is pretty minimal. It also comes with a monthly subscription fee to use the app/controller. That was kind of a turn-off for me.

WiiM requires new hardware… granted, a LOT cheaper than a single Sonos speaker, but hooks up to powered, unpowered or stereo equipment. Interface is great, is able to selectively play from local libraries (using Plex), and has a great selection of streaming apps.

Bluesound is another one… but have not tried it.

I have just gone through the motion of replacing all my Sonos equipment with WiiM. I love it. The fact that it just works, all your equipment has now turned into google/alexa enabled devices as well, and provides excellent sound. You should see my Sonos equipment for sale on ebay here soon.

Alternatives to Sonos are Bluesound and HEOS.

While you look into alternatives, disable 5ghz in your router settings so the Sonos app, while feature are missing, at least runs fast and reliable.

And what about the numerous other devices in the household that run perfectly well on and make use of the higher bandwidth provided by 5gHz (and actually 6e as well)? No thanks but not happening.

Alternatives to Sonos are Bluesound and HEOS.

While you look into alternatives, disable 5ghz in your router settings so the Sonos app, while feature are missing, at least runs fast and reliable.

And what about the numerous other devices in the household that run perfectly well on and make use of the higher bandwidth provided by 5gHz (and actually 6e as well)? No thanks but not happening.

I agree… 5GHz WiFi has literally been around for decades. Don’t tell me our Sonos developers still haven’t been able to figure out how to play nicely with a mixed 2.4/5Ghz range. I can’t imagine to see what will happen when 6GHz gets introduced. Are you going to tell the owners who just poured $500+ into a new 6GHz router to turn off 5 and 6GHz ranges so their Sonos speakers will work? Sounds like a different solution may be needed if Sonos is indeed this hobbled.

Besides… the 5GHz WiFi issue didn’t apply to me anyways. All my Sonos equipment was so old, that they could only use 2.4GHz network. And they still blinked out, couldn’t be found, blinked in, music library blinked in and out, volume unusable, etc. But yet, everything worked fine when controlling my equipment using the Windows Controller software.

Since switching to WiiM hardware/players full-time… I have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of granular tweaking you can do with these players. For instance, you can specify that they “Use 5GHz Only”, and states “5GHz Only disables 2.4GHz band on your device and connects it to your router with 5GHz Band. This helps device discovery and smoother audio playback”.

Okay, I don't want to get in the way of a good rant but some facts here:

1. Sonos support 5ghtz on their new products.

2. 2.4ghtz has much better wall penetration than 5ghtz.

3. 5ghtz has much better data transfer speeds but Sonos devices don't tend to require the extra bandwidth.

4. Most smart home devices that require a stable WiFi signal between multiple devices within the home with low bandwidth, utilise the 2.4ghtz frequency.

Okay, you can go back to your rants and complain that I'm a fan boy now. Enjoy.

Okay, I don't want to get in the way of a good rant but some facts here:

1. Sonos support 5ghtz on their new products.

2. 2.4ghtz has much better wall penetration than 5ghtz.

3. 5ghtz has much better data transfer speeds but Sonos devices don't tend to require the extra bandwidth.

4. Most smart home devices that require a stable WiFi signal between multiple devices within the home with low bandwidth, utilise the 2.4ghtz frequency.

Okay, you can go back to your rants and complain that I'm a fan boy now. Enjoy.

All these WiFi facts are correct and spot-on… you can go back to being a Sonos fanboi now. :)

Having turned from a decades-long Sonos fan to an anti-Sonos-fanboi, I’m still not in favor of turning off 5GHz on anyone’s routers.

Okay, I don't want to get in the way of a good rant but some facts here:

1. Sonos support 5ghtz on their new products.

2. 2.4ghtz has much better wall penetration than 5ghtz.

3. 5ghtz has much better data transfer speeds but Sonos devices don't tend to require the extra bandwidth.

4. Most smart home devices that require a stable WiFi signal between multiple devices within the home with low bandwidth, utilise the 2.4ghtz frequency.

Okay, you can go back to your rants and complain that I'm a fan boy now. Enjoy.

Everything you say is correct. But I pay for FTTH and a 900/100 connection. Our mesh WiFi is excellent and I can assure you the laptop computers and iPhones in our home, among other devices, make use of more than 2.4gHz can provide. So I won’t be downgrading the home WiFi. Plus our Sonos devices are hardwired to the LAN anyway….

I also have 1gb FTTH, and have 5ghtz turned back on after setting up my Sonos devices. No issues since setup completed.

Okay, I don't want to get in the way of a good rant but some facts here:

1. Sonos support 5ghtz on their new products.

2. 2.4ghtz has much better wall penetration than 5ghtz.

3. 5ghtz has much better data transfer speeds but Sonos devices don't tend to require the extra bandwidth.

4. Most smart home devices that require a stable WiFi signal between multiple devices within the home with low bandwidth, utilise the 2.4ghtz frequency.

Okay, you can go back to your rants and complain that I'm a fan boy now. Enjoy.

All these WiFi facts are correct and spot-on… you can go back to being a Sonos fanboi now. :)

Having turned from a decades-long Sonos fan to an anti-Sonos-fanboi, I’m still not in favor of turning off 5GHz on anyone’s routers.

And I'm enjoying a red wine

I have ordered a Denon Home 150 to replace the Play 1. If it works out I will replace my other speakers as well.

Patience is suggested. It has now been 6 weeks and the laggy volume control is not fixed. I have shown enough patience.

Looking at the stock price it seems that other people do not have faith as well

I actually just got done posting this in a different thread… hope it helps!

Roon provides a “controller application”, much like Sonos. It can actually play music through your Sonos speakers. Amazingly, it’s fast, and finds your equipment every time unlike the Sonos app. It’s got a decent interface but the streaming app choice is pretty minimal. It also comes with a monthly subscription fee to use the app/controller. That was kind of a turn-off for me.

WiiM requires new hardware… granted, a LOT cheaper than a single Sonos speaker, but hooks up to powered, unpowered or stereo equipment. Interface is great, is able to selectively play from local libraries (using Plex), and has a great selection of streaming apps.

Bluesound is another one… but have not tried it.

I have just gone through the motion of replacing all my Sonos equipment with WiiM. I love it. The fact that it just works, all your equipment has now turned into google/alexa enabled devices as well, and provides excellent sound. You should see my Sonos equipment for sale on ebay here soon.

Roon costs something, but it would take a long time for you to pay as much for Roon as most people here have paid for their Sonos equipment - so maybe, all things considered, it is worth it?

Also, using Roon with Sonos is possible, it works well, indeed, but only if you have set up the device first using Sonos’ app… Well, do I need to say more?

I agree on WiiM making good devices - I have a couple of them now, and they just work. The WiiM Amp seems to get quite hot, though, so I would keep an eye on review before buying more of those - who knows, maybe there is something wrong with the construction (or maybe it is just mine that has the problem).

I have a Bluesound device as well, and it just works. No problems at all. Everything controlled by Roon, which I have really learned to love.

Many years ago, I bought my first Sonos Connect (or whatever it was called at the time), and I loved it! With a dedicated Apple iPod Touch as a remote control, and with another wird device for boosting the network, claimed by Sonos to be a good thing, I was happy with the new setup, that also required a NAS (again an investment).

Fast forward to about 1-2 months ago and until now: Before the new Sonos app, I knew Roon and Bluesound only by name, and WiiM I had never heard about. Now my musical life is based on these brands, and I love it. I can use the NAS (replaced since the early first one, though), listen to my music, and I can enjoy making queues and arranging what to hear as easy as in the old days with Sonos - plus lots of more features in Roon that I really enjoy.

Life can certainly take some turns now and then!

Short answer… Have a look at the Wiim lineup. Can be paired with any number of powered bookshelf speakers. Or Wiim amp and pair with a regular speaker. Wiim streams from almost everything including Nas and smb.

Depending on the setup it may cost a little more… But value the time you are wasting being ticked with sonos and dump’em.

There is a thread where they go into the details on WiiM, etc and they look good.

I've also seen mention of EMBY and only glanced at it but looks good.

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