Hi Folks
I realise this is an old topic, but it is a popular one, plus there’s been a lot of confusion on this thread so I’ll try to clear some things up for you all.
Once S2 is released, will I still be able to buy new speakers and add them to a legacy system?
Yes, as long as they are not S2 only devices (Five, Sub gen 3, Arc).
We’ve been working our way through the facility, buying another speaker every six months. Do I have to hurry up and buy the rest of the rooms before June?
No. There’s no hurry. In fact, there’s no need - your system will continue to work on S1 for the foreseeable future, and as you can add new devices, you’re not locked-in either.
Devices that are S1 Compatible only will only work on S1 (it’s in the label). Newly designed devices (currently Arc, Five, Sub gen 3) will only work on S2. See our Sonos S2 Compatibility page for the full lists of devices. All other devices will work on either S1 or S2, and can be moved at will between them, but will need a factory reset prior to being added to either S1 or S2 (the light should be flashing green).
To be clear, if you buy a S1/S2 compatible device (like a Sonos Amp, for example) you can add it to a S1 or S2 system. Devices that already have S2 firmware installed from the factory can be added to an S1 system only if there are existing devices on S1 already. If you do not have existing devices on S1, a product loaded with S2 cannot create a S1 system.
When adding a product to either S1 or S2, the system will update it. It will only update to the most recent version available, so if your system is not up to date, the entire system will be updated. If you are avoiding updates as your controller OS is out-of-date, you will need to update your controller(s) to continue using your Sonos equipment (if you allow the update), or at least to add more units.
S1 and S2 OS requirements for your controllers are the same, and will likely remain that way, though I cannot guarantee this will remain the case going forward - the changes in our OS requirements are often due to the requirements of our music/voice service partners. In addition, it is inefficient to test software on out-of-date OSes that should no longer be in use due to security concerns. Our current controller OS requirements can be found on our Sonos App Requirements help page. Please also check our Unsupported OS Versions page for partially supported OS version that allow you to select and play music to rooms, but not configure your Sonos system.
An S1 system will not update itself to S2 without you (or someone on your network) installing the S2 app. If you want your system to be in one piece (all rooms available on one app) and you have both S1 only devices and those willing to run on S2, don’t install the S2 app. If you’re willing to have a split system, with some rooms on S1 and some on S2, the upgrade should be done from the S1 app - Settings » System » System Tools » System Compatibility Check. After this, your S1 products will be reset and you will need to setup a new system on S1 consisting only of your S1 only devices. This is so your S1 and S2 units do not consider themselves as parts of the same system.
With all that said, I think you will find that S2 is quite good, and continues to get better with every release.
I hope this clears things up for you all. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
