Contributor I

Answered

Slow App Response With Gen 1 Vs. New Speakers

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
February 16, 2025
7 replies
278 views

I recently had a first generation Play 5 speaker go belly up, and now have 3 remaining first generation Play 3 speakers and was forced onto the new SONOS (2) app which has been a terrible experience with very slow response to changing tracks, loading queues, everything. I tried the complete router & speaker reboot that was suggested on other posts here, and that helped *a bit* it’s still slow but better. My question is: Is this a problem people experience with the new app talking to old speakers? Or do people with newer generation speakers have the same issue with the new app? I want to get a set of new ERA 100s but not if the app experience is going to be like this.

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Best answer by Pools-3015

Some users mixing older speakers with newer speakers have reported a sluggish experience with the app. But for some it works totally fine. The older hardware in the Play series speakers are the main culprits for this.

What I would recommend is, try hardwiring a Play 3 to your router/network to see if that helps.

If it does help, you may want to leave it in this configuration until you need to upgrade.

The Play 3 has always been a great sounding speaker.

Pools-3015Answer

Prodigy I

Some users mixing older speakers with newer speakers have reported a sluggish experience with the app. But for some it works totally fine. The older hardware in the Play series speakers are the main culprits for this.

What I would recommend is, try hardwiring a Play 3 to your router/network to see if that helps.

If it does help, you may want to leave it in this configuration until you need to upgrade.

The Play 3 has always been a great sounding speaker.

L

Liberator

Lyricist III

I recently had a first generation Play 5 speaker go belly up, and now have 3 remaining first generation Play 3 speakers and was forced onto the new SONOS (2) app which has been a terrible experience with very slow response to changing tracks, loading queues, everything. I tried the complete router & speaker reboot that was suggested on other posts here, and that helped *a bit* it’s still slow but better. My question is: Is this a problem people experience with the new app talking to old speakers? Or do people with newer generation speakers have the same issue with the new app? I want to get a set of new ERA 100s but not if the app experience is going to be like this.

Yes, same here. New gen products work fine with the new app, but my first gen Play 1 speakers, in separate room are slow - or I should say, the app is extremely slow and laggy particularly at point of start-up. All attributable to the app update from last year.

So, one year on and users are still left with a poorer service/performance, entirely as a consequence of decisions made by Sonos, disregarding concerns raised by so many. And they have the bloody cheek to regularly send marketing e-mails. Sonos won’t get another penny from me again.

Pools-3015

Prodigy I

I recently had a first generation Play 5 speaker go belly up, and now have 3 remaining first generation Play 3 speakers and was forced onto the new SONOS (2) app which has been a terrible experience with very slow response to changing tracks, loading queues, everything. I tried the complete router & speaker reboot that was suggested on other posts here, and that helped *a bit* it’s still slow but better. My question is: Is this a problem people experience with the new app talking to old speakers? Or do people with newer generation speakers have the same issue with the new app? I want to get a set of new ERA 100s but not if the app experience is going to be like this.

Yes, same here. New gen products work fine with the new app, but my first gen Play 1 speakers, in separate room are slow - or I should say, the app is extremely slow and laggy particularly at point of start-up. All attributable to the app update from last year.

So, one year on and users are still left with a poorer service/performance, entirely as a consequence of decisions made by Sonos, disregarding concerns raised by so many. And they have the bloody cheek to regularly send marketing e-mails. Sonos won’t get another penny from me again.

Apple drops support for hardware that are about 7 years old. Microsoft is about the same. Bose may be 10 years. As these manufacturers try to introduce something new, they develop newer hardware to support newer software that provides not only a more secure experience, but with the intent to improve the user experience. But, sometimes they miss the mark on the user experience… until you get accustomed to it.
Sonos has supported all their products for a very long time compared to many others.

Have you tried to install Windows 11 on a 10 year old PC? Have you tried to install Sequoia on a 10 year old Mac?

In both cases, if you were able to, how do it perform? I’m willing to bet not as smooth and fast as a new device.

Let’s give this a rest.
Older hardware just cant run as smoothly. That’s just not a Sonos issue. That is the way technology works. But if you want better performance from your older speakers. hardwire them to your router/network. It works for me.

L

Liberator

Lyricist III

Eh, no! This is a software issue, all stemming from last years catastrophic update.

Sad that there many apologists for Sonos, happy to try and shut down legitimate complaints.

Pools-3015

Prodigy I

Eh, no! This is a software issue, all stemming from last years catastrophic update.

Sad that there many apologists for Sonos, happy to try and shut down legitimate complaints.

I’m not attempting to downplay the issues users are having, this is a topic on sluggish response with older hardware. I am simply attempting to explain the technical side of things that older hardware have a hard time keeping up with newer software, across most manufacturers.

D

DonkeySong

Enthusiast I

Eh, no! This is a software issue, all stemming from last years catastrophic update.

Sad that there many apologists for Sonos, happy to try and shut down legitimate complaints.

I’m not attempting to downplay the issues users are having, this is a topic on sluggish response with older hardware. I am simply attempting to explain the technical side of things that older hardware have a hard time keeping up with newer software, across most manufacturers.

Stop. Your entire post was to downplay the issues.

D

DonkeySong

Enthusiast I

Eh, no! This is a software issue, all stemming from last years catastrophic update.

Sad that there many apologists for Sonos, happy to try and shut down legitimate complaints.

I don’t think Sonos is able or cares to make it right. I know this sucks if you have new hardware but IME moving to s1 makes the older devices useable again.

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