My Macbook pro speakers are dead, Is Sonos a good choice?

  • 1 September 2021
  • 8 replies
  • 310 views
S

I have a 5 year old macbook pro, the speakers are bad.

I bought Wonderboom that I connect via bluetooth to improve the sound and it works ok but the Wonderboom disconnects freqently.

I’m looking for better system and bought a small Bose.  I need to delete and recreate the bluetooth connection every time I turn it on.  It’s too much hastle for daily use.

I looked at the B&O A1 which is expensive and big but would be a nice, quality speaker.

I thought the Sonos would be a good choice but discussions here suggest otherwise.  I have an iphone and several macs that I would use it with, it would be nice if I could easily use either the iphone or mac depending no need.  I

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8 replies

G
Userlevel 7

Sonos speakers are generally not designed to be used as computer speakers, but many Sonos speakers are compatible with AirPlay 2, and the Sonos Move and Roam are also both compatible with AirPlay and Bluetooth (and portable). If you prefer connecting over AirPlay, a pair of Sonos Ones/One SLs or a Move could work. If you want to go with the Bluetooth option, a Sonos Move would be your best choice.

Here is a list of Sonos speakers compatible with AirPlay:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/1230?language=en_US

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
airforceteacher
Userlevel 6
Badge +15

To be frank, whenever I use my Move for Bluetooth on my Macbook, it loses connection frequently.  For your application, I’d look for a Bluetooth speaker with a 1/8” input and direct connect to the Macbook, then use Bluetooth for the iPhone.

S

i’ve never used Airplay so that’s an unknown.  I use the machine for Zoom calls and Airplay sounds like it’s focus is playback rather than conversations..

I was going to buy a JBL flip 5, but I learned that it has no mic.  I’m not sure that’s a problem but it’s different from the Wonderboom that does have a mic. 

I understand the B&O is exceptional for use as a speaker phone which has me leaning that way now.

airforceteacher
Userlevel 6
Badge +15

Is the mic dead on the Macbook too?

 

S

No, I just fired up a Zoom session and tried it with the  external speaker and the internal mic and it seemed to work well.  I’ve just always used the mic on my external speaker.  Maybe it’s time to rethink that and buy the cheaper JBL flip 5 speaker.

Airgetlam

I would look elsewhere.

I honestly am not fond of Sonos as computer speakers, except in very specific circumstances (for instance, there’s a thread about using a Beam in that use case). 

They’re simply not designed for that kind of use, and the microphones on the speakers that have them are not accessible from the computer, they’re for other purposes, not phone calls/video conference use.

Bruce
S

Thanks, that is what I’m hearing. Thanks for the feedback. 

Airgetlam

To be honest, though, as I type this on my Mac work at home setup, I do have a pair of PLAY:1s flanking the screen, playing music. I just use the laptop’s  speakers and the logitech camera’s mic for computer audio/input. 

Sonos makes great (or, outstanding, IMHO) speakers, for what they’re designed for. Trying to cram them into other situations can be rife with issues. So, music it is, and other solutions for the computer audio itself.

Sonos would need to rewrite the underlying way their software works, which is essentially designed for multi-room sync’d play. It would be nice if I could do the whole computer with Sonos style computer speakers, but I just don’t think there’s enough money in that market for Sonos, and perhaps too many competitors. Since I’ve divorced the idea of the computer as a place for music to live and play, and added those PLAY:1s, I can have the best of both worlds. Music sounds great, and my Google Meeting calls work perfectly. I just keep the controller up on my screen in the background so I can kill the music at the beginning of every meeting :) 

TL:DR Music on Sonos, work meetings on computer audio

Bruce
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