What does the future hold

  • 3 December 2019
  • 37 replies
  • 1635 views
N
Userlevel 2
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Without wishing to go over old ground as I am sure this will have been discussed before, I have grave concerns about the longevity of my system components.

Like many of you I bought into the Sonos experience back in 2008 and invested a few thousand pounds to get up and running. Over the years I have added other components to enhance the experience. Back in those early days and over the next few years I have to say that the whole experience of Sonos was fantastic. The build quality of the components being right up there with Apple.

A few years ago the CR100 dedicated controller was rendered obsolete; a few months ago my iPad was rendered obsolete as a Sonos controller; I am informed that my iMac desktop has less than a year to go as a controller because it cannot support many more updates. I have received an email today telling me that my bridge is no longer able to support the demands of my system and I guess, like many of you the emails have been coming in thick and fast about “trade ups”.

All of this tells me that the older and original components are not far from the end of their shelf lives. Perhaps I am naive but this steady progression towards obsolescence leaves me feeling quite bitter to the point where I will not invest another penny with this company.

The big question is; do I offload my existing components while they still have a value or do I just sit tight and hope that I get a few more years before the entire system is defunct.

Any thoughts, comments, opinions would be appreciated.

Seasons greetings to all.

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37 replies

melvimbe

Aah, that would imply they knew what they were doing; guess I am even less tech savvy than I thought. To be candid, the reason I feel quite bitter about the relatively rapid obsolescence of my equipment is because I simply bought into a fabulous system and experience at not insignificant cost, and am finding that it is all slowly be taken from me due to constant updates that I have no control over.

 

 

For me,I find my system is improving over time.  I certainly don’t take advantage of every new feature that Sonos puts out, but quite a bit of them are useful to me.   

 

 

People have commented on the CR100’s but no one seems bothered that my early iPad has already become useless and my desktop is soon destined to become useless for controlling Sonos.

 

 

The first computer I ever owned was an Apple IIe.  Obviously, it had a limited life.  I’ve had/used dozens of computers since then.  I have absolutely zero expectation that any computer I get is going to be with me for a decade or more.  The same goes for anything else that is ‘computer-like’.  They have limited life.  They aren’t going to be like a hammer that will last forever, or even a passive speaker that can last for decades.  I just don;t think that way, and it appears that the way I look at it fits the way technology is moving these days.

 

I get that others don’t think that way, and want to keep and use their products for a much longer time.   Long after the manufacturer stop making them and has dropped all support.  This may sound harsh, but it’s hard for me to be too bothered that someone isn’t able to keep using a product that, in my mind, as already well served it’s useful life.   I see what use it has now as bonus usefulness more than an expected usefulness.  My old units that have been around for 10 years….they feel like they are free to me now.  It’s like getting free dessert at your favorite restaurant.

 

How do all the people on here control their systems? Say for example a forgotten alarm setting starts playing music at 3.00am in the morning in your bedroom; how do you turn it off?

 

 

I either turn it off with voice control or use the hard button on the speaker itself.  Never for turning off audio, but I will pull out my phone on rare actions for different controls.  I replace my phone about every 2 years or so, so I’ve never come close to being unsupported.

 

 

I used to lean over and hit the CR 100 controller; now I have to have an iPad in the bedroom, pinging emails all night! I have to open it, load the Sonos app and then switch off the music; it is totally unacceptable. I even tried purchasing a Sonos one with Alexa but that was more than useless and Sonos admitted that it was unable to link zones or do very much at all that it was also returned for reimbursement. 

 

Functionality has improved for this, as you can setup alexa groups to initiate and stop playback for a group of rooms.  You can use any alexa enabled device to do this, probably even your early iPad.  Of course, your iPad won’t be as easy to use as a Sonos One or echo.

Danny
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I am clearly not as ‘techy’ as the other contributors on here and a lot of what has been said has gone over my head. However, I have picked up from a couple of threads that people are still using their CR100 controllers: is this the case because mine both became obsolete upon the installation of an update some time ago. Is there any way they can be ‘undone’ for want of a better explanation?

 

No, those users froze their system at the previous version, some going so far as to blacklist the Sonos update sites in their router’s firewall.  

Aah, that would imply they knew what they were doing; guess I am even less tech savvy than I thought. To be candid, the reason I feel quite bitter about the relatively rapid obsolescence of my equipment is because I simply bought into a fabulous system and experience at not insignificant cost, and am finding that it is all slowly be taken from me due to constant updates that I have no control over. People have commented on the CR100’s but no one seems bothered that my early iPad has already become useless and my desktop is soon destined to become useless for controlling Sonos.

How do all the people on here control their systems? Say for example a forgotten alarm setting starts playing music at 3.00am in the morning in your bedroom; how do you turn it off? I used to lean over and hit the CR 100 controller; now I have to have an iPad in the bedroom, pinging emails all night! I have to open it, load the Sonos app and then switch off the music; it is totally unacceptable. I even tried purchasing a Sonos one with Alexa but that was more than useless and Sonos admitted that it was unable to link zones or do very much at all that it was also returned for reimbursement. 

I have had read Danny’s response and I am in partial agreement.

The iPad obsolescence is in someway a casualty of technology rather than by design from Sonos. As Danny says all things that are technology based become redundant at some point. If Apple stop supporting it then it becomes very hard for third parties to add new functionality whilst retaining support for legacy third party devices. Sometimes the timing sucks.

However the CR100 was an internal product, an ability to freeze versions easily would have prevented what was quite a contentious issue. I understand that the CR100 may be unable to cope with new functions, and its existence in the system also hold back new functions. However this really was a cost based decision. It was not impossible for Sonos to continue supporting via a frozen version. However this would have had a longer term cost for Sonos in terms of development. Plus it also removed the risk of battery issues as fewer devices are now in use. They still manufactured the device, they are still liable for its design, so if something bad happens they are still on the hook for it if a court decide the design was at fault rather than a random failure. Risk to Sonos is pretty small IMHO.

So the iPad is just a technology thing, the CR100 was a cost of support thing.

However they had a good run technology wise, and the fact I can still get updates, and add new services, for a 15+ year old tech device is testament to the value product Sonos delivered.

But as a regular CR100 user I also saw the frustration it would cause with its removal for the scenarios you describe. Such as alarms. I have no iPads. phones, computers in the bedroom. The CR100 is as technical as it gets in my bedroom. 

Owner since 2006: Legacy System(8.4):3*CR100:1*ZP80:4*ZP100:1*Play 5. - S1 System:1*ZP100:1*Z120. - S2 System:5*Amp:1*Port:2*Five:1*Arc,1*Move:1*Play Bar:1*Subwoofer:5*Play1 : Long live the CR100!
N
Userlevel 2
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Thanks for your replies chaps.

I am somewhat encouraged and do now believe that the problem is probably with me! I am of the old school where everything in my house is as mint as the day it was bought and I expect it to last forever; but clearly need to get my head around this. 

In so far as hitting the hard button the speaker is concerned, this is a problem for me because my entire house was hardwired in 2008 with in ceiling and in wall speakers controlled by ZP120 amps. I do agree that for people with only freestanding speakers control is much more convenient. When I loosely talked about disposing of all my equipment it was in fact the amps that I had in mind. The Play ones, threes and fives of which I have a few are quite remarkable and had they been available back in 2008 I would have never purchased an Amp.

 

 

G

I am also furious that my not-so-old iPad can no longer support the Sonos app - but that appears to be Apple planned obsolescence. And I’ve complained a thousand times that with each Sonos software update the system forgets most of my speakers. Sometimes I just go back to my CD player and turntable! I’m relatively tech savvy, though much of this thread went over my head; I just want my investment in this system to have long-term support and keep the product suite functioning without constant crashes. Is that too much to ask this far into the 21st century?

N
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

I am also furious that my not-so-old iPad can no longer support the Sonos app - but that appears to be Apple planned obsolescence. And I’ve complained a thousand times that with each Sonos software update the system forgets most of my speakers. Sometimes I just go back to my CD player and turntable! I’m relatively tech savvy, though much of this thread went over my head; I just want my investment in this system to have long-term support and keep the product suite functioning without constant crashes. Is that too much to ask this far into the 21st century?

Oh, how fantastic that someone else feels as I do. I had to laugh when you said you sometimes go back to your CD and turntable because I also sometimes just switch on my transistor radio.

 

Airgetlam

glkay

Look up in your router’s manual how to set reserved IP adresses, and do so for all your Sonos devices. That should solve your issue.  

Bruce
G

Thanks, Bruce (Airgetlam)

Look up in your router’s manual how to set reserved IP adresses, and do so for all your Sonos devices. That should solve your issue.  

Have gotten that advice before, only to find the manual shows a DHCP Reservations page, but the firmware doesn’t. Classic, eh? Who has time for these battles?

Griping aside, a real question ( sorry if this is too off-topic for this thread): why doesn’t the Sonos Boost, which is a wired connection and has it’s own channel to the devices, solve the issue?

Airgetlam

No battle, it’s exactly the same thing. The DHCP table stores the reserved IP addresses.

SonosNet is still a wireless communication channel, and is subject to the same interference as your Wi-Fi channels. It’s why they say that the SonosNet channel should not be the same as your Wi-Fi, and if your router has auto selection, you should turn it off, so the two signals don’t clash. 

Bruce
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Userlevel 2
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glkay

Look up in your router’s manual how to set reserved IP adresses, and do so for all your Sonos devices. That should solve your issue.  

 

Forgive me but isn’t all this BS?

Not what is being said but the fact that people should have to go to any trouble in order to listen to or operate Sonos. 

Why oh why shouldn’t it be like buying a TV; open the box, install, set up and watch with the only interaction being to change channels. What else is there to do with Sonos; please tell me! I either listen to the radio or to music that has been stored by me. Sonos could deal with this 10 years ago and I see no reason why it shouldn’t be able to deal with it for ever. 

Would someone please explain how any single update in the last 10 years has been to my benefit?

As I see it the updates thus far have only managed to render my two CR100 controllers useless and make my iPad ineffectual. 

RBM
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

10 years ago, my house was filled with Sonos. I sold it all because my listening habits were changing and the system felt stale and dated.

Last month I bought a beam. Things escalated quickly from there:

 

I would not have re-entered the fold if the system had not made major leaps in usability over the last few years. New services offer new functionality that cannot be covered in the Sonos app. Take Idagio, which offers excellent UI to classical – and Sonos direct control for output. Basically – for me Sonos is the great consolidator all digital sources: throw a stream at it and it sticks.

I commend the company for staying relevant in these rapidly changing, service-oriented times while still for the largest part supporting their modus operandi of yore.

Living: Five (Pair) & Sub (Gen3) – Bed: Move – Office: One SL (Pair) – Kid: Symfonisk Lamp – Control: iPort xPRESS (Kitchen) + Symfonisk Music Remotes (six and counting... ;-))
N
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10 years ago, my house was filled with Sonos. I sold it all because my listening habits were changing and the system felt stale and dated.

 

What do you do today that you couldn’t do 10 years ago? I do exactly the same today as I did 10 years ago but without the ability to control the system as easily as I used to; that surely is a regressive step?

G

I feel the same way as Nifty50 here! It’s not that Sonos hasn’t come out with an amazing suite of devices and continues to keep pace with the market (we are all avid Sonos customers here, obviously) BUT I should NOT have to become proficient at programming IP addresses and god knows what else in my router, or constantly refresh my wifi settings etc etc just to listen to Bach in two rooms at once. One thing for damn sure: I’m not buying into any other “smart” devices for my home.

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