I am doing my research. I'm just over it. Have things change without warning and no respect for customer base. All profit driven removing benefits that serve the community. Back to listen to records and CDs. At least I have some control.

Taking back control is key, but the quoted step is extreme and probably not needed. I was in the same “pissed off with Sonos” state as you are in just now, in 2020 at the S1/S2 stunt that Sonos pulled, and I discovered that all one needs to take back control is Sonos kit with line in jacks. Even if some of the units have these, that is enough to take back control.

What you need to do is to configure the line in jacks to autoplay, via a one time use of the Sonos app and hopefully the ability to do that is still there in this new release.

Thereafter the Sonos speaker and the group it is part of will play whenever it gets a signal at the line in jack from another streaming device like even an Echo Dot plugged in to that jack. With no need to invoke the Sonos app; it will do this even if you delete the Sonos app from your phone. And sound quality will be the same as hitherto.

Sonos hardware is then used as dumb electronics, something it does well, with all the smarts moved to the front end that is wired into the line in jack of the now dumb Sonos kit.

There is even a work around for Sonos kit that does not have line in jacks - get a used Port/Connect that works on your present Sonos app version, and configure its line in jacks to play on the Sonos speaker that does not have these jacks. A one time expense to get back control.

This configuration of the line in jacks stays as such even after mains power cycling. It changes only via a factory reset or via the Sonos control app.

In my case, I now use Echo Show devices as smart front ends relegating Sonos kit to dumb electronics role. I have used my 12 Sonos units in this way since 2020 and it all works like a charm with the added advantage of album art for music playing.

There are two issues here to be aware of.

One, to play from my NAS, I have to use my S1 controller for its smarts; Echo does not do NAS music. There is one solution for this I have used to check it out and that was using Raspberry as a NAS accessed by an app hosted on my Mac, that Echo could also access via voice commands. It worked well, but since S1 allows me NAS use in a slicker way, I use S1 when I want to play from my NAS on rare occasions.

Two, the latest versions of many Echo devices no longer have the analog audio out jack that is needed for Sonos kit with line in jacks to be used in dumb mode.

Of course if you have a turntable or a CD player, the same result is achieved by wiring the line level jacks on these to Sonos line in jacks. You do not need any Sonos app to play music from these devices either, once the Sonos line in jacks have been set to autoplay. You will however then not have a remote for volume level changes, and will have to use the buttons on the Sonos kit being used. But using something like Spotify casting to Echo, one has all the other convenience of streamed service delivered music, including full remote operation of the native Spotify app on the phone, or via voice commands to the Echo device upstream of Sonos.

The great thing about taking back control is not just that one is insulated from disasters like the present one, but one is also saved from the weekly updates that Sonos seems to make to the S2 app; the S1 app is largely ignored by Sonos developers, leaving S1 users in a contented state with no upheavals, large or small, caused by Sonos antics.

I also know of this device that can replace Sonos smarts when wired to line in jacks of Sonos Amp/speakers. 

Reviews of the UI speak highly of how slick it is to get music going with album art.

Downside is the expense, allied to the risk of handing over control from one entity to another.

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/eversolo-dmp-a6

As I have written about, one can keep the excellent sounding Sonos speakers/amp and change the control system for another quite easily. Why waste what works well as you would if you moved to B&W or any other speaker maker?

This is awesome, I just went into the living room and realised this is how i have the system setup. Turntable, CD player, Tuner. All plugged in with jacks and play beautifully. Thank you.

Excellent, you can now do what the kit is supposed to let you, enjoy the music minus all this Sonos created chaos. 

There is one other issue to be aware of, the 70 millisecond delay in Sonos kit playing music via line in. As long as all the downstream kit is from Sonos, this does not surface, but if some are third party amps or powered speakers that usually do not have this delay, there will be an echo effect heard in group play because those speakers will not be in sync with Sonos. Obviously, this only comes to the fore if grouped play is in use, via grouped non Sonos front ends.

What third party apps can control Sonos speakers, if any? I know we can select music from the Spotify app to play on the speakers, but are there any other apps offering more control??

None can because Sonos speakers won’t talk to them wirelessly; hence the use of line in jacks that bypasses this barrier. The advantage of doing this is that it bypasses the Sonos control app which is what is giving users so much trouble just now. You then no longer need the Sonos app to play music on Sonos speakers.

I downloaded SonoPhone two days ago, after Sonos Version 80 bricked my system.  It was up and running in minutes and recognized all of my music services without me having to login in to each.  It may not be as sophisticated in some ways as the Sonos App.  But it works well and is easy to use at what it does.  I can manage zones quite easily and access my NAS, along with Spotify and Pandora.  Don’t need anything else.  I am quite pleased with this and am now researching my future move away from Sonos.

I came to post my own question about this but thought I’d search first.  No sense in starting a new post.  I am wondering the same thing.  I’m really tired of dealing with the crap from Sonos.  What are the best alternatives? 

I’m looking at some KEFs and a basic tuner. This Sonos journey is not going to end well. The existing kit will stick around until … well I may give them to my kids while opening my eyes to all the other available options. 
 

It’s time to think about how Sonos is probably going to subscription their hardware’s usability behind $10 per month. 

I think you’re spot on with them scheming about how to extort us with monthly fees and upgrades.  We will hear how expensive it is to maintain software so they need more money to maintain the “great” standards (ahem) we’ve come to expect.  For them to be talking about streaming music is changing...not a great sign either.  They will be pushing their own crappy Sonos music on us.  Surprised they even let us pick anything else at this point. 

I have been researching a replacement strategy that meet the aesthetics of the Five. I have searched long and hard for a white bookshelf speaker roughly the size of the FIVE and approximately the same quality. Powered or unpowered, I could find none. Any replacement I could find was appreciably deeper. So I have started considering using the line-in on my Sonos.

I have a Wiim Pro Plus that I intended to use as a replacement for my port. Instead, I’ll try experimenting with one of my Five stereo setups.  Unfortunately, this does mean more wiring. It’s not too bad if I run a 3.5mm cable all the way to the Wiiim. Does anyone know is a cable like this:

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9301

Be of high enough caliber for an eight foot run?

Better are active/powered speakers like Elac DCB 41 as just one example from hundreds out there. All they need is an Echo Dot wired to a line in jack on them. Spotify will work just fine on this set up. If you don’t like voice commands, cast from the Spotify app on the phone to the Dot and music will play from chosen speakers. Which will sound as good as what chosen speakers can in your listening space.

It just takes a decision to stop being a piggy in thrall to the mother sow wanting to be fed from just one place.

Set up the line in on the 5 to autoplay, and you will be surprised at how well even just an Echo Dot wired to the line in jack on the 5 will sound, via the 5. You can then play music via voice command to the Dot, or by casting from the Spotify without even using the Sonos app; all you need is power to the 5. 

Do this as an experiment with an old Dot, and you will be surprised at how it well it can serve.

Any commodity RCA cable is good enough, just get a stereo one with the right plugs at both ends.

I was previously considering the white version of those speakers.  How would you compare the sound to the Five’s, and do you know if the grill can be replaced?

As far as I know, the Elac come in just black. The grill can be removed, as can be that of any HiFi speaker. I would say the sound is as good as most will need once they get used to the sound signature that is equivalent to that from the 5 except for deep bass where the 5 will do better. On the other hand, the Elac can be wired to a third party Sub, but that starts getting messy; I would look for bigger/better powered speakers instead.

Another brilliant powered speaker pair is the Pioneer DJ DM 50. Probably do bass as well as a 5. I know these come in white. I have a DM 40 pair and it is brilliant, with signal sensing autoplay that works very well. Very well built and mine has worked flawlessly for three years now.

I use the Elac for TV sound because they have an HDMI eArc socket.

The white version is called the ELAC Debut ConneX Adsum.  It’s a DCB 41 with a small stand and what is meant to be a nicer-looking grill.

I initially wrote it off thinking it may not be as good as the Five and more difficult to pair correctly with a sub.  Also, when considering powered speakers I prefered dual amps.

Your post has made me wonder if I’m being too picky :-)

You are, but that isn't a bad thing!

Why not first see how a Dot to the line in of the 5 works out? The Dot can even be stashed behind the 5, it just needs to be visible to WiFi. And if the 5 are a stereo pair, it has to be wired to any one of the paired 5. Why throw away your investment in the 5?

You then need the Sonos app to just configure that 5 unit’s line in feature. Hopefully this new app still allows you to do that.

If you find an older version of Echo Show 5/8 that have audio out jacks, you can use these and get album art for what’s playing on the 5, a feature that Sonos does not give you even today.

I assure you that used this way the 5 will sound as good as when used any other way.

Ah yes, I remember seeing this a month ago, the pimped up version! One thing about active/powered speakers, these tend to be designed for the pro audio market that does not pay more money for looks. So the looks tend to be more industrial, that may not go well some users or decor. But build quality is good, because the pro market needs reliability.

You’re right.  The line in approach is the way I should go for now.  I already have a Wiim Pro Plus which has a good DAC and supports Tidal FLAC so it should exceed the hardware in the Sonos.

Again: I doubt it will audibly exceed the sound heard from the DAC in the 5. In any case, for line in use the final DAC that will be used is the one in the 5. Wiim will have to give an analog signal for which the 5 will do ADC and DAC. But if you have spent on the Wiim, there is no need for the Dot experiment except just as one.

The Five takes an analog signal through an ADC then DAC?  Yuch.  I guess they do that to support trueplay?

A general comment on alternatives to Sonos: as one that has used very high end kit at home for a decade or so before Sonos, I have much respect for Sonos sound engineering and hardware. They botched up some TV bar sometime ago, but that was another software thing that they corrected after some months. But the sound from play 1/One/3/5 has been better than their price points, for those that want their audio kit to sound natural. This HiFi class sound quality isn’t by accident, there is a lot of advanced tech in those Sonos boxes, and clever audio engineering. Looks are good as well, and kit is built to last.

So any alternative needs to first see how to use existing Sonos kit and the open sesame to that is the Sonos line in jack. And obviously the problem there is that units like play 1/One do not have these jacks as the 5 does. There is a workaround for this lack by interposing a Connect/Port for its line in jacks between the alternative source to the Sonos app, but this isn't needed for the 5. Or for the line in jack equipped Sonos Amp.

Any first alternative to Sonos therefore has to be on replacing just the control end - that Sonos has buggered up just now - but keep the excellent Sonos hardware.

All this is elaborated in my first post above on this thread.

All line in jacks on any audio kit take only analog signals, and are therefore agnostic as to what kit is at either end. In case for Sonos, there is no Yuch as an audible effect of the ADC/DAC process. Even the 70 ms delay is not caused by this, but by the need for all Sonos players in a group to be in perfect sync.