No Airplay 2 for Playbar. GUTTED !!!!!


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Extremely disappointed today to learn that the £700 current and only soundbar from Sonos will NOT have the AirPlay 2 feature, which we (Apple users) have been so looking forward to.

Also gutted as we have just approved a major kitchen rebuild with integrated ceiling speakers and Connect:AMP and there's no alternative for that too.

Airplay 2 for should be for ALL your top price products please.

At least, a very strong trade in programme should be announced soonest.

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105 replies

[...] What's being discussed here, and in other threads, is that it's not being supported on existing, still in the shops, still being promoted equipment! The main subject of the thread being a PlayBar - currently being at £700...
With the release of iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 apps (and therefore supposedly third-party Airplay2-enabled devices) MUST support 64-bit technology. Older units like the Playbar presumably are lacking the ability to fit this requirement.

https://developer.apple.com/news/
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I kinda misunderstood your 10 year old equipment. If it is about what sonos product can couple that is 10 years old. MY 10 year old equipment? I'm totally confused to be honest. You mentioned this 10 year figure, not me. It's as though, in your desperation to defend Sonos, you're not actually reading what's being written.
Of course there's a point at which some things may not be able to be supported on some hardware - but you mentioned it's not reasonable to expect it on 10 year old equipment - when none of the equipment being mentioned is that - and the equipment specifically mentioned in the title of this thread is nowhere close to that.
You then mention trying to get new things to run on older hardware. It's a valid point to an extent but completely ignores the fact that that hardware isn't even sold any more and hasn't been for many, many years and has been superseded by 5+ iterations. You keep harping on about 'buyer beware' and things being superseded. This kit has not been superseded!!
What's being discussed here, and in other threads, is that it's not being supported on existing, still in the shops, still being promoted equipment! The main subject of the thread being a PlayBar - currently being at £700...


To me with the playbar, sound like a bad case of buyers remorse. Tech items get replace by better all the time, and you really can not expect that something design 6 or 7 years ago will support something that has not even been launch yet. While the playbar was release 5 years ago, it was developed min 6 years ago, but more like 7. You can hope though that the company will have a way to keep things relevant. This is especially true fo the connect amp mention in the OP first post.

I am not a fan of the playbar or playbase. I use my sonos for music only. I have toyed with the idea of adding a playbase to my upcoming 82 inch TV purchase. But I just can see going that route, am not a big HT user. 3.1 or 2.1 what I use with my 65 inch TV. I just can see getting a playbase that does not support HDMI and 7.1 for that kind of money. But at the same time, I just think that you really need to know what you are buying, accept that if you buy a older design, you should not be shock that it won't support a new tech that has not even been release yet.

Just don't believe in buyers remorse. Especially with tech items. They change all the time.
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Yes, I have the Playbar so can well understand your anger.

TBH I'm becoming somewhat disillusioned with Sonos as there seems a definite bias towards Apple, whereas Android can go and fiddle. Perhaps it's because their 'home market' i.e. the U.S. is so Apple orientated so they assume the rest of the world is too.


Oh really?

This statistic shows the market share held by smartphone platforms/operating systems in the United States from January 2012 to January 2018. In June 2017, 53.3 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers were using a Google Android device. Apple was the second most popular smartphone operating system with a 44.9 percent market share.


https://www.statista.com/statistics/266572/market-share-held-by-smartphone-platforms-in-the-united-states/


Good Stat

But don't forget to add that for android users you can stream youtube music to sonos already by adding chromcast if you have a play5 or connect, something the apple user can do at all right now.

Also android users will have google assistant on the sonos one, Siri won't be support on the sonos one. That is why a lot of iPhone users actually install the iOS google assistance app.

And lastly, Android is form google. So the USA is their home market as well. Both are US companies.
Okay seriously upset, I just bought a playbar and sub - 5 months ago - totally sucks beyond belief 😠. Okay SONOS - here's what you gotta do - like seriously think about this from a consumer perspective - If Id have known I was gonna not bea little bit future proof I wouldn't have invested the $2000 Canadian - I feel you need to offer some type of incentive like a trade-in or a massive rebate or something. Alternatively what is it that allows a new Sonos One that is in the group to be able to do AirPlay 2 - make that a standalone box (small - not a speaker) and sell that as an add-on upgrade to enable this feature in a non-crappy way to customers that have invested heavily in your gear. I love it, but I cant love it for $2000 every few years, I dont have that kinda money or loyalty.:@
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hi,

maybe dumb question - I only use my playbar, sub and play:1 for home theatre sound - but what is airplay 2 and why is it a must have feature?
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maybe dumb question - I only use my playbar, sub and play:1 for home theatre sound - but what is airplay 2 and why is it a must have feature?
Not a dumb question... Many people want Airplay support so they can take music from ANY app on their iPhone or iPad and stream it through their Sonos system, even if it's not a service that is available in the Sonos controller. That's why it's such a big deal to many. You can use your favorite podcast app. You can use your favorite music service. And it doesn't matter if they're a Sonos service or not.
I understand tech evolves. What's the problem is that SONOS told in 2017 Airplay 2 would be available for all the devices.

http://press-us.sonos.com/159680-sonos-unveils-smart-speaker-with-support-for-multiple-voice-services
"Apple AirPlay 2 Coming in 2018
Sonos also announced that it will begin supporting Apple’s AirPlay 2 in 2018, making it possible to play any sound from an iOS device – including YouTube videos and Netflix movies – on Sonos speakers throughout the house. Owners will also be able to ask any Siri-enabled device to control music on Sonos speakers
."
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[quote=Ricko]I understand tech evolves. What's the problem is that SONOS told in 2017 Airplay 2 would be available for all the devices.

It doesn't say ALL devices. It says devices. I'm coming to terms with it (I mean that very superficiously - this is so minor in the grand scheme of the universe). Just had a moment of being gutted. Posted the message and unleashed the hounds of hell !!! Sorry about that.
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Well, they did tell it would be an software update to ALL players.
My earlier post about that have been deleted.
The original post where they say this have been edited by sonos and now say “only new models”
Editing month old posts in the middle of old topics ? Really?

This stinks sonos!

I can totally live with “only new models do airplay” thats how tech works......it will be outdated some time.
BUT be goddamm honest about it from day one, but hey....if you did that nobody would have bought the old devices anymore right?
The reality is that what they promised - to let you play any iOS app sound on Sonos is already available via that awful solution - analogue AirPlay via a airport router to a Sonos speaker with input. So they promised very little with AirPlay and delivered less. For me and most others this airplay solution is a mess. What I have to buy a Sonos One for evey room now? Thats 4 new speakers that I don’t want to make any noise. And if I have 2 prior gen play 5s and a sub I’m 1 room how am I supposed to keep that crappy Sonos One ‘third wheel’ quiet without muting it each time so I can enjoy my music. If the tech is too old on my 10 month old $999 sub (grrr) then at least they should have a Alexa dot sized small puck available to buy with no speaker that I can add on to each room.
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The reality is that what they promised - to let you play any iOS app sound on Sonos is already available via that awful solution - analogue AirPlay via a airport router to a Sonos speaker with input. So they promised very little with AirPlay and delivered less. For me and most others this airplay solution is a mess. What I have to buy a Sonos One for evey room now? Thats 4 new speakers that I don’t want to make any noise. And if I have 2 prior gen play 5s and a sub I’m 1 room how am I supposed to keep that crappy Sonos One ‘third wheel’ quiet without muting it each time so I can enjoy my music. If the tech is too old on my 10 month old $999 sub (grrr) then at least they should have a Alexa dot sized small puck available to buy with no speaker that I can add on to each room.

Right now no one but Sonos really knows how airplay2 will be implemented. You might need 4 Sonos one for the 4 groups. You might just need one for the whole house. The blog is ambiguous on that. So it really is a wait and see. Think once apple release airplay2 Sonos might release more info.
The Playbar is not a cheap bit of kit though - it was top of the range re: playbars and as such should have been better future proofed.

While it is true that technology progresses and upgraded internals required to support new features, I have only had my Playbar and 1 setup since December and am not thrilled that I paid the same price as the Playbase for an out of date product that would not be able to support features becoming available in the very near future. I feel there should have been some degree of disclosure or a price differential between the Playbar and the Playbase in the same way as there is a 25% price increase between the 1 and the Alexa enabled One.
The reality is that what they promised - to let you play any iOS app sound on Sonos is already available via that awful solution - analogue AirPlay via a airport router to a Sonos speaker with input. So they promised very little with AirPlay and delivered less. For me and most others this airplay solution is a mess. What I have to buy a Sonos One for evey room now? Thats 4 new speakers that I don’t want to make any noise. And if I have 2 prior gen play 5s and a sub I’m 1 room how am I supposed to keep that crappy Sonos One ‘third wheel’ quiet without muting it each time so I can enjoy my music. If the tech is too old on my 10 month old $999 sub (grrr) then at least they should have a Alexa dot sized small puck available to buy with no speaker that I can add on to each room.

And frankly, at the time I purchased my 1's and Playbar it was partly on Sonos publicizing Airplay 2 compatibility being in the works and I would have thought the technical requirements would have been well enough understood when they committed to Airplay 2 for Sonos to know that some of their products would not be able to support it.
The Playbar is not a cheap bit of kit though - it was top of the range re: playbars and as such should have been better future proofed.

While it is true that technology progresses and upgraded internals required to support new features, I have only had my Playbar and 1 setup since December and am not thrilled that I paid the same price as the Playbase for an out of date product that would not be able to support features becoming available in the very near future. I feel there should have been some degree of disclosure or a price differential between the Playbar and the Playbase in the same way as there is a 25% price increase between the 1 and the Alexa enabled One.


How were they supposed to future proof for something they had no idea was coming from another company? Also, how can you future proof for something that has modern processing requirements 5 years before those processors are being made and/or sold at an affordable price?
Anytime you're creating a physical product, there's usually a balance between cost of components and future proofing. Given the age of the PLAYBAR, I'm not actually that surprised (albeit it slightly disappointed) that it won't act as a receiver for AirPlay. But I do have a Sonos One and a PLAY:5 Gen 2 that will, and bearing further data from Sonos, assume that they'll be acceptable to receive the signal, and pass it off.

And honestly, most of my input for the PLAYBAR comes through the TV set, which the Apple TV is connected to anyway. I'm assuming that I can "cast" as before to the Apple TV, and have it feed whatever signal necessary to the PLAYBAR.


And frankly, at the time I purchased my 1's and Playbar it was partly on Sonos publicizing Airplay 2 compatibility being in the works and I would have thought the technical requirements would have been well enough understood when they committed to Airplay 2 for Sonos to know that some of their products would not be able to support it.


As has been said many times, Sonos stated in the press and on this forum that Airplay 2 would be supported by the Sonos One at the minimum. There was never any guarantee for support on any other device. Anyone with a clue would realize that if they were at first limiting it to the very latest product, one should be cautious buying a product from 3-4 years ago.
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Note : products in shops need to start having a first sold date and a best before date. Really, how does a casual shopper know how old a device and its design and internals are? Normal, non techie customers.
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Future proofing the processor is really hard. It is 5 years old. So that means the r&d was min 6 year to 7 years ago. Say they used the most advance processor they could for electronic equipment say from qualcomm or broadcomm or who ever. As computer processors are too expensive so that is mostly out of the question. That processor in the playbar is 7 generation behind the times now. Airplay 2 is not even out. But it iis SW base and requires plenty of processor power to run I am sure.

But I can understand your dissatisfaction. But companies always keep selling current models even after the newer models arrive. It is part business.
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Note : products in shops need to start having a first sold date and a best before date. Really, how does a casual shopper know how old a device and its design and internals are? Normal, non techie customers.

Google!!!! You can always find out when a product was first release. I would never drop 700 dollars on a product without doing my research first. But that is me.🆒


And frankly, at the time I purchased my 1's and Playbar it was partly on Sonos publicizing Airplay 2 compatibility being in the works and I would have thought the technical requirements would have been well enough understood when they committed to Airplay 2 for Sonos to know that some of their products would not be able to support it.


As has been said many times, Sonos stated in the press and on this forum that Airplay 2 would be supported by the Sonos One at the minimum. There was never any guarantee for support on any other device. Anyone with a clue would realize that if they were at first limiting it to the very latest product, one should be cautious buying a product from 3-4 years ago.


Guess it serves me right for not paying more attention to the press release!
Future proofing the processor is really hard. It is 5 years old. So that means the r&d was min 6 year to 7 years ago. Say they used the most advance processor they could for electronic equipment say from qualcomm or broadcomm or who ever. As computer processors are too expensive so that is mostly out of the question. That processor in the playbar is 7 generation behind the times now. Airplay 2 is not even out. But it iis SW base and requires plenty of processor power to run I am sure.

But I can understand your dissatisfaction. But companies always keep selling current models even after the newer models arrive. It is part business.


I'm not arguing that older products won't have the capacity or features of newer ones. Generally though, deprecated models get a price cut or the newer and more capable is at a higher price. I researched the sound quality and found the trade off between the Playbar and the Playbase to be negligible from the reviews, so went for what I considered to be the more attractive option. Granted, had I researched more I guess I would have found out that there may be a forthcoming reduced feature set as a result, but as the price point was the same I did not consider that it would be the case, so didn't delve deaper.
How has the feature set been reduced?
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I'm not arguing that older products won't have the capacity or features of newer ones. Generally though, deprecated models get a price cut or the newer and more capable is at a higher price. I researched the sound quality and found the trade off between the Playbar and the Playbase to be negligible from the reviews, so went for what I considered to be the more attractive option. Granted, had I researched more I guess I would have found out that there may be a forthcoming reduced feature set as a result, but as the price point was the same I did not consider that it would be the case, so didn't delve deaper.


I think you just got caught buying at the limbo time. As play 3, and playbars has been discounted as of late. The playbar was recently selling for 350 dallars at Target.

But if you brought it say 9 months ago. Airplay2 was still up in the air. And if Sonos started the playbar update. It was still in the early r&d cycle. So it would not make sense to discounts it then. Typical R&d cycle for tech items are around 18 months. Some as along as 3 years. But say Sonos is 18 months. Would you think dropping the price of you product 16 month before you release your replacement makes sense? Remember playbar replacement is still rumors right now. I would say if they are true. We are still 6 months aways before it is available. It would not make for good business to drop you prices 16 months before the launch of a new product.

Also you brought your playbar with features builted in. But even with the airplay2 announcement. Sonos still have not removed any features from your playbar. The fact is they just could not add one particular feature to the playbar natively. In fact at the same time. They actually found a way to give you that ablity. Though it does not sit well with some having to buy a Sonos one. But if you look at it realistically, Sonos added abilities not taking away feature to something design 7 years ago. Shoot they also just added audible since you brought your playbar most likely. So at the end I would argue base on facts they added ablities to a 7year old design.

It does suck when you get caught buying something at the wrong time. I would say I just hope, up till this latest uproar. That you were able to enjoy you playbar up till now. It will most likely be hard to stomach going forward. But hopefully you got to enjoy it for a little bit.
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Shoturtle, I have to say that my creation of this thread is actually because the Playbar and associated speakers provide, BY FAR, the best cinema experience that I have ever had. I actually sold £2000 speakers and THX amp to move to the Sonos, and it is a far better experience. (I realise I'm opening up a can of worms just saying this!). The key thing with the Playbar is the quality of the voices. With our B&W Series 7 speaker system, we had to continually rewind films to re-hear what people were saying.

Fingers crossed both Playbar and Connect AMP are re-launched with gutsy updated interiors in the next 6 months, and then we will be good. I get that Playbar can be used with ONE speakers, but we have a very real need right now for Airplay in the Connect:AMP so really hope it gets upgraded soon. Someone mentioned upcoming accessories coming from other manufacturers with Airplay 2 in, but I can't find anything online yet. I'm sure that will change.

Thanks everyone for all their points of view. Clearly, it's a very marmite situation. I think one thing is for sure - like other areas of tech (iPhones etc...) - business crosses with hobby with lifestyle, and we get more wrapped up in the hobby side and forget that, at the end of the day, we are dealing with a business, which for the most part, has provided some outstanding hardware.

Finally, I emailed Sonos and got an email confirming what we already know, from their head of customer services. But still, a nice response.
Just voicing this cos I want to, it’s not to add value or provoke anyone but I am bitterly disappointed that the Playbar will not be receiving AirPlay2.

I really don’t get why they didn’t refresh the internals of the Playbar when they launched the Playbase, I would love to understand how difficult or costly that would have been.