Think I Found my Sonos Replacement

  • 11 January 2018
  • 55 replies
  • 13880 views

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Sonos has made it pretty clear Home Theater is not a priority for them. I was really hoping for an announcement at CES but while other companies were running laps around their decades-old audio codec support, Sonos was nowhere to be found (unless you count their panel on gender equality in the industry).

Sennheiser's CES offering seems to deliver everything I am looking for and more. Can't wait until this comes to market.

https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/11/sennheiser-ambeo-3d-soundbar/

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55 replies

Thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy it. I would say that Sonos have never aimed at serious HT enthusiasts. So I think you are right there. But I suspect Sonos know their market, you just aren't it.
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Thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy it. I would say that Sonos have never aimed at serious HT enthusiasts. So I think you are right there. But I suspect Sonos know their market, you just aren't it.

Is this other soundbar a serious home theater?

I wonder, How does one categorize this.

For me I felt like I was buying a serious HT when I opened my wallet wide for the Sonos speakers.
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Double post
Userlevel 4
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You’re aware that home theater is not their forte so why did you post this? Wait a minute....did Sennheiser put you up to this? Why I oughta.....
If this ever comes to market here’s how it’s going to play out:
1- purchase soundbar and shortly after hooking up you’ll say hey wait, it doesn’t sound the same without actual rear surrounds.
2-you will buy the rear surrounds the offer as a supplement. Then, Hey wait- that explosion LOOKED cool, but why didn’t I feel it in my gut?
3- Buy subwoofer after selling your car to afford it.
4- go on Sennheiser's forum and complain that soundbar didn’t live up to your expectations and you are selling it for a Sonos set up!
For a company that has never made home theater a priority for them, Sonos sure has impressed the pants off of me it! It is simply that amazing, yes
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Sonos is an electronic Rorshach test.
Userlevel 4
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Thanks for sharing. I hope you enjoy it. I would say that Sonos have never aimed at serious HT enthusiasts. So I think you are right there. But I suspect Sonos know their market, you just aren't it.

Is this other soundbar a serious home theater?

I wonder, How does one categorize this.

For me I felt like I was buying a serious HT when I opened my wallet wide for the Sonos speakers.


It’s what a $700+ Soundbar should be. Has HDMI ports and supports modern audio codecs.

Is it the best home theater option? Certainly not. But for what Sonos charges it’s light years ahead.

For those who say Sonos “sounds great” and are getting faux 5.1 from their content, I just cannot take your opinion seriously.
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For those who say Sonos “sounds great” and are getting faux 5.1 from their content, I just cannot take your opinion seriously.
Unfortunately, with that statement you have disqualified your own opinions from being taken seriously.
Userlevel 4
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It’s what a $700+ Soundbar should be. Has HDMI ports and supports modern audio codecs.

Is it the best home theater option? Certainly not. But for what Sonos charges it’s light years ahead.
[/quote]
Userlevel 4
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Previous post was an error. So Glide, its light years ahead? Where is it available? Oh that’s right, it’s a prototype so no one can actually purchae one. So you are solely going on what this one guy said about it in his very “technical review”? They are telling you it has all these features but when they realize that these will cost $1500 or so retail, I bet a couple features get removed. But wait, it’s got DTS,ATMOS and 3D sound!! WOW they sure are ahead of the curve! And honestly if you look at the picture it is one ugly mofo. Hopefully they take the big rectangular box and put it in another box with some style. Good luck with it and I hope you keep us up to date when you purchase it.
Userlevel 7
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For those who say Sonos “sounds great” and are getting faux 5.1 from their content, I just cannot take your opinion seriously.
And what if I say it sounds great and I'm getting REAL 5.1 from it? As I've upgraded my system from HD to 4K, I made sure that the products I was buying supported Dolby Digital output, so I'd be able to get true 5.1 from my Sonos system. My 4K TV has Dolby Digital passthrough. My 4K Blu-Ray player supports Dolby Digital output. My game console has always supported Dolby Digital output.

While I agree that support for DTS would be a big plus, I see these other soundbar+subwoofer setups that claim to support Atmos and laugh. The whole point of Atmos is that it's supposed to make you feel like you're being surrounded by the audio, you're actually in the middle of all the action... sounds from above, and all around. A simple soundbar and subwoofer isn't going to do that, and these soundbars that claim to support Atmos simply because they can decode the signal are just diluting the benefits of the codec, IMHO. I'm cool with Sonos not supporting Atmos.
It’s what a $700+ Soundbar should be. Has HDMI ports and supports modern audio codecs.

Is it the best home theater option? Certainly not. But for what Sonos charges it’s light years ahead.
This is the bit I never get with these sort of posts. The $700+ isn't a compulsory tax, it is a choice in a free and competitive market. If a product meets the needs of the market much better than another, at a similar price, the inferior product will soon sink. What you get for your money is what is promised, there is no set of features that is a basic human right for a particular price.

Sonos must be making a judgement that the cost of adding additional codecs and connections would not pay for itself in increased sales. I don't know if they are right or wrong, but if a product doesn't give you what you want for the price you are willing to pay, don't buy it.
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You’re aware that home theater is not their forte so why did you post this? Wait a minute....did Sennheiser put you up to this? Why I oughta.....
If this ever comes to market here’s how it’s going to play out:
1- purchase soundbar and shortly after hooking up you’ll say hey wait, it doesn’t sound the same without actual rear surrounds.
2-you will buy the rear surrounds the offer as a supplement. Then, Hey wait- that explosion LOOKED cool, but why didn’t I feel it in my gut?
3- Buy subwoofer after selling your car to afford it.
4- go on Sennheiser's forum and complain that soundbar didn’t live up to your expectations and you are selling it for a Sonos set up!
For a company that has never made home theater a priority for them, Sonos sure has impressed the pants off of me it! It is simply that amazing, yes


From the article:

"I have a Sonos Playbar and sub in my living room, and this Sennheiser speaker blows that out of the water, too."
Userlevel 3
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Another article on the Sennheiser:

https://gizmodo.com/sennheisers-first-home-audio-product-is-a-3d-sound-bar-1821977579

Article states it sounds almost as good as a 9.1 setup.
Userlevel 3
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Another article. This thing sounds amazing. I'll check it out when it comes out.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/sennheiser-first-soundbar-ambeo-3d-surround-dolby-atmos/
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Purchasing a TV that can handle DD 5.1 is a workaround and you are missing out on TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, the list goes on. Even the addition of DTS at this stage in the game is too little too late. Modern audio codecs are a requirement for a luxury home theater product in 2018. You would not buy a 1080P television set, let alone one that cost the same as a 4K set.

The Sennheiser unit is in production and scheduled to be released this year. That's more of a road-map than I heard from the Sonos camp.

They had a great concept with the 5.1 setup but never truly delivered. The system is great for wireless music but even that space is getting crowded.
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The Sennheiser unit is in production and scheduled to be released this year. That's more of a road-map than I heard from the Sonos camp.
I don't see any firm information on release schedule or pricing ($2,000 is hinted at), and it appears to be in development rather than in production. Why don't you check back in on this thread when (1) the product is actually available, (2) you know how much it costs, and (3) you've heard it for yourself.
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They had a great concept with the 5.1 setup but never truly delivered. The system is great for wireless music but even that space is getting crowded.


My whole point I guess I am trying to get through is IT IS A GREAT 5.1 setup! You are telling me that you own/have listened to a Sonos 5.1 set up and did not enjoy it? You are saying that you TRULY notice a difference between Sonos 5.1 and a set up with actual Dolby/DTS? You can not include ATMOS, 7.1, 9.1 because that’s a different game. I have been fortunate in my life to own tons of audio gear. I have literally owned probably 30 complete 5.1 set ups. I actually took part in designing one of the most sought after car audio competition subwoofers. I was an IASCA judge for a few years. I cannot for the life of me, get how you figured out how you “found your Sonos replacement” from an article that takes 3 minutes to read. Wow, the 4 inch speakers play down to 20hz. That must go through you like a cannon!
I must admit I didn't click the OP's link and didn't realise that he hadn't actually seen or heard his vastly superior alternative to Sonos.
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They had a great concept with the 5.1 setup but never truly delivered. The system is great for wireless music but even that space is getting crowded.


My whole point I guess I am trying to get through is IT IS A GREAT 5.1 setup! You are telling me that you own/have listened to a Sonos 5.1 set up and did not enjoy it? You are saying that you TRULY notice a difference between Sonos 5.1 and a set up with actual Dolby/DTS? You can not include ATMOS, 7.1, 9.1 because that’s a different game. I have been fortunate in my life to own tons of audio gear. I have literally owned probably 30 complete 5.1 set ups. I actually took part in designing one of the most sought after car audio competition subwoofers. I was an IASCA judge for a few years. I cannot for the life of me, get how you figured out how you “found your Sonos replacement” from an article that takes 3 minutes to read. Wow, the 4 inch speakers play down to 20hz. That must go through you like a cannon!


Yes I own a Sonos 5.1 system. As a Home Theater solution it is awful. It excels at music and is maybe good for some TV programs. A true home theater solution should be able to decode modern codecs. I cannot even play a Dolby TrueHD or any non-lossy audio codecs.

The Sennheiser product does all that and more and is receiving glowing reviews from those who have heard it. I will gladly report back as this is a day-one purchase for me.

Sounds like the Sonos fanboy is strong in this forum and for whatever reason people are not willing to admit Sonos’ offering is antiquated. It is not even marginally “good” when you factor in price:performance ratio.

And yes - I can most certainly hear the difference between DD 5.1 on Sonos and TrueHD or DTSX on a more capable system. Clear as I can hear the difference between an MP3 and lossless 192/24 Losless HD audio file.
I know if I had found my Sonos replacement, the very last thing I would be doing is posting on the Sonos forum. Aside from posting the system on e-bay, if I hated it enough to replace it, it would be over and done. I also don't follow my ex-girlfriend's Facebook feed or lurk outside her home. But that's just me. 😃

And yes - I can most certainly hear the difference between DD 5.1 on Sonos and TrueHD or DTSX on a more capable system. Clear as I can hear the difference between an MP3 and lossless 192/24 Losless HD audio file.


So, pretty much indistinguishable then... 😃
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Sounds like the Sonos fanboy is strong in this forum and for whatever reason people are not willing to admit Sonos’ offering is antiquated. It is not even marginally “good” when you factor in price:performance ratio.

And yes - I can most certainly hear the difference between DD 5.1 on Sonos and TrueHD or DTSX on a more capable system. Clear as I can hear the difference between an MP3 and lossless 192/24 Losless HD audio file.
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Sounds like the Sonos fanboy is strong in this forum and for whatever reason people are not willing to admit Sonos’ offering is antiquated. It is not even marginally “good” when you factor in price:performance ratio.

And yes - I can most certainly hear the difference between DD 5.1 on Sonos and TrueHD or DTSX on a more capable system. Clear as I can hear the difference between an MP3 and lossless 192/24 Losless HD audio file.


Sorry for the above error post. I have unusually nimble but fat fingers.
So what do you expect but “Sonos fanboys” on the Sonos Community?
And if Sonos is Such a horrible product, then why do you have an entire 5.1 set up? If you bought it new, that’s around $1500. So you went to the store, listened to the gear for hours, decided it was crap AND was not ideal for you because it was not “true” 5.1 and then you bought it?? Even if you got it used it was quite a price tag I’m sure. If you want to get rid of your “crap” Sonos I will pay you $100 for it. That’s a great deal on your end for crap!
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A lot of people here really drinking the kool-aid. I have had my 5.1 setup for several years. It was certainly not cutting edge at the time of purchase but worked well enough. It's the lack of innovation that has caused Sonos to be lapped by competitors and I don't think anyone can argue they are overpriced in an increasingly saturated market for what they do.

Lots of people are looking for a solid alternative to the playbar/playbase and the Sonos "vision" of a 5.1 setup. I provided an excellent alternative and now the fanboys (or Sonos employees) are out in full force. Fact of the matter is a Sonos 5.1 system is an audio dinosaur in this day and age. Please note I said I found MY replacement. If you want to hang on to your overpriced, decades-old technology, that is perfectly fine. But you sure sound silly defending the choice.
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A lot of people here really drinking the kool-aid.


So, what’s wrong with that? I personally love the kool-aid they’re feeding me! If you love Sennheiser's kool-aid so much why don’t you bring a big barrel over to their community and let them fill it up! You have nothing good to say about the Sonos brand so why post at all?