Amazon Alexa amplifier, receiver, subwoofer


This is getting very interesting. With the addition of Alexa Cast, which IME works better than Chromecast, and certainly better than AirPlay, Amazon is building quite a system. Obviously they don’t have SonosNet, but with lots of mesh WiFi systems on the market now, they may not need it.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/17/amazon-planning-8-new-alexa-devices-microwave-amplifier.html

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For Sonos' sake, you had better not be right with the above. Blackberry deja vu, if so, down to the supposedly tight user base.

Blackberry had an inferior product and could not keep up with the competition. In the world of multi-room audio, Sonos is still far ahead of the competitors. Sonos has never taken new tech for granted. They started with their own remote and transitioned to the smart phone app when it became the norm. They are doing the same thing with voice control by partnering with Amazon (and soon Google). Sonos didn't have to create their own phone in order to deliver their ideal experience on the mobile app and they don't need to create their own voice assistant to control your speakers.

For many customers, they really don't have much need for a multi-room system
For users who want a single speaker the choices are infinite. There's no problem having a product that fulfills this market (like the Sonos One) but the last thing Sonos should do is lower their quality standards to capture the lowest end market. It would be like Apple creating a flip phone because the iPhone wasn't capturing 100% of phone sales.

Rather than compete in the single speaker market, Sonos is trying to capture the simple home theater market. This makes more sense to me. It's a harder challenge but it falls in their wheelhouse. This also allows a customer to start with a cheap(ish) sound bar, then add some rear channels and then save up for a sub.

These are just my opinions.
Everything here are individual opinions that will be validated only in 2022 or some such. Fortunately, we have no skin in the game, and can watch it without any tension. Except for those that have bought Sonos stock. Or that of Amazon.

Blackberry had an inferior product and could not keep up with the competition. In the world of multi-room audio, Sonos is still far ahead of the competitors. Sonos has never taken new tech for granted. They started with their own remote and transitioned to the smart phone app when it became the norm. They are doing the same thing with voice control by partnering with Amazon (and soon Google). Sonos didn't have to create their own phone in order to deliver their ideal experience on the mobile app and they don't need to create their own voice assistant to control your speakers.


But BB was a superior product at one time. Sonos is ahead of the competition in many areas, but is behind in other areas...name recognition, costs, and size (of company). Those factors are very important to a lot of consumers, more so then sound quality, multiroom functionality, and HT capabilities. I agree that Sonos has made a lot of good decisions over the years, but that doesn't mean they're in a better position then Amazon/Apple/Google. I don't think they have to be in a better position, they just need to be relevant to a significant part of the market.



For users who want a single speaker the choices are infinite. There's no problem having a product that fulfills this market (like the Sonos One) but the last thing Sonos should do is lower their quality standards to capture the lowest end market. It would be like Apple creating a flip phone because the iPhone wasn't capturing 100% of phone sales.


But a $200 dollar options doesn't really fulfill that market. Yes, Sono is better sound quality than other many/most other options, but why is a customer going to spend $200, when they can get an good enough Echo for half the cost? Heck, the $50 dot is the besting selling smart speaker their is. I love Sonos products myself, but when I think of friends and family as potential customers, Sonos doesn't fit what many of them want and need. I'm not saying that Sonos definitely needs a cheaper speaker, just that there clearly is a rather large market for speakers of a quality below what Sonos sells.


Rather than compete in the single speaker market, Sonos is trying to capture the simple home theater market. This makes more sense to me. It's a harder challenge but it falls in their wheelhouse. This also allows a customer to start with a cheap(ish) sound bar, then add some rear channels and then save up for a sub.


I agree that Sonos should not lose sight of their strengths. They definitely need to make sure that they remain strengths. Hopefully, the can find a way to add a few more strengths to give consumers more reasons to chose Sonos.