Wirecutter no longer recommends Sonos as top

Unfortunately, I agree.

I have been a strong supporter of Sonos and have two large systems with more than 40 speakers.  Doesn’t really matter how good the speakers are if you can’t access them on the app or the other myriad of problems I have experienced over the last year.   

The lack of diagnostics available to the end user to find out what is wrong with the system and the constant bugs has caused me to have to apologize to people that have made serious investments in Sonos on my recommendations.  

Hopefully there will be new leadership that is more interested in making the system work rather than chasing new features.  Frankly it has been very embarrassing. 

Now I can just say it is great when it works.  

I agree..wish I’d never bought Sonos..use to recommend it…not anymore.

I went with a competitor when I expanded my system with a prime day deal 🤷 no issues with the app 😭 works great and have a few different ways to integrate with my other speakers 

I’ll probably consider Sonos in the future for purchase if they fix the system and it’s the best product for my needs but that’s definitely not the case atm. 

I have been saying exactly this here since June 2020 and have been getting flamed for that. As, more recently, has also happened with my vocal support for S1, having stayed on S1 since 2020.

The app is just a remote control for a home audio system, that has taken front place now, ahead of the speakers and allied hardware. Quite ridiculous, and something that can happen only in the first world.

Edit: I should also add that SMB Version 1 continues to work fine for my NAS play using S1. I rarely use that route now though because iPhone triggered Spotify Connect casting to Echo Shows hard wired in turn to Sonos gives me the benefit of album art for music that is playing. 

And at the risk of again irritating @Bumper ! : My 5 zone system has continued to play flawlessly every day for the last couple of years since I finished ethernet wiring all zones, using S1. Including, obviously, for every day through this Sonos induced trauma for the user base in general. With every feature present and working as it should.

The whole idea behind sonos was a wireless hifi system that worked because it was designed to be wirless.  Bragging about your wired system is like saying you like your electric car now that you have installed a gas generator in the back seat to keep it charged while you are driving.  

Wiring moved uptime from 99 or so % to 100%. Worth it in my book, that change. Using line in creates more stress on the wireless. 

Unfortunately, I have to agree. My Sonos surround system has been giving me a lot of trouble—at this point, the Arc is the only component still functioning properly. I’ve been patient, hoping Sonos would address the issues with the app, but I’ve finally given up. As I search for a new surround system for a different TV/room, Sonos isn’t even in consideration. It’s disappointing to see how they’ve gone from delivering an outstanding customer experience to one of the worst.

Update: I just finished a 3-hour call with support, but unfortunately, they couldn’t resolve the issues with my surround system. It feels like they’re using customers as beta testers for their app.

I have the Arc, surrounds and Sub (gen3) and it’s working fine here - is the issue the TV, as the HT receives the signal from the TV over HDMI/Optical wired link and the communication to the surrounds & sub is over an ad-hoc wireless connection, rather than the local WiFi network? - assuming you’re not using wired connections.

You shouldn't even need the Sonos App once the configuration is in place.

If the devices are not getting their IP addresses (proxied via the Arc) then try SonosNet mode and if that doesn’t work, I’d consider changing the local router anyway… if that’s perhaps where your issues lie.