Why No Bluetooth Stereo on Move and Roam?

C
Userlevel 3

Why isn't stereo pairing via Bluetooth available on either the Move or Roam?

I have Bluetooth speakers from 2015 that cost $50 each that have stereo pairing capability.  I spent over $850 on a pair of Move's and was shocked to find they didn't have this capability.  It's a little mind boggling of an audio tech leader (and premium priced) Sonos product.
 
I'd be interested in purchasing a pair of the new Roam's, but without Bluetooth stereo pairing capability, I'm going to pass.  My primary use for these would be the beach, which obviously doesn't have Wi-Fi.
 
Are there any plans to add Bluetooth stereo pairing capability to the Roam or Move?  If not, why?
 
 
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109 replies

C

Thanks for your reply and advice.  I researched dual transmitting and discovered that I can connect and stream to two bluetooth speakers at the same time by using "dual audio" on my Samsung Galaxy phone.  Below is link to instructions.  

https://www.samsung.com/au/support/mobile-devices/setup-dual-audio/

Ken_Griffiths

The question that really matters, surely, is: "For how many potential purchasers is lack of stereo pairing over Bluetooth a deal breaker?"

I would venture to suggest that the answer is "hardly any".

If so, Sonos' decision not to have this feature is neither embarrassing nor inexplicable. 

I have a Sonos Move and was thinking of getting a Move 2.  But, I will not buy another Move portable speaker from Sonos until they add stereo pairing with Bluetooth.  Too much money to spend to not have that functionality.  I think Sonos purposely  holds off on these features to force you to buy future updated speakers.  Not doing it.

Just use a dual BT transmitter, or any nearby mobile hotspot and you can send Bluetooth audio to two or, in some instances, ‘many more’ Roam/Move speakers - the Move 2 has stereo output anyway. If you don’t want to purchase though that’s entirely your prerogative. The Move 2 can even help keep mobile devices/hotspots charged up too.

C

The question that really matters, surely, is: "For how many potential purchasers is lack of stereo pairing over Bluetooth a deal breaker?"

I would venture to suggest that the answer is "hardly any".

If so, Sonos' decision not to have this feature is neither embarrassing nor inexplicable. 

I have a Sonos Move and was thinking of getting a Move 2.  But, I will not buy another Move portable speaker from Sonos until they add stereo pairing with Bluetooth.  Too much money to spend to not have that functionality.  I think Sonos purposely  holds off on these features to force you to buy future updated speakers.  Not doing it.

Ken_Griffiths

Just add a nearby mobile Hotspot to the network settings in the Sonos App and play to a Roam stereo pair, using Bluetooth, away from Home, just take the mobile with you (which you will need as the Bluetooth audio source anyway.

So what would be the delay in this case?  Is it going to be more like BT 20ms (assuming the stereo pair is “bonded”) or more like 75ms (assuming the pair is “grouped”)?

It is so frustrating that the Sonos doesn’t officially release latency numbers for the different kinds of connection scenarios.

I haven't noticed the latency and I’m sure it’s not as much as 75ms to a Bluetooth-linked Roam stereo pair (which obviously play in perfect sync with each other when paired). I would notice that kind of delay. 

I say that, because when travelling/glamping in our camper van, I have linked a Roam stereo pair (WiFi linked together) using a Bluetooth connection to the left Roam speaker and an Amazon Fire TV stick and the TV Shows/Movies audio-output all play in lip-sync with the video on screen.

We use a D-Link dwr-2101 MiFi router to stream the A/V to the fire stick and the Bluetooth linked speakers sit vertical either side of the TV - that setup has always worked well and no noticeable delay in the Bluetooth audio.

Obviously the audio is stereo output from the Fire Stick, but it sounds better than our TV speakers by a mile. If there is any delay I couldn’t see/hear it with the video on screen.

Hope that assists.

Z
Badge

A deal breaker? That’s the bar that Sonos is trying to meet with its products?

It’s a deal breaker for me because I was considering buying two to add to my sonos system but if they can't be used away from home, I’m going to wait until they add this feature. Clearly other people also care because they have made the same comments. Are you trolling here? I’m just giving honest feedback.

 

And the devices could use whatever protocol works best according to the developers, bluetooth or wifi.

Agreed.  This is a deal breaker for me.  I have one Move and would like to add another for outside patio listening on Bluetooth as a stereo pair.  Considered the Roam also, but limited stereo pairing on Bluetooth makes this a non-purchase for me.

Just add a nearby mobile Hotspot to the network settings in the Sonos App and play to a Roam stereo pair, using Bluetooth, away from Home, just take the mobile with you (which you will need as the Bluetooth audio source anyway.

So what would be the delay in this case?  Is it going to be more like BT 20ms (assuming the stereo pair is “bonded”) or more like 75ms (assuming the pair is “grouped”)?

It is so frustrating that the Sonos doesn’t officially release latency numbers for the different kinds of connection scenarios.

Ken_Griffiths

A deal breaker? That’s the bar that Sonos is trying to meet with its products?

It’s a deal breaker for me because I was considering buying two to add to my sonos system but if they can't be used away from home, I’m going to wait until they add this feature. Clearly other people also care because they have made the same comments. Are you trolling here? I’m just giving honest feedback.

 

And the devices could use whatever protocol works best according to the developers, bluetooth or wifi.

Agreed.  This is a deal breaker for me.  I have one Move and would like to add another for outside patio listening on Bluetooth as a stereo pair.  Considered the Roam also, but limited stereo pairing on Bluetooth makes this a non-purchase for me.

Just add a nearby mobile Hotspot to the network settings in the Sonos App and play to a Roam stereo pair, using Bluetooth, away from Home, just take the mobile with you (which you will need as the Bluetooth audio source anyway.

B

A deal breaker? That’s the bar that Sonos is trying to meet with its products?

It’s a deal breaker for me because I was considering buying two to add to my sonos system but if they can't be used away from home, I’m going to wait until they add this feature. Clearly other people also care because they have made the same comments. Are you trolling here? I’m just giving honest feedback.

 

And the devices could use whatever protocol works best according to the developers, bluetooth or wifi.

Agreed.  This is a deal breaker for me.  I have one Move and would like to add another for outside patio listening on Bluetooth as a stereo pair.  Considered the Roam also, but limited stereo pairing on Bluetooth makes this a non-purchase for me.

Ken_Griffiths

STILL no BT stereo pairing?  How disappointing.

It’s now available in certain configurations. See the S2 14.6 software release note here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3521

Trying to understand what the release notes mean, especially the when connected to WiFi part.

 

“When connected to WiFi, Roam and Roam SL stereo pairs can now play stereo audio from Bluetooth sources. These stereo pairs will no longer separate when switching to Bluetooth mode. “
 

For example when I take my Roam and a Roam SL with me in my RV to the beach

will I be able to use them as a bluetooth stereo pair?

 

If I add a wifi router to my RV without world wide web connectivity, will that work?

Yes it should work fine. It needs the WiFi network to pair, not the internet. The Bluetooth audio then plays to the pair. I use it in our camper van, albeit in my case, I don’t carry the music with me so I do have mobile internet too, but it’s not necessary once you have setup and registered the Sonos devices.

R

STILL no BT stereo pairing?  How disappointing.

It’s now available in certain configurations. See the S2 14.6 software release note here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3521

Trying to understand what the release notes mean, especially the when connected to WiFi part.

 

“When connected to WiFi, Roam and Roam SL stereo pairs can now play stereo audio from Bluetooth sources. These stereo pairs will no longer separate when switching to Bluetooth mode. “
 

For example when I take my Roam and a Roam SL with me in my RV to the beach

will I be able to use them as a bluetooth stereo pair?

 

If I add a wifi router to my RV without world wide web connectivity, will that work?

Ken_Griffiths

STILL no BT stereo pairing?  How disappointing.

It’s now available in certain configurations. See the S2 14.6 software release note here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3521

S
Userlevel 2
Badge

STILL no BT stereo pairing?  How disappointing.

melvimbe

Maybe it’s just a case that Sonos have been waiting for this BT improvement …

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23204956/bluetooth-le-audio-completed-low-power-high-quality-wireless-headphones

 

Assuming Sonos Move and Roam can handle BLE audio, which seems likely, and that the source device can produce separate L/R channels over BLE, then Sonos would not do any stereo pairing at all, it’s just receiving a mono channel of audio.  If fact, seems like there would be nothing stopping you from using unlike BLE speakers as stereo pairs, or using as many speakers in the setup as you see fit.

It will be interesting to see how fast this new standard gets adopted.

Danny
Ken_Griffiths

Maybe it’s just a case that Sonos have been waiting for this BT improvement …

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23204956/bluetooth-le-audio-completed-low-power-high-quality-wireless-headphones

melvimbe

Thanks KG for the thoughtful write up and pics.  How do you get your music if the mifi device the roams are connected to doesn’t have a SIM card and therefore data connection?

 

either way, it seems like a lot of work and extra products to do something that competing speakers already do out of the box (JBL, Bose, etc).  I’m a huge Sonos fan, but this feature is simply missing.  Great job for engineering around it, too much trouble for me, though.

for me, sadly I’m boxing them back up and taking them back.  If that feature is added, then I’ll reconsider.  If I’m the only one that feels that way, then so be it.  From reading this thread string, I really don’t think I am.

 

 

It really depends on what features are your priority.  if you need stereo pairing over bluetooth, then the Sonos speakers are not for you.  If you need a bluetooth speaker that also works with your Sonos home audio setup, then you’ll want to get a Move or Roam. Is it a miss for Sonos not to provide stereo bluetooth? They surely would have appealed to more customers, but whether that was significant to cover cost of development and testing (while maintaining WiFi features) and whether the logistics of customers controlling stereo pairs over both WiFi and bluetooth proved to be confusing and frustrating to customers….I don’t know.

Either way, the feature isn’t there, and it makes perfect sense to buy the speaker(s) that fit your specific needs best.

Danny
Ken_Griffiths

Thanks KG for the thoughtful write up and pics.  How do you get your music if the mifi device the roams are connected to doesn’t have a SIM card and therefore data connection?

Once device setup/registration is complete, internet access is not required if the audio is held locally… or a ‘sending’ device like a mobile using Airplay2 for example, has access to deliver the tracks either online (4g/5g mobile access), or offline (if stored on the mobile device), but I mostly stream from online services anyway and use the offline tracks when travelling if there is no internet access available, which is rare when travelling around a good many areas of the UK.

C

Thanks KG for the thoughtful write up and pics.  How do you get your music if the mifi device the roams are connected to doesn’t have a SIM card and therefore data connection?

 

either way, it seems like a lot of work and extra products to do something that competing speakers already do out of the box (JBL, Bose, etc).  I’m a huge Sonos fan, but this feature is simply missing.  Great job for engineering around it, too much trouble for me, though.

for me, sadly I’m boxing them back up and taking them back.  If that feature is added, then I’ll reconsider.  If I’m the only one that feels that way, then so be it.  From reading this thread string, I really don’t think I am.

 

J

When the Move came out, there were posts saying that it was incredible that BT stereo pairing wasn't possible. 

So what can we conclude from the fact that the feature is absent from the Roam too? Either Sonos are really, really, really,  really stupid, or their market research says this feature would have negligible effect on sales.

Take your pick.

Ken_Griffiths

Oh and by the way, ,mifi hotspots are not supported for stereo pair.

That is simply not the case - I have setup my D-Link DWR-2101 with multiple Sonos products, stereo paired and standalone devices, same for the HUAWEI E5776, which I have used with stereo paired Roams and Moves. The MiFi devices work well, similar infact to any other wireless travel router, particularly when playing locally stored audio (with, or without, internet access) and are great for all the streaming services audio too in areas where a 4G/5G signal is reasonable.

3 Attachments
Ken_Griffiths

So now I have to buy two Sonos roams, a mini travel Wi-Fi’s router, and pay for a data service on said router to do what comes included on the Bose speakers with my cell phone simply through Bluetooth?

I don’t understand why there a few posters on here that can’t understand why this is a miss by Sonos.  I really don’t understand why they created this device without this feature.  I’ve seen a ton of posters frustrated with and either choosing not to buy or return it (like me), so clearly it’s a miss by Sonos.  If they fix that, I’ll be very tempted to go back and buy it… but for now that is simply a dealbreaker miss on the design.  (/sad face)

fyi, the two Bose revolves work beautifully for this and connect in stereo with either a button sequence on the speakers or using a Bose app.  The sound quality is terrific for the size and my application as well.  There are great alternatives.

I have several MiFi devices here - the cheapest HUAWEI E5776 cost me £40 off eBay and will work with the Roams without a SIM card if they’re setup/registered and just want to play ALL audio sources over WiFi. It’s a much cheaper option when you have the Roams in your possession already, rather than buying another product.

It’s also much better quality audio plus you can have a lot more than just two Sonos products on the same connection  - There are dual BT transmitters available to use with two Roams too.

In my case the Roams will also work with the rest of my Sonos system when I return Home and moreover they act as a Bluetooth line-in for the rest of my portable and non-portable Sonos products - meaning I can play BT audio to every speaker in my Sonos Household (if I do ever need that option). 

So lots more advantages to sticking with the Roam, for the tiny added cost involved… I think I may have failed to mention other features like SoundSwap, Button Grouping, and Sonos Voice Control in my post here too.🤷‍♂️

C

Oh and by the way, ,mifi hotspots are not supported for stereo pair.

C

Count me in the camp of disappointed.  I’m a HUGE SONOS user.  I have all KINDS of sonos products around my house and backyard (Ones, playbar, playsub, Play:1s, Play:3s, Connects, connect:amps, etc).  I bought these cause I’m a believer in the SONOS family of products.  I bought them as a speaker pair for my office (not home office) and was so disappointed that they don’t work as a bluetooth stereo pair.  They won’t work on my office wifi either cause “guest networks aren’t supported”.  Which means I have to set up a rogue network on my own to get it to work, and then, of course, they wouldn’t work on my home network.

So, I bought two BOSE Soundlink Revolves… they work effortlessly as a bluetooth stereo pair.  I was ready to give my money and allegience to Sonos here, but they are getting returned, and Bose can take my money.  So bummed.

You could have just plugged in a travel router, or even used a cheap MiFi device instead and got 24/48 streaming audio quality with numerous stereo-paired Moves over WiFi instead, plus access to Airplay, voice assistants etc. It’s really easy to take various mobile WiFi router devices with you these days, with/without internet access.

 

So now I have to buy two Sonos roams, a mini travel Wi-Fi’s router, and pay for a data service on said router to do what comes included on the Bose speakers with my cell phone simply through Bluetooth?

 

I don’t understand why there a few posters on here that can’t understand why this is a miss by Sonos.  I really don’t understand why they created this device without this feature.  I’ve seen a ton of posters frustrated with and either choosing not to buy or return it (like me), so clearly it’s a miss by Sonos.  If they fix that, I’ll be very tempted to go back and buy it… but for now that is simply a dealbreaker miss on the design.  (/sad face)

fyi, the two Bose revolves work beautifully for this and connect in stereo with either a button sequence on the speakers or using a Bose app.  The sound quality is terrific for the size and my application as well.  There are great alternatives.

Ken_Griffiths

Count me in the camp of disappointed.  I’m a HUGE SONOS user.  I have all KINDS of sonos products around my house and backyard (Ones, playbar, playsub, Play:1s, Play:3s, Connects, connect:amps, etc).  I bought these cause I’m a believer in the SONOS family of products.  I bought them as a speaker pair for my office (not home office) and was so disappointed that they don’t work as a bluetooth stereo pair.  They won’t work on my office wifi either cause “guest networks aren’t supported”.  Which means I have to set up a rogue network on my own to get it to work, and then, of course, they wouldn’t work on my home network.

So, I bought two BOSE Soundlink Revolves… they work effortlessly as a bluetooth stereo pair.  I was ready to give my money and allegience to Sonos here, but they are getting returned, and Bose can take my money.  So bummed.

You could have just plugged in a travel router, or even used a cheap MiFi device instead and got 24/48 streaming audio quality with numerous stereo-paired Moves over WiFi instead, plus access to Airplay, voice assistants etc. It’s really easy to take various mobile WiFi router devices with you these days, with/without internet access.

C

Count me in the camp of disappointed.  I’m a HUGE SONOS user.  I have all KINDS of sonos products around my house and backyard (Ones, playbar, playsub, Play:1s, Play:3s, Connects, connect:amps, etc).  I bought these cause I’m a believer in the SONOS family of products.  I bought them as a speaker pair for my office (not home office) and was so disappointed that they don’t work as a bluetooth stereo pair.  They won’t work on my office wifi either cause “guest networks aren’t supported”.  Which means I have to set up a rogue network on my own to get it to work, and then, of course, they wouldn’t work on my home network.

So, I bought two BOSE Soundlink Revolves… they work effortlessly as a bluetooth stereo pair.  I was ready to give my money and allegience to Sonos here, but they are getting returned, and Bose can take my money.  So bummed.

J

You can use Airplay to play anything on your iPhone to a pair of Moves when attached to your home network. And how many users will be chucking a pair of Moves in their backpack when they head for the beach? I suspect this feature was omitted because it would have had virtually no impact on sales. 

S

The “stereo pair in Bluetooth” is such an obvious omission. It’s very disappointing that I haven’t seen a comment from someone at Sonos. Do they read these posts? I like many of you made the stupid mistake of assuming that buying two of these speakers would allow me to play my iPhone in stereo via Bluetooth. Of course that would work….right? I mean, why wouldn’t they include that feature? I remember calling Sonos after I bought these speakers about a year and a half ago. I wanted support to show me how to set up my speakers in Bluetooth stereo pair mode. “I’m sorry, but that feature is not available. We add features all the time, and I’m sure you’ll see that in a future firmware update.” Hasn’t happened yet. Hey Sonos. You can do better. 

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