I am very disappointed in Sono’s with this Legacy move. This thread seems a lot more calm than what I am reading on the net so I am suspicious it is being edited and this post won’t make it.

We own thousands of dollars in Sono equipment that we use daily and it serves us well. BUT, learning that we will be required to replace $1500 in equipment which we can’t even sell for a meagre 30% off new equipment is insulting to say the least. 

Why would anyone replace good equipment that the only reason is due to software for more equipment that Sono’s has the control to do again in 5 years?? 

I only make a bad investment once. 

No way am I investing more with this company. 

Your so called “legacy” will be falling stock prices. 

This is one of the most egregious cases of exploiting a captive customer base in the interests of profit that I have ever seen. I am an “IT guy” and if we pulled the plug on support for a hardware/software version with 3 months notice we would have been out of business years ago (Microsoft gave 5 years notice for end of support for Windows 7 for example). The “insufficient memory/power” excuse is bogus - there are always ways around such constraints (if there’s a will), and maintaining support for multiple software version threads is business as usual. So admit it, the driver here is profit. You can do this once, Sonos, but now your (ex-)loyal customers are forewarned and may well choose one of the many alternatives now on the market when their systems no longer work. Shameful.

I think everyone understands end of support for products. But to stop updating thousands of dollars of NEW equipment because we also have 2 pieces of legacy equipment (sounds small, but still worth $1000!) on the same “system” is either a sign of wildly poor design (coming from a software developer who understands the complexities and intricacies of software as complex as this), or extreme greed. My assumption here, based on the lack of backwards-incompatibility and offering a measly 30% (what is your break-even percent?) discount on new products, is that it’s both.

You quite simply need to extend the legacy service past May for however long it takes for you to offer the ability to allow new products to receive updates while letting legacy products live their unsupported lives on the same “system”. If this means no grouping to legacy devices, so be it. If this means no updated support for streaming services  on legacy devices, so be it. But legacy devices need to be able to live on the same “system” as new devices - new devices that CONTINUE TO RECEIVE UPDATES. 

In layman’s terms - this is complete horses**t. I didn’t sign up for “hardware as a service”.  Continue to support and update my new devices while not taking away my old ones. This is the only acceptable solution.

This is a user forum, so I think users are entitled to contribute.

I understand that older tech will need updating eventually, but i am absolutely disgusted that there is not a like for like replacement product for the old zone 90 and 120 amp (connect and connect:amp). 

instead we are being forced to pay an extortionate amount of money for units that do far more than i will ever need them to. Why can’t you release a lower cost option that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles to replace the connect and connect amp? 

I have always been a huge supporter of sonos and was going to add some more zones, but once my base system stops working, i will be looking to an alternative brand as a solution 

Really disappointed.

Adding my displeasure to this growing thread.

I am not happy, and will no longer recommend SONOS to anyone. I will not buy the Move I was planning for the barn.

I spent a lot of money on high quality speakers to have them last a long time. This is the expected return of investment, and worked for my old Denon and Infinity system.

I don't want updates, ever. I want a stable seamless system, which connects to 2 music services. I don't want to talk to it, ever. I don't want new features. I like music. I hate new features.

At least a frozen system will not suffer from updates which make it slower and occasionally not work.

I'm now hoping SONOS will realise how bad this is and ensure legacy systems can run as long as SONOS exists as a company. 

Our commitment is to support products with software updates for a minimum of five years after we stop selling them, and we have a track record of supporting for longer. The Sub is still being sold today.

Wow.  However, I’m really not that surprised by this “betrayal”; Sonos has been pushing pretty hard on the sales front as of late, if the number of “buy new stuff” related messages I have recently received from Sonos is any indication.

I have about a 50/50 mix of  (cough) ‘’Modern” and “Legacy” Sonos boxes; I will not be trading up any of my Sonos gear, nor will I be purchasing any new Sonos equipment.  Hardware failures will not be replaced with Sonos items.

I plan to go into legacy software mode; I have found that the vast majority of software updates over the past few years have done nothing to improve my personal user experience.  I also find the constant twiddling with the controller GUI to be incredibly annoying, so forcing legacy stability on me is actually a plus.  I will hopefully get a few more years out of my system, before I move on to another vendor’s gear.

Terrible decision. I have purchased a number of Sonos products over the years but that will change now. I have other audio equipment that would offer an upgraded circuit board for a minimal cost if capabilities changed significantly. Instead Sonos feels their old systems have to be recycled and only has a 30 percent discount. Will no longer recommend Sonos if the lifespan is this short. Sonos states a product intro date but fails to point out that the products in some cases were still being sold just a year ago and are now obsolete

I’m out. Sonos lost me forever. I’ll make sure everyone I know knows to not purchase from such a crappy and greedy company. Better options out there now anyway. They can keep their crappy discount (and even have the nerve to make you turn in old equipment). They can keep their new speakers they are trying to sell, because those will be outdated in five years. What a shit company. So disappointed in their stupidity and lack of respect. 

The legacy mode for older devices will keep working, but eventually software changes with services may make legacy devices be unable to connect with them. You’ll be able to split systems though and use your modern devices separate from your legacy devices both in the same household.

I’ve been using Sonos products for almost 10 years. Today’s announcement (if the company follows through with it) will ensure I don’t ever buy another product from you. As others have noted this nonsense about ‘memory and processing power’ is so see-through.  Forcing us to recycle perfectly functioning hardware and spend a ton on new stuff (for folks like me who have multiple systems) is a great way to piss off your customers. Customers like me; who have evangelized your product to many of our friends and have helped your company grow. Sonos is not (nearly) the only game in town these days, so if you follow through with this plan I’ll continue to use my current gear until it stops working and then I’ll be buying one of your competitors systems. 

And you are deleting threads and comments about this too, very classy.

This will dump 7 of my ridiculously expensive units. I am gobsmacked at this. Shocking piece of profiteering, even if I was I inclined to upgrade, what’s to say the next batch of kit isn’t dumped next year? 
 

So when will my Playbar and Sub be made Legacy? Next year? Do I need to rush my stuff onto eBay before the news gets out?  Why would ANYONE ever buy more of your gear?  If I bought more Sonos from this day forward I’d always be wondering if this was the year they brick my system. 

SONOS please publish a “legacy timing document” so I have some idea when to eBay my stuff - I’ll do it as fast as I can but would love any help you can give me.   Also thanks for making this announcement so I know NOT to invest in your temp gear and buy products that are built to last. 

Planned obsolescence never looks good on a company.

You will have to offer more significant upgrades for a higher discount before I upgrade anything, 

Disgusting build Up already a expensive system  bit by bit and then get to see this, tech guys I works with have pulled out before buying after doing some research this may be the end of Sonos. If that happens our newer gear will be left without any updates etc

My own post, having replied to another one which made me see red!!!

As a Connect owner, I have to agree with others who have expressed concern that the equivalent upgrade is nowhere near as good quality as the equipment I have already.

That said, no ‘legacy’ owner should ever be put in a position where their products are rendered potentially unusable over time.  Whatever technological development occurs, past products should be respected and at least allowed to function without any need to reinvest in any other product unless the CUSTOMER wishes to do so.

Sonos is clearly forgetting it’s founding customer base that put the company on the map.  

My daughter is getting married this year (Jaguar now on hold, fathers of daughters about to be married will understand this one), I am forced to do an essential home upgrade to preserve the integrity of my home - this week as it happens.

At no time did I ever think that I may have to consider paying for a replacement product that simply doesn’t need replacing at a time when I can least afford it.  30% trade in is an insult to those who supported Sonos in the first place.

And those who can’t understand the anger (and there are many posts here that justifiably express such anger), just try for once to understand those of us who are really pissed off with Sonos right now for the decision taken to label us a ‘Legacy owners’ and effectively force an upgrade that isn't wanted. 

I have 13 SONOS units, including Gen1 Play 5’s. Today, SONOS sent an email announcing that 10 of the units will no longer get software updates as of May 2020. So, if any music service,  MS Windows, or Apple makes a security change after May 2020 that the existing software doesn’t agree with, then my system will stop operating.

The replacement cost of these 10 units is $4,650 and even with 30% offered for trade-ins, my outlay to keep my system operating will be $3,255.

When Microsoft and others force an upgrade, to say, Windows 10, the upgrade is free. If you can’t do that because the issue is inadequate amount of memory for future firmware upgrades, then I would suggest doing what the router and NAS companies do, and have two update paths … including one for “legacy’ products so at least existing functionality would remain working with critical security updates, etc..

The installed base of legacy SONOS equipment must be huge and I have no intention of being forced to replace SONOS equipment with SONOS. If I started over with a new non-SONOS system, it would be cheaper than SONOS. Based on what is in the SONOS Community board, I am not the only one who thinks this way.

This is NOT RIGHT!!! 

 Your company needs to create a better solution for those of us who were early adopters, who bought early and often because we believed in your company and its products. a 30 percent discount on replacement equipment is a benefit….to your own company. not to me! 

If you must...create a second “class” of owners to protect us and our investment in your products. But the letter you sent is arrogant at best. Do better or say bye bye while I say “hello (Siri)” to any of the recent knockoffs of your product. “Hey Alexa”.

This is 

.

Per the announcement, these products were INTRODUCED between 2009 and 2011. However, Play 5 Gen 1 and Connect were sold as recently as 2015! They are barely 4 years old. Like many others, I have a lot invested in Sonos and this is very disappointing support. I am going to seriously rethink my commitment to the brand.

I can’t believe that Sonos will have removed all support by the end of 2020. I have spent 10 years putting together my collection of amps and speakers, helped with the Beta tests and recommended the system to so many people.

After 20 years of supporting Sonos, they have let myself and others down for the almighty dollar, welcome to Trumps world.

If ever there was a time to short a stock … 

You said something similar about the ZonePlayers if I remember rightly and how they wouldn’t be retired as they ran different software to CR100s which wasn’t as intensive. So excuse me if that comment is taken with a pinch of salt. 

Number of new features delivered since the demise of the CR100 - pretty much zero of interest. I wonder what they won’t bring everyone after this cull. Not much more I suspect.

@Ryan S comments about no plans to retire the zone players look a bit hard to swallow along with a £3000 bill.

I have a Sub & Playbar from near release, and some early Play1s. Presumably I can spend £3k this year replacing Connects, and £3k next year replacing Play1s & Playbar/Sub. If technology has taught me anything it is that intervals half. So can expect the next lot of hardware to last half as long until is declared EOL. That doesn’t exactly make me want to commit £3k for hardware with a 5-year lifespan! 

Suspect this is going to be bigger than the CR100 issue.

I've just read that after May, Sonos will no longer support my sound system (Playbar and two Play5) Gen 1.

I spent a lot of money on this system and am appalled that I can be cut loose just like that

I looked at Bose and B&O at the time but chose Sonos as the new company will be more efficient, supportive etc. 

I clearly made a mistake as my system can die at any time after May 2020

WHEN THAT HAPPENS I WILL GO BACK TO BOSE AND TELL ALL MY FRIENDS

@Ryan S Could you specify the details of this please? Will both parts of the system be controllable from a single controller? Will they share any settings (playlists, services, etc.)?

This level of detail is essential to aid understanding of the impact of this change.