Utter disgrace. I deliberately spent more with Sonos as I trusted their ‘build your speaker network’ message. 1000s of pounds invested and I discover that half my system only bought in 2014 is out of date. NOT ACCEPTABLE. I have 30 year old speakers that still play quality music - I don’t expect very expensive speakers to be out of date in 6 years. What a joke. I will immediately stop recommending your brand and I’m sure you’ve just killed the future of Sonos.
£3000 spent - now I know what you are doing no longer will I recommend your products or buy anymore!
what are you doing SONOS?
You will also be able to separate your legacy products from your modern products, so that the modern products can still receive updates and new features, and legacy products can still be used separately. We’ll have more information on how to do this in May when you can take that action.
You missed out a vital point, does this mean the legacy and modern will be interoperable? Or completely seperate? I am fine with my legacy speakers not getting updates, but I want my modern speakers to get updates and new features. I then EXPECT to be still able to group music between legacy and modern.
David, you’ve hit the nail on the head here. The screaming lack of detail from Sonos is appalling.
@Ryan S Sonos expect all it’s loyal customers to wait five months until you can tell us how our very expensive audio systems are going to work?! Your leaders have rocks in their heads.
Wow!
Thanks! Thanks a lot! Sonos!
Over.
As with most comments, utterly outraged by how they’ve treated loyal customers. The 30% discount is beyond offensive. My Play 5 is barely 5 years old and works just as well today as when it was first purchased. Why would anyone consider scrapping something when there’s nothing wrong with it? I’ve gradually built up our collection of Sonos speakers throughout the house and had my eye on several new devices. In light of this announcement I won’t be making further purchases as don’t want to carry the risk of this happening again in the near future. There are plenty of competitors in the market now and considerably cheaper prices, why alienate your customer base so crudely? Massive failure of a brand overnight. Disgraceful.
As I relax this evening and listen to my Connect streaming Spotify to my Audio Note Dac, Cary tube pre amp, and DIY tube amps on some really nice speakers, I’m surfing the web for my Connect replacement, using a Google tablet which Sonos just told me 2 weeks ago was no longer getting any updates either. How nice.
I’ve been considering what to do next for about a year now. I’ve been a very happy Sonos customer for over 10 years now. All my music has been ripped to digital, and working nicely. Sonos can stream up to FLAC file formats, but I’ve wanted to explore hi-res formats, with a system like Roon tied into it all.
One thing about Sonos history, they never told you anything about what was planned or in the works. With this announcement I guess my decision has been made for me. I was hoping with the new products released there would be news about support for hi-res streaming support, but alas silence.
So, I end up with 3 Connects, 2 Amps, and 3 speakers that have one foot in the grave for now. I could keep the now obsolete hardware and run a stagnant musical environment and/or upgrade to newer, better technology for streaming purposes at least. It’s a shame, I really love my Sonos, but like a cheating women, she doesn’t look so good any more.
I hope there’s a better ending to all of this for you folks who have so much more into their Sonos gear than I do. Good luck, keep bashing them, there might be hope yet.
Oh, what’s this, I see this Bluesound thing on my none supported tablet, gotta run guys.
I truly believe that this is the beginning of the end for Sonos. The loyalty and promotion by us long time customers has built a great reputation and confidence in a business which made expensive equipment that still was deemed a good buy because it was an investment.
If Sonos now loses 1) Its loyal fan base, 2) The promotion of said fan base, and 3) the view that the products are an investment (now it’s not anymore- it’s perishable goods) the only road forward is down.
The next implication of this is that it will amplify the fall. Who dares buy products that only works at the mercy of the manufacturer if said manufacturer is seen as doomed? I for one don’t. It’s a sad reality, all happening because of one I’ll fated, poorly considered corporate decision.
I just tried browsing the upgrade site to see what components can be upgraded - are only specific combinations of new/old players allowed for the trade-up?
To be clear, this is for the purpose of putting together a comparison for a whole-system replacement of Sonos vs. the alternatives.
However, it’s a very scary website - clicking the recycle button didn’t give me the next stage (upgrade options with pricing), but just a scary, final confirmation - do you want to recycle your component within 21 days. Goodness knows what would happen if I mis-clicked.
Beware!
Utter disgrace. I deliberately spent more with Sonos as I trusted their ‘build your speaker network’ message. 1000s of pounds invested and I discover that half my system only bought in 2014 is out of date. NOT ACCEPTABLE. I have 30 year old speakers that still play quality music - I don’t expect very expensive speakers to be out of date in 6 years. What a joke. I will immediately stop recommending your brand and I’m sure you’ve just killed the future of Sonos.
I am sure all the other smart speaker manufacturers are sitting up and taking notice. I would think they would not repeat the same mistake, especially when all the ex-sonos base turn to them for solutions.
An interesting effect of this whole mess is that we are all now forced to consider if our Sonos products are worth the price of new ones minus 30% - and this could lead to new ways of thinking. An old dream dies and a new one is born.
I decided that for the price of a Port (the obvious Sonos replacement for my ZP90) it was possible to get several interesting products, and the lack of the Toslink in Port more or less pushed me into trying out one of those, in my case being a Yamaha MusicCast WXC-50. Ugly it is, but the features seem better. Now I just hope that it can play and that the app is reasonable to use.
I still have a Play 5 (or whatever it was called when I bought it), but as I don’t use it very much I will just watch it die. And when that happens, I will replace it with whatever seems reasonable at the time.
I have no illusions on the lifespan of the Yamaha product - but I have no trust in Sonos either, so why by any more of that? Instead, while monitoring the market for transparant multi-vendor solutions, standardized and maintainable, possibly open source, I will just avoid getting tied up to any one vendor.
"Hey baby, thanks for clearing my dreams” - as Katie Melua is now singing through the soon-to-go ZP90.
Honestly think the company missed a trick. Put out a new device, as mentioned previously, that allows legacy and modern to co-exist - people with thousands invested would pay for it - they’d grumble, but they’d pay.
This move has destroyed brand confidence. Even if they walk this back, which seems unlikely, how can we trust them? I’m not affected extensively by this change, yet, but as I add new kit (need a new home cinema) I’m going to have to look to build something sustainable - but man do I hate wires.
I thought the same. Absolutely agree.
I am a long time Sonos user and have spent thousands of dollars on your products. I am no longer going to spend a single penny on your products any more.
I don’t even own these ”obsolete” products. I’m just worried now you’re going to do the same thing to the speakers I bought only 4 years ago. I can’t trust any speaker you sell today will become obsolete in a couple of years. I want my system to continue to receive updates and work with older speakers.
What a shame. I felt so much loyalty to Sonos
" I can’t trust any speaker you sell today will become obsolete in a couple of years", you are absolutely right.
Shame on you Sonos
How to destroy a brand value in one easy lesson!
I bought many of your earliest products - I have been with you from the beginning. I bought my most recent addition two weeks ago, and numerous ones in the subsequent years to build a large system - which I love and tell lots of people about. That last purchase will be the last one. I remember your promise that you’ll always support your products.
To “update” my products will cost more than £3000, for just the one’s you’ve announced - if you drop support for the ones bought in the next few years too, that will be another couple of thousand to spend to “rebuild” myself system.
I’m ok with new features only on some products - but to limit new features on the system to the oldest product doesn’t seem necessary, and feel that Sonos has sold out. You have destroyed the value of your brand and become just the norm.
Looks like I’m not the only one who feels cheated -when I pay to rebuilding my system, it’ll be with another set of products.
Amp etc not supported from May? This stuff wasn’t cheap and even with discount replacing it is expensive. It also sets a precedent that customers will swallow this again when stereo equipment is supposed to last a long time. Especially what is supposedly good kit.
Nope. When it stops working I am going elsewhere. They can have the £2k.
OK, so I understand that the legacy speakers won’t have the chops in the future. You could turn this stink around by offering a more generous upgrade. 70% discount (or your cost) would go down easier then 30%. I’ve been an early booster and a recent stockholder.
Well Sonos. You have lost a long term customer. My £1500 system will be replaced but not with your tight 30% discount. Many years of loyalty treated with contempt. Disgusting customer service.
My brand loyalty has gone from 100% to 0% overnight.
I have a mixture of Sonos “legacy” and new products, including a Move purchased only 4 weeks ago, and with this announcement you have in affect destroyed my Sonos echo system and the large financial investment I have made. A loyal customer who has recommended you many times and won’t now buy another product.
You implemented AirPlay and Voice Services that works perfectly alongside “legacy” products in the same echo system of new (Sonos One, Move, Beam) and legacy products (Connect), so it is hard to understand why you won’t do this going forward. You need to reverse this decision and find a technical solution that allows all products to co-exist; you have overnight destroyed your brand, started another environmentally disastrous policy and lost many thousands of customers (and don’t forget six degrees of separation, which will make this figure grow exponentially!)
Oh dear, oh dear. Sonos I am deeply saddened by this news. As a consumer with 11 Sonos devices in my household, some remain supported and some soon not able to receive updates.
I have converted no less than 50 friends and colleagues to Sonos through my great experience to date. People with Bose, other hifi separates and surround sound systems have been convinced through my promotion to convert to Sonos.
This latest announcement leaves me personally disappointed and affected but also embarrassed for the all the recommendations I have made to friends, family and colleagues.
Unfortunately my promotion of Sonos will no longer continue and I will out of principal be looking to other alternative manufacturers.
Thanks
I have always thought the Sonos system has been fantastic - I have 5 systems through the house as have my dad and brother on my recommendation. How can I possibly recommend it to anyone else now?
My ‘legacy’ products are less than 2 years old and they expect me to upgrade, giving them more money?
are they stupid?
never buying another Sonos product,never recommending them, in fact the opposite!
go to trustpilot I have!
goodbye Sonos it was good before you ruined ev
Well that was good timing by SONOS. As my Play 5 and Connect are going to be obsolete shortly what are the chances of any other kit being forced into obsolescence a couple of years down the line. I was just about to invest in a Beam, Sub and a couple of Play 1’s but won’t be bothering now. Like most others on here I have invested significantly into the Sonos ecosystem and recommended it to anyone who will listen. As least two friends purchased many items based on my set up, and I bought following a recommendation from another friend. Can’t imagine anyone recommending them now. Will Sonos be around in two years following this announcement?
What a sad end to a brilliant bit of kit
I’ve been planning all month to go out and buy two play ones and a sub to add to my collection on payday (tomorrow) I’m done with Sonos. 30% discount was laughable this new announcement is outrageous.
