Question

Line in for Play1 and Play3

  • 24 September 2016
  • 4 replies
  • 1576 views

First post. I very recently purchased a Play3 unit

I was weighing up the pro's and con's of a Play3 vs a Play5. Play3 had the looks, price and size going for it. Play5 had the superior sound and line in socket in its favour. This latter feature, the line in socket, was a particular issue for me as without it I think my CD collection will go the same way as my vinyl collection went, stored and then got rid of if I do not keep playing them. My eventual buying decision was to go for the less expensive Play3 and park the CD issue. If I am happy with Play3 I may well purchase the Play5 at a future date.

My feedback to SONOS is - with the switch to streaming there will be many like me who have 100's if not 1000's of CD's and even if they are all available on services like Spotify, they will still want to keep their cherished CD collection and be able to play them. Surely installing a 3.5mm line in socket in the Play3 and Play1 is not such a big ask and would be seen as a generous addition rather than the current feeling of being pressured into going for the most expensive option or purchasing a CONNECT unit just because we want to keep playing our CD's.

Otherwise I am very pleased with my new purchase.

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4 replies

Hi and welcome. Perfectly fine to ask, but as you more or less said yourself, it's just not the way Sonos is going.

A CD is just a collection of digital files on a shiny disk. Rip them in lossless form and the music is the same.just in a different format and a different location. Sonos is designed to work with computer based files not physical CDs. Go with the flow.
Sounds like Apple Airpods debate. So why have a Line In socket for the Play5?

In 10 years time or perhaps sooner the Sonos system might well be todays CD Player and end up in the electricals bin at the local recycling centre.

With the technical lifespan of music listening technology getting shorter and shorter the need for some backward compatibility seems sensible.
Sonos ZP,80 devices still work and are compatible after 12 years. Sonos doesn't need lessons in backwards compatibility. Anyway, there won't be a line in on the Play:1 or Play:3, I would bet my house on it. CD players will be on the scrap heap before Sonos.
Line in on a Play1 or Play3 would be great for 1 gazillion echo dots that are being sold over Xmas...(especially the one I bought for my daughter)

waiting for the Sonos / Alexa integration. HURRY