I want to make two irrefutable statements of fact:
1) Sonos is the best wireless speaker system in the world with a very intuitive app that makes wireless audio amazingly simple.
2) Sonos management cares little about customer feedback and is leaving millions on the table.
While that might sound kind of harsh, consider that the Sonos Community has viewed a thread over 46,000 times and I've seen online blogs begging for an outdoor speaker FOR YEARS! How many millions of dollars could Sonos have made by simply delivering on this request? I've personally looked for weatherproof enclosures for both the Connect Amp and Play speakers and nobody has an elegant solution.
It's completely aggravating when I come to the Sonos website after over a year of owning my system and still there is no answer to the community by management letting us know: A) when a weatherproof speaker is coming, or 😎 why it will never come. And I'm late to the party, which means others were ignored for over five years before me!
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I've had a pair of 3's on my patio for 5 years now, they are mounted just under the rain gutter, if the weather is very heavy, they get wet and snow... but they just keep on going, I have had zero problems with them what so ever.
The last couple of years I've had them wrapped in plastic artificial ivy vines, so that they are practically invisible and I tell myself that it must keep some of the worst rain away.
It should be noted that I live in Denmark, the weather here is shit 80% of the time.
The last couple of years I've had them wrapped in plastic artificial ivy vines, so that they are practically invisible and I tell myself that it must keep some of the worst rain away.
It should be noted that I live in Denmark, the weather here is shit 80% of the time.
Thanks for all the feedback and comments everyone.
As a rule, Sonos doesn't share a roadmap or development plans outside of the company. Because of this we generally don't talk about what's coming in the future. There isn't any official news right now on an outdoor or weatherproof speaker.
@digirati, I know it can be frustrating when there's a feature or product that you're rooting for us to produce and we don’t confirm or deny if it’s even on our roadmap. Everyone has features or suggestions that are close to their hearts and we all can get disappointed when these ideas don’t show up or aren’t addressed.
I can assure you that our development teams and management does care what the community is saying. There’s a full team here dedicated to reading every thread and getting involved with you all, answer questions when possible and facilitating discussion. We also share popular feedback within the company. High thread views, amount and regularity of requests are all great pieces of information which we watch closely and make sure to share. However not all requests, even popular ones get added to the roadmap.
Keep up the discussion and suggestions everyone, and let’s all remember to stay friendly.
As a rule, Sonos doesn't share a roadmap or development plans outside of the company. Because of this we generally don't talk about what's coming in the future. There isn't any official news right now on an outdoor or weatherproof speaker.
@digirati, I know it can be frustrating when there's a feature or product that you're rooting for us to produce and we don’t confirm or deny if it’s even on our roadmap. Everyone has features or suggestions that are close to their hearts and we all can get disappointed when these ideas don’t show up or aren’t addressed.
I can assure you that our development teams and management does care what the community is saying. There’s a full team here dedicated to reading every thread and getting involved with you all, answer questions when possible and facilitating discussion. We also share popular feedback within the company. High thread views, amount and regularity of requests are all great pieces of information which we watch closely and make sure to share. However not all requests, even popular ones get added to the roadmap.
Keep up the discussion and suggestions everyone, and let’s all remember to stay friendly.
These sorts of discussions remind me of the three year old, "shaming" its parents in a public space. It's just a negotiating tactic toward the lollypop. We see older citizens reliving this tactic on social media.
Pretty sure that Sonos outdoor weatherproof speakers are imminent. How do i know this? I dropped a $1000 on 2 connect amps to hook up 4 Polk weatherproof speakers in my yard arpund my pool. A royal pain in the you know where to run a few hundread feet of 12 gauge wire but its done and i do love it. :D:P;)
Even with a next generation battery, it will not work too well for a permanently installed speaker, to be bringing it in for recharge even occasionally. It will support only taking the speaker out temporarily, within WIFi range; and to a large extent this can be done with play units in sheltered spaces even today provided a mains socket is not too far away.
Probably why Sonos is leaving this on a back burner.
Probably why Sonos is leaving this on a back burner.
Love the Sonos product! In my last house I wired speakers throughout the whole house and outside. My new house is bigger and multiple stories and wiring speakers was looking like a daunting project. No worries... in comes Sonos and all is solved! LOVE the product and the ability to easily play other music on some speakers to easily adjust volume on different speakers. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT... Now get busy and MAKE OUTDOOR SPEAKERS PRONTO!!!!!! (Thank you!)
If you have to run a few hundred feet of speaker wire, more than likely any wireless speaker would be out of range. Personally, I doubt Sonos is going to build a truly weatherproof outdoor speaker. The logistics of outdoors, AC power, and WiFi range make for an engineering and support nightmare and is probably not worth the ROI.
Personally, I wouldn't get an outdoor Sonos speaker if they offered one. Price wise, I can't imagine in would be less than $250 per speaker. I would need at least 4 speakers in my yard, so that's $1000. It is cheaper to get a connect amp, plus 2 $150 pair outdoor speakers, plus wire. If there is any issue to the system due to weather, all I have to replace is the passive speakers, not the entire system.
My yard is also wide, but not very deep. Therefore it was preferred to put speakers along the back fence line then, sound coming in, then attached to the house, pushing sound to the neighbors. So my speakers are completely exposed to the elements. I wouldn't want to do that to Sonos speakers.
Besides that, I kind of enjoyed the wiring project. It's great that setting up Sonos is easy, but sometimes I missed having to do a little work.
My yard is also wide, but not very deep. Therefore it was preferred to put speakers along the back fence line then, sound coming in, then attached to the house, pushing sound to the neighbors. So my speakers are completely exposed to the elements. I wouldn't want to do that to Sonos speakers.
Besides that, I kind of enjoyed the wiring project. It's great that setting up Sonos is easy, but sometimes I missed having to do a little work.
A cover won't work because getting it to be weather proof AND acoustically transparent is close to impossible. And then there is still the unsolved problem of getting mains power in a way that is safe.
I completely understand and I appreciate the response. Even a response is a major plus, because then we at least know we are being heard (and not just me, anybody). I rarely go to forums and typically try Google instead, but just saw blog posts asking the same thing. Love your products and will continue to buy them (and I've told others about Sonos as well). Thanks!
1) I'd like to see weatherproof speakers if only to serve as an expansion of the Sonos ecosystem. I personally would not buy at least in the short term (I have fixed outdoor speakers wired to a Connect:Amp safely tucked away inside my house).
2) I am not sure that the OP's statement's qualify as "irrefutable statements of fact".
2) I am not sure that the OP's statement's qualify as "irrefutable statements of fact".
1) Sonos is the best wireless speaker system in the world with a very intuitive app that makes wireless audio amazingly simple.
2) Sonos management cares little about customer feedback and is leaving millions on the table.
Isn't 1 a consequence of 2?! It can't just be an outcome like the cliched million monkeys typing stuff for a million years and by chance then producing Hamlet.
As soon as I realised I needed music outside, I installed wired external passive speakers long before I bought into Sonos. Bringing them into the Sonos fold was a simple addition of a Connect.
Anyone that has temporary good weather needs for music outside, and has safe to use mains power, is better served using a play 1 unit.
Sonos could have made the required but would have decided to forego the "millions" in preference to more money to be made by using the same resources elsewhere. That's how every profit objective driven company must operate, it cannot afford to satisfy all the needs of all possible customers.
Think it's a bit harsh to claim Sonos "Management" is ignoring this request. I'm sure it's a collective decision by their product development and engineering team that this is not a priority. Frankly I can agree. I would rather they focus their efforts on next gen Sonos speakers integration with voice assistants and being in the mix with smart homes than divert resources to solves the issue of certifiably weatherproofing a self powered sonos speaker from rain, sun, heat, ice, etc. The elements are brutal. Weatherproof speakers is one thing, weatherproof powered electronics, whole other. Also, agree with other perspectives... an outdoor speaker is a funny thing. There's many different preferences there. Lately it seems people want hidden/camouflaged speakers outside. Additionally, you have to consider a vast array of conditions that could hinder the Sonos practicality. Having access to electrical outside isn't a assumed thing. Many people would have to install new outlets to locate speakers where they want them. There's a reason the outdoor nest cam has a 25ft power cable for instance. Finally, WiFi coverage, while getting easier to solve with mesh networking etc, is also potentially problematic outside for average homeowners. All that said, perhaps you and others are prescient and we'll see Google or Amazon beat them to market with a smart outdoor speaker.
Ah, the old "I just washed my car so it will rain" argument. Pretty solid evidence 🙂
What's your estimation on how many of these speakers could be sold in year 1, year 2, year 3, and year 5? And the estimated cost of spinning up a new manufacturing line? And the additional support needed? And liability insurance on manufacture of an electrical device designed to be used in a wet environment? And add another 20% for other costs I've not thought of...marketing, etc
I'm not slamming you, I'm truly interested. The best way to make your case for such a speaker is to run these numbers, and show if there's a financial interest for the company to do this. I don't know what the numbers are, but am assuming that Sonos does, and it's why they haven't done it (yet...who knows what they're planning, they certainly don't tell us). I hope I'm wrong, and that they are working on it. Or even if they'd just announce it.
I'm not slamming you, I'm truly interested. The best way to make your case for such a speaker is to run these numbers, and show if there's a financial interest for the company to do this. I don't know what the numbers are, but am assuming that Sonos does, and it's why they haven't done it (yet...who knows what they're planning, they certainly don't tell us). I hope I'm wrong, and that they are working on it. Or even if they'd just announce it.
Complacency at it's finest!!
Thanks, agree with your observations. I have considered the option of using Sonos as the source under the passive option, but had read somewhere that there was a lag in the transmission, thereby causing an annoying echo. Anyone been able to do that successfully? Again, still not sure why Sonos just can't offer a weather resistant speaker. I'm not going to leave it outside in the weather year-round.
There is no lag with a Connect:Amp in regards to other Sonos speakers. The lag only applies to the line-in source, and it is only in regards to the original source of the line-in. Also, you can experience lag due to a receiver putting DSP effects on the output of a Connect. Neither of these apply to powering a pair of outdoor speakers.
I wouldn't trust those speaker covers, at least not to the point where I'd leave my PLAYs outside. The speakers they cover in a marine environment are surely waterproof. The cover is just added security. And their warranty clearly states that if their product fails, then they cover the cost of the cover, not the speaker.
Besides that, I'd think the effort it takes to take the speakers in and out every time you want to use them isn't much more than having to cover and uncover these speakers.
All that said, I do have some outdoor speakers that are exposed to the elements where this might be useful. However, I can't justify a $45 cover for a $100 speaker. I'd rather just replace if it fails. And a cheap drawstring backpack covers them and keeps some of the water out for cheap.
Besides that, I'd think the effort it takes to take the speakers in and out every time you want to use them isn't much more than having to cover and uncover these speakers.
All that said, I do have some outdoor speakers that are exposed to the elements where this might be useful. However, I can't justify a $45 cover for a $100 speaker. I'd rather just replace if it fails. And a cheap drawstring backpack covers them and keeps some of the water out for cheap.
I agree completely that these guys are missing a "EPIC" opportunity as many satisfied Sonos owners crave an outdoor weatherproof connection! Someone is asleep at the switch!!!!!!
I was hoping to keep the covers on the PLAY5's even while playing them, maybe I mis-judged them and will need to take them off. Either way they will be mostly under a patio and will have to just protect from fog and humidity and dust. Moving the speakers is something I'm hoping to avoid, maybe for the San Diego rainy season of 2 months.
You have not had music outdoors while waiting the decade?!
I just ordered a cover from https://www.beyondthewake.com/outdoor-speaker-covers.php Will see if good, but figure if it can protect in a marine environment, under my porch should also be good 🙂.:?
ugh! Just left my play 3 outside after party and it got caught in rain... Good news. It still works. Bad news would love some outdoor sonos!!!
AM-1 explore some nice outside speakers bowers and Wilkins
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