Chromatic Producer I

Sonos really that bad?

57 replies
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Hi all!

Yesterday I had a friend at my home. He is a true audiophile. He owns a Sonus Faber speakers with Mcintosh amp and a whole lot more really expensive equipment (DAC, cords...). But, he used to own a system 5 or 10 times cheaper so I think he knows what he is hearing/saying. I myself listened to his newest system. I went speechless.

I told him numerous time: Sonos is not for critical music listening, but my 5.1 setup for movies: it can hold its own. So, yesterday he had his ears on my Playbar, rear 3’s and a SUB.

First, Eric Clapton’s Layla, unplugged through Spotify. After 10 seconds, he went: “Whoa, someone killed the musicians”. I LOLed but even before I had a chance to “tweak” the sound he kindly asked me to turn it off :-)

Ok, how about some movies. The plane hijacking scene of The Dark Knight Rises was our choice. He let me go a bit longer than Layla but he said: Do you know how much sound you are missing here? So, I pushed mute, and replied: I don’t agree, I thing that movies sound good. Also, the music is adequate for background listening. His conclusion was: ignorance is bliss…

Is Sonos really that bad for music and movies as well? I have no aspire to become an audiophile of any sort, but I was thinking of a pair of Fives in a near future to sit down in front and enjoy the sound.

Neven

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NevenAuthor

Chromatic Producer I

Thank you for helping sorting my thoughts out. It seems to me I only need one more Sonos unit. This forum warned me long ago, the GAS will happen.

Neven

A

amun

If you’re happy with the sound from your Sonos kit, surely that’s all that matters.

I’ve always found, though, that - all other issues like volume matching and blind testing aside - it’s usually easier to hear differences if you go from a ‘good’ system to a ‘less good’ system. Going up the quality scale often doesn’t sound very different - better, but not hugely different. Once you’re used to the better quality kit, though, going back to a lower quality system is immediately apparent. This may well be why he’s having such a swift and decisive reaction.

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nik9669a

Senior Virtuoso

I’ve always found, though, that - all other issues like volume matching and blind testing aside - it’s usually easier to hear differences if you go from a ‘good’ system to a ‘less good’ system. Going up the quality scale often doesn’t sound very different - better, but not hugely different.

And that’s why “audiophile” retailers will always let you listen to the expensive, “better” system first, in the hope there’s “something missing” for you to pick up when you then listen to the cheap system.

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NevenAuthor

Chromatic Producer I

If you’re happy with the sound from your Sonos kit, surely that’s all that matters.

I’ve always found, though, that - all other issues like volume matching and blind testing aside - it’s usually easier to hear differences if you go from a ‘good’ system to a ‘less good’ system. Going up the quality scale often doesn’t sound very different - better, but not hugely different. Once you’re used to the better quality kit, though, going back to a lower quality system is immediately apparent. This may well be why he’s having such a swift and decisive reaction.

Maybe… Yesterday we had a short chat about it. He said: it’s a good home theather. For music it’s no good. He added the SUB is very powerfull. So, Sonos got some ok reviews. But I still think that a minute of listening is not nearly enough and that I did not present the wonderfull Sonos system at it’s best.

Neven

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NevenAuthor

Chromatic Producer I

I’ve always found, though, that - all other issues like volume matching and blind testing aside - it’s usually easier to hear differences if you go from a ‘good’ system to a ‘less good’ system. Going up the quality scale often doesn’t sound very different - better, but not hugely different.

And that’s why “audiophile” retailers will always let you listen to the expensive, “better” system first, in the hope there’s “something missing” for you to pick up when you then listen to the cheap system.

True. Also, I do think that very few people have ”perfect” hearing in order to able to detect subtle nuances and frequencies in music.

Neven

A

amun

But I still think that a minute of listening is not nearly enough and that I did not present the wonderfull Sonos system at it’s best.

Many years ago I had a mid-range ‘hi-fi’ system - Quad, KEF, Thorens. A friend of ours had a small mini system which included tape player, CD, radio and speakers which cost about £50.

When she’d come to us she’d say that the only difference she could hear between her system and ours was that ours would go louder.

When we went to her place, it was obvious within seconds of playing any track that the mini system was missing so much of the music - colouration, timing, clarity - everything was inferior. Even SWMBO (who doesn’t give a toss about sound quality) used to comment on it. The owner was very happy with it, though, and we considered it impolite to criticise - why would we wish to upset a friend?

My advice is to stop worrying about it and to enjoy your Sonos. If you’re happy with the sound, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. There’s always going to be someone out there who has spent a lot of money on their system in the pursuit of - something (maybe just bragging rights). Ignore them.

ratty

Maybe if Sonos had glowing tubes and a few flickering VU meters it would sound a whole lot more acceptable.

K

Kumar

Maybe if Sonos had glowing tubes and a few flickering VU meters it would sound a whole lot more acceptable.

Even if the glowing tubes were not in the signal path and if the flickering thing added some noise to it….so long as one is ignorant of this state of affairs, so as to allow the brain to be fooled.

On the other hand, I do recognise that the listening experience isn't just what happens via the ears. Which is why music sounds better with the lights down low, late at night. As one example.

And even while I may not have any marked preference for either a top of the line Sonos set up or a Sonus Faber one, for sure much of the latter make’s line looks a LOT better than Sonos, to my eye. And subconsciously, I know that even for me, that will almost certainly drive a preference for them, if cost was not a constraint, and the comparison was allowed to be influenced by how they look.

Since my real life listening is not in the blind, I too would probably lean towards saying they sounded better - because it isn't just the ears that are delivering the inputs that make up the listening experience.

N

NevenAuthor

Chromatic Producer I

But I still think that a minute of listening is not nearly enough and that I did not present the wonderfull Sonos system at it’s best.

Many years ago I had a mid-range ‘hi-fi’ system - Quad, KEF, Thorens. A friend of ours had a small mini system which included tape player, CD, radio and speakers which cost about £50.

When she’d come to us she’d say that the only difference she could hear between her system and ours was that ours would go louder.

When we went to her place, it was obvious within seconds of playing any track that the mini system was missing so much of the music - colouration, timing, clarity - everything was inferior. Even SWMBO (who doesn’t give a toss about sound quality) used to comment on it. The owner was very happy with it, though, and we considered it impolite to criticise - why would we wish to upset a friend?

My advice is to stop worrying about it and to enjoy your Sonos. If you’re happy with the sound, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. There’s always going to be someone out there who has spent a lot of money on their system in the pursuit of - something (maybe just bragging rights). Ignore them.

Thank you for your opinion. The part about the cost is right. He had an inferior (cheaper system) which sounded better to my ears than the current setup.

Neven

N

NevenAuthor

Chromatic Producer I

Maybe if Sonos had glowing tubes and a few flickering VU meters it would sound a whole lot more acceptable.

Even if the glowing tubes were not in the signal path and if the flickering thing added some noise to it….so long as one is ignorant of this state of affairs, so as to allow the brain to be fooled.

On the other hand, I do recognise that the listening experience isn't just what happens via the ears. Which is why music sounds better with the lights down low, late at night. As one example.

And even while I may not have any marked preference for either a top of the line Sonos set up or a Sonus Faber one, for sure much of the latter make’s line looks a LOT better than Sonos, to my eye. And subconsciously, I know that even for me, that will almost certainly drive a preference for them, if cost was not a constraint, and the comparison was allowed to be influenced by how they look.

Since my real life listening is not in the blind, I too would probably lean towards saying they sounded better - because it isn't just the ears that are delivering the inputs that make up the listening experience.

Interesting view of a problem. I do like to see this hi end components but Sonos simplicity won me over. And while i understand big sound can come only from big enclosure/driver i so believe the industy and electronics came a long way. Two decades ago i had a desktop computer ten times weaker and slower than my mobile phone.

Neven

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