Why Can't I listen to my music through my Computer?

If you want to listen to Sonos through your high quality computer speakers, purchase a Sonos Connect and connect it to the line-in on your soundcard. Voila! Your computer speakers are now a Sonos zone. No need for a "fourth set of speakers."

Now I know what follows: B-b-b-ut why should I have to buy a Connect? So in reality, you do not want a way to listen to Sonos through your computer speakers, you want an inexpensive or free way to listen to Sonos through your computer speakers. Right? In the four years I have personally been reading this forum, I've never seen a request for a PC based Zone that does not boil down to "I want a cheap zone."
Really love the tone! I have never participated in a forum before but I could not let you just berate people for wanting to use their computer as a zone. Others correctly point out that sound quality out of cheap computer speakers are not on par with a play 5 or play 3 so why would I want to play music through my cheap speakers? How about not wanting to have a set of speakers for the computer and a Sonos speaker on my desk. OK I could buy a $350 connect for my cheap speakers and mac mini but that would be extraordinarily stupid when a play 3 is $50 cheaper and a play 5 is only $50 more expensive. I am not in my office trying to rock out. It just would be nice to be able to listen to the music playing in other zones in my house in my office. I think Sonos need not worry about people using there software for free. They could charge a fee, but I would not pay. Most music player software is better than the Sonos music player software for example Clemintine, Banshee, Nightingale, and even iTunes are better. It obviously was not a deal breaker for me but it is annoying as was your snotty response.

Really love the tone! I have never participated in a forum before but I could not let you just berate people for wanting to use their computer as a zone. Others correctly point out that sound quality out of cheap computer speakers are not on par with a play 5 or play 3 so why would I want to play music through my cheap speakers? How about not wanting to have a set of speakers for the computer and a Sonos speaker on my desk. OK I could buy a $350 connect for my cheap speakers and mac mini but that would be extraordinarily stupid when a play 3 is $50 cheaper and a play 5 is only $50 more expensive. I am not in my office trying to rock out. It just would be nice to be able to listen to the music playing in other zones in my house in my office. I think Sonos need not worry about people using there software for free. They could charge a fee, but I would not pay. Most music player software is better than the Sonos music player software for example Clemintine, Banshee, Nightingale, and even iTunes are better. It obviously was not a deal breaker for me but it is annoying as was your snotty response.

The post you are replying to is almost 2.5 years old. I'm sure any offense the person I replied to felt is far past. So you are a little late to the game. Also, if you read the entire thread with an objective eye, you would see that the "snotty" tone was fully established by those who were stomping their feet for this functionality, a "basic functionality" that has only been seen on exactly one multi-room music streamer, and that was discontinued due to poor sales and support.

Since you are new to forums, I'll cut you some slack, but for future reference it may be better to let sleeping threads lie. Often they are well and fully spent, and everything that needed to be said is fully beaten into dust.

Really love the tone! I have never participated in a forum before but I could not let you just berate people for wanting to use their computer as a zone. Others correctly point out that sound quality out of cheap computer speakers are not on par with a play 5 or play 3 so why would I want to play music through my cheap speakers? How about not wanting to have a set of speakers for the computer and a Sonos speaker on my desk. OK I could buy a $350 connect for my cheap speakers and mac mini but that would be extraordinarily stupid when a play 3 is $50 cheaper and a play 5 is only $50 more expensive. I am not in my office trying to rock out. It just would be nice to be able to listen to the music playing in other zones in my house in my office. I think Sonos need not worry about people using there software for free. They could charge a fee, but I would not pay. Most music player software is better than the Sonos music player software for example Clemintine, Banshee, Nightingale, and even iTunes are better. It obviously was not a deal breaker for me but it is annoying as was your snotty response.
I don't understand, if the play:5 is only $50 more then buy that and plug the pc into the 5's line-in.

The topic of this thread was my first question when I signed up to these forums.

I am very new to music streaming of any sort, so I honestly had no idea what to expect in terms of functionality.

I now understand most of the arguments surrounding this topic, so I do now understand why it doesn't work.

If I could have one piece of input on to the whole subject, I would thoroughly recommend a forum about common issues/misconceptions. Then when the question inevitably arises again someone can just paste a link to the forum/thread that will explain. Someone gave me a link to a thread that helped me to understand. The big negative at the moment is that members who have answered these questions too many times are now answering them in a manner that seems to the reader to be very unfriendly. IMO that is not good for the forums, the products or the members who then end up in an argument which has started largely due to the tone of their reply.

I hope that my thoughts are in some small way insightful.

If I could have one piece of input on to the whole subject, I would thoroughly recommend a forum about common issues/misconceptions. Then when the question inevitably arises again someone can just paste a link to the forum/thread that will explain. Someone gave me a link to a thread that helped me to understand. The big negative at the moment is that members who have answered these questions too many times are now answering them in a manner that seems to the reader to be very unfriendly. IMO that is not good for the forums, the products or the members who then end up in an argument which has started largely due to the tone of their reply.

I hope that my thoughts are in some small way insightful.
Excellent point - there are maybe a dozen or so such issues that arise over and over that can be similarly addressed, with less frustration and grief all around.

Excellent point - there are maybe a dozen or so such issues that arise over and over that can be similarly addressed, with less frustration and grief all around.

More sticky threads would seem to be an easier way of doing it, they're always at the top of the forums so are easier to spot.

More sticky threads would seem to be an easier way of doing it, they're always at the top of the forums so are easier to spot.
Right. I suppose this will have to be a moderator initiative.

I am a bit disappointed that I can't use my computer as a music player since I can do this with my Squeezebox system. I just installed my first Connect and Bridge and will eventually replace my entire Logitech setup with Sonos components but I have grown accustomed to listening to the music streaming throughout my house in my computer room. My Home Theater PC has a Creative Xfi Titanium sound card and Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers. I obviously see the benefits to switch to Sonos but this is not one of them.

Personally, I don't want my computer to be part of the second by second music playing. I prefer to pass the chore to specialist hardware, such as SONOS. Since I sometimes develop and and beta test, I may want to shut the computer down or it might crash. With SONOS on the scene, the music continues while I struggle with the computer issue. Actually, there are no speakers attached to any of my computers -- except the laptop and these are turned OFF.

While they might be at the expensive end of the "computer speaker" range, PLAY:1 is better than any computer speaker that I have encountered.

I am becoming adept at "hand syncing" music streamed directly from the internet to my computer and the music played by the Sonos system.