Sonos/Alexa Skill Integration - Play music through ALL devices, including Echo?

Do you think it may be available to do so in the future? I need a new sound bar for my TV, but at the cost of a sonos playbar I can't justify it unless it will offer the full synching of music from sonos and echo. I have mixed speakers in different rooms

It is possible. Sonos have opened up their platform to third parties (see link below)

https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/4/16418946/sonos-platform-open-2018

So, we may well get to the stage where other speakers can integrate with Sonos. Whether Amazon will retrofit this to current Echo's remains to be seen, but they may offer new devices that support it.

It would be interesting if part of the work with Amazon was to share their syncing technology up front allowing Echo's and Sonos to sync... I would imagine that would be quite a selling point for both companies. All speculation on my part though of course. 🙂

Ian, the article you posted mentions nothing about allowing 3rd party speakers integrating with Sonos speakers to play in sync. Nor does the article give you and logical reason to believe Sonos would open that up in the future.

How would allowing 3rd party speakers in the Sonos network increase sales of Sonos speakers? I don't even think it would drive sales of more echos to be honest. Why would you think it would?

It does say hardware. I can't think of any hardware other than a speaker or connect equivalent being of much use to a Sonos system.

I would love one of the high-end streamer manufacturers to be able to create a device that can plug into the Sonos ecosystem. Most of my music is still only CD quality, so an Arcam, Naim, Linn device that could in addition play hi-res music and join in with Sonos for the rest would be perfect. On the back of that you're more likely to use Sonos for other rooms if you get full integration with your main system IMO.

Likewise, if Amazon Echo devices could sync with Sonos then I can see many people using Echo's for kids and Sonos elsewhere if you know they can all play nicely together and with voice control.

Ian_S wrote:

It does say hardware. I can't think of any hardware other than a speaker or connect equivalent being of much use to a Sonos system.

You're reaching. the list of companies signed up don't sell their own speaker, the sell music and smart home services/products. The exceptions would be Apple and Amazon, but clearly, it isn't about integrating with their smart speakers for syncing purposes.

Ian_S wrote:

I would love one of the high-end streamer manufacturers to be able to create a device that can plug into the Sonos ecosystem. Most of my music is still only CD quality, so an Arcam, Naim, Linn device that could in addition play hi-res music and join in with Sonos for the rest would be perfect. On the back of that you're more likely to use Sonos for other rooms if you get full integration with your main system IMO.

If that integration did exist, why wouldn't you just buy more Arcam, Naim, Linn instead of more Sonos. If you did buy more Sonos, how is that more sales than if you just replaced everything with Sonos.

Ian_S wrote:

Likewise, if Amazon Echo devices could sync with Sonos then I can see many people using Echo's for kids and Sonos elsewhere if you know they can all play nicely together and with voice control.

But they do play nicely with voice control. And yes, I put Echo's in my kids rooms. Because it was easier to control and I had no need to sync the kids rooms with the rest of house.

Your arguments are about how a customer could benefit from a full sync integration between Echo and Sonos, and I don't think there is really a disagreement there. You're not really explaining why such an integration is going to prompt someone to go out and by a Sonos, where they would not have done so without an integration. There are some for sure, but I can't see that number being higher than the number who would decide not to get a Sonos and go for an echo instead.

Well I gave my reasons, I guess they just aren't reasons for you, but that's ok :)

I don't need/want Naim/Arcam/Linn throughout the house. The various Sonos speakers do just fine for more casual listening.

If the 'made for Sonos' was all about software integration then it's a bit of a waste of time as Sonos have been pretty liberal in their implementation of streaming service support and it's hardly lacking there. With plans to add Google after Alexa, then that would cover a fair bit of smart home integration, leaving just Apple Homekit, which might be possible now Apple have dropped the need for a special chip. Add some IFTTT and you'd be pretty well covered without needing to open the platform up at all...

So no, the release doesn't spell it out in black and white exactly what will be coming, but I personally don't see the point of opening up the platform if it doesn't mean 3rd party speakers or connect equivalents can't come and join the party so to speak.