Sonos V Bluesound?

The only real reason is they support higher resolution audio, which some people think offers hiher fidelity, a claim whihc has never been proven in actual scientific analysis or experimental data. Otherwise, their app is inferior, the number of supported music services is a fraction of Sonos', and they appear to suffer from some reliability issues. There is some talk of their support being better than Sonos, but a smaller user base sometimes allows for a more attentive support team.

Thanks for reply.
I noticed their Soundbar is more expensive than the Playbar, So I'm assuming that applies across the board right?

Bluesound costs more but has over Sonos (might not be full list)

A line / optical in.

Bluetooth AptX (so you can send any Audio on your device)

Headphone socket.

Can be controlled by IR remote (except Pulse Flex)

Pulse Flex has an optional battery pack.

Pulse Flex has preset buttons.

Supports MQA and hires (nice to just play music rather than worrying about converting it first)

In my experience the Bluesound iOS App is as good as the Sonos app and sone area's better such as displaying bitrates, track file locations and sorting.

Airplay 2 / Apple Homekit / Siri and Apple Music support comming later this year. Airplay 2 will allow any iOS audio to be transmitted in high quality, no need for a music service to be supported.

Support of two subs paired with a Bluesound Pulse Soundbar.

As jagtie says... their support is fantastic, suggestion to the app bybusers are often implemented. Bluesound are part of the group of companies that own NAD & PSB they share buildings hence NAD & PSB technology is inside Bluesound devices.

If you get the chance to compare the Sonos vs Bluesound that would help you decide.

@Belly M: That sounds like Bluesound is superior over Sonos. Just being curious, why aren't you going fully with Bluesound then?

Thanks for reply.
I noticed their Soundbar is more expensive than the Playbar, So I'm assuming that applies across the board right?

Yes, it applies across the board.

@Belly M: That sounds like Bluesound is superior over Sonos. Just being curious, why aren't you going fully with Bluesound then?

Nobody ever does.

@Belly M: That sounds like Bluesound is superior over Sonos. Just being curious, why aren't you going fully with Bluesound then?

lack of money

Ah but wait..... can we consider some of these advantages?

Airplay, Bluetooth. Consciously avoided by Sonos because of unreliability. But if you really want them with Sonos you cam have them. Airplay 2 may be better than Airplay 1, and Sonos has said that it is actively looking at it.

I wonder which will come first, Siri on Bluesound or Alexa on Sonos? And which will be more fully featured? Pure speculation either way.

Sonos already supports Apple Music.

Headphones. If that is important to you then that is a plus. But I never use them at home so for me it isn't an advantage at all. But if you want to use headphones with Sonos, it can be done.

Some Sonos devices have lines-in (and the source can then be played through all speakers in the system).

One Sonos Sub shakes the walls at my place. One is awesome, who needs two?

I don't know if Bluesound uses its own, robust mesh networking technology as Sonos does. Perhaps someone could let us know.

Bluesound certainly has some features I'd like to see on Sonos. But I am not remotely tempted to switch,

In essence, I agree with JohnB - specifically, the last line above.

The case for ownership by NAD is overstated. There is nothing they bring to the table that is beyond Sonos other than a longer existence in the world of quality home audio. I say this having used NAD kit since 2002; a NAD stereo amp still drives my 2 channel HT set up very satisfactorily. It isn't the best build quality though; I have seen more component failures on NAD kit than that of any other brand I have used.

IMO, Bluesound kit sells because of that pedigree of doubtful objective relevance, on the Hi Res red herring, on perhaps looking more cool, and ironically, also because it is more expensive, catering to the belief that one gets what one pays for.

The Sonos net and consequent music up time question is often overlooked. All of the above factors can be rapidly negated by music streaming that isn't stable. Sonos isn't up there with legacy wired kit, but given a foundation of a solid home WiFi network it comes closer to that than any other.

Leaving all that aside, I haven't seen any decent comparison anywhere between the best of the two in standalone mode without adding downstream legacy kit: A true play tuned 5 pair + Sub compared for just sound quality to the Bluesound equivalent with all other variables eliminated as they need to be if any valid comparison is to be made. I doubt Sonos will concede any ground, even with Hi Res music, as long as Sonos is fed the down sampled version of the same file.

I recently compared Sonos and Bluesound side by side (Sonos Play 1 vs the Bluesound Pulse Flex). These are the cheapest / smallest speakers in their respective range.

My conclusion: I am sticking with Sonos for music in sync around the house. However I am acquiring a Bluesound Node 2 to use for more critical listening at my main HiFi.

Bit of background:
I have had Sonos speakers (2 x Play1s, 1 x Play 5 Gen 1, 2x Sonos Connects, 2 x Play 5 Gen 2) for a very long time (since 2008) and I love them. There are some problems:
i) I am one of those rare use cases where I keep a large-ish local library with multiple playlists so I am dreading the 65K limit.
ii) I am unhappy with Sonos Connect no longer being bit-perfect.
iii) I use Roon alongside Sonos which is for me a superior music player / organiser / streamer. Roon can control Sonos which is fantastic although there are some small bugs which Roon is gradually fixing.

I am well aware that I am a minority and fully respect most do not mind / care about the above.

I considered Bluesound because:
a) Bluesound speakers were reported as having a better sound quality (even for low resolution music),
b) It offers a 200K track limit for local libraries,
c) It is Roon ready so it works better with other Roon ready devices, and most importantly (for me)
d) The Bluesound node 2 is bit perfect (as opposed to the Sonos Connect).

I tested the small Bluesound Flex (equivalent to Sonos Play 1, in terms of size) against the Sonos Play 1. I had them side by side for about a week. Here is what I found

- Sound Quality: Very surprised but a Clear win for Sonos Play 1 to my years.
I am not claiming that the Play1 offers high fidelity but it sounded more balanced and more fun overall than the Bluesound Flex. Having said that, I find Sonos play 1 initially sounds boomy and muddy (even with loudness turned off) and needs true play tuning and additional EQ adjustments. After that it sounds lovely. The Bluesound was much better with vocals but it lacked mid bass punch and it also had a rounded treble as compared to the Play 1. I very much preferred the Play 1 (after eq adjustments) which sounds 'big' and fun :-)
- Price: Big win for Sonos.
Sonos Play 1 costs £180 in the UK vs £300 for the Bluesound Flex. This price differential becomes more profound as we move up to bigger speakers.
- User experience using Roon: A win for the Bluesound here as they offer Roon ready devices.
Even better with Bluesound as I can sync them with other Roon zones (e.g. a PC running Roon). I can easily control my Sonos speakers with Roon and despite some small bugs, the experience is great.
- The main App: A win for Sonos.
The Bluesound app was fine overall but the user experience felt better with Sonos. Small things but they did make a difference in user experience.
- Bluesound Node 2: For me a clear win over the Sonos Connect as I believe the latter is no longer bit perfect.
I know and respect this is not important for many users.
- Local libraries: Draw.
Sonos is super easy for integrating and indexing local libraries but it is limited to 65K indexed tracks. Bluesound has a 200K limit but the indexing and linking with local libraries is terrible and buggy. Very bad user experience here.


I returned the Bluesound Flex speaker for a refund and I am sticking with Sonos for all around the house music. Despite the limitations, Sonos offers the best VFM and all around convenience with good SQ for whole house music in sync.

I am keeping the Bluesound Node 2 for when I sit down to listen more critically via the main HiFi.

Wanted to share the above just in case it is useful.

Cheers