Wireless speakers as an alternative to Sonos?

  • 22 September 2021
  • 10 replies
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Having just spent another hour and a half trying to find a solution as to why my Sonos speaker randomly stopped working, then downloading app updates,rebooting, unplugging, replugging, resetting forgotten passwords and still not being able to play music like I was at the start of the day….I am wondeing if anyone can recommend a good wireless speaker to use instead of the ridiculously expensive good for nothing Sonos speaker I have?

 


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Having just spent another hour and a half trying to find a solution as to why my Sonos speaker randomly stopped working, then downloading app updates,rebooting, unplugging, replugging, resetting forgotten passwords and still not being able to play music like I was at the start of the day….I am wondeing if anyone can recommend a good wireless speaker to use instead of the ridiculously expensive good for nothing Sonos speaker I have?

 

An interesting question on the Sonos forum! However, the normal cause of Sonos devices randomly stopping working is some form of Network issue.  Please see my post: Tips & Tricks - Resolving random issues impacting Sonos devices.. | Sonos Community

 

Thanks UKMedia but I'm done….Sonos is just too darn hard to use and takes too much time to fix.That is why I am looking for recommendations for technology that is simple and works without the need to search support forums for an answer!

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Thanks UKMedia but I'm done….Sonos is just too darn hard to use and takes too much time to fix.That is why I am looking for recommendations for technology that is simple and works without the need to search support forums for an answer!

Shame but be warned that if you have a network issue, sooner or later any replacement multi-room speaker will encounter the same issue.  We’re still here to help resolve your issue if you change your mind.:grin:

I have no trouble with my many Echo Dots, and they are so cheap that you can try one and see how one works for you before expanding. Don’t worry about sound quality because they can be wired later to many external speakers, all the way to top end HiFi systems. In all but one zone, my Echo devices are wired to Sonos units, but that is because I happen to have them.

For streaming from Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify they do as well as Sonos does. Where they need workarounds is if you want to stream from a local server that holds music files.

I have no trouble with my many Echo Dots, and they are so cheap that you can try one and see how one works for you before expanding. Don’t worry about sound quality because they can be wired later to many external speakers, all the way to top end HiFi systems. In all but one zone, my Echo devices are wired to Sonos units, but that is because I happen to have them.

For streaming from Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify they do as well as Sonos does. Where they need workarounds is if you want to stream from a local server that holds music files.

 

Local music files is not the only feature Sonos has that Amazon lacks.  With Amazon, you are very limted to the music service you can use.  You also cannot use TV audio or a line in aux source. You cannot use a bluetooth source (via Roam with Sonos).  You cannot group rooms/speakers together midstream.   You can’t use Apple airplay.  

I would only recommend an Amazon system if your audio needs are very basic, sound quality isn’t that important to you, or you have a high end system you want to connect this to for voice control purposes.  For many people, bluetooth speakers meet their needs just fine.  I can’t say that I would recommend any other full blown multiroom audio system besides Sonos.

Also, while @Kumar wires his echo devices to Sonos units, this is not necessary in most countries as Echos can voice control Sonos units wirelessly.  My understand is that this is not available in India.

On the other hand Amazon does groups better than Sonos in some ways - at least in my S1 system, groups do not survive power cycling as they do with Echo devices. I find that to be very convenient because I do not run all devices within a group all the time, and leave them powered off. With Echo, all I need to do is apply power to those I need and use the group play mode by voice command, or even choose to not use it even while grouped units are powered up in which case, they will not play even though they are grouped with the target speaker. Then, Echo devices offer album art, a Sonos miss. 

And with Echo units, sound just as good as Sonos is available via even something as discreet and cheap as studio monitors - and if one spends more, sound from units such as the One can be bettered just as easily without going all the way to high end kit.

So, there are pros and cons to every solution.

If I was buying wireless today, it would definitely not be Sonos.

As Sonos fans, others on this forum will not agree, which is fair enough.

On the other hand Amazon does groups better than Sonos in some ways - at least in my S1 system, groups do not survive power cycling as they do with Echo devices. I find that to be very convenient because I do not run all devices within a group all the time, and leave them powered off. With Echo, all I need to do is apply power to those I need and use the group play mode by voice command, or even choose to not use it even while grouped units are powered up in which case, they will not play even though they are grouped with the target speaker. Then, Echo devices offer album art, a Sonos miss. 

 

 

I really doubt groups surviving power cycling is an important feature to most users.  Both Sonos and echo devices are designed to be always on.  And even then, you can save your commonly used groups in both Sonos and Alexa to quickly in initiate a stream using the app or by voice.

 

And with Echo units, sound just as good as Sonos is available via even something as discreet and cheap as studio monitors - and if one spends more, sound from units such as the One can be bettered just as easily without going all the way to high end kit.

 

 

I probably shouldn’t phrased a ‘high end system’.  Really, if you have speakers that you like that have a line input, they you easily connect to an echo hardwired. If we’re talking about a whole home system that could get rather complicated if you don’t already have the speakers, are using architectural speakers, or just don’t like the aesthetics of it all.

 

So, there are pros and cons to every solution.

If I was buying wireless today, it would definitely not be Sonos.

As Sonos fans, others on this forum will not agree, which is fair enough.

 

Well, yes.  You haven’t moved passed the S1 system or purchased any of the current Sonos devices.   I am not recommending other systems because I don’t know them that well, other than an Alexa based system or just using bluetooth depending on your needs.   

There is nothing in S2 that S1 does not have already, for pure home audio use cases. AFAIK.

I don't count hi res, that is fake news.

There is nothing in S2 that S1 does not have already, for pure home audio use cases. AFAIK.

I don't count hi res, that is fake news.

 

S2 uses a different delivery method, or whatever you want to call communication between the devices.  And I’m sure you are aware of the new products and the features that came with them.   As recently announced DTS support and Amazon HD (CD quality, not hi res) . I don’t know what you mean by ‘pure home audio use cases’, and it really doesn’t matter.

 

 I don’t know what you mean by ‘pure home audio use cases’, and it really doesn’t matter.

I agree; I let myself be distracted.

More the point of this thread is the OP issue of having to struggle to get Sonos to play, a common theme in this forum. Admittedly the “seeing only sick people in a hospital” thing applies here, but while Sonos in a fixed S1 environment with reserved IP addresses is now stable enough for me, this was after some work in the initial days. Echo devices on the other hand have never needed any attention from day one to deliver stable music play, even when playing local files via the My media for Alexa plug in. Even working on WiFi from a 2011 vintage Apple Time Capsule base station and no Sonosnet equivalent in place for them.

Yes, I know this is just one data point, which is why I suggested what I did to what sounded like a fed up OP - get an Echo dot and see if it plays fine in his environment and use case. Or maybe get two to test grouped play, they are cheap enough to do that, especially if one can score the older models that will serve just as well for this test. The sound quality thing can then be easily addressed later, with spends based on budgets and sound quality requirements.