SONOS - Great speakers Company GONE WRONG! Please bring back the good old days!

I can't believe I'm here saying this, having had my SONOS system which has evolved over the years for 6yrs now it has worked flawlessly up until 6-months ago.

SONOS was a company brand I could trust but update after botched update lead to system instability but really grinds my gears is how they have imposed the SONOS account as a requirement - with threats of disabling MY system if I don't create a password and link the SONOS account.

They have removed my ability to change music service settings or (very unlikely now) my ability to add new hardware, blackmailing me into creating and linking a SONOS account to my system. I totally get registering my system for warranty purposes, that's my choice but telling me the next update will break my system if I don't create and link a password to it and then restricting/removing my ability to configure MY Sonos system is a joke.

I asked repeatedly for a justification as to why they needed a SONOS account linked to my system with a password, they used all the clever nonsense answers such as security, privacy but not one of those answers sit well with me.

Until recently SONOS was the Switzerland of wireless speakers - they got along nicely with all the big streaming players Apple, Amazon, Spotify, Napster etc etc - there is ZERO technical reason why SONOS need to link the system to an account, the respective streaming services API should work independently of SONOS, so in effect if SONOS went out of business (which if they continue p'ssing off loyal customers spending small fortunes on their speakers they just might achieve this goal) the system should continue to function without new updates and until the streaming services made changes that the hardware no longer supported.

Even the SONOS stock listing IPO acknowledges that there is a real risk to the future viability of their business if every single streaming service slammed the door on them, denying access - though me personally I'd just cancel any service that did this and dust off the CD's and vinyl and go old school.

Unfortunately SONOS is trying to become copycat adding 'SMART' features, which for me personally are a gimmick that while fashionable and you'll use until the novelty wears off don't actually serve any real purpose. I have and will never want a SMART speaker, I want good reliable hardware, a sound that is class leading, support for when things go wrong and to just be left alone to enjoy the music without all the pointless nonsense and threats about disabling MY system if I don't create a pointless password that no one, no where has satisfactorily answered as to why it's needed.

I suspect that BIG data will play a part, which is sadly a growing trend where privacy is diminished, choice is restricted.

The really, truly sad part of this is I was a HUGE SONOS fanboy, I don't earn a huge amount so save and save to kit my home out with speakers, even advocating to friends how good and reliable the speakers were to a point where they bought systems themselves but now gradually after experiencing botched updates themselves their enthusiasm has begun to decline.....including my own, to a point where I am seriously investigating alternatives and perhaps selling my system.

For me it was always about the quality of the music first no gimmicks on stable reliable hardware with an easy to use app. SONOS still sounds great and the ease of their original app which use to be great - but their latest incarnation is imho clunky and ill-conceived and I've had to reset my speakers more in the last 6-months after updates than at any other time.

So disappointing!