Sonos really that bad?

  • 12 August 2021
  • 57 replies
  • 2258 views
N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

Hi all!

Yesterday I had a friend at my home. He is a true audiophile. He owns a Sonus Faber speakers with Mcintosh amp and a whole lot more really expensive equipment (DAC, cords...). But, he used to own a system 5 or 10 times cheaper so I think he knows what he is hearing/saying. I myself listened to his newest system. I went speechless. 

I told him numerous time: Sonos is not for critical music listening, but my 5.1 setup for movies: it can hold its own. So, yesterday he had his ears on my Playbar, rear 3’s and a SUB. 

First, Eric Clapton’s Layla, unplugged through Spotify. After 10 seconds, he went: “Whoa, someone killed the musicians”. I LOLed but even before I had a chance to “tweak” the sound he kindly asked me to turn it off :-) 

Ok, how about some movies. The plane hijacking scene of The Dark Knight Rises was our choice. He let me go a bit longer than Layla but he said: Do you know how much sound you are missing here? So, I pushed mute, and replied: I don’t agree, I thing that movies sound good. Also, the music is adequate for background listening. His conclusion was: ignorance is bliss…

Is Sonos really that bad for music and movies as well? I have no aspire to become an audiophile of any sort, but I was thinking of a pair of Fives in a near future to sit down in front and enjoy the sound. 

Neven

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57 replies

Airgetlam

No, I don’t think so. But audio is in the ears of the beholder. If it’s fine for you, as it is for me, then I wouldn’t worry about if. 

If instead you want to measure the quality of the sound by the money invested, as it appears many audiophiles do, then by all means, it’s a valid choice. I’d encourage you to trade in your car as well, in order to purchase a better car, and you’ll probably want to move homes to be in a better ‘environment’ for listening. 

Yes, I’m being overly dramatic. But if you’re happy with your Sonos, why does it matter if your friend thinks less of you because you didn’t spend a small fortune on your audio equipment? Frankly, if he thinks less of you because your not an ‘audiophile’, then id suggest he isn’t much of a friend. 

Be happy with yourself. 

Bruce
K

First, trust your ears. Second, do any comparative tests of how things compare ONLY once the sound levels from both sets of equipment are as close to the same - strictly speaking, this needs instruments to determine this, but this isn't essential to prove the point.

Which is that while the more expensive equipment will probably sound better - how much better will be a lot less when sound levels are equalised, and that is the correct way to assess how much better.

Finally, a 5 pair + Sub, with the sound levels equalised as suggested, is more of an apples to apples comparison with the Sonus Faber set up, and may leave the differences heard to be very small indeed. Provided you do the test with eyes closed. 

I know Sonus Faber speakers by the way. A lot of wood and leather is used in the construction of the cabinets, handmade in Italy. That drives up the costs without any sound quality benefit other than psychological. They certainly look very classy, but the benefit of that to sound quality disappears in a blind test.

P
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

Going against expectations, I’d say Sonos produce an acceptable sound, you say that you thought the sound produced when watching films was good, surely you trust your own judgement? You can always buy better speakers but if you are happy with what you have why bother?

N
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

I also echo the comments above. My Sonos setup isn’t as good as my Linn system was; nor is it anywhere near as expensive. For my, the multi-room feature is a big plus, and I’m quite content with the sound quality - my ears aren’t as good as they were 30+ years ago! Go with what pleases you. 

J
Userlevel 5
Badge +8

Personally I buy gear that pleases me and I couldn’t give a damn what others think of it. 

Some ‘audiophiles’ go out of their way to convince themselves that the massive amounts they’ve spent on their gear is far better than other systems. The people aren’t worth knowing in my opinion.

I used to have a ‘proper’ 5.1 system and ‘proper’ hi-fi system but I got rid of them and only have Sonos gear now because it’s so much more convenient to use and sounds good enough for me. A lot of the music I like to listen to sounded awful on ‘proper’ hi-fi and I’m not prepared to change what I listen to just to make my system sound better!

If you’re happy with your system then that is all that matters. 

Edit - one more thing. A lot of these audiophiles seem to descend into listening to the performance of their gear rather than listening to and enjoying the music.

 

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

Frankly, if he thinks less of you because your not an ‘audiophile’, then id suggest he isn’t much of a friend. 

No, he does not think that way at all. He gave me a friendly advice.

Neven

 

 

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

 

Finally, a 5 pair + Sub, with the sound levels equalised as suggested, is more of an apples to apples comparison with the Sonus Faber set up, and may leave the differences heard to be very small indeed. Provided you do the test with eyes closed. 

Maybe, but his system sounds unbelivable. Granted, it is around 7 times more expensive than my beloved Sonos. My biggest reason for Sonos is I do like the casual wireless sound experience. 

Thank you

Neven

 

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

Going against expectations, I’d say Sonos produce an acceptable sound, you say that you thought the sound produced when watching films was good, surely you trust your own judgement? You can always buy better speakers but if you are happy with what you have why bother?

Yes, i would say it sounds pretty good. Considering the fact it is “only” DD 5.1, sometimes converted from DTS i am pleased.

Neven

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

 my ears aren’t as good as they were 30+ years ago! Go with what pleases you. 

I am slightly over 40 now. I hope to own a few Sonos speakers by the time I reach 50 :-) 

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

Personally I buy gear that pleases me and I couldn’t give a damn what others think of it. 

Some ‘audiophiles’ go out of their way to convince themselves that the massive amounts they’ve spent on their gear is far better than other systems. The people aren’t worth knowing in my opinion.

I used to have a ‘proper’ 5.1 system and ‘proper’ hi-fi system but I got rid of them and only have Sonos gear now because it’s so much more convenient to use and sounds good enough for me. A lot of the music I like to listen to sounded awful on ‘proper’ hi-fi and I’m not prepared to change what I listen to just to make my system sound better!

If you’re happy with your system then that is all that matters. 

Edit - one more thing. A lot of these audiophiles seem to descend into listening to the performance of their gear rather than listening to and enjoying the music.

 

You could be right. But us Sonos fans also fall in to the same trap. I myself plan to swap Playbar for Arc and expect better sound… 

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

Thank you for helping sorting my thoughts out. It seems to me I only need one more Sonos unit. This forum warned me long ago, the GAS will happen. 

Neven

A

If you’re happy with the sound from your Sonos kit, surely that’s all that matters.

I’ve always found, though, that - all other issues like volume matching and blind testing aside - it’s usually easier to hear differences if you go from a ‘good’ system to a ‘less good’ system. Going up the quality scale often doesn’t sound very different - better, but not hugely different. Once you’re used to the better quality kit, though, going back to a lower quality system is immediately apparent. This may well be why he’s having such  a swift and decisive reaction.

 

N
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

I’ve always found, though, that - all other issues like volume matching and blind testing aside - it’s usually easier to hear differences if you go from a ‘good’ system to a ‘less good’ system. Going up the quality scale often doesn’t sound very different - better, but not hugely different.


And that’s why “audiophile” retailers will always let you listen to the expensive, “better” system first, in the hope there’s “something missing” for you to pick up when you then listen to the cheap system. 

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

If you’re happy with the sound from your Sonos kit, surely that’s all that matters.

I’ve always found, though, that - all other issues like volume matching and blind testing aside - it’s usually easier to hear differences if you go from a ‘good’ system to a ‘less good’ system. Going up the quality scale often doesn’t sound very different - better, but not hugely different. Once you’re used to the better quality kit, though, going back to a lower quality system is immediately apparent. This may well be why he’s having such  a swift and decisive reaction.

 

Maybe… Yesterday we had a short chat about it. He said: it’s a good home theather. For music it’s no good. He added the SUB is very powerfull. So, Sonos got some ok reviews. But I still think that a minute of listening is not nearly enough and that I did not present the wonderfull Sonos system at it’s best.

Neven

 

 

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

I’ve always found, though, that - all other issues like volume matching and blind testing aside - it’s usually easier to hear differences if you go from a ‘good’ system to a ‘less good’ system. Going up the quality scale often doesn’t sound very different - better, but not hugely different.


And that’s why “audiophile” retailers will always let you listen to the expensive, “better” system first, in the hope there’s “something missing” for you to pick up when you then listen to the cheap system. 

True. Also, I do think that very few people have ”perfect” hearing in order to able to detect subtle nuances and frequencies in music.

Neven

A

But I still think that a minute of listening is not nearly enough and that I did not present the wonderfull Sonos system at it’s best.

Many years ago I had a mid-range ‘hi-fi’ system - Quad, KEF, Thorens. A friend of ours had a small mini system which included tape player, CD, radio and speakers which cost about £50.

When she’d come to us she’d say that the only difference she could hear between her system and ours was that ours would go louder.

When we went to her place, it was obvious within seconds of playing any track that the mini system was missing so much of the music - colouration, timing, clarity - everything was inferior. Even SWMBO (who doesn’t give a toss about sound quality) used to comment on it. The owner was very happy with it, though, and we  considered it impolite to criticise - why would we wish to upset a friend?

My advice is to stop worrying about it and to enjoy your Sonos. If you’re happy with the sound, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. There’s always going to be someone out there who has spent a lot of money on their system in the pursuit of - something (maybe just bragging rights). Ignore them.

ratty

Maybe if Sonos had glowing tubes and a few flickering VU meters it would sound a whole lot more acceptable.

K

Maybe if Sonos had glowing tubes and a few flickering VU meters it would sound a whole lot more acceptable.

Even if the glowing tubes were not in the signal path and if the flickering thing added some noise to it….so long as one is ignorant of this state of affairs, so as to allow the brain to be fooled.

On the other hand, I do recognise that the listening experience isn't just what happens via the ears. Which is why music sounds better with the lights down low, late at night. As one example.

And even while I may not have any marked preference for either a top of the line Sonos set up or a Sonus Faber one, for sure much of the latter make’s line looks a LOT better than Sonos, to my eye. And subconsciously, I know that even for me, that will almost certainly drive a preference for them, if cost was not a constraint, and the comparison was allowed to be influenced by how they look.

Since my real life listening is not in the blind, I too would probably lean towards saying they sounded better - because it isn't just the ears that are delivering the inputs that make up the listening experience.

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

But I still think that a minute of listening is not nearly enough and that I did not present the wonderfull Sonos system at it’s best.

Many years ago I had a mid-range ‘hi-fi’ system - Quad, KEF, Thorens. A friend of ours had a small mini system which included tape player, CD, radio and speakers which cost about £50.

When she’d come to us she’d say that the only difference she could hear between her system and ours was that ours would go louder.

When we went to her place, it was obvious within seconds of playing any track that the mini system was missing so much of the music - colouration, timing, clarity - everything was inferior. Even SWMBO (who doesn’t give a toss about sound quality) used to comment on it. The owner was very happy with it, though, and we  considered it impolite to criticise - why would we wish to upset a friend?

My advice is to stop worrying about it and to enjoy your Sonos. If you’re happy with the sound, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. There’s always going to be someone out there who has spent a lot of money on their system in the pursuit of - something (maybe just bragging rights). Ignore them.

Thank you for your opinion. The part about the cost is right. He had an inferior (cheaper system) which sounded better to my ears than the current setup. 

Neven

N
Userlevel 3
Badge +9

Maybe if Sonos had glowing tubes and a few flickering VU meters it would sound a whole lot more acceptable.

Even if the glowing tubes were not in the signal path and if the flickering thing added some noise to it….so long as one is ignorant of this state of affairs, so as to allow the brain to be fooled.

On the other hand, I do recognise that the listening experience isn't just what happens via the ears. Which is why music sounds better with the lights down low, late at night. As one example.

And even while I may not have any marked preference for either a top of the line Sonos set up or a Sonus Faber one, for sure much of the latter make’s line looks a LOT better than Sonos, to my eye. And subconsciously, I know that even for me, that will almost certainly drive a preference for them, if cost was not a constraint, and the comparison was allowed to be influenced by how they look.

Since my real life listening is not in the blind, I too would probably lean towards saying they sounded better - because it isn't just the ears that are delivering the inputs that make up the listening experience.

Interesting view of a problem. I do like to see this hi end components but Sonos simplicity won me over. And while i understand big sound can come only from big enclosure/driver i so believe the industy and electronics came a long way. Two decades ago i had a desktop computer ten times weaker and slower than my mobile phone. 

Neven

K

 And while i understand big sound can come only from big enclosure/driver i so believe the industy and electronics came a long way. Two decades ago i had a desktop computer ten times weaker and slower than my mobile phone. 

 

To an extent the computer to phone analogy applies for enclosures as well - a small driver that can move back and forth over a bigger distance in a well designed box will move the same amount of air as the big driver/enclosure of yesterday, and will thus deliver very similar results. 

I have to say to an extent, because the physics of sound propagation cannot be completely defeated. 

M
Userlevel 4
Badge +4

As a former fanatical audiophile,who owned components from Mark Levinson,Jeff Rowland,Big Infinity and Avalon speakers,as well as Audio Research and Conrad Johnson components(all the top tier of the respective lines)I can confidently say…..

Don’t worry about it!

I have 2 Play 5’s and the sub,with that damn cute little Roam as a rear channel ambience speaker.The system is set up in a good room and I don’t give a second thought to my old high end stuff.

That era was filled with products that generated heat,took up tons of space,cost a bundle and required tweaking.Not to mention the loss of true dealer support,because traditional audio is on it’s way out….

IT IS!

Many audio products have their own sonic signature and it’s not always all that neutral.

It also becomes a real hassle when they develop issues and one has to figure out what component is the cause…..A major pain in the tush!

My current Sonos set up has been a joy to use for 20 months.No Cd’s and LP’s to store and clean….No ticks and pops from records…...No hassles….Just Music and to be honest….Reproduced quite well!

Good luck-:)

 

K

 

That era was filled with products that generated heat,took up tons of space,cost a bundle and required tweaking.

 

The tweaking keeps users busy - just listening to music can get boring - while the expense means that it allows them to look down on the many others that have cheaper kit and get a kick from that.

The absence of these two important “benefits” is why audiophiles don't like Sonos. All that one can do with it is listen to music. And the neighbour can keep up quite easily if he or she chooses to do so.

M
Userlevel 4
Badge +4

Btw,I should have added that as an Amazon Unlimited user,I have been able to play much music that i was familiar with,since I had it on Lp’s and Cd;s…..Classical and Rock as well as Jazz.

I’ve listened quite carefully for the subtleties that were on those recordings…..There is not much lost on my Sonos rig.I believe if the music was transferred well,you lose very little from the originals.

In some cases the transfers are sub par,but it’s not Sonos…...However,for every instance where I “think” some tidbit of musical information is missing,there are tons of albums where it’s better…..Go figure.-:)

Case in point…..Jim Messina put out a  “Live” album,called “In The Groove” (this was after Loggins And Messina broke up)which  is an album that is so well recorded and transferred to this format  that I shake my head as to the realism being reproduced on a “mere” Sonos system…..In a good way.

Gotta’ love it.-:)

M
Userlevel 4
Badge +4

You hit it right on the head Kumar…...My old audio pals would not even give a second thought to my current system…..I have a pal who introduced me to Sonos and has my exact set up(he got it first). He is very well off financially…….He also has a good traditional set up…...I was over his place 3 weeks ago and asked about his old Hi Fi stuff.

His exact response to  me was….”I never listen to it,but it looks good in my living room,so I keep it”.

No exaggeration from me.

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