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HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
The reason I got Sonos was WIFI offered a better solution to sound quality, and to be able to move about my house and have the same music (or tv) playing wherever I go. I dont want to carry a Move around me, and I dont like the quality drop with Bluetooth (unless I am outside).

And yes, I do update my network rather frequently to take advantage in speed advantages. The point is you were suggesting Sonos was as easy as HomePods. They are good, but not that easy :)

So again Nope. If I change my router for example, but keep the same name and password, the only devices I have issues with are Sonos. NOT my Apple TV. NOT my HomePods. NOT my dishwasher. NOT my washer/dryer. NOT my lighting systems. JUST Sonos. and they acknowledge this point in their instructions. And they have recommendations on how to re-link your system. Sometimes it works. Often it doesn't. The only way I find that is reliable is to totally wipe the system clean, resent the speakers to manufacture state, and start over. with 9 Sonos speakers that is a real pain. It seems to be getting better, now if I ignore their warnings and just keep telling it to try, it will sometimes reconnect eventually. sort of. with great patience. I have a lot of good things to say about Sonos audio, it's nice to have an alternative, but moving networks is a pain. And, btw, that's the easiest change. Try changing houses. Sighs.

They aren't as easy to set up as HomePods. They just aren't.

Again, I appreciate the problem you are describing and I have to presume you must be a tech reviewer or something as I know few people regularly changing routers. I'm quite the techie-go-to-guy in my circle and I tend to change routers on maybe an every 8-10 year schedule. I'm not aware of that being a very regular thing for anyone outside of those who perhaps have to review routers or similar for a living... or maybe frequent movers who opt to rent the routers from the broadband providers in each move.

But since you are apparently very regularly changing routers, then I fully appreciate your point. I'd have to think most who might ever read this thread tend to not change theirs very often... perhaps not using one for as long as I do... but I highly doubt most are even on an every-4-years cycle.

And actually, I didn't say anything about "as easy to setup as HPs"- just as easy to use with my Apple stuff as HPs, with more flexibility than HPs and more services already available and direct support for true surround sound for anyone who wants that today.
 
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brofkand

macrumors 65816
Jun 11, 2006
1,314
3,287
This works only with older Sonos products. Newer ones do not have this feature (known as Sonosnet.)


The newer models support WiFi 6 which is generally more reliable.
 

GrayFlannel

macrumors 6502
Feb 2, 2024
271
490
I might consider Sonos if I didn't get at least 10 spam emails purporting to be Sonos telling me I've won something. If they can't police their online presence, no thanks.

I receive Best Buy and Amazon subterfuge on nearly a daily basis. The topic company is not always the spammer.
 
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bbodine

macrumors member
Apr 1, 2009
45
29
Eh, not quite. I own both. Moving a HomePod from network to network is no big deal. Try doing that with a Sonos. Often I have to reset them back to factory, which is a pain of a 1000 cuts. The exception is the 'move.'
There is no reason to move house speakers from network to network all the time. If you are taking a Sonos speaker with you on the go or to a second home or vacation rental, why not just by the Sonos Move and use it in BT while away?
 
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bbodine

macrumors member
Apr 1, 2009
45
29
They are getting better with the inclusion of their boost technology in some of their recent sound bars, but my Sonos 1's still drop on occasion. I have 9 Sonos products throughout my house, I don't even bother to try to have them on all the time together, though that was the promise. That just doesn't work without something dropping. I find 5 at a time is reasonably stable, and maybe 99% of the time their soundbar paired with surround speakers stays connected. If Apple came out with a decent soundbar I would ditch Sonos entirely. But as it is, I have a mixture, with my HomePods being my go to's for immersive music, my Sonos for my TV's (and sharing them with the kitchen for example).



The reason I got Sonos was WIFI offered a better solution to sound quality, and to be able to move about my house and have the same music (or tv) playing wherever I go. I dont want to carry a Move around me, and I dont like the quality drop with Bluetooth (unless I am outside).

And yes, I do update my network rather frequently to take advantage in speed advantages. The point is you were suggesting Sonos was as easy as HomePods. They are good, but not that easy :)



So again Nope. If I change my router for example, but keep the same name and password, the only devices I have issues with are Sonos. NOT my Apple TV. NOT my HomePods. NOT my dishwasher. NOT my washer/dryer. NOT my lighting systems. JUST Sonos. and they acknowledge this point in their instructions. And they have recommendations on how to re-link your system. Sometimes it works. Often it doesn't. The only way I find that is reliable is to totally wipe the system clean, resent the speakers to manufacture state, and start over. with 9 Sonos speakers that is a real pain. It seems to be getting better, now if I ignore their warnings and just keep telling it to try, it will sometimes reconnect eventually. sort of. with great patience. I have a lot of good things to say about Sonos audio, it's nice to have an alternative, but moving networks is a pain. And, btw, that's the easiest change. Try changing houses. Sighs.

They aren't as easy to set up as HomePods. They just
They are getting better with the inclusion of their boost technology in some of their recent sound bars, but my Sonos 1's still drop on occasion. I have 9 Sonos products throughout my house, I don't even bother to try to have them on all the time together, though that was the promise. That just doesn't work without something dropping. I find 5 at a time is reasonably stable, and maybe 99% of the time their soundbar paired with surround speakers stays connected. If Apple came out with a decent soundbar I would ditch Sonos entirely. But as it is, I have a mixture, with my HomePods being my go to's for immersive music, my Sonos for my TV's (and sharing them with the kitchen for example).



The reason I got Sonos was WIFI offered a better solution to sound quality, and to be able to move about my house and have the same music (or tv) playing wherever I go. I dont want to carry a Move around me, and I dont like the quality drop with Bluetooth (unless I am outside).

And yes, I do update my network rather frequently to take advantage in speed advantages. The point is you were suggesting Sonos was as easy as HomePods. They are good, but not that easy :)



So again Nope. If I change my router for example, but keep the same name and password, the only devices I have issues with are Sonos. NOT my Apple TV. NOT my HomePods. NOT my dishwasher. NOT my washer/dryer. NOT my lighting systems. JUST Sonos. and they acknowledge this point in their instructions. And they have recommendations on how to re-link your system. Sometimes it works. Often it doesn't. The only way I find that is reliable is to totally wipe the system clean, resent the speakers to manufacture state, and start over. with 9 Sonos speakers that is a real pain. It seems to be getting better, now if I ignore their warnings and just keep telling it to try, it will sometimes reconnect eventually. sort of. with great patience. I have a lot of good things to say about Sonos audio, it's nice to have an alternative, but moving networks is a pain. And, btw, that's the easiest change. Try changing houses. Sighs.

They aren't as easy to set up as HomePods. They just aren't.
Never had an issue with Sonos connecting to a new router when I kept the same user and password. Always works flawlessly and I have done it 3 times now. I have 14 speakers throughout the house, including 2 surround setups subs, 1 stereo pair, other random rooms with a speaker here and there, and they have no issue playing "Everywhere" for 15 at once or custom groups that I have created. All groups have 5 or more speakers in them.
 

npmacuser5

macrumors 68000
Apr 10, 2015
1,772
2,008
Apple has bought into two separate worlds for sound in the home. One music and the other home theater. Apple has decided to focus on the music. Their home theater options limited to small environments using Spacial Audio. I have Sonos and find their home theater an excellent choice. However Sonos has some big holes on the music side. One their app. As noted here working on it. Two nothing for the ears. As far as portable, both have good music options with Sonos very limited choices. Airplay 2, Apple has more music speaker options. Example, Sonos app cannot control other’s speakers. Want great music, more speaker options, Sonos for home theater, Apple for music.
 

jicon

macrumors 6502a
Nov 29, 2004
798
618
Toronto, ON
I have four of their speakers, and they sound great. I like option of hooking in music services, but my one gripe... Maybe its an Apple thing, as I have the same gripe with the iPad... Once you have a device used by many, it would be nice if it could be customized to me on my voice, or faceid for iPad...

I have Apple Music hooked up to it through an Alexa plug in. 'Play music'. Great, starts playing stuff I typically listen to.

Wife comes along... 'Play relaxing jazz' or 'Play christmas music'. Starts playing. Gonna leave the house.... 'Play dog relax music'... something starts playing.

Now whenever I use that 'Play music' command or the general 'My Music station' in Apple Music, I'm now inundated with jazz between christmas music (That should have stopped four months ago) and other completely different styles. It sucks. I'm stuck in a position where we either turn off voice control completely, or I set up another profile in Apple Music just for that device, knowing if I tell it 'play music', we're in a 50/50 scenario where we get a song we want to listen to.
 

bodhisattva

macrumors 6502
Dec 7, 2008
255
369
I do love my Sonos set up. The sound is amazing. I'll be interested in seeing the new app UI. From V1 to V2 was huge.
 

victorvictoria

macrumors 6502
Oct 15, 2023
453
514
that's not really their problem per se, there are so many spambots that use companies to fraud people. and frankly it could be your data mined so id be concerned about your data privacy and look into that
If I refuse to buy their products based on my opinion of the "Sonos" spam I see every day, it is indeed THEIR problem!
 
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206sunrise

macrumors newbie
Apr 23, 2024
1
0


Sonos today unveiled a redesigned Sonos app that is meant to unify an increasingly fragmented streaming market. The app is focused around a customizable home screen that supports more than 100 streaming services, so each user can set up a personalized listening experience.

sonos-redesigned-app.jpg

The home screen layout can be customized, and it displays the services that each user has set up along with controls for accessing content. There are quick access options for recently played songs, podcasts, and books, along with options to browse libraries and see recommendations from preferred services.

Favorite content and services can be pinned in rows to the home screen, and the rows are rearrangeable and customizable. A built-in always-visible search feature allows users to search for artists, songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and more across all of their preferred streaming apps.

Swiping up from the bottom of the home screen allows for a quick visual overview of everything that's playing on connected devices, and there are tools for groping speakers and adjusting volume across the home.

The new Sonos app will be available globally on mobile and through the web on May 7.

Article Link: Sonos Launches Redesigned App With Customizable Home Screen For More Personalized Listening
Grab ‘em by the speaker
 

anthonymoody

macrumors 68040
Aug 8, 2002
3,066
1,154
The thing I love the best about Sonos, by FAR, is that it can "pull" Apple Music from the internet rather than having to cast it (via AirPlay or AirPlay2) and rely on wifi the way other speakers limited to doing.

My Sonos Amps are hard-wired by ethernet. So there are just never drop-outs. Anytime I use AirPlay or AirPlay2 to cast to devices I get micro-drop outs. And yes my wifi is otherwise robust.
 
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mikebenton

macrumors regular
Sep 14, 2009
109
152
I tried that (even had 2 speakers wired), but even then it was dropping. Most likely interference with the WiFi networks around (either my own or neighbours’). I have since upgraded my access points and right now have all speakers connected via WiFi and working fine. :)
But I have on my backlog of DIY projects to wire a few more rooms with Ethernet!
SonosNet is still active. Connecting 2 speakers via ethernet will cause a loop.....not recommended. You also need to make sure things like STP are enabled. If the ethernet connection to your speaker goes through multiple switches, they all need STP.

I agree with what someone else wrote - it's love/hate....when it works, great. However, when it doesn't, there's very little to troubleshoot with. With SonosNet, you can specify the 2.4 GHz channel. You want to make sure it's not already being used by your other AP's.

I had to turn off Sonos-voice control. It was hearing things in the middle of night. Suddenly my speaker was blasting music at max volume at 4 AM. It did this about once a week, but stopped after I turned off the voice control.

Sonos was rock-solid in the past. I've had their products for about 15 years. In the past few years I constantly have issues. Problems include loading my speakers when starting the app - sometimes it takes a minute or two, controlling the volume of individual speakers in a group, stuff like that.... With every problem they fix, it seems there are new issues with every release.
 
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mcilwraith

macrumors member
Oct 1, 2016
95
228
Glasgow
Sonos speakers are great. App is rubbish. I just use the Spotify app to play music through Sonos speakers. Perfect. Don’t need the app at all.
 

HobeSoundDarryl

macrumors G5
Example, Sonos app cannot control other’s speakers. Want great music, more speaker options, Sonos for home theater, Apple for music.

What Apple app controls other's speakers?

Apple Music apps control other speakers AND Sonos speakers through Airplay. No need to use the Sonos app if one wants what Apple Music apps can play.

On the other hand, if one wants to use many services NOT native on Apple Music apps, the Sonos app can play all of those too... along with Apple Music.

I actually purchased my Sonos speakers SOLELY for music purposes... just like others are doing with HPs. I put them in spare rooms for music "in there" and am quite delighted with them for music purposes... whether that's music playing from Apple apps or music not readily playable from Apple apps.

For home theater, I have a dedicated surround sound setup using a Receiver. Receiver is an airplay device too. So when I want "whole home" I can sling music from my Apple tech to both Sonos speakers and these NOT-Sonos speakers together... and in sync. No problem at all.
 
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G5isAlive

Contributor
Aug 28, 2003
2,608
4,521
There is no reason to move house speakers from network to network all the time. If you are taking a Sonos speaker with you on the go or to a second home or vacation rental, why not just by the Sonos Move and use it in BT while away?

Sorry, you later go on to say you have changed your own network three times (I cant quote it because you embedded it in my own stuff lol). So yes speakers get moved from network to network. And you also so you have 15 Sonos speakers compared to my measly 9 so I guess your Sonos is bigger than mine :eek:. Now you say just carry around a move if I want to change that much. o_O. I am getting whiplash.

I dont want a bluetooth speaker, I want the quality of wifi. that's one of Sonos's selling points yes?
I am certainly not going to carry 15 or even 9 speakers around from my primary home to my second home.
And I absolutely do have problems changing the routers, in the last few years I have had Orbi, Velop, and Eero, and I absolutely did have problems with the same account name/password. Heck just changing out an older velop for a velop wifi 6e caused my Sonos to cry momma and took a morning to reset. And yes I have my a direct ethernet connect to my Sonos Arc. Glad your experience has been better, my experience with setting up Sonos was such that I did not set it up in my second home at all. HomePod all the way. Even for my tv. Not as good as the Arc, but better than putting up with the crap.

From Sonos "If you've replaced your router or changed your Wi-Fi network name or password, the Sonos app will lose its connection with your Sonos products. Get help with updating the network information on your Sonos system in order to get reconnected."

Whereas my HomePods dont blink. They just connect. No updating required. Maybe it gets it directly from my phone without my intervention. I dont know. I just know its a very different experience.

Yes it's doable. For me it's been a pain. They have a variety of recommendations on how to update network info, but they rarely work as stated for me. Perhaps it's because I have a number of Sonos products from over the years, not just the latest (presumably the greatest). But I even had to reset my Arc.

I do like the sound. I am not saying no one should get it. It is okay for a wireless tv system. Music isnt bad. But I am saying go into it knowing the cons and pros. But if a person is like that one guy that doesn't change anything for 8 years (I guess he isnt worried about speed), then none of the frustrations I have voiced applies to them.
 
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