Sonos Early Black Friday Sale Has 20% Off Home Theater Audio Bundles This Weekend Only

[MacRumors]

Although we're still a few days away from November, early Black Friday sales have begun at a few retailers. One of the most notable sales is at Sonos, which is offering 20 percent off select home theater bundles for two days only.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Sonos. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This sale only covers multi-device bundles, and it will run through Sunday, October 29. These bundles include soundbars, subwoofers, and speakers, and they offer as much as $385 off these home audio products. You can find all of the bundles on sale in the list below, and no coupon codes are required to see these deals.

Sonos Bundle Discounts (20% OFF)​

• Ray soundbar + Sub Mini - $566, down from $708
• Beam soundbar + Sub Mini - $742, down from $928
• Beam soundbar + Era 100 Speaker (2) + Sub Mini - $1,240, down from $1,426
• Arc soundbar + Sub - $1,358, down from $1,698
• Arc soundbar + Era 100 speakers (2) + Sub - $1,856, down from $2,196
• Arc soundbar + Era 300 speakers (2) + Sub - $2,211, down from $2,596

We've begun tracking all of the season's best deals in our dedicated Black Friday Roundup, so be sure to bookmark the page and visit it throughout the season as you do your online shopping. Our roundup mainly focuses on Apple products and related tech accessories.

Article Link: Sonos Early Black Friday Sale Has 20% Off Home Theater Audio Bundles This Weekend Only

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I'm a fan of Sonos stuff. Quite Apple-like and works fine:

• with Apple Music and ALL other services (already native) too,
• with Airplay 2
• as home theater setups with dedicated sub, rear channel surround speakers, etc. available now and the software already fully refined and functional today.

With HP "smarts/Siri" already in AppleTV, iDevices and Mac, these are a great alternative to mono or stereo HPs. They already have many things people wish they could get from Apple HPs and lack the walled garden lock-in too.

I enjoy mine often.

 

[Jaro65]

I'm a fan of Sonos stuff. Quite Apple-like and works fine:

• with Apple Music and ALL other services (already native) too,
• with Airplay 2
• as home theater setups with dedicated sub, rear channel surround speakers, etc. available now and the software already fully refined and functional today.

With HP "smarts/Siri" already in AppleTV, iDevices and Mac, these are a great alternative to mono or stereo HPs. They already have many things people wish they could get from Apple HPs and lack the walled garden lock-in too.

I enjoy mine often.

Agreed. I also enjoy my system. Sonos could be a good partner/acquisition if Apple wanted to get more serious about its presence in the family room.

 

[FranApple]

Agreed. I also enjoy my system. Sonos could be a good partner/acquisition if Apple wanted to get more serious about its presence in the family room.

I might have to pick up a Sonos. I like my HomePods, but Sonos looks like a good alternative.

 

[FloatingBones]

I might have to pick up a Sonos. I like my HomePods, but Sonos looks like a good alternative.

Marco Arment has a great review of Sonos systems in this week's edition of the ATP Podcast . The discussion starts at 1:10:58. Marco was a HomePod enthusiast, but that has faded/disappeared over the years; he strongly prefers Sonos.

 

[Chicagoblah]

Lost me at soundbar, id rather buy decent powered speakers and just go two channel at that point. Im an audio snob of course.

 

[User 6502]

Overpriced products with mediocre quality and a closed ecosystem. Hard pass.

 

[Sebosz]

Y'all better be careful if you want to use with your Apple TV or gaming console. Sonos still hasn't fixed the bug that occurs when you play Dolby Atmos content from external devices, which causes loud pop and you have to restart the device for it to work properly again...
sonos-arc-dolby-atmos-problems-loud-audio-pop

 

[JamesHolden]

Overpriced products with mediocre quality and a closed ecosystem. Hard pass.

Sums up HomePod perfectly!

 

[JamesHolden]

Y'all better be careful if you want to use with your Apple TV or gaming console. Sonos still hasn't fixed the bug that occurs when you play Dolby Atmos content from external devices, which causes loud pop and you have to restart the device for it to work properly again...
sonos-arc-dolby-atmos-problems-loud-audio-pop

I have an Arc and I play Atmos content and I’ve never encountered this. I don’t doubt that some people have problems but, then again, there are plenty of Apple bugs that haven’t been fixed that I’ve never encountered either. Welcome to the world of tech.

 

[JamesHolden]

Lost me at soundbar, id rather buy decent powered speakers and just go two channel at that point. Im an audio snob of course.

That’s the beauty of Sonos. There’s a product for everyone. The Amp, as the name suggests, includes an amp and lets you connect whatever speakers you want. The Port brings Sonos to your existing HiFi system. No soundbar required.

 

[LawJolla]

Y'all better be careful if you want to use with your Apple TV or gaming console. Sonos still hasn't fixed the bug that occurs when you play Dolby Atmos content from external devices, which causes loud pop and you have to restart the device for it to work properly again...
sonos-arc-dolby-atmos-problems-loud-audio-pop

Loudly popping and not working again happens with age.

 

[User 6502]

Sums up HomePod perfectly!

Oh I agree, HomePod is just as bad. Good quality audio is definitely found elsewhere. And for the price of a pair of HomePods or a decent Sonos setup one can get a decent pair of bookshelf speakers and an AV receiver that would leave both Sonos and HomePod in the dust.

 

[JamesHolden]

Oh I agree, HomePod is just as bad. Good quality audio is definitely found elsewhere. And for the price of a pair of HomePods or a decent Sonos setup one can get a decent pair of bookshelf speakers and an AV receiver that would leave both Sonos and HomePod in the dust.

I don't fully agree with your assessment. Sonos is not nearly as closed as Apple's HomePod. The Sonos app supports pretty much every music/audio service out there. Sonos supports AirPlay as well. It's a much more open system than HomePod. Beyond that, Sonos offers a variety of products. I have used their Amps throughout my house. With the Amp, I can buy whatever speakers I want and I don't need AV receivers since the Amp includes that hardware. I've been very happy with the audio quality from the Amp + my chosen speakers.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I have an Arc and I play Atmos content and I’ve never encountered this. I don’t doubt that some people have problems but, then again, there are plenty of Apple bugs that haven’t been fixed that I’ve never encountered either. Welcome to the world of tech.

Me too. I've had Arc for towards 4 years now and never had one pop. So I believe this is one of those Apple-like "affecting a small number of (total) users" as even the comments to that story include people saying they've never had the problem.

However, in fairness, I helped a friend set up an Arc and two 300s about 5 weeks ago. Due to some third party noise in the area, we couldn't use the Sonos "Trueplay" for auto-tuning the setup immediately, delaying that for about 3 hours. Everything sounded great for those 3 hours. When the third party noise ceased, ran Trueplay and this problem immediately manifested. It sounded like the speaker was loudly popping regardless of what was played including non-ATMOS stereo music or even the sound effects made by using the buttons on top of Arc.

What changed? We ran one bit of software. So, I factory reset their Arc and set it up again without running Trueplay. Fantastic Sonos sound from the SAME sources since (CEC and ATMOS settings on, same sources, same cable, etc. In other words, no other variable changes). Since that day, it has sounded exactly as Sonos users expect. No pops.

My assumption is very Apple-like: a bit of software has some bug(s) and they may be "one software update away" from fixing whatever it is. Obviously, my guess is that it is in the optional Trueplay run... which I've run myself on my own Arc several times and never had a problem. That makes me think maybe it's in using Trueplay with select combinations of speakers. For them, it was Arc + twin 300's. For me it's Arc + Move.

If it was a hardware thing and/or affected ALL Arcs, you & I would be experiencing it with our Arcs too. And if it was a hardware flaw affecting my friend's Arc, it would have repeated after the factory reset because all other variables remained the same. It did not. To me, that simply screams software bug, affecting only some units.

If someone wants to buy, buy. If you get one that pops, replace it... exactly what you would do if you buy something from Apple and it isn't working right. While I am no burning fan of SoundBars myself (believing the traditional Receiver + true (at least) 5.1 setups maximize home theater sound, Arc is generally rated best or near best in most objective head-to-head comparisons. And my objective ears certainly agree that it sounds great.

Especially for Apple people since Sonos so readily works with Apple Music and Airplay and HomeKit (so Siri commands work), it's a great option instead of HPs, minus the heavy lock-down, with much more flexibility for all of the many wishes HP owners have that Apple may never act upon like:

• big subwoofer or smaller one,
• surround sound support,
• AUX inputs,
• natively works with ALL streaming sources instead of only 2 or so,
• easily connects with non-Apple audio sources too,
• etc.

 

[JamesHolden]

Me too. I've had Arc for towards 4 years now and never had one pop. So I believe this is one of those Apple-like "affecting a small number of (total) users" as even the comments to that story include people saying they've never had the problem.

However, in fairness, I helped a friend set up an Arc and two 300s about 5 weeks ago. Due to some third party noise in the area, we couldn't use the Sonos "Trueplay" for auto-tuning the setup immediately, delaying that for about 3 hours. Everything sounded great for those 3 hours. When the third party noise ceased, ran Trueplay and this problem immediately manifested. It sounded like the speaker was loudly popping regardless of what was played including non-ATMOS stereo music or even the sound effects made by using the buttons on top of Arc.

What changed? We ran one bit of software. So, I factory reset their Arc and set it up again without running Trueplay. Fantastic Sonos sound from the SAME sources since (CEC and ATMOS settings on, same sources, same cable, etc. In other words, no other variable changes). Since that day, it has sound fantastic, exactly as Sonos users expect. No pops.

My assumption is very Apple-like: a bit of software has some bug(s) and they may be "one software update away from fixing whatever it is." Obviously, my guess is that it is in the optional Trueplay run... which I've run myself on my own Arc several times and never had a problem. That makes me think maybe it's in using Trueplay with select combinations of speakers. For them, it was Arc + twin 300's. For me it's Arc + Move.

If it was a hardware thing and/or affected ALL Arc, you & I would be experiencing it with our too. And if it was a hardware flaw affecting my friends Arc, it would have repeated after the factory reset. It did not. To me, that simply screams software bug, affecting only some units.

If someone wants to buy, buy. If you get one that pops, replace it... exactly what you would do if you buy something from Apple and it isn't working right. While I am no burning fan of SoundBars myself (believing the traditional Receiver + true (at least) 5.1 setups maximize home theater sound), Arc is generally rated best or near best in most objective head-to-head comparisons. And my objective ears certainly agree that it sounds great.

Everything I've read about this issue suggests it is related to Trueplay, so I think you're right about that. These kinds of bugs are frustrating. There are many variables. As you note, speaker combination might be a factor. Even the shape of the room, openings, etc. might be a factor. And then there are cables. So many people cheap out when it comes to cables (and chargers). Not to mention the audio source. Is the AppleTV connected directly to the Arc? Is audio being run through the TV and out to the Arc? What brand/model TV? Etc. While this bug is no doubt real, it also doesn't seem to affect most Arc owners.

 

[AeroEd]

Overpriced products with mediocre quality and a closed ecosystem. Hard pass.

The irony.

 

[klrobinson999]

Love my Sonos system... sound quality, ease of use, Apple integration, all A+. Worth the price I paid.

 

[Flight Plan]

That’s the beauty of Sonos. There’s a product for everyone. The Amp, as the name suggests, includes an amp and lets you connect whatever speakers you want. The Port brings Sonos to your existing HiFi system. No soundbar required.

I am thinking of getting a port. Or two. I have an old Sherwood receiver in one room, and it drives a couple of Bose 901 Series V speakers that I refurbished with new cloth surrounds back in May. In the living room, I have a Bose Lifestyle 30 home theater rig that only has the left, right, and center speakers hooked up. I don’t watch television, so I don’t even have the surround speakers connected. I could get a THIRD port for the home office, and drive audio through my UAD 8 audio interface.

The only problem with all those is the price! A Port costs like $450 USD, so three would be over $1,300! A simple “One” costs as little as $219, less if I troll the sales on EBay or Reverb.

But man oh man, I love the idea of playing a podcast through the entire house all at once, regardless if I’m using my old gear or just have a bunch of Sonos speakers. Or just in the master bedroom, ‘cause that’s where I happen to be folding clothes at that moment.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Overpriced products with mediocre quality and a closed ecosystem. Hard pass.

Can I interest you in a Homepod?

 

[JamesHolden]

I am thinking of getting a port. Or two. I have an old Sherwood receiver in one room, and it drives a couple of Bose 901 Series V speakers that I refurbished with new cloth surrounds back in May. In the living room, I have a Bose Lifestyle 30 home theater rig that only has the left, right, and center speakers hooked up. I don’t watch television, so I don’t even have the surround speakers connected. I could get a THIRD port for the home office, and drive audio through my UAD 8 audio interface.

The only problem with all those is the price! A Port costs like $450 USD, so three would be over $1,300! A simple “One” costs as little as $219, less if I troll the sales on EBay or Reverb.

But man oh man, I love the idea of playing a podcast through the entire house all at once, regardless if I’m using my old gear or just have a bunch of Sonos speakers. Or just in the master bedroom, ‘cause that’s where I happen to be folding clothes at that moment.

Having everything synced together throughout the house is sooooo nice! I hear you on the price, though. It's steep, especially considering the price of the stand-alone speakers. The Amp is more reasonable considering that includes an amp, but the Port does seem very overpriced. I think both Port and Amp are pretty niche products and we're paying for that.

Sonos frequently has sales and offers discounts to existing customers (in case you have any friend with Sonos). The Port with a 30% discount is much more reasonable.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I am thinking of getting a port. Or two. I have an old Sherwood receiver in one room, and it drives a couple of Bose 901 Series V speakers that I refurbished with new cloth surrounds back in May. In the living room, I have a Bose Lifestyle 30 home theater rig that only has the left, right, and center speakers hooked up. I don’t watch television, so I don’t even have the surround speakers connected. I could get a THIRD port for the home office, and drive audio through my UAD 8 audio interface.

The only problem with all those is the price! A Port costs like $450 USD, so three would be over $1,300! A simple “One” costs as little as $219, less if I troll the sales on EBay or Reverb.

But man oh man, I love the idea of playing a podcast through the entire house all at once, regardless if I’m using my old gear or just have a bunch of Sonos speakers. Or just in the master bedroom, ‘cause that’s where I happen to be folding clothes at that moment.

If it might help any, Port is in their refurb store right now for a good amount less than that. I think of their refurbs like I think of Apples: great buys. Fairly tempted myself.

 

[darthbane2k]

I'm a fan of Sonos stuff. Quite Apple-like and works fine:

• with Apple Music and ALL other services (already native) too,
• with Airplay 2
• as home theater setups with dedicated sub, rear channel surround speakers, etc. available now and the software already fully refined and functional today.

With HP "smarts/Siri" already in AppleTV, iDevices and Mac, these are a great alternative to mono or stereo HPs. They already have many things people wish they could get from Apple HPs and lack the walled garden lock-in too.

I enjoy mine often.

Nothing Apple-like about about an ecosystem that only supports Alexa for voice commands and smart home commands.
This is my major issue with Sonos, not enough integration with the Apple Ecosystem outside of AirPlay.

 

[darthbane2k]

Love my Sonos system... sound quality, ease of use, Apple integration, all A+. Worth the price I paid.

What apple integration does Sonos have exactly? Airplay isn’t integration. Does Sonos speakers show up on the now playing area of Apple Watch and Apple TV? Do they support handoff? Do they allow you to control HomeKit? Do they allow you to summon Siri? Can I ask a Sonos speaker to play an Apple Music playlist or radio station? Can I ask a Sonos speaker to continue playing what I’ve listened to on Apple Podcasts?
There has been less and less integration with the Apple ecosystem as of late.
Dont get me wrong, I love their speakers but I hate the lack of proper integration with the Apple ecosystem. Wish Apple would just buy them.

 

[darthbane2k]

Especially for Apple people since Sonos so readily works with Apple Music and Airplay and HomeKit (so Siri commands work)

This is not true. Sonos does not work with HomeKit in any useful way. It shows up as a speaker in the home app but no Sonos speaker with a mic can control anything in HomeKit. Also the claim that Siri commands work is false. Sonos speakers only support Alexa (they dropped Google assistant support)