The Sonos Thread

[S-JM]

I'm only starting this thread because I couldn't find a 'general' thread for Sonos, and, I've just ordered a Roam SL. Anyone got one, got any experience of them?
May as well discuss all things Sonos in here - still absolutely loving the Beam we have in the living room.

 

[boultonn]

Got/have had a few Sonos bits over the years, currently got a Roam and an Arc, both spot on tbf but don't really use the Sonos app as the Arc is controlled by the TV and the Roam has airplay and bluetooth.

 

[c4pob]

I’ve got a few speakers, Sonos one and 5 as well as the Sonos amp powering some ceiling speakers (Sonos by sonance). Got the 5 and ceiling speakers set up as a group for the kitchen / diner. Works really well. Would love the sub but can’t justify the expense currently but that’s the plan.
Linked with our echo in the kitchen so really easy to control (or I can use the app as well on my phone).
I’ve been impressed with how loud the 5 can go.

 

[seb]

I've had a SONOS playbar for a long time now. It has been superseded by the newer sound bars from SONOS.

good things:

sound is exceptional

bad things:

SONOS app is f**king awful - No airplay on this older soundbar - so you are forced to use the app t ostream music.

It randomly drops the music stream for up to a minute or so and then carries on playing.


For a soundabr that cost £800 I wouldn't have purchased it if I knew how bad it was at streaming. Plus it can't have a firmware update to do airplay.

So only option is buy a new one which i am reluctant to do. It appears the new models have airplay which would hopefulyl solve that issue.

Shame as I would have problaby added woofer etc but have decided against doing that.

 

[S-JM]

I've always just ran the Spotify app on the TV when listening to music through my Beam as the Sonos app is indeed god awful and it doesn't have Bluetooth capability, plus I like having album artwork up on the screen.

I used the app for a while at first but it started saying 'cannot locate Sonos device on network' or similar so just sacked it off entirely.

 

[seb]

I guess i just want to literally have one touch functionality. So instead of going into the sonos app, then into apple music via sonos etc etc so f**king laborious!

literally wouldn’t have purchased if i had known how doggers it was. Thank f**k i just basically use it as a soundbar which it does excellently

 

[SC03OTT]

I've had a SONOS playbar for a long time now. It has been superseded by the newer sound bars from SONOS.

good things:

sound is exceptional

bad things:

SONOS app is f**king awful - No airplay on this older soundbar - so you are forced to use the app t ostream music.

It randomly drops the music stream for up to a minute or so and then carries on playing.


For a soundabr that cost £800 I wouldn't have purchased it if I knew how bad it was at streaming. Plus it can't have a firmware update to do airplay.

So only option is buy a new one which i am reluctant to do. It appears the new models have airplay which would hopefulyl solve that issue.

Shame as I would have problaby added woofer etc but have decided against doing that.

I find Airplay a bit hit and miss on my two One SL speakers. Or more so the integration with HomeKit. Sometimes automations work, sometimes not. Controlling the volume globally if I’ve got the Sonos linked to a HomePod is a shambles as well.

First world problems though 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[CrippsCorner]

I love my Beam, but agree it's pretty terrible at streaming. I have Nest speakers too and firstly it's very frustrating that they're not compatible.

I used to be able to tell Google to play Radio 1 and it'd work on the Beam. However Radio 1 Dance never worked, and Spotify has never worked either. Only voice commands this is... all fine from the apps. I was about to contact Sonos and noticed a guide on adding services (especially as BBC recently changed the way the apps work) but still doesn't work.

I actually want to replace my other Nest speakers with the smaller Sonos ones but these issues are causing me to think again!

 

[E30kev]

Beam and sub in the living room, couple of ones still to be added.
Sounds great, no issues with the app and less cables for my cat Vader to chew 🤣

Just a beam in the snug/spare room.

I quite fancy getting the roam or move also.

 

[frayz]

Soundbar, Sub and Play1s in the living room setup in 5.1 config, multiple Play1s dotted around the house and a Beam in the kitchen (Fits great on top of the units out of sight.
App is mostly okay and ive no issues with it, great sound, superb flexibility and i love just being able to add to it all over the house when i feel like it.

 

[FatRS]

Play bar and sub in the lounge, need to get the 2 spare 1s back up now my daughter‘s old enough to not knock them when crawling, a 3 in the bedroom, 5 in the kitchen and a Beam in the conservatory. All really good and impressed but they p*ssed me off when they dropped the airplay, hence I bought the Beam and I can link the others off this.

 

[boultonn]

Beam and sub in the living room, couple of ones still to be added.
Sounds great, no issues with the app and less cables for my cat Vader to chew 🤣

Just a beam in the snug/spare room.

I quite fancy getting the roam or move also.

Is the sub worth it?
Always looking at it but just seems $$$$, bass on the Arc isn't terrible...

 

[Cookie]

Just the Arc for me atm, I need to buy more as I love them. My parents have Sonos stuff in most rooms in their house and its ace (quite a few of the in ceiling speakers)

 

[CrippsCorner]

Is the sub worth it?
Always looking at it but just seems $$$$, bass on the Arc isn't terrible...

Cheaper sub incoming.

I remember being told the Beam is rubbish without the sub... but that in itself is rubbish. Enough bass for me. Now if I didn't have neighbours or kids then yes I'd probably get the sub as well, but for me it's overkill.

 

[E30kev]

Is the sub worth it?
Always looking at it but just seems $$$$, bass on the Arc isn't terrible...

I think it’s overpriced for what it is.
However, it takes things to the next level and just lets the beam concentrate on the sound quality.
I felt exactly the same, always looked at it and thought “nah behave, too f**king dear”
Then done the usual, go completely against sense and just pulled the trigger 🤣

 

[S-JM]

Got my Roam today - been listening all morning and I'm impressed. Good depth and very 'weighty'. Miles better than my previous £20 JBL thingy.

 

[rctempire]

Considered a sonos amp for ceiling speakers in the living room and kitchen.

I do like the easyness of them. The price is eye watering and there are better in the market just not as integrated as sonos.

Speaker wise getting monitor audio if anyone's had those?

 

[c4pob]

Considered a sonos amp for ceiling speakers in the living room and kitchen.

I do like the easyness of them. The price is eye watering and there are better in the market just not as integrated as sonos.

Speaker wise getting monitor audio if anyone's had those?

The amp is pricey but with decent ceiling speakers it does have some punch.

 

[GRitch]

Is the sub worth it?
Always looking at it but just seems $$$$, bass on the Arc isn't terrible...

I know this is a late reply but I was the same, it's a lot of money for just the Sub.

The way I would explain it is, if you watch a lot of movies, it's 100% worth it, same for listening to music. If you mostly watch TV, I wouldn't say it was overly worth it. Difficult to justify but glad I added it to the system.

 

[Speedyslipper]

Have the beam (gen 2) and two 1s for the tv and it’s unbelievable- so loud and clear and plenty bass: gunshots in films are genuinely terrifying at anything over half volume. No idea how I’d ever justify the expense of the sub- we are lucky we don’t really have neighbours but it’s already very loud.

2 1’s in the kitchen good enough for Spotify etc

 

[N0ddie]

Have the beam (gen 2) and two 1s for the tv and it’s unbelievable- so loud and clear and plenty bass: gunshots in films are genuinely terrifying at anything over half volume. No idea how I’d ever justify the expense of the sub- we are lucky we don’t really have neighbours but it’s already very loud.

2 1’s in the kitchen good enough for Spotify etc

It’s not “loudness” that the sub brings. It’s difficult to quantify but having the sub allows the sound at to concentrate on the other stuff and be better.

It’s worth it, to me.

 

[Speedyslipper]

It’s not “loudness” that the sub brings. It’s difficult to quantify but having the sub allows the sound at to concentrate on the other stuff and be better.

It’s worth it, to me.

Interesting Noddie, in your opinion would I be better off getting it or upgrading the beam to an arc?

 

[Speedyslipper]

f**k you @N0ddie, I bought it anyway - £669 from Argos, picking up tomorrow unless I bust a nut all over the sales rep first and get slung in chokey

 

[CrippsCorner]

Found these interesting to read this week!

Sonos glitch accidentally sent this guy $15,000 worth of speakers - The Verge

Sonos says customers that got extra speakers don’t have to send them back - The Verge

 

[Sir Nancy Flowers]

This is probably better put into google but im useless with reading the 'potential' fixes you get from google.

My Sonos speakers are fab, I love them. But, I keep getting weird issues with them.

I have a 'new' 1 in the kitchen, a 5 in the lounge and another older 1 in the back bedroom. I always felt range would be a problem with the back bedroom 1 but it plays seamlessly. The 5 in the lounge (right next to the router) seems to cut in and out - like its losing signal.

Anyone had this issue and care to share the solution?

 

[The Psychedelic Socialist]

This is probably better put into google but im useless with reading the 'potential' fixes you get from google.

My Sonos speakers are fab, I love them. But, I keep getting weird issues with them.

I have a 'new' 1 in the kitchen, a 5 in the lounge and another older 1 in the back bedroom. I always felt range would be a problem with the back bedroom 1 but it plays seamlessly. The 5 in the lounge (right next to the router) seems to cut in and out - like its losing signal.

Anyone had this issue and care to share the solution?

Are you using WiFi or a Boost?

We had a One in the kitchen that could manage a few minutes streaming but would then cut-out but as soon as we installed a Boost it worked perfectly. Particularly impressive as the WAP it was using was only one solid wall away, but the boost was positioned elsewhere behind two solid walls.

 

[Sir Nancy Flowers]

Are you using WiFi or a Boost?

We had a One in the kitchen that could manage a few minutes streaming but would then cut-out but as soon as we installed a Boost it worked perfectly. Particularly impressive as the WAP it was using was only one solid wall away, but the boost was positioned elsewhere behind two solid walls.

Just standard wifi mate

I should have explained it a bit better.

The 5 and Kitchen 1 are within 10m of the router. The kitchen has only 1 small wall between it and the router. The 5 is right next to it. Thats why im confused as the 5 is the closest but its also the worst in terms of performance

Ironically the oldest 1 in the back bedroom is the furthest and it works brilliantly!

 

[The Psychedelic Socialist]

Just standard wifi mate

I should have explained it a bit better.

The 5 and Kitchen 1 are within 10m of the router. The kitchen has only 1 small wall between it and the router. The 5 is right next to it. Thats why im confused as the 5 is the closest but its also the worst in terms of performance

Ironically the oldest 1 in the back bedroom is the furthest and it works brilliantly!

Sounds similar to me insomuch as the Boost shouldn't really have helped. There was plenty of signal strength (as tested on a phone app) but it definitely made the difference.

 

[Sir Nancy Flowers]

Sounds similar to me insomuch as the Boost shouldn't really have helped. There was plenty of signal strength (as tested on a phone app) but it definitely made the difference.

Ill have a looksie for a boost! Cheers

 

[CrippsCorner]

Thread revival... did you get a boost @Sir Nancy Flowers?

My Sonos system is driving me mad. Just cuts in an out all the time Have contacted support multiple times and they always give me different answers:

First person said I need to change Wi-Fi channel. This worked for 2-3 weeks then started f**king up again, so I've set it to dynamic now.

Second person said I need a Sonos Boost as mentioned above. Problem is they've been discontinued... apparently you're meant to plug in any Sonos speaker via Ethernet for the same functionality, but that's not convenient for me.

Third person said to re-authorise the audio services I'm using within Sonos app. Again, worked for a while but started going wrong again yesterday. Plus it goes wrong with more than just the single app.

I want to add another speaker in my kitchen, but seriously thinking about packing it all in and looking at any alternatives... are there any? Problem is need a compatible small soundbar like the Beam.

 

[seb]

My sound cutting out issues were deffo related to the sonos app.

This was when i was using the app to play music from my iphone.

As a soundbar worked fine.

The way i resolved it was airplay to the tv directly and it just played through the soundbar anyway LOL

Works perfectly now since i don’t have to use the shitty sonos app.

 

[E30kev]

Thread revival... did you get a boost @Sir Nancy Flowers?

My Sonos system is driving me mad. Just cuts in an out all the time Have contacted support multiple times and they always give me different answers:

First person said I need to change Wi-Fi channel. This worked for 2-3 weeks then started f**king up again, so I've set it to dynamic now.

Second person said I need a Sonos Boost as mentioned above. Problem is they've been discontinued... apparently you're meant to plug in any Sonos speaker via Ethernet for the same functionality, but that's not convenient for me.

Third person said to re-authorise the audio services I'm using within Sonos app. Again, worked for a while but started going wrong again yesterday. Plus it goes wrong with more than just the single app.

I want to add another speaker in my kitchen, but seriously thinking about packing it all in and looking at any alternatives... are there any? Problem is need a compatible small soundbar like the Beam.

We have a beam and sub downstairs in the living room and a beam upstairs, zero issues with pairing/separation using the app.

However, when looking at an additional speaker for the kitchen and portability for the garden the Sonos range aren’t the best for this (going by all the reviews I read).

I was pointed in the direction of the Swedish made audio pro addon range and for sound quality it’s unmatched by its rivals (even though they cost more than double its price).
Usability is much like the Sonos and the battery lasts longer too.

I don’t think they do a beam style tv sound bar yet but they do various sized room speakers much larger than the one we have.
I can imagine the sound quality being even more impressive too.

It’s definitely something I’ll explore in the near future rather than just adding to/renew the Sonos items.

 

[Ray Gin]

I do like my Sonos but f**k me the software side of things is beyond awful. Anytime there’s an update mine messes up. To the point where I actually didn’t even use it for months as I was fed up with the app(s).

 

[Sir Nancy Flowers]

@CrippsCorner

Sorry to hear you're having troubles.

At the moment, that side of things is on hold. I currently have no kitchen so I'm having to prioritise that...🤣

Oh. And I'm in Japan.

Hope you get it sorted

 

[S-JM]

I've got the beam and the roam and I've ended up having neither connected to the internet, the beam just runs directly from the TV and the roam just runs via Bluetooth from my work laptop or phone in the office.

Got sick of the app quite early, probably missing out on updates but it hasn't effected anything, everytime I try to use the app it seems to lose sight of either speaker and can't identify them / add them to the list.

 

[CrippsCorner]

The app is shite, but it cuts out whether I'm using that, or BBC Sounds, or streaming from my NAS (using DS audio app)

This evening it was so bad it just sits there like this...

Last time I spoke to Sonos, they told me to do a diagnostic test within the app and send them the code. Yeah, okay...

Then I realised their support was down! They really are a s**t show, which is such a shame as when it does work, it's brilliant, but I would honestly say it only works for me around 75% of the time which just isn't good enough.

I tried streaming from Spotify tonight and it would work on one speaker, then cut out, then appear on another, then glitch on and off for 10 seconds, then cut out completely. Rinse and repeat basically. Just been listening to music on awful tablet speakers for days now. I have a near on £1,000 system that I just can't use 🤷‍♂️

Oh and tested Wi-Fi at the time, 72.24Mb/s ping @ 11ms, no other network issues, ever.

 

[Cookie]

Are you running the system on the correct WiFi type for what you have?

Supported WiFi modes and security standards for Sonos products

This article lists the WiFi modes and security standards that are supported by Sonos products. Sonos products running S2 software support additional modes.

support.sonos.com

I know all of mine needs to be on my 2.4ghz b/g rather than my WiFi6 network