What to replace two Sonos 1 speakers with????

[brums evil twin]

I have two Sonos 1 speakers - One downstairs in my office/garden room and one in the bedroom and this is connected via an Alexa dot as well.

I have had enough of the Sonos software now - It will not play my music on my phone, any free deezer etc and just keeps struggling to just work. Constant switching off and on again etc. Its now at the end of my patience etc.

So what to replace them with?

Ideally work with the families phones and also work with Alexa, multi room is less important but good quality sound is important.

Thanks

[Captain_Morgan]

brums evil twin said:

I have two Sonos 1 speakers - One downstairs in my office/garden room and one in the bedroom and this is connected via an Alexa dot as well.

I have had enough of the Sonos software now - It will not play my music on my phone, any free deezer etc and just keeps struggling to just work. Constant switching off and on again etc. Its now at the end of my patience etc.

So what to replace them with?

Ideally work with the families phones and also work with Alexa, multi room is less important but good quality sound is important.

Thanks

To be fair it’s deezer that won’t allow the Sonos to play the free streams rather than Sonos stopping you. It makes no commercial sense for Sonos to force its customers to use paid for subscriptions.


Given you’ve said you can’t stream from your phones I guess you are a Apple user and that the play one’s are series 1 as the series 2 devices have airplay 2.

The other issues you note make it sound as if there could be a larger issue at play, perhaps network related?

I note this not as a Sonos fan but as a user of series 1 kit that doesn’t observe similar stability issues, I’m raising the possibility that whatever you replace it with could have similar stability issues & likely will also have issues with subscription free streaming platforms.


That said the main options that come to mind are:

Stick with Sonos but the second generation products & app

Bluesound

Yamaha musicast

Denon heos

Apple homepod

Amazon Echo

Google nest

Secondhand google chrome cast & small music system

Or just get a Bluetooth speaker and send from your phone

[Puppisadeer]

I use Sonos and HEOS and experience rare ad hoc connection issues with both (speakers, not music providers) when my WI FI is working and my other close by peripherals are displaying full strength connections. I think you have to go the Bluetooth route if you want 100% reliability.

Edited by Puppisadeer on Saturday 4th June 15:25

[brums evil twin]

Yes you are right they are series 1 Sonos speakers and yes an apple household so I have tried to live with it - but its now just not really working.

We have a selection of echo dots, one show and TV so they all seem to work well - but the quality is ok not great. The Sonos speakers sound I think is great.

I am beginning to think just go back to bluetooth and not try to be to 'connected' and 'smart'

I have read that the 2 series of speakers are much better for connectivity and system, but I am now not going to spend with them and risk the same situation when they decide to change the software again.

[Captain_Morgan]

brums evil twin said:

I have read that the 2 series of speakers are much better for connectivity and system, but I am now not going to spend with them and risk the same situation when they decide to change the software again.

To be fair, sonos started selling in 2005 & didn’t introduce s2 until 2020, 15 years is a reasonable time to support a platform & yet Sonos has continued to keep the s1 devices active, surely this is a positive.

Other than streaming from your phone, a feature that was available before airplay existed and worked until 2018 when changes to iOS & the Sonos platform rendered it defunct, what connectivity does s2 give you that’s unavailable in s1?

[brums evil twin]

Has anyone tried the Amazon Studio speakers ?? look interesting and I know Alexa etc works well.

[Douglas Quaid]

Audiopro c10 are good and more powerful than sonos.

[robsa]

brums evil twin said:

Yes you are right they are series 1 Sonos speakers and yes an apple household so I have tried to live with it - but its now just not really working.

We have a selection of echo dots, one show and TV so they all seem to work well - but the quality is ok not great. The Sonos speakers sound I think is great.

I am beginning to think just go back to bluetooth and not try to be to 'connected' and 'smart'

I have read that the 2 series of speakers are much better for connectivity and system, but I am now not going to spend with them and risk the same situation when they decide to change the software again.

Could you not sell them and buy the latest Sonos 1s? That's what I am doing, going around updating each room and using the Sonos app less and less in favour of Airplay 2. I can basically do the same things I do on Sonos but far more easily, and crucially I can adjust the volume from my phone without having to unlock it and open the Sonos app.

[Digger]

OP - Out of interest have you tried running the 1's as a stereo pair?

You might be quite surprised if not!

[stewies_minion]

Big fan of mine

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bose-Home-Speaker-Alexa-B...

[Griffith4ever]

Maybe an echo dot and a JBL charge. You'd need two charging leads for the setup but you'd be free of Sonos (I've almost entirely cut Sonos out of the loop now). I use echo dots linked to various BT speakers around the house and garden. Dots cost pennies and you get to choose the speaker.

I've a Sonos 1 and the Alexa integration is so bad I never use it (it won't play (or forgets) all skills, but most of all, you lose voice control entirely once you go above mid volume).