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@bazzer got there first. Do you still use squeezebox? Does it still work OK?
Actually the one thing I miss from it is the “Don’t stop the music” setting. Whatever you were listening to when it got to the end of an album or playlist it would automatically choose similar to carry on playing, it used to find some good random stuff at times.
Before Sonos I had Logitech Squeezeboxes. 2 years in to ownership they killed it off and stopped supporting it.
You beat me too it, although I got longer than 2 years out of Squeezebox. My wife hated using it but loves using Sonos that's good enough for me.
TBH it's still running on my Qnap but the plugins keep failing and then I need to start digging for updated Spotify/Iplayer code on the forums. None nerd User friendly it ain't (and never really was tbh)
Looks like you will still be able to run the old speakers, albeit at some point it is likely the streaming services will gradually drop off.
And which streaming companies are going to be shortsighted enough to change their own system in a way that makes it unusable by a sizeable proportion of the speakers made by [argueably] the biggest manufacturer of streaming speakers in the world?
I would have thought none of them would!
Spotify Tech: "We're thinking of changing our streaming protocol to XYZ"
Spotify Marketing: "Won't that mean that millions* of people with older Sonos speakers won't be able to stream from us and may therefore stop their subscriptions"
Spotify Tech: "Well yes, yes it does!"
Spotify Tech: "OK, fill your boots"
Said no-one, ever.
* Sonos had sold over 19 million devices in 2018.
Haha no I bailed on Squeezebox same as you guys as it just got a little bit too clunky.
I then went for a load of Chromecast Audios around the house.
I am now using Amazon Echos, Kitchen and bedroom I just use the ones with built in speakers and in the Lounge and office I have dots going into HiFi systems.
I am tempted by the new box with a digital out but it seems like a lot of money for what it is.
I still have a Squeezbox Radio and a Duet gathering dust if anyone wants them cheap 🙂
Haha no I bailed on Squeezebox same as you guys as it just got a little bit too clunky.
It seemed like a good time to bail, I think I had 2 radios, a duet and the one with the nice touchscreen. I got a surprising amount for them on eBay at the time.
* Sonos had sold over 19 million devices in 2018.
I'd love to know how that breaks down by model though, the speakerless ZP stuff has always been niche.
Friends had bought a first-gen Play5 way back. Other than that I can't think of anyone else I know using "legacy" stuff. Vast majority started with a Play1.
Yep I sold the Squeezebox Touch's on ebay for good money
I keep meaning to put the others on.
Spotify Tech: “We’re thinking of changing our streaming protocol to XYZ”
Spotify Marketing: “Won’t that mean that millions* of people with older Sonos speakers won’t be able to stream from us and may therefore stop their subscriptions”
Spotify Tech: “Well yes, yes it does!”
Spotify Tech: “OK, fill your boots”Said no-one, ever.
This happens all the time. "We're upgrading our protocol to XYZ - it's more secure! Of course, it won't work on your old systems, but don't you want to be more secure / more interactive / more listened to all the time / get more personalised adverts / the latest stuff? Of course you do! It's a shame you've got old kit, but now there's new! It's pretty! More fragile! Shorter battery life! Wireless charging! Buy now!"
My play 5 Gen1 is playing Radio 4 to the dog at home as I type. It’s my favourite Sonos product. I don’t want voice control.
I'll be keeping hold of my gen 1 Play 5 - has an aux input so it can work standalone if needs be (wifi can be disabled).
@TiRed (or any other gen 1 play 5 owners!) - do you find it a bit quiet? I have (and always have) had to crank it up to get it to a listenable volume. My Play 1s are way louder
Before Sonos I had Logitech Squeezeboxes. 2 years in to ownership they killed it off and stopped supporting it.
The software was open source and kept running by, presumably, a couple of guys as a hobby. It was ok but glitchy as hell and often broke. Sonos has been a dream in comparison, so I’m not sure the dev in a shed model is the way forward.
I had 4 Squeezeboxes and a Boom. The software was a bit clunky at times but I seem to remember a third party iPhone app that was slicker than Sonos at the time. Still miss the hardware - the Vacuum tube 'now playing' display was great and they were a good price for what they were. Like everyone else, fetched good money on eBay. Last time I looked it was still maintained and there are Rasp Pi kits to build players.
Airplay via Airport/Apple TV/Yamaha amp here. Multi room via Airfoil running on my Mac when I need it,
Before Sonos I had Logitech Squeezeboxes. 2 years in to ownership they killed it off and stopped supporting it.
The software was open source and kept running by, presumably, a couple of guys as a hobby.
Still works AFAIK. It's a bit buggy, but you kinda accept that given how cheap the units are now, and the fact that it's run by fans. Whereas Sonos has always priced itself as 'premium', so I'm less accepting of the bugginess of their software...
I don’t want voice control.
And I bet it the voice control that's requiring the extra horsepower the older kit doesn't have. I mean, actually streaming music hasn't changed has it?
Other than that I can’t think of anyone else I know using “legacy” stuff.
That would be me. Bought a connect, connect amp, a bridge and controller in 2009. The controller was recycled for 30% off a Sonos one a while ago.
It would cost me £700 after trade in if I were to replace the connect and amp with current products. Roughly what it cost to buy originally.I’m not looking forward to that. Would not replace with Sonos if they stop working. An echo dot for £50 would do what the connect does. That plus a cheap amp from richer sounds would replace the connect amp. Shame as I’ve always enjoyed the whole Sonos experience. Will have to see how long the legacy stuff lasts. Could well keep working perfectly well for a long time.
Re the controller being bricked that was less of a problem as it was clearly inferior to using an app on a phone. So getting any money for it seemed like a good deal. Not the same with the connects as they are invisible and just work...
My Play 1s are way louder
Depends on the source. Tune In is a very quiet feed compared to Spotify. It also feeds the kitchen/dining room, so a big space. But sonically the 1 is very good too (have a couple) and they did sound very similar when I tested them in the same room. If my 3 had an AUX in i'd have been happiest.
Re the controller being bricked that was less of a problem as it was clearly inferior to using an app on a phone.
Until you want to give your kids access to music but not your phone and/or iPad 😉 And my home wifi seems so bad the phone app struggles to find the system half the time. I preferred the dedicated network of old.
An update from the Sonos CEO:
We heard you. We did not get this right from the start. My apologies for that and I wanted to personally assure you of the path forward:
First, rest assured that come May, when we end new software updates for our legacy products, they will continue to work as they do today. We are not bricking them, we are not forcing them into obsolescence, and we are not taking anything away. Many of you have invested heavily in your Sonos systems, and we intend to honor that investment for as long as possible. While legacy Sonos products won’t get new software features, we pledge to keep them updated with bug fixes and security patches for as long as possible. If we run into something core to the experience that can’t be addressed, we’ll work to offer an alternative solution and let you know about any changes you’ll see in your experience.
Secondly, we heard you on the issue of legacy products and modern products not being able to coexist in your home. We are working on a way to split your system so that modern products work together and get the latest features, while legacy products work together and remain in their current state. We’re finalizing details on this plan and will share more in the coming weeks.
While we have a lot of great products and features in the pipeline, we want our customers to upgrade to our latest and greatest products when they’re excited by what the new products offer, not because they feel forced to do so. That’s the intent of the trade up program we launched for our loyal customers.
Thank you for being a Sonos customer. Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback. I hope that you’ll forgive our misstep, and let us earn back your trust. Without you, Sonos wouldn’t exist and we’ll work harder than ever to earn your loyalty every single day.
If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Patrick Spence
CEO, Sonos
Not perfect, but they've heard the response and are doing something about it - although many are still not happy in the slightest.
Amazing what a drop in share price can do eh?
Sonos should have sent that message out from the start instead of scaring loyal customers who have spent thousands on Sonos products into thinking their speakers will not work after updates.
And which streaming companies are going to be shortsighted enough to change their own system in a way that makes it unusable by a sizeable proportion of the speakers made by [argueably] the biggest manufacturer of streaming speakers in the world?
I would have thought none of them would!Spotify Tech: “We’re thinking of changing our streaming protocol to XYZ”
Spotify Marketing: “Won’t that mean that millions* of people with older Sonos speakers won’t be able to stream from us and may therefore stop their subscriptions”
Spotify Tech: “Well yes, yes it does!”
Spotify Tech: “OK, fill your boots”Said no-one, ever.
* Sonos had sold over 19 million devices in 2018.
Cool. Ever looked at iPad sales figures?
https://www.lifewire.com/how-many-ipads-sold-1994296
Never stopped anyone from discontinuing lower version IOS support for their apps.
The problem here is that you think consumerism is driven in the interests of consumers, as soon as you disavow yourself of this notion it all makes sense.
How many of us have a 2005 computer that you expect to run the latest os on?
Not quite 2005 but the CPU running the computer I'm typing this on is 13 years old. If you're hammering it then there's no reason why it shouldn't run albeit at a (potentially) reduced performance level.
That message solves nothing. I want all my products to work as a system. Sonos have done a Ratner and become a Harvard Business School case study overnight.
To alienate your most loyal customers, who did more to establish the success of he brand than any number of store demo stations, is nothing short of remarkable.
The share price will dictate the change in direction. They just don’t know how they’ll achieve it.
But the trust has gone. Naim next for me.
BTW Apple stopped updating my iMac immediately (2 months) after I bought it and they switched to intel processors. I didn't buy another apple product for nearly 10 years. But to be fair to them, it still worked in my system flawlessly. That’s not the case here for Sonos. One old component may limit the functionality of all. A bit like that old PC on your network dragging the rest down.
Wired’s take on this situation, worth a read:
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/sonos-outrage-legacy-speakers
While all the Sonos users are in one place can someone answer an AirPlay question please...
Currently I have no AirPlay compatible players, if I add one I can use the Apple Music app or bbc sounds etc to control what the Sonos is playing - I think?
Does it then allow all players to be controlled independently using AirPlay? Or will it only let me control the new compatible one plus anything grouped with it?
I hope that makes sense. Cheers