Comments on: Sonos, its new Playbar, and the future of home entertainment: Can the good guys win?

By: Caroline B Smith

Caroline B Smith — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:55:19 +0000

We’re far from Santa Barbara, but we love our two SONOS systems, one in southern MI and one in the Thumb of MI where you can get not much on the radio waves, it has saved our sanity. It’s the top of the line and we believe you get what you pay for. Our dealer is so helpful that he drove to the Thumb to install the second system. Good luck to the GOOD GUYS.

By: Elliott

Elliott — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 07:02:00 +0000

Matt, I also thought Sonos’ product development schedule was rather languid. Then bought a fairly high-end home theater receiver a couple of months ago and realized that the HiFi manufacturers are still way behind Sonos in terms of ease of use. To control the receiver from your PC, you reserve an IP address and use a web app that doesn’t recognize the names you have assigned the inputs. Picking your favorite internet radio stations requires another web app, and controlling it from a tablet or smartphone uses a completely different app. And don’t get me started on the lack of WiFi or room syncing.

Still, Sonos has room for improvement. I hope they’ll add a digital input and PlayBar features to the Play:5. The Play:5 has decent bass and enough stereo separation for small rooms, so if your TV stand has the height to accommodate a Play:5 or two, it would be a great “poor man’s” PlayBar.

By: H. M

H. M — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:06:08 +0000

I’m really torn. I love Sonos but the elephant in the corner is Airplay. The danger is spending $$$ for a Sonos system that has few speaker choices that are truly integrated.

$700 Playbar
$700 Sonos Sub
$300 Play 3

$1700 ain’t chump change. Guess it won’t hurt to see how things shake out this year. If Airplay doesn’t get synchronized audio then Sonos is in no danger.

By: Matt Eagar

Matt Eagar — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:50:03 +0000

I’m with you, Janko — I want these guys to win, but I don’t think they are moving fast enough. I was an early Sonos customer in 2005 — seemed like the right thing to do as I had recently ripped my CD collection to my PC. To this day, I love being able to listen to anything in my music library anywhere in my house. But from where I sit, they haven’t really done much of significance since then. Sure, I can get subscription music services through the system, and I like being able to control the system from my phone, but that kind of a software upgrade hasn’t been the revelation that the original product was — they are an expected improvements, kind of a yawner. I don’t see the Soundbar as anything to get excited about, either (especially as most of their recent announcements have been speakers with different form factors).

I have long hoped for Sonos to do with video what they did with audio, but that hasn’t happened — and as you rightly point out, AirPlay and other technology is already delivering there. Having an API for their system — I believe that is one key to their future. But they should have done it a few years ago, so it’s more than frustrating that they are only beginning to talk about it now.

While Sonos may have Apple-like aspirations, they aren’t delivering the barrage of innovation (some hits, some misses) that is so hallmark Apple. Instead, I am reminded of a conversation I had with former Sonos design manager. He said their goal was to outdo Bose. That seems to be a better analogy to me — another company that delivers relatively pleasing products, but only rarely comes out with major innovations. There may be a lot of engineering happening behind the scenes, but I’m not sure it matters to most of us.

By: realjjj

realjjj — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:13:36 +0000

lol at 700$ i wouldn’t call them the good guys.