Any Experience with Sonos?

julesio on 26/01/2016 - 11:35
Last edited 26/01/2016 - 11:35

Hey guys,

Fitting out my new apartment and my primary consideration I have is the speaker in my bedroom which I eventually want to connect to a wider networked system. I understand that it is a slippery slope of purchasing (once you buy one, you end up buying the entire collection) so I'm curious about anyone's experience with the Sonos Play:1 or Play:5 (new gen), I understand that it's an expensive option and goes against everything I believe in as a a OzBaragin-er, but as a designer and smart home advocate I'd love to hear any thoughts.

Warmly,

J.

Electrical & Electronics Sonos

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 26/01/2016 - 11:43
    +3

    great product for the money
    they connect well and just work
    much cheaper than bose and sound good
    although each to their own
    i love the wireless network setup i have and these fit in perfectly

    definately a strong winner for your requirements

    shop around however

    • julesio on 26/01/2016 - 11:48

      Awesome. I'm stocking up on Myer vouchers right now (mainly because I'm up to $200 already) and hoping that they will price match if something else comes up (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't).

  • MercSal on 26/01/2016 - 11:43

    I've got a few Play:1's and the sound bar. They work well, sound good. Anything specific?

    • julesio on 26/01/2016 - 11:47

      Thanks! I guess my question is whether there has been a significant generational leap between the Play:1 and Play:5.

      The Play:1 Starter Set looks like a bargain but the Play:5 was just released so I'm curious if there is a huge gap in capabilities I.e. is the Play:5 Gen 2 more future proof. There isn't a lot of material comparing the two unfortunately.

      • MercSal on 27/01/2016 - 19:55

        Completely different devices.
        Play:1s are basic speakers, though a lot better if used in stereo mode. They are background music, or a clock radio alarm sort of thing
        play:5s are a much beefier unit, and have line in if you want that. They are much more like a proper hi fi system.

  • altomic on 26/01/2016 - 17:50

    Sonos spelt backwards….

  • redknob on 26/01/2016 - 18:00
    +1

    Fell down the slope. Have every room except bathrooms decked out.

    Playbar, subwoofer, two Play:1s, two Play:3s, one Play:5 (original)… and a Boost for good measure, although that was probably overkill.

    Haven't tried out the new Play:5. Apparently they sound a lot better than the original, and the original sounds pretty good on its own.

    However, two Play:1s paired up probably sound more impressive overall than a single Play:5. They're pocket rockets, really. Two Play:3s are another step up. I've got them paired with the Soundbar and sub though for 5.1 in my living room. You can't pair Play:5s though. :)

    Very happy with all of them. Software is good but has its own limitations. Shouldn't affect/upset most people though and overall it's not really an issue.

    They're pricey but you can get 10-20% off if you time it right. Or haggle. I've gotten Myer to price match (or at least near enough) other deals I've found online from specialty stores around Australia. Only the city store in Sydney had any real stock though (apart from the two Play:1 starter pack).

    I've never bought any at regular retail price… combos of price matching, haggling and gift vouchers bringing the total cost down a considerable amount. So I feel I'm still technically playing by OzBargainer rules! :)

    P.S. you can easily live without the subwoofer, but once you try it you won't want to go without it.

    • julesio on 26/01/2016 - 20:10

      Haha, awesome. I anticipate that many purchases will follow. I feel like I might go with the Play:1 two set and get them mounted (to kick off the collection), it feels like an appropriate gateway purchase.

      I will not accept retail price: I will price match, haggle a discount and pay most of the difference with a collection gift vouchers (yay Rewards Central).

      Edit: Only Myer has Starter Kit, dang! http://www.myer.com.au/shop/mystore/sonos-sonos-s-bundlep1b-… (and http://www.digitalcinema.com.au/sonos-play-1-wireless-speake…) - can't find them anywhere else online.

      Edit 2: And they're really hard to track because the bundle/kit all have different names.

      • adamwf on 03/02/2016 - 08:39

        Play 1 starter kits can also be found at JB Hifi and Harvey Norman

        • julesio on 03/02/2016 - 11:33

          I've been hoarding gift vouchers for Myer but I will definitely check out what their best prices are by phone, neither of them have the kit online :)

        • julesio on 03/02/2016 - 12:46

          Rang around and HN definitely has them in stock, but I think I'll tough it out and wait until Myer has them back in stock (probably next week) to use $150 worth of gift cards.

    • julesio on 03/02/2016 - 21:22

      Update: Starting with one Play:1 speaker, Myer haggled down to $250 then minus $200 in hoarded Myer gift cards. I picked it up for 50 in the end, pretty happy with the result ;)

      Even if I pay $273 for the next one, it's still cheaper than the Starter Kit :)

  • Last Seen on 26/01/2016 - 18:06

    Sonos appear to be very happy with the reengineering they conducted of the 5. I think it sounds amazing but I'm not an expert.

    This is a good article: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/135441-future-of-sonos-new-p…

    Amongst the points covered re future proofing/longevity:
    When asked if there were any plans to refresh the rest of the Play range, Cullen said: "These products are designed to have a five or six-year shelf life and a 10-year home life. That's the way to look at it. The Play:3 has been out for around three-and-a-half years. Could you expect it, yes, but should you expect it in the next year or two? No. Remember we keep improving these products with software."

    I think the play1s are still fantastic and remember, they're more humidity tolerant and can be split up or run in stereo pair, so you can place them in a wider variety of situations than the 5.

    The 5 gen2 is very powerful - too powerful for smaller rooms, IMHO, to do it justice. It produces a beautiful rich sound but my lounge room is the only area in which I feel it's not overkill. Your results may vary.

    Depending on the size of your apartment, consider 1x play1 in your bedroom and one in the kitchen? Group them and blare the same tunes or leave ungrouped, you have options.

    Do what I did anyway, if you haven't yet, go into Videopro or similar and ask to have a good listen of each and weigh up cost versus room size, placement/mounting options. Flexson is worth a look for mounts.

    • julesio on 26/01/2016 - 20:42

      Awesome article, this has definitely swayed my decision. With the apartment situation is does make sense to be able to split up two as well. The Play:1 pair makes the most sense financially and then work my way up over time :)

    • julesio on 03/02/2016 - 21:36

      This Flexson floor mount looks pretty sweet: https://www.audiotrends.com.au/Flexson_FLXP1FSBS_Black.html?…

  • maxsdadda on 27/01/2016 - 09:08

    Sonos is awesome, albeit ExPeNsIvE!

    I agree with the sub woofer, you don't need it until you have it, then you can never let it go.
    I started with a play 5 (Gen 1), then another, then the playbar and sub then the threat of divorce so I slowed it down :)

    As long as you have a spotify account (Which the wife does) it's awesome. Between Pandora, Spotify and what's on my qnap I haven't found a song that is not available. The playlists are pretty cool too. As the mood strikes you, eg- sipping mojito's in the sun watching the kids play, you can pick a song that suits the mood and play that and others that are within the same style/genre/era etc.

    The old man caught wind of it and tried to fight it, for all of 24 hours, and ended up with a Play 5, Gen 2. They are pretty powerful. 2 gen2's would beat 3 gen 1's I reckon.

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