Alternative to Sonos.

Update:

Continued to have problems with the old Sonos Connect. Got a Wiim for my main system and everything works perfectly.

Also, today several speakers dropped out of my Sonos system. When I went to connect the Sonos iPhone app forced an update. When the update was complete the Sonos app no longer recognizes Qobuz playlists which is my main listening source. Did a little research on the Sonos boards and this has been a known problem for over a month. Sonos says it is Qobuz's problem which is preposterous. Qobuz says it is a Sonos problem. Obviously it is a Sonos issue. Qobuz isn't obligated to adapt its system to Sonos' never ending updates and Qobuz is not dependent on Sonos. Sonos is offering no solution.

This is pretty much the last straw. I'm perfectly happy with Sonos' hardware. Their software integration is abysmal and they are unresponsive.

I'm not a techy. I do not enjoy changing systems. I consider it a nightmare. But I've got to get away from Sonos. Will be selling the Amp, multiple speakers and a bar and starting over.

Update:

I have continued to have problems with the Sonos Connect. I have tried (daisy chain) wiring it to the Sonos Amp in the other room. No difference whatsoever.

Long intermittent pauses in the music. Very frustrating. I was ready to chalk it up to the fact that the old Connect is pretty much legacy Sonos gear.

However, I may have solved the problem accidentally. The Sonos Connect was connected to my Oppo which I use as my DAC and CD player via coaxial. I was not using the optical port on the Oppo so I used an optical cable from the Sonos Connect into the Oppo. So far no glitches after two evenings of listening. Not sure why the coaxial cable would have caused issues but that seems to be the culprit.

Right now the Connect is daisy chain wired to the Amp by running an ethernet cable under a door which is not ideal and is unsightly. Tonight I’m going to disconnect the ethernet cable and see how things go.

Thanks @sunshdw .

For @bjesien ’s benefit:

My wireless network had no wi-fi extenders of plug-in units. Just a modem/router from the local ISP.

I don’t know if that is an actual proper wireless system but it met Sonos’ stated requirements.

I can’t comment on channel interference because I don’t know anything about it.

I would agree with sunshdw that Sonos is solid when done properly. But from what I’ve experienced and read (more than I ever cared to) it can be difficult to do it properly. To the extent that their tech support and message boards often cannot solve people’s problems. But then again, many of their customers, like me, are likely not particularly literate regarding wireless networks.

Anyway, my advice reflects my experience. If you are going to run multiple speakers/units in your system be prepared to wire at least a few of them to your router. That part is relatively easy. Run the ethernet cable between the router and the speaker. Doing that discretely can be a challenge. Once wired up, go to the system menu in the Sonos app. Select your device and then select disable wi-fi. Done.....well, as long as there isn’t a Sonos Boost in the system mucking things up. Good luck.

I have a yoga studio and use Sonos (newer model) and it works most of the time. A few teachers have issues with the music cutting in and out and I’ve never been able to get to the bottom of it. All on the wifi system, perhaps something to do with the OS of their phone (remote control).

I considered Bluesound to but I’m thinking of getting new speakers and going to tubes so mostly happy with the Sonos but there are quirks. I agree it’s a descent amp.

Following for more info like sunshdw offered.

Worth mentioning again that i can have a teacher with iphone 11 works great another with iphone 14 (both streaming from Spotify) having issues. If you stream from Tidal or Spotify have you tried starting and stopping from the Sonos app?

Good luck!

Sonos doesn't play well with mesh style wireless networks (think the little plug in repeaters).

If you have an actual proper wireless system, the other issue I've found is channel interference. Changing the WiFi channel to one that's low traffic solved all issues. 

When done properly Sonos is pretty rock solid. 

Thanks Tim. I more or less did all this when the Boost was installed and it never helped the situation at all. It always showed up in the Sonos app as connected and functioning properly. Having said that, there is a real probability that I did something wrong somewhere along the line.

I do think my router is not that great. It is a modem/router combo from the local ISP. So it may have been the source of some of the earlier issues. If the need arises I can get a modem from them and use my own dedicated router but no need at this point.

But, I have taken the Boost completely out of the system. Now I have the Amp, and two other speakers hard wired to the router and so far the system has performed flawlessly. I had to spend a lot of time in the basement pulling ethernet cable and drilling holes but feel it is worth it now.

I don’t know enough about IT or the Sonos architecture to say what the problem was but now the system is working great with the Boost gone.

I have also had some connectivity problems outside of Sonos and they have all disappeared as well now that the Boost is gone.

I really appreciate your thoughts on the matter but given how well things are working I don’t think I’m going to put the Boost back in the system.

I've been thinking about your situation for a while, and I offer this as a possible explanation with a solution.

A Boost creates its own wireless network for your Sonos system, meaning that your other Sonos products communicate through the Boost instead of through your regular wifi. If you installed the Boost after your other Sonos products, it's possible that it created a network that's not being used.

In a perfect world, your Boost would be wired to your router/switch/whatever, and I recommend that you do so. This is a system that works. I use it at home with five Sonos products and at two work locations with quite a few more. BUT, I had to factory reset all of my devices and re-add them when I introduced a Boost into the mix after the fact.

If this is the case (that your other Sonos products are not communicating through your Boost), you need to (basically) rebuild your Sonos network. Unplug everything. Wire the Boost to your router and make sure your Sonos app recognizes it. This is a critical first step.

Once that's done, plug in a component and execute a factory reset. You can find the instructions for each device by searching the Sonos site. After you reset it, adopt it with the Sonos app. Go thought this process with each device. When you're done, all of your devices should communicate through the Boost, significantly reducing the traffic on your regular wireless network.

I absolutely cannot guarantee that this will work, but your description makes it seem like either:

• Your wireless (and maybe wired) network stinks, or
• Your Boost isn't doing what it should

Good luck!

Tim

Since you appear to be already neck deep with Sonos, try fixing it by hard Ethernet wiring your main device.

I have been on Yamaha’s Musiccast eco system and I find it very stable and sonically superior to other stuff for multiroom applications.

Sooooooo........tonight I was listening to Allegri’s Miserere. I’m not a classical music aficionado, much less Renaissance expert but this is one of the most beautiful and moving pieces of music I’ve ever heard. And Sonos cut out so many times I gave up.

Sorry to hear that the Sonos caused allergies, misery and other stuff when you tried to play Allegri’s Miserere. That is a no bueno sono.

Well, I might have got it all sorted. As it was configured when I posted this thread, the only thing hard wired was the Boost. And as mentioned, it did nothing to solve issues but I left it in the system anyway.

So I decided to go ahead and wire several of the other components including the Amp and the speaker on the back porch.

As soon as I plugged anything other than the Boost into the router the wi-fi went down everywhere. Unplug and everything is fine. I can't tell you how many times I restarted that router with every combination imaginable. Finally I unplugged the Boost from the router. When I did I could plug in the Amp and two other speakers in the house and everything works and seems to be working well for the first time in ages including the porch speaker which is the furthest from the router.

The irony is that the $100 plastic box not only didn't help solve the problem it actually made things worse.

Still frustrated with Sonos. The implementation of its network is really pathetic but if it continues to work okay I'll keep it for now.

I live in dread of the next 'update'.

2x what blisshifi stated.

The issues with your current Sonos system sound network related.  It sounds like there is something on your network or a setting/ settings in your network causing issues.  This could be a device like a (God forbid) extender, or a configuration issue, a channel issue, or even a combination of things.  I'd call Sonos tech support and spend some time figuring it out.

If you were to move away from Sonos, the biggest options out there are Bluesound, Denon Heos and Yamaha MusicCast.  Bluesound being the most premium of those offerings, in my opinion.

@n80 This may be too obvious, but have you looked into Bluesound? It’s a very similar ecosystem to Sonos, and comes from a partnership between NAD and PSB, two very well respected audio companies. Bluesound has had a solid track record, around 10 years or so at this point. I used it for my whole house about 10 years back and it always worked flawlessly.

It also sounds like the issues you are experiencing may be network related, so if you can elaborate if the audio stutters, or pauses and doesn’t resume play, or whether the player disappears from the app, etc, that might give someone better info to help you debug your issues. Have you sought any support from Sonos? If so, what did they say?