Do you want to buy Sonos products but found them too expensive? There are two types of people:
- Those who would never prefer Sonos products because they are totally out of their budget (even if they have amazing sound quality, which some people believe is hyped)
- Those who won’t care about the price tag as long as they are getting the sound quality they are looking for
If you fall in the second category, we are here to help you make an informed decision when spending your hard-earned money on Sonos products. Should you or should you not be what is all resorts to at the end after all.
Further reading: What is Sonos? Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Wireless Sound System
The Top Reasons Why Sonos Is Expensive
First With Multi-Room Audio
Back in the year 2004, when most people were satisfied with the music technology that involved CD players and wires hidden behind the bookshelves and cabinets, Sonos founders were thinking something big.
They were focused on establishing a multi-room audio system that is wireless and used the internet to spread the music around the place.
After years of hard work, they launched their first product, ZP100, in the year 2005. The first product was a hit but was closely followed by the recession. The Sonos company was on the brink of fall down. However, they kept their spirits high and continue to work on their first largest wireless speaker by borrowing money for the capital from their friends.
The launch of the iPhone in 2007 and the launch of the music service Rhapsody in 2006 helped them gain traction.
However, the new audio technology with no competitors made their products go popular.
Sound Quality
They were mainly focused more on improving the sound quality of their products. This started to happen after Sonos released Play:5, a brilliant and wireless speaker.
They could develop a closer relationship with recording artists and related community members that helps them understand better sound quality. They even shifted to asking the music makers how they want their music to sound i.e. founded musicians as better critics than engineers and designers.
That’s where the superb sound quality in Sonos products comes from. “User experience needs to be deep in the bones of a product, not on the skin. The right way to design is from the inside out. You don’t design a technical architecture and then make it look pretty. You start with the customer. Hone in on the key areas where you are trying to make a difference and make it special. Then it’s all hands on deck to re-invent.”, says Meiko Kusano, an architect of Sonos.
Continuous Software Updates
Another strong reason for Sonos products to be expensive is the continuous software updates. Sonos speakers and soundbars are considered as a one-time investment product.
Sonos have a limited product range, unlike other fast-moving industries like smartphones. Unlike smartphones that only last for a year or two, Sonos products are with you for a lifetime.
They work on continuous software updates that help them stay updated with the times. They keep improving their existing products with the ongoing developments. Moreover, all of the Sonos products at least comes with a six-year warranty. The customer support of Sonos is highly appreciable. They are with you until the problem is solved, and that’s what they charge for.
Wide Variety Of Features
Sonos products are expensive because they are full-fledged with a variety o features. If you think paying for such services is worthy, there will be no reason not to buy them.
However, there are also people for those these features aren’t that useful, reason maybe because they are averse to changes or they haven’t experienced using such features yet.
Regardless, some of the key features the Sonos users enjoy includes (obviously apart from being the multi-room music):
Voice Control
Every Sonos product is smart, and voice control assistant enabled. That means you can own superb sound quality as well as talk to your favorite assistant at the same time. Finding both features alongside in the same device is difficult in its counterparts.
Talk to Alexa or Google assistant about anything or everything you want. Find the least news, latest weather updates, traffic news, and whatnot.
You may also like: How To Use Airplay 2 With Sonos?
Sonos App
The Sonos app replaces the need to have a Sonos remote with their products. Instead, you can easily control your Sonos product by downloading a free app on any of your mobile devices, be it iPhone or Android.
You can group your speakers together, create rooms, save your favorites, have fun with Alexa skills, and a lot more.
Airplay
Most of the Sonos speakers also support Airplay 2. This means, if you have any of the Apple devices and have your favorite music stored in them, just use the Airplay feature to fill the room with your favorite music through Sonos speakers.
This also works when using Sonos soundbars and an Apple TV box.
Wi-Fi
What makes Sonos speakers smart is the use of the internet. They are the first speakers that made use of Wi-Fi/internet to build a mesh network. They were the first to introduce nesh networking in audio products.
“Keep in mind that the notion of mesh networking existed, but not in any audio products. Almost no one anywhere was working on embedded systems with Wi-Fi. There were no good Linux drivers with Wi-Fi. We were building our own hardware that we hadn’t fully tested,” says Andy Schulert, a manager at Sonos.
Music Streaming App Support
Sonos have by now partnered with more than 100 online music streaming services. You may be in any country, state, or city and still, be able to listen to music from your favorite music streaming service through Sonos speakers.
The process is pretty simple with the help of the Sonos app.
Final Words
All the above reasons make Sonos speakers and expensive. They are charging for their hard work and expertise in the area. Also, do not forget they are perfect for creating your own personal home theatre at home.