Sonos is one of the most popular wireless speaker systems that allows music to be enjoyed in multiple rooms in your home or any other space. It’s a compact system that is much more space-efficient than the bulky HiFi units commonly used for this purpose.
Why is Sonos so expensive?
The technology that Sonos uses to provide its multiroom listening experience is regarded by many as the best on the market, which explains why the brand can set its prices quite high. Consumers are willing to pay the expensive cost to enjoy the convenience of a Sonos system.
The multiroom audio system by Sonos has had an undeniable impact on the way that music is listened to in the home, or in other spaces such as hospitality venues.
The only criticism that some people have is that Sonos is very expensive and therefore prices out many potential customers, but the company has arguably built a product that is worth the investment.
In this guide, we’ll discuss why Sonos is so expensive, and whether the cost is worth paying.
Why is Sonos so Expensive?
Founded in 2002, Sonos set out to revolutionize the way that people enjoyed music in their homes. Multiroom and surround sound speaker setups weren’t very convenient in terms of their size and design up until that point.
In the two decades that have followed, Sonos has gradually tweaked its wireless sound system design to make it into the excellent, efficient tool that it is today. Originally, it worked through a wireless network known as the Sonoset, which in hindsight was way ahead of its time.
Sonos is incredibly easy to use, considering the complexity and effectiveness of the technology. The simplicity it boasts is one of the main reasons that so many people choose to use it, which contributes to its price tag.
Users can adjust all of the necessary settings using the Sonos app, which simplifies the process considerably. You don’t need to be particularly tech-savvy or have any prior experience with multi-room speaker setups to get started.
This means that Sonos is accessible to everyone, and many people are willing to pay a higher cost to avoid the inconvenience of having to set up a complex wireless system that may not work as smoothly as Sonos.
Another reason that Sonos is quite expensive is that the brand has become a household name.
This happens with a lot of audio companies – once they establish themselves as a popular choice, people are willing to pay higher prices because they trust their products more than lesser-known manufacturers.
Sonos has built its reputation as one of the leading wireless multiroom audio brands through over two decades of consistency with its products, and therefore some would argue they should be more expensive than competitors that haven’t been around for as long.
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Is Sonos Better Than Bose?
When it comes to speaker brands, Sonos and Bose are two of the biggest names in the industry. Each boasting decades of experience, they have released a vast selection of speakers, soundbars, and audio devices and become incredibly popular in the process.
Sonos and Bose have loyal fanbases, and there are many different opinions on which is a better speaker brand. To get to the bottom of this, we need to compare some of the key aspects of these manufacturers and their products.
Firstly, when comparing the software and technology side of things, Sonos has the edge over Bose. The installation process of the Sonos multiroom software and the smooth functionality of the Sonos App is superior to Bose.
However, if we’re talking about sound quality, Bose is the overall winner. Obviously, there are many different speaker models produced by the two manufacturers, but on the whole Bose speakers sound clearer and provide a better balanced of frequencies when playing music.
This is to be expected when you analyze the history of the two brands – Bose has been producing speakers for much longer than Sonos, which has focused predominantly on developing their hugely successful multiroom technology.
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The convenience that the Sonos software offers is unrivaled, so many people choose it over Bose. Audiophiles may feel differently on the subject, but Sonos speakers aren’t bad by any means – they’re just not quite as good as Bose speakers overall.
In terms of cost, Bose and Sonos are pretty evenly matched. Both brands are fairly expensive for speakers, but this is because they are established as household names, so people will ultimately pay for the manufacturer that they are familiar with.
Is Sonos a High-End Brand?
Although Sonos is the most popular multiroom speaker manufacturer, the audio company is not considered “high-end”. It sounds very good and offers unrivaled functionality, but there are many other better speakers and audio gear available.
The term “high-end” means different things to different people. Some listeners find it hard to distinguish between the different qualities that speakers possess, while others can instantly identify weak spots in the output or an undesirable sound.
If you’re looking for a multiroom speaker setup that is the easiest to use, then Sonos is likely to top the list. High-end audio gear generally costs thousands of dollars and is for people who are serious about getting the best possible sound quality.
If we’re looking exclusively at the sound quality, Sonos is not considered a “high-end” brand. This is because they focus their attention on the technology and software that is used for the multiroom setup as they do on the sonic qualities of the speakers.
Sonos is similar to Bose in that respect – they’re both hugely popular and successful manufacturers, but they can’t quite compete with the highest-end speaker brands in the industry.
Check out this multi room setup video from YouTube
Do Audiophiles Like Sonos?
For a keen audiophile who is concerned primarily with achieving the most accurate sound quality, Sonos speakers are likely to fall short of their expectations.
Most audiophiles are likely to consider Sonos to rank in the middle of basic and high-end speakers. They generally sound good, but they won’t provide the detailed sounds that high-end speakers offer. This, however, is reflected in the prices.
Audiophiles aren’t always looking for the same qualities from speakers, so some may consider Sonos to be better or worse than others.
A common thing that audiophiles try to avoid is coloration, which is when the speaker alters the frequency output of music and makes it sound slightly different. This is undesirable for most audiophiles as they would rather hear the music exactly as the artist and mixing engineer intended it to sound.
Sonos speakers don’t color the sound too aggressively, but they do alter the frequency output slightly. This may lead to many audiophiles considering them to be not up to the standard that they require from a set of speakers.
Is Sonos Overrated?
There are many brands in the audio-gear industry that are overrated, but in my opinion, Sonos is not one of them. It could be argued that they are perhaps overrated in terms of the sound quality produced by their speakers, but there are other aspects that make up for this and justify their popularity.
Although there are several competitors to Sonos in the wireless multiroom speaker space, none of them have managed to eclipse the success that Sonos has enjoyed in recent years.
The brand’s success is largely down to the innovative design of its app and software, which works flawlessly in any multiroom speaker setup. It’s also incredibly easy to use, so people prefer it to more complex alternatives.
Therefore, it would be unfair to say that Sonos is overrated, as they continue to provide the most effective technology for listening to music in multiple rooms in a single building.
Related Questions
Does Sonos work without Wi-Fi?
Sonos can work even if there’s no Wi-Fi connection, but only if the soundbars and amplifier are connected using HDMI or Digital Optical cables. The speakers can use Bluetooth rather than Wi-Fi when used offline.
How many Sonos speakers can you use at once?
The maximum number of speakers that can be used in a Sonos system is 32. The speakers can be grouped together on the Sonos app so that music plays through them simultaneously.
What does the green light on Sonos mean?
There are two types of green lights that can show up on a Sonos player – a solid green light, and a blinking one. The former signifies that the system has been muted, while the blinking green light means that it has recently been reset.
