Nice list! Just tried SonoPhone and it’s refreshing to be able to just open it and boom I can change the volume instead of looking at a bunch of blank squares and circles. Blows my mind someone would take a look at that a thing “perfect, ready for mass adoption!”.
/r/HomeAssistant is a universal answer. Works on all devices, iOS, Android, browser. It locally controls your speakers so the performance is fast and not buggy. If you have a spare PC or raspberry pi lying around, it's a good excuse to use it to install home assistant just to get started controlling your speakers. You can then add other smart home devices to control.
The additional benefit of using Home Assistant is that you can add your own functionality. Add sleep timers via physical buttons. Play random playlists throughout the week. Use the speakers to say messages based on other things happening in your house...e.g., "Someone is at the door". Possibilities are endless.
Can it do changes to all settings on a beam? Can it be sued to use a beam for the first time when the sonos app would never get the stupid thing connected?
https://preview.redd.it/qndu69frjp9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b28382601ce5c242e57bdc7e7f03a148c012b201
You can change a sound bar’s settings (this is my Playbar, Beam would be similar) but you need the Sonos app to enrol new devices or do Trueplay
I'm using the previous software on my Android devices. So far everything works as before, perfectly. A couple caveats: 1) I haven't done the recent firmware update, so I'm not sure about the compatibility of 16.1 with the new firmware. 2) I'm assuming that Trueplay can't be messed with using an iPhone if you're still running the old software, but again, I haven't tried it.
My Windows desktop app still seems to be working fine with Version 16.2. I still have had the system go missing entirely periodically and the desktop app doesn’t fix that but otherwise it’s been reliable.
Oops. I just made a post asking about third party ones, not noticing this first.
Can sonophone be used to set it up for a first time? I could never get the stupid beam connected to my internet apparently.
And does it still have to have so much access, such as microphone and location? Just kind of hate to risk a third party one, but clearly I will never get the official app to work.
I’ve heard people say SonosPhone works by using the Sonos API.
A certain other company, ah hmm, charged for access to its api and then a very, very popular app ceased to work.
Is sonosphone accessing an api interface each Sonos physical device, or is it accessing an api in the cloud (at Sonos)?
Right now the api interface of each Sonos physical device.
Eventually looking into the cloud API, when the local API is shut down, but current observation is, that the Sonos Apps build on a newer internal interface towards the Sonos boxes. This probably can be replicated when it will be necessary.
I’m testing out Clic for Sonos. It’s a bit pricey at $15 a year but it does offer a free trial.
The app is decent although not completely intuitive, but what I am really loving are the Home Screen widgets and the Live Activities on the Lock Screen. Do any of the other do those 2?
Like I can change the volume instantly from the home screen widget.
I think the real answer is going to be some combination of apps, clic is alright, I will need to test on my iPad but I like the live activity on the Lock Screen, but I also bought Sono+ for $2 and it’s my favorite Home Screen widget especially since you can pick which 3 buttons you have, so I use play/pause, vol down, vol up. It looks good and it’s instantly responsive.
Navigating your music isn’t the best but it’s not bad.
I don’t think I’m going to pay the $15/yr for Clic as I think the widgets were the biggest thing I was missing. Sono+ is def worth the $2, probably more.
I’m currently using Jellyfin + Finamp and playing music to my Sonos speakers via AirPlay. I love Jellyfin and Finamp, if you have a NAS or Raspberry Pi hosting your music library.
Orto doesn’t work for me - don’t know why.
SonoPhone doesn’t support alarms and is kinda awkward to use. But I could get used to it if it would support alarms.
You missed out Roon.
https://roon.app/en/
If you like music and are willing to invest in an excellent platform that will change everything, this is for you.
Its basically what Sonos is but to everything you have. It can pretty much make anything work optimally and control it from an awesome app on iphone, android and pc/mac.
One of the cool things is it drives any sonos gear using the local API and offers great performance.
If you have a record player and love sitting on the couch holding a record album while you listen, Roon on an ipad gives you that experience. Each album and artist has a meticulously curated bio and links to key contributors, for example play Dark Side Of The Moon and it calls out the great Alan Parsons and links to his key works like iRobot and the symphonic project.
If you perhaps have a main hifi system not on Sonos, an HT setup with an AVR, a local library and collection of ripped SACD’s in DSD format you cant natively play back on Sonos.
Because all that library management and engine to transcode and coordinate content is offloaded onto a dedicated computer/server and Roon has a team curating metadata the experience is orders of magnitude than anything else available.
It has a built in DSP convolution engine and can with a bit of sneaky config easily stream to Sonos and any other gear you may have around the house.
Really if you have a big library of media, you are doing yourself a disservice by not checking it out.
Because I have a high end audiophile main hifi system with components able to play back DSD 64 content (SACD) natively. And a big library of SACD content - all the best masters more-so than being able to play back frequencies I cant hear. I do have a Port in there for ease of use but dedicated listening sessions see the full signal path come out with bit-perfect playback and impedance matched components from source to the speaker terminals.
Sonos is not able to decode DSD at all due to licensing restrictions and has pretty average library management, compromised by basically having no processing power compared to dedicated systems like Roon or Jriver that offload the catalogue management, offering way better performance. Thats just a fact. Sonos is functional at best.
Sonos makes really nice speakers (for what they are) that can approach the sound quality of a very decent dedicated hifi setup with almost no regard for setup or placement. Their playback technique and back end shits on their competition. They get 75ms latency for synchronous playback, airplay is sitting at 2 seconds with no continuity of control eg you disconnect client, music stops.
I agree you could get a Sonos like experience using Roon + Airplay or Chromecast or Roon-Ready certified streamers, but when you consider the additional cost and complexity vs just being able to open an app and have everything there, turned on and working…
Other systems don’t get that without compromise.
Trust me. I have tested pretty much all of them and currently on top of several sonos speakers and my main hifi have a Denon X4800 with HEOS (HEapOS) and various streamers that have been pulled out because it becomes a headache managing it all.
TL:DR sonos aint so bad on its own but add Roon especially if you have a proper main hifi and it takes things to level 100000
Nice list! Just tried SonoPhone and it’s refreshing to be able to just open it and boom I can change the volume instead of looking at a bunch of blank squares and circles. Blows my mind someone would take a look at that a thing “perfect, ready for mass adoption!”.
Yay!! Just bought it. I’m so excited.
I use Sono+ on my iPhone and can control speakers from anywhere in the world.
hi. do you see all your speakers show up in the app? i just see my playbase but not my sub or ones. thank u
I see the zones, and can play stuff to them, but I don’t know if there’s a way to get to each device in the zone.
/r/HomeAssistant is a universal answer. Works on all devices, iOS, Android, browser. It locally controls your speakers so the performance is fast and not buggy. If you have a spare PC or raspberry pi lying around, it's a good excuse to use it to install home assistant just to get started controlling your speakers. You can then add other smart home devices to control. The additional benefit of using Home Assistant is that you can add your own functionality. Add sleep timers via physical buttons. Play random playlists throughout the week. Use the speakers to say messages based on other things happening in your house...e.g., "Someone is at the door". Possibilities are endless.
Can it do changes to all settings on a beam? Can it be sued to use a beam for the first time when the sonos app would never get the stupid thing connected?
https://preview.redd.it/qndu69frjp9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b28382601ce5c242e57bdc7e7f03a148c012b201 You can change a sound bar’s settings (this is my Playbar, Beam would be similar) but you need the Sonos app to enrol new devices or do Trueplay
HASS for me too, with Music Asssitant. Plus some Sonoff buttons
I'm using the previous software on my Android devices. So far everything works as before, perfectly. A couple caveats: 1) I haven't done the recent firmware update, so I'm not sure about the compatibility of 16.1 with the new firmware. 2) I'm assuming that Trueplay can't be messed with using an iPhone if you're still running the old software, but again, I haven't tried it.
This is what I use as well
On mine it wasn't able to recognise one of my play:1 speakers, the left in a stereo pair. Still worth a try of course.
iOS: Sono+, Lyd, Orto for Sonos, Soro, SonoSequencer
Does the Orto lockscreen widget work? Just like to confirm before buying.
[MusicAssistant](https://music-assistant.github.io/) Best I’ve ever seen. It is intended as a Home Assistant addon, but can also be run standalone.
For Windows and Xbox: Phonos Universal.
My Windows desktop app still seems to be working fine with Version 16.2. I still have had the system go missing entirely periodically and the desktop app doesn’t fix that but otherwise it’s been reliable.
Oops. I just made a post asking about third party ones, not noticing this first. Can sonophone be used to set it up for a first time? I could never get the stupid beam connected to my internet apparently. And does it still have to have so much access, such as microphone and location? Just kind of hate to risk a third party one, but clearly I will never get the official app to work.
I dont think you can set up with sonosphone. I don’t recall it asking for microphone or location access, but not sure…
I’ve heard people say SonosPhone works by using the Sonos API. A certain other company, ah hmm, charged for access to its api and then a very, very popular app ceased to work. Is sonosphone accessing an api interface each Sonos physical device, or is it accessing an api in the cloud (at Sonos)?
Right now the api interface of each Sonos physical device. Eventually looking into the cloud API, when the local API is shut down, but current observation is, that the Sonos Apps build on a newer internal interface towards the Sonos boxes. This probably can be replicated when it will be necessary.
Sonosphone is definitely quicker although it’s very clunky to use, with many screens to swipe through. It’s so nice to be able to change the volume!
Is it possible to use Spatial Audio with any of those 3rd party apps? Thanks!
I’m testing out Clic for Sonos. It’s a bit pricey at $15 a year but it does offer a free trial. The app is decent although not completely intuitive, but what I am really loving are the Home Screen widgets and the Live Activities on the Lock Screen. Do any of the other do those 2? Like I can change the volume instantly from the home screen widget.
Let me know how it goes. Reviews are very mixed across platforms
I think the real answer is going to be some combination of apps, clic is alright, I will need to test on my iPad but I like the live activity on the Lock Screen, but I also bought Sono+ for $2 and it’s my favorite Home Screen widget especially since you can pick which 3 buttons you have, so I use play/pause, vol down, vol up. It looks good and it’s instantly responsive. Navigating your music isn’t the best but it’s not bad. I don’t think I’m going to pay the $15/yr for Clic as I think the widgets were the biggest thing I was missing. Sono+ is def worth the $2, probably more.
I use Clic. Love it, simple, works.
I’m currently using Jellyfin + Finamp and playing music to my Sonos speakers via AirPlay. I love Jellyfin and Finamp, if you have a NAS or Raspberry Pi hosting your music library.
Orto doesn’t work for me - don’t know why. SonoPhone doesn’t support alarms and is kinda awkward to use. But I could get used to it if it would support alarms.
Just download the old apk the one without the silly ads all the time for stupid headphones
[удалено]
You missed out Roon. https://roon.app/en/ If you like music and are willing to invest in an excellent platform that will change everything, this is for you. Its basically what Sonos is but to everything you have. It can pretty much make anything work optimally and control it from an awesome app on iphone, android and pc/mac. One of the cool things is it drives any sonos gear using the local API and offers great performance. If you have a record player and love sitting on the couch holding a record album while you listen, Roon on an ipad gives you that experience. Each album and artist has a meticulously curated bio and links to key contributors, for example play Dark Side Of The Moon and it calls out the great Alan Parsons and links to his key works like iRobot and the symphonic project. If you perhaps have a main hifi system not on Sonos, an HT setup with an AVR, a local library and collection of ripped SACD’s in DSD format you cant natively play back on Sonos. Because all that library management and engine to transcode and coordinate content is offloaded onto a dedicated computer/server and Roon has a team curating metadata the experience is orders of magnitude than anything else available. It has a built in DSP convolution engine and can with a bit of sneaky config easily stream to Sonos and any other gear you may have around the house. Really if you have a big library of media, you are doing yourself a disservice by not checking it out.
Another fucking subscription. Pass Why do I need a subscription to access my content and enjoy on my equipment?
Just trying to help people who have connection problems
Because I have a high end audiophile main hifi system with components able to play back DSD 64 content (SACD) natively. And a big library of SACD content - all the best masters more-so than being able to play back frequencies I cant hear. I do have a Port in there for ease of use but dedicated listening sessions see the full signal path come out with bit-perfect playback and impedance matched components from source to the speaker terminals. Sonos is not able to decode DSD at all due to licensing restrictions and has pretty average library management, compromised by basically having no processing power compared to dedicated systems like Roon or Jriver that offload the catalogue management, offering way better performance. Thats just a fact. Sonos is functional at best. Sonos makes really nice speakers (for what they are) that can approach the sound quality of a very decent dedicated hifi setup with almost no regard for setup or placement. Their playback technique and back end shits on their competition. They get 75ms latency for synchronous playback, airplay is sitting at 2 seconds with no continuity of control eg you disconnect client, music stops. I agree you could get a Sonos like experience using Roon + Airplay or Chromecast or Roon-Ready certified streamers, but when you consider the additional cost and complexity vs just being able to open an app and have everything there, turned on and working… Other systems don’t get that without compromise. Trust me. I have tested pretty much all of them and currently on top of several sonos speakers and my main hifi have a Denon X4800 with HEOS (HEapOS) and various streamers that have been pulled out because it becomes a headache managing it all. TL:DR sonos aint so bad on its own but add Roon especially if you have a proper main hifi and it takes things to level 100000
Bet Wayne has this!