Let's honestly answer the question, why is sonos expensive?
As a reseller of Sonos since 2011, we’ve been asked frequently by our customers…
“Why are Sonos speakers so expensive!”
Maybe you're pondering Sonos as an audio solution for your home but can't quite get your head around the price?
We thought we would break this question down and describe exactly where your extra money is going when you purchase a Sonos speaker. We believe the extra money is totally worth it for some people, but of course, we want our customers to be completely informed about it so you know if it’s going to be worth it for you.
After all, we'd much rather your speakers be matched to your listening requirements, as opposed to purchasing a system that's maybe not right.
If you'd like me to explain this to you over video, watch me below, or keep reading!
Sonos vs existing HiFi
To understand why Sonos speakers are expensive, it’s first important to understand how Sonos came about as a company.
Cast yourself back to 2004 and think how you were listening to music out loud.
The chances are it was a wired system maybe with a separate amplifier and loudspeakers wired up with a fair few cables about the place. I, myself, loved my little Bush CD player!
Sonos identified 3 problems with this, that they thought could do better.
- The components were too large and took up vast amounts of space
- The cables were messy and ruined the aesthetic of your room that you’ve worked hard on, making look nice over the years
- There was no way to listen to the same stream of audio in multiple rooms at the same time
With their first ever product, the ZP100, you could attach it to every piece of wired HiFi you had in your home for the benefit of wireless control in the palm of your hand. The same music could be listened to in multiple places at once, or you could have different rooms playing different music.
A few years later, and they release a new family of all-in-one wireless speakers requiring simply mains power and an internet connection.
As a result, Sonos were the first to coin the term “multi-room audio” and everything from your Amazon Echos to your Apple Homepods have followed in the footsteps of Sonos.
After the explosion of multi-room audio, some brands have even priced their products higher than Sonos such as Apple and Bowers & Wilkins, but these offer even more premium sound quality with similar multi-room audio capabilities.
So despite Sonos being expensive, it is important to understand they are not THE most expensive multi-room audio solution on the market.
What’s so good about Sonos then?
As long-term owners of Sonos ourselves, we think there are 3 distinguishing qualities to Sonos as a brand:
- Usability
- Sound quality
- Longevity
Usability
As you might be aware, all control is done through the Sonos app along with a few other methods. With its decade and a half worth of experience, the Sonos app remains the simplest to use out of all other multi-room audio apps.
Get the complete guide to the Sonos App >>
This is down to constant improvements delivered to you as free software updates which continue to improve your investment. The updates are based on user feedback over the years and the superior experience is obvious when you compare it to offerings from similar companies.
This is not just our opinion, this is reflected in many product reviews from real Sonos users.
We love being able to browse the latest albums, group rooms together, save favourites and much more all within the same app, which continues to get better and better. It’s a unique experience.
Sonos also have the largest choice of music streaming services available through the Sonos app now reaching over 100 and climbing.
But you don’t just need to use the Sonos app.
If you are a Spotify, Google Play Music or Tidal subscriber, you can use those apps to play the music on your Sonos speaker directly, bypassing the Sonos app completely.
Alternatively, if you have an Apple device, you can take advantage of AirPlay 2 on selected Sonos speakers and listen to anything playing from your device on your Sonos speaker.
One of the most impressive software updates we’ve seen is that all existing owners of the Sonos Beam and the Sonos One could use Google Assistant as an alternative to Alexa, giving users the choice out of 2 voice assistants at no additional cost.
Sound quality
Sonos have worked very hard on making the sound quality appeal to everyone. All Sonos speakers focus on delivering distinct clarity and tight bass.
We're not going to bore you any more by telling you they all sound great as it’s subjective, but you can read the reviews and see how much Sonos customers love the sound they get from their speakers.
This is also why we recently added a 30 day listen better promise for the Sonos speakers on our website as we believe you’ll be impressed with the sound. If you’re not, you can return it for a full refund.
Longevity
Sonos are not in a fast-moving industry such as the smartphone industry for example. Apple or Samsung bring you new models of smartphones every year.
Every year they come packed with the latest features that you don’t get with the previous models. It’s because they want to keep you investing money in them every year.
With Sonos, you pay a bit more up front for your speaker compared with other speakers. However, we see this as futureproofing yourself.
It’s unlikely you’ll be replacing this speaker any time soon and you will be able to access software updates to keep your speaker as up to date as physically possible.
The reliability of Sonos speakers is also extremely high which is also why we offer a free 6 year warranty with every Sonos speaker, as most of the issues we experience with Sonos are remotely fixable.
Who is Sonos not right for?
Sonos is NOT right for people who are after a cheap, bluetooth speaker. We would recommend something like the Ultimate Ears Boom or the classy-looking Marshall Emberton for that application.
On the other end of the scale, if you’re a passionate audiophile and have larger amplifiers and loudspeakers worth thousands of pounds at the moment, Sonos would only suit you if you’re happy to compromise a bit on the sound quality in favour of the convenience of Sonos.
Therefore, I would suggest keeping your HiFi separates or opting for something like the Bowers and Wilkins Formation range - designed with audiophiles in mind and provides a wired sound with wireless functionality.
So who is Sonos right for?
Taking everything into consideration, Sonos IS for people who have a genuine appreciation for great sound quality but no longer want the wired complexity of large HiFi separates.
Maybe you like the idea of building up a home full of audio or even just a few rooms over time, that is incredibly convenient to use - we think Sonos could be the right fit for you and would be worth a browse of our latest Sonos offers or a chat with one of our specialists.
Shop Sonos Speakers
Why not check out the full range of Sonos speakers in our Sonos video overview below?
Learn More
The Complete Beginners Guide to Sonos
