Alternative to Sonos.

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.

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. 

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!

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.

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.