The new software generation was available before the three new solutions from Sonos Inc., which were the first hardware systems to be explicitly designed for Sonos S2, were actually available. Now, two days later, there are also Sonos Arc, Sonos Five and Sonos Sub (Gen 3) solutions.
Already announced in mid-March 2020 Sonos Inc. to start with a new software platform, the software platform Sonos S2 – we reported. In the course of Presentation of new hardware solutions in May 2020, the Soundbar Sonos Arc, the successor to the Sonos PLAY: 5 in the form of the new Sonos Five, and a new subwoofer, the Sonos Sub (Gen 3) These plans were fleshed out and the minutes recorded that this completely new software generation would be launched in mid-June 2020, said Sonos S2, specifically around the new Sonos S2 app.
From the point of view of Sonos Inc., this opens a new chapter for the former market leader in multiroom audio streaming, because not only that the new software should bring improvements in the area of ease of use and flexibility, the company also speaks of that Quality will be raised to a new level, because “high-resolution audio formats” are supported for the first time. This is all the more astonishing, since the company has steadfastly assumed for years and days that this is not in demand anyway …
With the new Sonos S2 software platform, users can expect new functions, updates to the user-friendliness and more personalization, so the promise of Sonos Inc. Sonos S2 also allows audio technologies with higher resolution for music, but above all for home theater, which is of course especially important in Connection with the new Sonos Arc soundbar is essential, since according to the manufacturer’s information, for the first time it should actually support formats such as Dolby Atmos.
While the new hardware systems Sonos Arc, Sonos Five and Sonos Sub (3 Gen) will be launched on June 10, 2020, as promised, the update to Sonos S2 was already available on June 8, 2020. From the manufacturer’s point of view, the generation change that is important at Sonos Inc. has now begun.
Even if Sonos Inc. does not get tired of emphasizing that the upcoming update can be carried out easily and benefits a large number of customers, there are still a few things to consider. This means that switching to Sonos S2 can no longer be undone, which in principle is not a problem if you only rely on solutions that are already equipped for Sonos S2. Admittedly, there are a large number of products from recent years that can be easily upgraded to Sonos S2, but many long-term users will still own a few products with which this is not possible.
The following solutions definitely cannot be upgraded to Sonos S2: Sonos ZONE PLAYER, Sonos CR200, Sonos BRIDGE, Sonos CONNECT (Gen 1), Sonos CONNECT AMP (Gen 1) and Sonos PLAY: 5 (Gen 1). According to the manufacturer, these systems do not have enough memory and enough performance to meet the new requirements of the Sonos S2 platform.
All others should be able to easily be upgraded to the latest software generation, including those devices that Sonos Inc. produces in cooperation with the Swedish furniture store Ikea.
– Customers who only own solutions that are not suitable for an update will not receive any update recommendations and, according to the promise of Sonos Inc., will be able to control their products in the usual way with the Sonos app. The only difference, said Sonos app is now referred to as the Sonos S1 app. It is promised that these customers will continue to receive bug fixes and security patches in future, and Sonos Inc. will continue to work with partners in order to be able to provide customers with a wide range of services related to the Sonos S1 app.
Anyone who uses solutions that are already suitable for Sonos S2 alone can now carry out the corresponding update, although interestingly the new app will simply be designated as the Sonos app in the future.
All products that are now being launched on the market are designed exclusively for Sonos S2, according to Sonos Inc.
Things are a bit more complex for all those who use both new and really old products and want to continue to use them in the future. You have no choice but to create two “households” so that the old ones are under the control of the Sonos S1 in a separate network, the new ones are under the control of the new Sonos app and thus the Sonos S2 software platform. Actually mixed operation of both platforms is not possible.
A trade-up program offered by the manufacturer could therefore be interesting for customers with existing S1 products. This offer grants a 30 percent discount on all new products.
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