Improved Sound From Latest Software Update a Benefit of a Smart Speaker, Sonos Says

One of the powers of a smart speaker is that it’s possible to “make improvements even after the speakers are installed,” a Sonos spokesman told us by email Tuesday in response to questions about Monday's 5.4 software release (see 1507130047). Sonos acoustic engineer Giles Martin is “always looking at ways to make our products sound better,” the spokesman said, and in the latest release, Martin improved the Play:1 speaker’s clarity “so when the volume is at high levels, the vocals sound even more natural,” he said. On the changes in functionality to the CR200 touch-screen controller, the spokesman said Sonos “worked tirelessly” to preserve the original experience of the $350 CR200 “even as our software has evolved … and placed further demands on the hardware.” The company eliminated some of the core features from the Sonos touch-screen controller, including the ability to set up a new Sonos system, add new components, change room settings, create a stereo pair or add or manage music services or libraries. “We’ve reached the point where we need to make tough choices about the platform,” said the spokesman, “so we’ve decided to keep core browsing and music playback functionality intact and remove system setup, music library management and music services management.” The core browsing and playback functions will be kept for “years to come,” he said. The company also said in Monday’s announcement that the system won't support MPEG 2.5 audio formats that have sample rates of 12 kHz and below. “Most of our partners stream above this rate, but there might be some stations on services that do not have alternate streams,” the company said.