When I moved to Japan I bought in the US two [1]Sonos Play:1 speakers
  primarily to play music (Jazz & a martini when I got home) & [2]Audible
  audiobooks in my living and bed rooms.

  And then [3]Sonos lost the ability to play Audible.

  Plan B was to get a [4]Play:5 and an [5]Apple AirPort Express, both
  also from the US, and connect them together via audio cable. This
  allowed me to fire the speakers via AirPlay from my Apple devices. It
  worked, but imprecisely and with problems. I unhooked the Play:1
  speakers (the problems) and they sat on a shelf for the better part of
  a year. The Audible audiobooks and podcasts from [6]Overcast mostly
  worked streamed from my Apple devices. BTW, I had kept up with the
  developments from Sonos but did not think any of my devices were in
  scope, so I considered them moribund.

  Here's the thing: I spent a big chunk of my home furnishing budget on
  those damn "smart" speakers and then doubled down to get them to work.
  I ended up making many other ill-advised purchasing decisions to cover
  the sunk costs. Economists will tell you I made at least four incorrect
  decisions. I will tell you that four seems conservative.

  Today I cleaned my apartment. I moved, hid, trashed, and organized many
  things while waiting for the rain storm that did not come. Part of my
  big tidying was the relocation of my older technology for repurposing.
  To do so, unplugging all the things was required including the Sonos
  Play:5, the one bit of my audio setup (with the AirPort) still in
  occasional service.

  In fiddling to fix audio problems I checked the Sonos iOS app. An
  update was pending, which I executed. Surprise, surprise! [7]Suddenly
  the speaker gained AirPlay 2 functionality! And Audible!

  It worked slightly better than the AirPort, so I unhooked its audio
  cable. Still good. On a whim I pulled the Play:1 speakers out of
  storage and powered them on. They worked, after upgrades and in the
  short window in which I tested them, better than they ever had.

  I am fortunate to get some new value out of my purchases. These are
  still early days in the Sonos rehabilitation but I am guardedly
  optimistic. If they don't end up panning out I am sure the person who
  buys them from me will enjoy them to no end with lower expectations.

  P.S. - I will think long and hard before I buy another Sonos product.
  I've been advising friends and family to avoid their kit. If this
  [8]pans out, maybe I will alter my [9]tack.
  Also on:

  [10]Twitter
    __________________________________________________________________

  My original entry is here: [11]Surprise Functionality from a Moribund
  Product. It posted Sun, 12 Aug 2018 10:34:33 +0000.
  Filed under: Japan, personal, tech,

References

  1. https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/play1.html
  2. https://www.audible.com/
  3. https://www.sonos.com/
  4. https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/play5.html
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirPort_Express
  6. https://overcast.fm/
  7. https://www.sonos.com/en-us/airplay
  8. http://grammarist.com/idiom/pan-out/
  9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tack_(sailing)
 10. https://twitter.com/TokyoGringo/status/1028591454585798658
 11. https://www.prjorgensen.com/?p=1454

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