Okay, I recognize that this isn’t directly a Mac issue, but I think the communities overlap.
For the life of me, I cannot understand the Apple Podcast community’s stubbornness (as I perceive it) with regards to Sonos. Regularly, while listening to podcasts (ATP, The Talk Show, Upgrade), I find myself yelling SONOS at the radio.
People want wireless audio technology that works across multiple rooms without all the errors and hassle of airplay 2. SONOS
People want audio from their TV or entertainment system that can be simulcast in other places around the house. SONOS
People want speakers that have some level of concern for audio quality and don’t just sound like the crummy speaker “tubes” sold by Google and Amazon. SONOS
Of course they aren’t perfect, but they’re way better than all the cludgey solutions people keep trying to use instead. I used to think price was the issue, but now people regularly defend pairs of full-size HomePods as an alternate.
I listen to music between 6-10 hours most days while working, reading, socializing, etc. I want it to move around the house with me. We host cocktail parties nearly every weekend and want music indoors and outdoors. I used to have a very high end DT 5.1 surround setup, so I’m not opposed to spending on audio when the difference you’re paying for is audible to most people.
Over the years I tried a lot of different things as well (including early Airplay 1 speakers). In the end, SONOS was just better. I spend nearly zero time “futzing” with my audio gear. When I want to hear something, I choose the location, the thing I want to hear, and I hit play. It plays.
So why the widespread contempt for SONOS? It seems like some (Casey Liss, Jason Snell) are really missing out on an opportunity to get exactly the functionality they want with way less hassle. Yet their rants always include, “Don’t tell me to use SONOS. I won’t.”