Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

twitter.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 478 posts

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#151

Post by emmelaich »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #142
segfaultbuserr wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Inaudible ultrasonics contribute to intermodulation distortion in the audible range. Systems not designed to reproduce ultrasonics typically have much higher levels of distortion above 20 kHz, further contributing to intermodulation. Widening a design's frequency range to account for ultrasonics requires compromises that decrease noise and distortion performance within the audible spectrum. Either way, unneccessary…

I don't need it for music. I want to record ultrasound from the environment, and possibly play signals of my own.

And annoy pets? I had some failing electrical gear that produced extremely high frequencies.

Drove the dogs a little crazy until I found it.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#152

Post by blackflame »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #142
segfaultbuserr wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Inaudible ultrasonics contribute to intermodulation distortion in the audible range. Systems not designed to reproduce ultrasonics typically have much higher levels of distortion above 20 kHz, further contributing to intermodulation. Widening a design's frequency range to account for ultrasonics requires compromises that decrease noise and distortion performance within the audible spectrum. Either way, unneccessary…

I don't need it for music. I want to record ultrasound from the environment, and possibly play signals of my own.

Horns are better for higher end frequencies than a regular conical tweeter but they are often too large to play woofer roles.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#153

Post by ficklepickle »

hermitdev wrote: post #145
smacktoward wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also the direction Microsoft has been slowly moving Windows. You think it'd be bad if your router stopped working when you stopped paying, imagine the same scenario for your operating system.

MS is very aggressive with this in their Windows 10 development VM images you can download. Theyre free, but they only last 3 months. There doesnt appear to be anyway to activate - even if you have a legit license key through my.visualstudio.com. The VM prebuilt with VStudio, Visual Studio Code, WSL w/ Ubuntu and other goodies in a prebuilt image is attractive and a time saver. But, it's immediately on a kill switch…

I just take a snapshot then revert after 90 days. Seems to work. I vaguely remember MS docs suggesting this.

You can also refresh them with a powershell command a limited number of times IIRC.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#154

Post by throwaway100773 »

echelon wrote: post #144

This could go very bad for Sonos. Imagine a virus that looks for Sonos devices on a network and bricks them all via "recycle mode"! The API probably isn't even locked down. I think it's unauthenticated SOAP/UPnP. An even dumber attack: guests with your wifi credentials can download the Sonos app and break your gear. It's entirely unauthenticated.

Im in the market for sound equipment. I just crossed these guys off my list.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#155

Post by nullc »

echelon wrote: post #144

This could go very bad for Sonos. Imagine a virus that looks for Sonos devices on a network and bricks them all via "recycle mode"! The API probably isn't even locked down. I think it's unauthenticated SOAP/UPnP. An even dumber attack: guests with your wifi credentials can download the Sonos app and break your gear. It's entirely unauthenticated.

> This could go very bad for Sonos.

How could it? It's all server side. If such a virus existed, they'd just undo all the 'recycling' after the day it started circulating.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#156

Post by karlding »

emmelaich wrote: post #148
noodlesUK wrote: post #10

What’s intensely frustrating about this is that audio equipment is one of the few areas where old high end kit is still absolutely fantastic for current users. I have an NAD 3020 from the 1980s which works perfectly with the same pair of speakers that it was bought with. I can’t say the same about other tech, but audio just doesn’t age at the same speed.

Absolutely! I have a 1999 Sony amp and some older (1980s) Wharfedale speakers. Nothing I've bought in the last 25 years sounds remotely as good as them. And plugging in a Chromecast audio has given it immortality.

What's the current best alternative to a Chromecast Audio, now that they're discontinued and no longer as readily available?

My current living room setup is a Chromecast Audio connected to an AVR via the optical out connection, which powers my speakers, but I'm curious if there's any alternatives. The eBay sellers are really starting to price-gouge, and I'm not naive enough to believe that my Chromecast Audio will last forever.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#157

Post by echelon »

nullc wrote: post #155
echelon wrote: post #144

This could go very bad for Sonos. Imagine a virus that looks for Sonos devices on a network and bricks them all via "recycle mode"! The API probably isn't even locked down. I think it's unauthenticated SOAP/UPnP. An even dumber attack: guests with your wifi credentials can download the Sonos app and break your gear. It's entirely unauthenticated.

> This could go very bad for Sonos. How could it? It's all server side. If such a virus existed, they'd just undo all the 'recycling' after the day it started circulating.

There's both a hardware and software bricking component.

Edit: I reread the thread and now I'm not so sure. It might be entirely software blacklisting.

But if that's the case, can't you ip blackhole Sonos' servers and still have it all work?

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#158

Post by legopelle »

BorisTheBrave wrote: post #11

So, Sonos optionally lets you brick your own device, as part of their Trade Up program that gives a discount on your next device. It's named Recycle mode as, presumably, all the bricked devices are good for is recycling. There doesn't seem to be anything stopping users from selling their speakers on - they just forgo the Trade Up discount. The poster's point that this cuts down on re-use of perfectly good products is…

They tout "sustainability is non-negotiable" on their page, while encouraging recycling over more sustainable reuse. I mean, they're allowed to do that, but be honest about it.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#159

Post by foxrob92 »

noodlesUK wrote: post #10

What’s intensely frustrating about this is that audio equipment is one of the few areas where old high end kit is still absolutely fantastic for current users. I have an NAD 3020 from the 1980s which works perfectly with the same pair of speakers that it was bought with. I can’t say the same about other tech, but audio just doesn’t age at the same speed.

I inherited a pair of speakers my dad bought in the early 80s. They still work well, though the amp died last year and I wasn't able to repair it.

Re: Sonos's “recycle mode” intentionally bricks devices so they can't be reused

#160

Post by timpattinson »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #28
noodlesUK wrote: post #10

What’s intensely frustrating about this is that audio equipment is one of the few areas where old high end kit is still absolutely fantastic for current users. I have an NAD 3020 from the 1980s which works perfectly with the same pair of speakers that it was bought with. I can’t say the same about other tech, but audio just doesn’t age at the same speed.

Millennial audiophools need their 192kHz 32-bit playback. Grandpa's sound system just won't cut it for reproducing those refined ultrasonics.

[flagged]
Post reply on HN