Experience with Sonos for home audio?

yek

yek

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Been studying the Sonos system for home audio. Anyone has got experience with it and want to share?
 
yek said:
Been studying the Sonos system for home audio. Anyone has got experience with it and want to share?
Click to expand...
Yep, use it for about 5 years now. It's the only thing I need for music.
Great versatililty and seamless integration on music sources (my own music on a NAS, spotify etc)
Awesome iPhone/iPad integration.
And their quality is spot on.
It never let me down for a second.
I have the Connect, Connect Amp and controller.
Have no experience with the Play 3 or 5, but that's a matter of taste and how you wanna connect things.
The system used is very easy to integrate and their Wifi solution is also great.

(Actually after getting the Axe and reading this forum I had a sort of deja vu to my first Sonos months. Excellent quality of the product and a lot of dedicated, experienced forum users there who don't settle for less than best quality)
So what you want to know more exactly Yek?

Edit: Thinking about it it has 1 "downside" and that's the limit of 65000 tracks which can be stored into the Sonos memory(for indexing and make fully use of the music library)
The workaround if you have more! than 65000 songs on your NAS is to put the rest of your music on shares, which can be integrated and played on the music sources also, but don't appear in the Sonos search)
For me it's no limitation with around 40000 songs and Spotify these days.
 
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Thanks!

So you're using your own audio devices and not theirs?

With my Airport devices and AppleTV I can stream lots of music already. I'm looking for an integrated and easy system that does more. I would prefer the entire system (Play:3, Play:5, sub, Playbar), replacing my own speakers, amp etc. For convenience, connectivity and wireless. But only if it sounds good enough.
 
yek said:
Thanks!

So you're using your own audio devices and not theirs?

With my Airport devices and AppleTV I can stream lots of music already. I'm looking for an integrated and easy system that does more. I would prefer the entire system (Play:3, Play:5, sub, Playbar), replacing my own speakers, amp etc. For convenience, connectivity and wireless. But only if it sounds good enough.
Click to expand...

I run the Connect-out to my stereo in the living room. In another room I have the Connect Amp, and only have two speakers on it.
I can play totally different music on both of them at the same time. I think that's one of the big plusses. In the living room they play their own playlist and in the other room a total other playlist, but all from the same source.
So there's total integration. You can also put one or more devices in "party mode" playing the same music everywhere.

The Connect (Amp) solutions were their first devices which needed an external amp or speakers.

The Play 3, 5 and Bar have their own amp and speakers but I do not know the sound of them. But the system behind it and integration is the same.
Love the system and the easyness to control it. Every new person who comes here and sees it handles it in a few minutes.
Wireless so connectivity is no issue, you can put a device where you want it (temporarily in the garden when you're outside, no problem)

If you want to know if the sound fits your needs, the only way is to try it. They have testdeals (60 day money back guarantee) on their webpage: Sonos Wireless Music Systems, HiFi Players, Controllers, Speakers & Accessories
Hope this helps you a bit.
 
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Yek -

Just curious - what are you not getting from your Apple setup? I have a pretty decent arrangement here using 3 Apple TV's and two Expresses.
 
plyall said:
Yek -

Just curious - what are you not getting from your Apple setup? I have a pretty decent arrangement here using 3 Apple TV's and two Expresses.
Click to expand...

With the Airport Express I still need amps/speakers.

The Sonos system is all-in-one: every Play:3 and Play:5 device (and Playbar) is amp/speaker + wireless + network + remote control + multiroom etc.. And works with Android and Apple.
 
+1 for Sonos. I'm an AV installer/integrator and for the money there's very little that can touch Sonos all things considered..

Sonos+Spotify=100% awesome!
 
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I bit the bullet and bought a Sonos system, covering 3 "zones" in my house.
Works perfectly so far. Very easy installation, great intuitive control, excellent sound.
And I boosted the Dutch economy in the process, this stuff ain't cheap. :)
 
In my opinion, being involved in designing and supplying high end audio-visual systems for 25 years-sonus has a good reputation for the design of their user interface but the sound quality although reasonable can be easily bettered by alternatives without spending an awful lot more.



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Most of us on the forum care about audio quality, many have moved on from 'lesser' designs to axe-fx due to their limitations.

With axe-fx, some of us are trying encapsulate either the raw 'in the room' sound or the 'polished' studio ready sound. Either way you are aiming for a high degree of authenticity.

So as well as a bigger dynamic range (assuming that you want it), you may notice superior note/string seperation and better depth.

You want the sound to inspire you to help you be a better player. For some it means playing more notes accurately, for me it is to try to play on a more emotional level.

In my early days I worked at a dealer who specialised in a UK high-end brand Linn.

To setup and evaluate systems we used a listening technique called a 'tune dem'.

This placed a much greater emphasis on listening for pitch of notes (from the musician or a vocalist), how well you could pick out the musician in the mix and whether their was a clearer musical structure to what was heard from the musicians playing together.

You could play the same piece of music on two systems both with similar tonality, the 'lesser' system would make the musicians sound like they were having an 'off' day.
The singer would sound flat, the group more disjointed.

The better system had more vitality and touched your emotions more. You could tell the difference between a good musician and a truly exceptional one.

For me you feel music more than you hear it.

Although tonality and stereo image is/was important, we found that if you could get the system setup so the band appeared to 'play' better-these other aspects tend to look after themselves.

I also use this method on patches as you can easily tell if making a change makes it better or worse.

My experience with Sonos and I don't really want to single their products out as their are other manufacturers who are in a similar vein.

They don't charge a lot for what they produce and it does a good job but so do companies such as Boss in this field.

My experience (and I accept that it is only opinion) is that the presentation of musicians individually or as an ensemble can sound ordinary and doesn't have the emotional impact compared to some better built alternatives that cost more.

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stevejon38 said:
In my opinion, being involved in designing and supplying high end audio-visual systems for 25 years-sonus has a good reputation for the design of their user interface but the sound quality although reasonable can be easily bettered by alternatives without spending an awful lot more.
Click to expand...
I'm a Sonos user and I would agree with this.

The best Sonos solution, soundwise, is a Connect paired with your own stereo amp and speakers. I have that as my main stereo and it's great. Indistinguishable from any other source I run in to my tried and true HK amp and JBL speakers.

I also have two Play3's -- nice sound, but they're mono when run in single mode. You need two in a room to do a stereo pair which is getting pricey. I've got one on the kitchen counter and one in the bedroom.

I'm going to add a PlayBar to the system this year. If that goes well it'll replace the Connect + HK + JBL setup in my living room. We're in a small apartment now and the full-on stereo + speakers is taking up more space than I can really dedicate to music listening.

The UI is top notch. The build on everything is top notch. It is priced at a premium though.
 
It's a strange thing. Everything "technical" progresses, except for home audio. It's all about streaming internet radio, Spotify, MP3s etc.

I've got great audiophile equipment. Arcam amps, large KEF speakers, but I play streamed music through it mainly.
So why bother.

I bought the Sonos Playbar, plus Sub, plus a Connect and a Play:5.

Saves tons of space, it's wireless and so easy to set up.

The Connect is used to connect my Adam A5X's, on my desk. I love these for playing music when working.

And the Playbar doesn't disappoint at all playing music.

Sure, if I would compare it directly to my audio equipment, it would lose. That's how I bought my large KEF speakers. Comparing lots of speakers and going for the best (and the largest and the most expensive). But that's only when comparing stuff side by side. I probably could have bought the less expensive ones, and be just as happy at home, with the others not being there for reference. I also owned a Denon multimedia AV amp. Man, what a hell of a task to configure such a thing for home audio, 5.1 audio etc. Home audio is supposed to be fun. ;)
 
OK I'll bite: What multiroom audio system that has anything like the flexibility and ease of use of Sonos with significantly better quality audio " without spending an awful lot more" would you have in mind?
 
I'm pretty happy with my AppleTV setup (Apple TV SPDIF out -> Cambridge Audio 840A CD player DAC in -> 740A Cambridge Audio Amplifier -> Mordaunt-Short Performance 6 Speakers).

It allows me to stream music to any Mac in another room currently which is sufficient for my needs for now.

Home Audio Setup.jpg

We're laying new carpets next month and I'm playing with the idea of laying "old fashioned" cables to the Kitchen and Bedroom
 
Interested in this too, I currently use Airplay - AirPort Expresses and AppleTVs to stream music, was looking for a kitchen solution and considered A Play 3 for an "all in one" streaming solution.

Looking at the integration between the Sonos solution and airplay ... I figure I might as well stick to an Airplay speaker.... Asking wife to use a different app for just the kitchen would be painful and adding an another airport express to the line in of a play 3 just seems a dumb way to add extra expense, clutter etc.

Long winded way of asking @Yek... How do you find the Sonos v Airplay and any integration?? I don't intend to replace the existing units so they would have to co-exist.
 
I'm very satisfied so far with the Sonos setup. Even my girlfriend finds it easy to control and that's gotta say something. :)

I've gone this route only because it's an all-in-one system. To be able to select music, control volume, and choose zones all with one device (computer, Android, iPhone) is the key. No external amplifiers, except for my A3Xs on my desk. I was using Airplay before, but this required me have separate audio systems (amp/speaker) in the rooms. I even used my CLR in one room. :) The Sonos setup is much cleaner.

I still have an Apple TV, connected to my TV (= Sonos), and use it for AirPlay. Easy to do.

Previously, I couldn't use AirPlay to play music in multiple zones, because there was a delay between my AppleTV and its connected audio equipment, and the other zones (computer, and Airport Express), which I couldn't solve. With Sonos this doesn't happen.

As for TV surround sound: Sonos' method to pair the Sonos Playbar with two Play 3 devices for surround, isn't perfect. Most TVs don't pass full 5.1 through optical.
And when switching to music, those Play 3s aren't used for stereo sound which is weird. Will probably be fixed with a software fix in time.
 
Yek how do you like the playbar for TV audio (leaving aside the surround issue you mentioned)? Seriously considering it.
 
It's great when coming from television speakers. Speech is clear. Note that I'm using it with a sub, which makes it expensive. If you already have separate speakers, it may not be an improvement, I can't tell. It's spcial but in itself it's not a replacement for a surround system. Also, the bar is quite large. I like the system because it doubles for for music playback, including the sub.
 
The best airplay range for sound quality atm is BeoPlay by Bang & Olufsen.

They use the same active speaker principles that you get in frfr active speakers.

You guys appreciate why you need to spend big on your rig and your choice of instruments.

It is the same with home audio if the best sound is your main priority.

I deal with apple tv and airport express on a daily basis. It is great product if convenience with a reasonable sound is your expectation.

However it is easy to show it's limitations against other products, and for $100/£100/€100 or whatever they cost in your country, you can't expect to get decent audio electronics.

There has been a dumbing down of expectations on price and performance on audio and tv product within the last few years.

We know that fractal produce an amazing product that costs a lot but is worth it. It is worth applying the same principles to this market as well- you would be amazed at the difference you hear in the mix.


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