Gramofon: Nice priced/reliable Spotify multiroom streaming!
Discussion
I currently have 4 of these and ultimately will have 8 all playing through a 16 channel amp linked to speakers throughout the house. They have been excellent providing a much cheaper version of Sonos effectively.
The only issues I have had is when using them with WIFI sometimes Spotify connect was a bit slow to connect them etc and I had occasional stuttering issues. All this has now been resolved however by hard wiring them all via ethernet and they have been 100% solid since then.
The only other 2 things I wish they did is for them to allow me to adjust individual volume levels for different zones when they are grouped together as without this it means I have to tweak the line level for each zone on the amp, obviously this is not an issue when playing a single zone which I do 95% of the time.
The other thing is I wish Spotify would incorporate the Allplay app into Connect so I can group zones etc from within the app instead of having to switch to a different one.
In reality I'm really pleased with it though and the for the cost of my multiroom system the flexibility and quality is great, I've actually started dabbling in selling and installing multiroom systems and I'm hoping to install around 30 of these systems into a housing development being built near me.
The only issues I have had is when using them with WIFI sometimes Spotify connect was a bit slow to connect them etc and I had occasional stuttering issues. All this has now been resolved however by hard wiring them all via ethernet and they have been 100% solid since then.
The only other 2 things I wish they did is for them to allow me to adjust individual volume levels for different zones when they are grouped together as without this it means I have to tweak the line level for each zone on the amp, obviously this is not an issue when playing a single zone which I do 95% of the time.
The other thing is I wish Spotify would incorporate the Allplay app into Connect so I can group zones etc from within the app instead of having to switch to a different one.
In reality I'm really pleased with it though and the for the cost of my multiroom system the flexibility and quality is great, I've actually started dabbling in selling and installing multiroom systems and I'm hoping to install around 30 of these systems into a housing development being built near me.
As promised I purchased a Chromecast Audio this weekend (and a TV version whilst I'm at it).
First impressions on opening the box are it's a tiny but cute looking thing! Not necessarily a bad thing being small of course although I find the from factor and size of the Gramofon more reassuring of quality.
There is a small LED to let you know it's powered on but other than that no other indication of function or buttons of any kind on the unit itself unlike the Gramofon.
The lack of an ethernet port is a real negative IMO and they should have included one in place of the optical digital out they decided to put on the unit which serves no useful purpose above and beyond the 3.5mm analogue out.
The Gramofon definitely wins here IMO.
So after connecting to the amp and plugging in the power cable I started the setup process.
A few others have said they had no trouble with this but I found it quite tedious, certainly more so than the Gramofon.
The iPhone setup app is simple enough but when it came to putting in the wifi information of my router the complications started. After the wifi signal was detected, I put in the wifi password and hit enter but the "wait" icon continued rotating for ages, at least a few minutes, and then an error message came up saying it "couldn't connect". Bear in mind the Chromcast was right next to the router.
Fair enough I thought, this happens, I'll just go back a few pages and retry. Unfortunately when I clicked back the chrome cast app wouldn't display the wifi feed so I couldn't reselect it.
Ok, time for a restart, I pulled the plug on the Chromecast, powered it up and waited. On the app the Chromecast showed up but I couldn't connect to it even though it had correctly played the test sound through the speakers.
Right start again. I deleted the profile and started again. Couldn't find the Chromcast wifi signal in my iPhone-aaaagghh.
After fiddling about I managed to get it going again and to detect my router wifi feed and put the password in.
Right that's more like it, let's give it a whirl. Open Spotify, click on Spotify connect...I can see my 3 Gramofons but no Chromecast.
Let's try TuneinRadio. Nope, same thing, cannot see the Chromecast to stream to.
That was a few hours ago and I still haven't got it to work. So for the moment at least it doesn't get my vote.
I'm going to see if I get any more luck with the video version and will report back
First impressions on opening the box are it's a tiny but cute looking thing! Not necessarily a bad thing being small of course although I find the from factor and size of the Gramofon more reassuring of quality.
There is a small LED to let you know it's powered on but other than that no other indication of function or buttons of any kind on the unit itself unlike the Gramofon.
The lack of an ethernet port is a real negative IMO and they should have included one in place of the optical digital out they decided to put on the unit which serves no useful purpose above and beyond the 3.5mm analogue out.
The Gramofon definitely wins here IMO.
So after connecting to the amp and plugging in the power cable I started the setup process.
A few others have said they had no trouble with this but I found it quite tedious, certainly more so than the Gramofon.
The iPhone setup app is simple enough but when it came to putting in the wifi information of my router the complications started. After the wifi signal was detected, I put in the wifi password and hit enter but the "wait" icon continued rotating for ages, at least a few minutes, and then an error message came up saying it "couldn't connect". Bear in mind the Chromcast was right next to the router.
Fair enough I thought, this happens, I'll just go back a few pages and retry. Unfortunately when I clicked back the chrome cast app wouldn't display the wifi feed so I couldn't reselect it.
Ok, time for a restart, I pulled the plug on the Chromecast, powered it up and waited. On the app the Chromecast showed up but I couldn't connect to it even though it had correctly played the test sound through the speakers.
Right start again. I deleted the profile and started again. Couldn't find the Chromcast wifi signal in my iPhone-aaaagghh.
After fiddling about I managed to get it going again and to detect my router wifi feed and put the password in.
Right that's more like it, let's give it a whirl. Open Spotify, click on Spotify connect...I can see my 3 Gramofons but no Chromecast.
Let's try TuneinRadio. Nope, same thing, cannot see the Chromecast to stream to.
That was a few hours ago and I still haven't got it to work. So for the moment at least it doesn't get my vote.
I'm going to see if I get any more luck with the video version and will report back
Edited by Driller on Sunday 27th March 16:06
Edited by Driller on Sunday 27th March 16:07
The setup of the video version went much better but the quality of Netflix over wifi is not great. Again I'm really missing an ethernet socket on this unit.
I'll replace it with another Apple TV or maybe something else with an RJ45 jack. Roku, Kodi?
I'm sure setup on the Chromecast Audio would have been much simpler with an ethernet plug too. It's still not listed in Spotify et al.
I'll replace it with another Apple TV or maybe something else with an RJ45 jack. Roku, Kodi?
I'm sure setup on the Chromecast Audio would have been much simpler with an ethernet plug too. It's still not listed in Spotify et al.
Had a similar issue setting up the Chromecast Audio with iOS. Bought a couple as there's some nice googlecast speakers coming out, and it seemed the easiest way to extend the multiroom setup. I've got a chromebook & android devices: set-up was simple, got it to automatically start/stop playback as I enter/leave the house, when I wake up etc. Made an ethernet adaptor which works ok.
Then took a CA to a friend's house - she has iDevices. Swore at it for 15 minutes then gave up.
Then took a CA to a friend's house - she has iDevices. Swore at it for 15 minutes then gave up.
That's interesting to know, thanks for the info. Could be Google pushing Android then, they own it I think?
Just been to work and restarted the router, restarted the Chromecast. I'm getting info in the Cromecast app showing it as "Ready to Cast" but still can't find the Chromecast in Spotify Connect. 2 Gramofons I associated with Spotify show up fine (Spotify 1 & 2).
Not impressed! It's a shame because it would be another handy little streamer otherwise. I'm going to order another Gramofon for work then, that way there'll be ethernet too.
Just been to work and restarted the router, restarted the Chromecast. I'm getting info in the Cromecast app showing it as "Ready to Cast" but still can't find the Chromecast in Spotify Connect. 2 Gramofons I associated with Spotify show up fine (Spotify 1 & 2).
Not impressed! It's a shame because it would be another handy little streamer otherwise. I'm going to order another Gramofon for work then, that way there'll be ethernet too.
Edited by Driller on Monday 28th March 12:29
dugsud said:
Am I right in thinking this won't connect to a NAS based music library to stream your own music?
I've already asked this and I think you are wrong in thinking that. Pretty sure it can and will stream from a NAS.i'm still undecided as my Logitech Duet still works ok and the spotify plugin has been improved recently. I'd still rather it just ran straight from the spotify app on my devices though, much more user friendly.
Anyone wanna buy a Logitech Duet???
If your NAS does DLNA (and I assume it does) then yes you can play your music from it on Gramofon. You can also stream music from your phone or tablet something I didn't realise earlier in the thread and replied to the negative.
Here's an example image from this FAQ page https://support.gramofon.com/hc/en-us/articles/201...
Here's an example image from this FAQ page https://support.gramofon.com/hc/en-us/articles/201...
BUMP!
I wondered if anyone had any updated thoughts on these Gramofons?
Specifically I am wondering how many can reasonably be expected to work together - is it really possible to play say 8 Zones in sync? Also, is it still the case that they work better hard wired than relying on wifi?
Any advice would be welcome.
Cheers, Klive
I wondered if anyone had any updated thoughts on these Gramofons?
Specifically I am wondering how many can reasonably be expected to work together - is it really possible to play say 8 Zones in sync? Also, is it still the case that they work better hard wired than relying on wifi?
Any advice would be welcome.
Cheers, Klive
klivedrgar said:
BUMP!
I wondered if anyone had any updated thoughts on these Gramofons?
Specifically I am wondering how many can reasonably be expected to work together - is it really possible to play say 8 Zones in sync? Also, is it still the case that they work better hard wired than relying on wifi?
Any advice would be welcome.
Cheers, Klive
I put 4 in for a customerI wondered if anyone had any updated thoughts on these Gramofons?
Specifically I am wondering how many can reasonably be expected to work together - is it really possible to play say 8 Zones in sync? Also, is it still the case that they work better hard wired than relying on wifi?
Any advice would be welcome.
Cheers, Klive
They have been OK the third party app for multiroom is a bit of a pain, and yes they are better hardwired, I did have some issues with them working wirelessly.
That was back in December, as always with these things,things update so it may be better now.
I just bought a Sonos Play 1 for the surgery of one of my associates as I can't be arsed to plumb in a separate amp and ceiling speakers as I did in the other surgeries and the play1 was the cheapest thing with a speaker and an ethernet socket that does Spotify Connect.
I can't believe it, I feel dirty.
ETA Just discovered the Yamaha WX-010 which has ethernet, so cancelled the SO-NOs and bought that instead. Phew!
I can't believe it, I feel dirty.
ETA Just discovered the Yamaha WX-010 which has ethernet, so cancelled the SO-NOs and bought that instead. Phew!
Edited by Driller on Wednesday 25th April 16:27
Driller said:
I just bought a Sonos Play 1 for the surgery of one of my associates as I can't be arsed to plumb in a separate amp and ceiling speakers as I did in the other surgeries and the play1 was the cheapest thing with a speaker and an ethernet socket that does Spotify Connect.
I can't believe it, I feel dirty.
ETA Just discovered the Yamaha WX-010 which has ethernet, so cancelled the SO-NOs and bought that instead. Phew!
Go home right now, wash your mouth out and scrub you fingers till they bleed for both mentioning, thinking and typing the SoNo word. I can't believe it, I feel dirty.
ETA Just discovered the Yamaha WX-010 which has ethernet, so cancelled the SO-NOs and bought that instead. Phew!
Edited by Driller on Wednesday 25th April 16:27
(If it makes you feel better I feel dirty everytime I sell one (but I like it!))
V.
VEX said:
Driller said:
I just bought a Sonos Play 1 for the surgery of one of my associates as I can't be arsed to plumb in a separate amp and ceiling speakers as I did in the other surgeries and the play1 was the cheapest thing with a speaker and an ethernet socket that does Spotify Connect.
I can't believe it, I feel dirty.
ETA Just discovered the Yamaha WX-010 which has ethernet, so cancelled the SO-NOs and bought that instead. Phew!
Go home right now, wash your mouth out and scrub you fingers till they bleed for both mentioning, thinking and typing the SoNo word. I can't believe it, I feel dirty.
ETA Just discovered the Yamaha WX-010 which has ethernet, so cancelled the SO-NOs and bought that instead. Phew!
Edited by Driller on Wednesday 25th April 16:27
(If it makes you feel better I feel dirty everytime I sell one (but I like it!))
V.
And I guess in an emergency anything will do!
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