What else would I gain from moving to SONOS?

[davek_964]

I joined Amazon Prime a month ago, and am surprised how much I use the music streaming - mostly at the gym / work and if I really like an album I do buy it. However, there is some stuff that is "OK" for a few listens but I've not really been convinced - and since I don't buy it, I can't listen to it on my home hi-fi. I've just noticed via another thread that Sonos supports Prime music - so now I'm wondering if it's worth me making a change.

My existing hi-fi is reasonably high end. I use an SB+ (think Squeezebox but with separate power supply and upgraded DAC) to stream from a NAS (files ripped as FLAC) which feeds a Chord QBD76 DAC. This makes it's way to a Chord preamp, onto a Chord power amp and out to some Kef 201.2 speakers. Surround sound is taken care of by a Sony amp, but still using the Chords for the stereo front and some decent centre / rear / sub.

So - if I understand correctly, I could simply replace the SB+ with a SONOS Connect? Then I could still pipe to my DAC but also stream from Prime if I wished to? And I assume the SONOS is remote control via IR?

Currently I only use the hi-fi in the lounge (or, with the volume turned up - the entire house!) and in the bedroom I rely on phone + BT speaker. I guess if I went SONOS, I could replace the stuff in the bedroom with a SONOS speaker like a Play 5.

I've never really looked into Sonos before, although I know it's popular. Is there anything else about it which is a big plus?

There are a few negatives about going this route, not least the problem with updating my remote to support the Sonos. But I'm tempted!

ETA : My NAS (Synology DS214 play) has a Media server that works as squeezecenter - I assume it would also support Sonos?

Edited by davek_964 on Tuesday 9th February 13:39

[davek_964]

gizlaroc said:

For me it is about the App really.

I simply search for what I want and it shows all the results, could be in my library, on Spotify, on Tidal, on Soundcloud etc. etc.

Means I have pretty much whatever I want there to listen to when I want it.

The only thing I wish they would do is bring out a smaller Connect (think Airport express) at a better price point. I think long term it would get more people to buy into the Sonos ecosystem.

A small Connect that has a 3.5mm jack that does analogue or optical for £129 would get people who are considering Sonos to bite.

Ironically, it's the App / controller side of it which is making me hesitate. Currently, I use a Philips TS9600 to control everything in the lounge, and I need to find out whether that is a practical solution to Sonos. Although I'm sure a tablet app would be "better", I don't like the fact that I'd be doing half the control on my remote (e.g. switching sources etc) and half on a tablet (choosing the music) - it's a bit like going back to multiple remotes.

I think there is a Sonos app for the 9600, but since Philips stopped making them several years back, it's probably quite out of date. In the old days, I would have happily written my own but I am quite sure I'm way too lazy for that these days!

[davek_964]

I didn't think the Sonos solution looked that expensive - the bit I'd need is only a few hundred pounds.

Unfortunately, I've now discovered that the Sonos module for my remote is not likely to be much use which is a pretty big negative. I guess I could start controlling my SB+ with my tablet and see how I get on with that before deciding whether to switch to Sonos or not.

Perhaps I am reaching the point where I need to consider replacing my now defunct remote control solution, but that is unlikely to be a trival (or inexpensive) exercise.

[davek_964]

Watchman said:

I've noticed more and more products are moving towards phone or tablet control. Not trying to sound trendy but perhaps there's an app out there you could use?

talkssense said:

Control4 will allow you to control Sonos, TV, Amps, sources, heating etc etc from a "proper" remote and from a phone/tablet.

You can even retrofit wireless lighting switches which will allow eg a double tap to start radio 4 as soon as you walk into a room.

Not cheap but does an awful lot, and the new controllers released in the last couple of weeks have made it much more affordable.

I think the tablet solution is probably the way I need to go. Some of the regular TSU9600 users have gone the way of CommandFusion, which is my most likely solution I think - it has the advantage that it looks like it has similar h/w solutions to the Philips (i.e. a box with IR / RS232 outputs etc), and it also supports JavaScript which is where the real power of the TSU9600 comes from. There seem to be a few distributors in the UK, so I think I need to go and see one and discuss prices - at least I could get it all working while my existing setup is still in place, which is likely to take several months.

I'll look into Control4 too - thanks.

Thanks also to the post telling me I wouldn't get Prime music in the UK anyway with Sonos! Guess that means I won't be switching to Sonos yet - however, I do think it might be time to start properly investigating the remote control solution. It definitely qualifies as a new cool toy - albeit one that I'm not sure I have the time or patience to setup these days!