Sonos vs Helos vs Omni vs B&W
Discussion
all,Advice/opinion from the Collective sought. So went to John Lewis for a mooch in the sales yesterday and wireless network listening has sparked my interest again and the good lady has ok'd 'researching' options to update the house with electronica...
I like the idea if wireless network and before yesterday it seemed like this market was literally Sonos. But has anybody (Vex?) got any views on how the new options from Denon and Harman compare? Re price I get that they are premium but they're all priced pretty similarly.
Current set up is that I have a 5.1 set up in the lounge with a 10 year old B&W 600 set up. Absolutely love it but with 4 kids now, I want to scale down and the original plan was to change to B&Ws MT 60D package to save some physical space but the wireless kits have caught my eye... simple docking station speaker in the kitchen which is now on for the majority of the day.
So; do I embrace wireless and if so which one? Or do I simply get a B&W A7 monster for the daily listening and stick to the original plan for the lounge?
Any thoughts/experiences welcome!
Thanks in advance.
Tuan
I can't give you any information on the Helos or Omni, but can confirm the the B&W A7 is a fabulous bit of kit. Considering the limitations of size and speaker placement, the sound is incredible and has enough bass for 90% of listening requirements. It has actually replaced my separates system in our lounge (apparently it was taking up too much room...) and I have to say I don't really notice much difference.
Using Airplay, it is possible to send the same music to more than one A7, so you can create an, admittedly basic, multi room set up. Sonos will do more, but in my opinion, the A7 is significantly better sounding than the Sonos Play 5, though both are good and i'm actually considering it for a proper multi-room set up, with my existing A7 connected through a Sonos Connect in my study (where I have to go to do my serious music listening!
Using Airplay, it is possible to send the same music to more than one A7, so you can create an, admittedly basic, multi room set up. Sonos will do more, but in my opinion, the A7 is significantly better sounding than the Sonos Play 5, though both are good and i'm actually considering it for a proper multi-room set up, with my existing A7 connected through a Sonos Connect in my study (where I have to go to do my serious music listening!
As ever - there is never a simple answer.
I use Sonos as it has the best software interface and most reliable wireless network with its own MESH implementation. However the all-in-one units are quite poor imo. I used a play5 in the bedroom for a while but it's mid-fi at best with a congested sound and poor separation and soundstage. The beauty of Sonos is that you can use zone players instead - I have 5 zp90's around the house and the sound quality is only then restricted by the system you plug into. Into a good DAC the Sonos is a proper high end source component.
If you just want the best all-in-one units then B&W's a5 and a7 are the best out there - a quality sound that holds its own again decent separates but the downside is you are back to using AirPlay. Unless you can use a hard wired network.
I use Sonos as it has the best software interface and most reliable wireless network with its own MESH implementation. However the all-in-one units are quite poor imo. I used a play5 in the bedroom for a while but it's mid-fi at best with a congested sound and poor separation and soundstage. The beauty of Sonos is that you can use zone players instead - I have 5 zp90's around the house and the sound quality is only then restricted by the system you plug into. Into a good DAC the Sonos is a proper high end source component.
If you just want the best all-in-one units then B&W's a5 and a7 are the best out there - a quality sound that holds its own again decent separates but the downside is you are back to using AirPlay. Unless you can use a hard wired network.
StuH said:
As ever - there is never a simple answer.
If you just want the best all-in-one units then B&W's a5 and a7 are the best out there - a quality sound that holds its own again decent separates but the downside is you are back to using AirPlay. Unless you can use a hard wired network.
How do they compare to the new Naim thing in terms of sound quality?If you just want the best all-in-one units then B&W's a5 and a7 are the best out there - a quality sound that holds its own again decent separates but the downside is you are back to using AirPlay. Unless you can use a hard wired network.
I use sonos for the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, but have a decent Naim streaming system in the lounge. I toyed with swapping the others out to Naim units, but still feel the sonos is the more reliable system/interface.
I have the omni's on test at the moment and the quality of sound over my house of Sonos is amazing. Sonos sounds 1 dimensional in comparison. Wifey described it a back ground music to work with. Omni's make you stop and listen.
I have easy access to denons and naim and could probably get B&W to do a series of back to backs and was thinking of trying to set up a 'listen off' as it were maybe at a friendly car based venue.
I'll post more details if I can get it set up. Will be in or around MK/Leighton Buzzard/Tring/hemel Hempsted area.
V.
I have easy access to denons and naim and could probably get B&W to do a series of back to backs and was thinking of trying to set up a 'listen off' as it were maybe at a friendly car based venue.
I'll post more details if I can get it set up. Will be in or around MK/Leighton Buzzard/Tring/hemel Hempsted area.
V.
Edited by VEX on Thursday 1st January 11:33
I went down the AirPlay route and about to give it up on it - I've got several AppleTVs around the house, as well as a couple of Airport Expresses. The aim was to have full coverage downstairs that could be managed from either iOS, my laptop or desktop.
I was also looking to get a B&W Zeppelin for the kitchen, but have so far held off.
Reason being - AirPlay just doesn't work very well - it can be ok if using just a single destination (but I still get frequent stops or cut outs). Trying to output to multiple speakers fails more than it works, I get even more frequent drop outs, and speakers continually get lost from the network.
Am aiming to move everything on to Sonos later this year.
I was also looking to get a B&W Zeppelin for the kitchen, but have so far held off.
Reason being - AirPlay just doesn't work very well - it can be ok if using just a single destination (but I still get frequent stops or cut outs). Trying to output to multiple speakers fails more than it works, I get even more frequent drop outs, and speakers continually get lost from the network.
Am aiming to move everything on to Sonos later this year.
The ease of use and simplicity of Sonos can not be beaten in my opinion. I have pairs of Sonos Play 1's in the bedrooms, Sonos Connect Amps powering ceeling speakers in the bathrooms and kitchen and a Sonos Connect to feed the 5.1 AV receiver/big speakers in the lounge. In Summer a cheap speaker switch transfers the kitchen speaker Amp to outdoor speakers on the roof terrace.
Sonos + Spotify (other streaming services are available) is a killer combination.
I love the ceeling speakers in the kitchen and bathroom. 6 inch Monitor Audio CP series (with back boxes built-in)
Sonos + Spotify (other streaming services are available) is a killer combination.
I love the ceeling speakers in the kitchen and bathroom. 6 inch Monitor Audio CP series (with back boxes built-in)
Patch1875 said:
Happy Jim said:
Yup, you're missing something ;-)
I only ever listen to lists from Spotify on my Sonos setup.
Keep playing ;-)
Jim
Can you? I can see lists that are saved but I'm talking about searching for all the spotify playlists that are in different genres?I only ever listen to lists from Spotify on my Sonos setup.
Keep playing ;-)
Jim
Picked up an Omni 10 for the kitchen to see how we get on. Biggest influencers for me so far are the Bluetooth and aux inputs in every speaker. And of course Vex's comment around quality. If I don't get along with the interface or home wifi I'll reconsider before I commit anymore... Good old John Lewis for their returns policy,
Thanks for the comments. Will let you know how it goes.
Tuan
Thanks for the comments. Will let you know how it goes.
Tuan
Little update - been listening to the Omni 10 for the last 2 or so hours... incredible sound from such a compact unit, a lot of depth to it. If anything possibly not enough treble.
The app however is pretty poor and basic. At this stage I'm putting it down to it being an early version and it'll be evolved over a (short!) timeframe. The app has dropped out on me a couple of times but that might well be user error...
If I can keep the faith in HK to develop the user experience over time then the improvement in sound quality is worth it in my eyes. The only dealbreaker I can foresee is if I really feel any pain of sharing the home wifi network as it's nothing special (Sky Broadband router) as the Sonos mesh is the real differentiator for me.
But first impressions are really really good. The little driver pumping away at the back of the unit is brilliant to watch!
Tuan
The app however is pretty poor and basic. At this stage I'm putting it down to it being an early version and it'll be evolved over a (short!) timeframe. The app has dropped out on me a couple of times but that might well be user error...
If I can keep the faith in HK to develop the user experience over time then the improvement in sound quality is worth it in my eyes. The only dealbreaker I can foresee is if I really feel any pain of sharing the home wifi network as it's nothing special (Sky Broadband router) as the Sonos mesh is the real differentiator for me.
But first impressions are really really good. The little driver pumping away at the back of the unit is brilliant to watch!
Tuan
VEX said:
Digger said:
Do we know when Spotify will be available for the Omnis?
I should be getting an update next week as well a prices and availability.V.
How does the Omni stuff compare
- multiple simultaneous controllers
- multiple simultaneous sources (including streaming)
- streaming service support
- NAS support
I'd definately ask a local retailer to set up a few options in a sound room first. The Sonos is a really versatile peice of kit although they don't appeal asthetically. They sound fine too although the A7 is a class above in terms of sound quality. I thought about Sonos but I don't really need multi room so went with a Zeppelin Air (we all have Apple products in our house anyway) and a seperate sound bar setup for the TV. I have a Bose SoundLink mini if I'm in the bath or bedroom and just want some tunes on.
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