Smart Speaker - emerging from the dark ages

[Legend83]

I currently have an old wireless / bluetooth speaker that is frankly crap. I also have a massive iTunes library on a laptop (plus a bunch of CDs under the bed that need ripping. We have Amazon music (via Prime). Considering Spotify.

What would be the best wireless / multi-room speaker (max £200). Sonos looks an obvious option but have read a bit about them peeing customers off recently?

Amazon Echo another but then we would be glued to Amazon-world - would we even be able to play from iTunes (or Google Play Music)?

Oh and it would be lovely to be able to play everything via my / wife's phone, rather than having to crank the laptop up every time...

[VEX]

Lots out there to be honest.

Current prefered client solution is Yamaha MusicCast. Several different stand-alone active speakers, sound bars, AVR's and components.

Similar also available from Denon, BlueSound and several others.

BlueSound gets really good sound reviews, but comes at a premium.

V.

[smn159]

Just get the Sonos

[VEX]

I dont disagree, Sonos does just work, but IMO it is lagging in both audio performance and connectivity now compaired to others.

[illmonkey]

We have a Sonos one with Alexa, we looked at buying a few more for around the house. The whole setup of 1 of them was painful (I'm in IT too...). We bought a echo dot, it was going to be the speaker for the garage, setup was seamless, can set it up with apple music & amazon music, will stream radio, control our lights and heating. So we bought an other 2 and got rid of the Sonos. The Sonos when in use was useless too, so it never got used. We use the echo all the time. Mainly timers for dinner

Not sure about the Sonos' (Sonosi?) but we have groups setup for the echo's, so can play music downstairs or all over etc. I love walking around the house with constant music.

[chasingracecars]

Yamaha all the way Sonos has messed with the app too much. I have loads of Sonos at home (dealer special years ago) but would install Yamaha Music Cast in a blink. It’s soo more versatile and the app isn’t as confusing as Sonos keep making theirs!

[Legend83]

Thanks for the info.

So in that range / price range I am looking at the Yamaha M20 / WXA21?

[chasingracecars]

One of these is similar to the Sonos one...

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/audio-and-headphones...

And this is similar to the Play5

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/audio-and-headphones...

[Road2Ruin]

illmonkey said:

We have a Sonos one with Alexa, we looked at buying a few more for around the house. The whole setup of 1 of them was painful (I'm in IT too...). We bought a echo dot, it was going to be the speaker for the garage, setup was seamless, can set it up with apple music & amazon music, will stream radio, control our lights and heating. So we bought an other 2 and got rid of the Sonos. The Sonos when in use was useless too, so it never got used. We use the echo all the time. Mainly timers for dinner

Not sure about the Sonos' (Sonosi?) but we have groups setup for the echo's, so can play music downstairs or all over etc. I love walking around the house with constant music.

Your in IT and found the Sonos a pain to set up? I hope your not on a help desk. I am not in IT and it was a cinch, in fact easier than the echos I have. Once one is on the rest connect seamlessly, where as the echos don't automatically connect together and need further setting up. Some I still can't get to see each other. Also the sound, compared to the Sonos is awful. The only downside I have found with the Sonos compared to the echo is you can't drop in with it like you can on the echo devices.

[illmonkey]

Road2Ruin said:

Your in IT and found the Sonos a pain to set up? I hope your not on a help desk. I am not in IT and it was a cinch, in fact easier than the echos I have. Once one is on the rest connect seamlessly, where as the echos don't automatically connect together and need further setting up. Some I still can't get to see each other. Also the sound, compared to the Sonos is awful. The only downside I have found with the Sonos compared to the echo is you can't drop in with it like you can on the echo devices.

Your judgement on my IT skills aside, there was a bit more to it, setting them up to work together was the problem. We also had to go through transferring the ownership. None of it was straight forward, it errored and failed constantly. It’d never play music out of both, rather just the one.

More that the software is st.

[chasingracecars]

I completely agree. I have a speaker in the kitchen a Play5 that doesn’t always see the wifi despite the iPhone getting the Wi-Fi in the back of the garden!! When the Sonos first came out the system was better when it did not use the Wi-Fi. It’s app was also better then! I was trained by Sonos so I know how to get into the system that is blocked off. It’s still not perfect in my home!