Sonos - What is your set up?

[Robertos88]

[quote=LLCool_K]Sonos Connect:Amp with a decent pair of ceiling speakers such as Bowers & Wilkins CCM683 while expensive, outperforms the all in one players, in my experience.

Bluesound (with a Tidal Hi-Fi account) in a similar set-up takes it to the next level.

Were you able to listen to the B&W's before hand? I've currently got a pair of CM8's and am looking for a discrete set up in the kitchen diner. I've tried seven oaks, but none have them available to demo, which I found strange. Is it a question of bite the bullet and hope for the best?

[mikeiow]

Welshbeef said:

I have a Sonos one.


One question how do you turn it off? Is it a case of unplugging it each time or do you simply leave it permantly on (if so it's constantly warm burning electricity).

Many Thanks in advance.

Constantly burning here, I'm afraid: I believe it uses about 4W when not playing.
Not great, but yes, otherwise you have to power off at wall (& wait a short while when powering on for it to connect).

More at https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id...

[paralla]

For context if you pay 15p/KWh for your electricity that's about 1.5p/day to have a play 1 on standby. Call it £5/year.

[mikeiow]

Welshbeef said:

I have a Sonos one.


One question how do you turn it off? Is it a case of unplugging it each time or do you simply leave it permantly on (if so it's constantly warm burning electricity).

Many Thanks in advance.

They tend to be left on. around 4W wasted....not great, but nothing to stop you powering them off overnight.

[Russ T Bolt]

Lounge -2 x Play 1's, Playbar & Sub
Dining Room - Play 3
Kitchen - Play 3
Bedroom - Play 1
Office - Play 5

Also have 2 new boxed Play 1's, just trying to decide where to put them (got them at a good discount through work)

[PixelpeepS3]

Some great information here - thank you everyone for the input - ceiling speakers + connect:amp throughout and a connect+ different make A/V surround in the living room.

The garage has a pitched roof so i can put a suspended ceiling in part of that too so get some cheaper jobbies for there - maybe double up with the garden speakers

[VEX]

There are several of us dealers on here, so tap us up when you are ready, we should be able to put a few bundles together for you.

V.

[AREA]

Our setup and some insights into decisions and usage:

Lounge : 2 x black Play 5s + Sub = provide stereo in the Lounge and be as visually unobtrusive as possible (sub and one Play 5 hidden from view) - Rarely used, use B&O multiroom through TV setup instead

Kitchen: white Play 5 to fit in with decor - setup to play Radio 4 in the morning

Study: black Play 5, again to visually hide away - Very rarely used, now using Beosound 1 instead

Dining room: Play 1, hidden away. Never used - using Beosound 1 instead

Master bedroom: Play 1 and Connect into Bose WaveRadio. Ffirst the Bose was there, then the Connect came along, then the Play 1 under the delusion that would be easier. Reality is that it's easiest of all just to hit RADIO on the Bose

Ensuite: Play 1 - setup to play Radio 4 in the morning

KId's bedrooms: nothing, they prefer Bluetooth into a various Bose Soundlink units around the house. They don't like Sonos except for parties (or to be more accurate, their friends like Sonos for parties)

Spare bedroom 2: Connect into Bose WaveRadio

Conservatory: white Play 5, to blend in with decor

Gym: grey Play 3 mounted on wall next to treadmill to visually match and allow easy control of volume. Has a B&O Play A2 on top of it that gets used for sound when watching programmes on iPad and running

Relax area: Connect into Beosound 3200, so linking into Beolink system into conservatory and gym

Garage: Connect into Pioneer amp into Mission speakers

Courtyard: Connect into Pioneer amp into Bose environmental speakers


Other than kids' parties (well, they're not really kids anymore) Sonos rarely gets used. Wife won't touch it (hates the app), I find it too damn buggy and there's always something needed to be updated (we have 5 iOS and 5 OSX devices around to 'control' the Sonos setup).

I'm now replacing Sonos (actually duplicating) B&O multiroom around the house. Far more stable, and a better interface. Will probably replace garage and courtyard with Google chromecast.

I have been a big fan of Sonos. Can't quite bring myself to chuck it all out (would be an admission that I was duped) but I do feel let down by its usability and robustness... after all, it has one task: to play music. And yet today I faffed around for about an hour updating apps and then finding that various zones had a developed a complete life of their own.

Edited by AREA on Wednesday 3rd May 22:15

[dvshannow]

sonus connect --> chord dave --> statement --> b&W 802d

[paralla]

AREA said:

Our setup and some insights into decisions and usage:

Lounge : 2 x black Play 5s + Sub = provide stereo in the Lounge and be as visually unobtrusive as possible (sub and one Play 5 hidden from view) - Rarely used, use B&O multiroom through TV setup instead

Kitchen: white Play 5 to fit in with decor - setup to play Radio 4 in the morning

Study: black Play 5, again to visually hide away - Very rarely used, now using Beosound 1 instead

Dining room: Play 1, hidden away. Never used - using Beosound 1 instead

Master bedroom: Play 1 and Connect into Bose WaveRadio. Ffirst the Bose was there, then the Connect came along, then the Play 1 under the delusion that would be easier. Reality is that it's easiest of all just to hit RADIO on the Bose

Ensuite: Play 1 - setup to play Radio 4 in the morning

KId's bedrooms: nothing, they prefer Bluetooth into a various Bose Soundlink units around the house. They don't like Sonos except for parties (or to be more accurate, their friends like Sonos for parties)

Spare bedroom 2: Connect into Bose WaveRadio

Conservatory: white Play 5, to blend in with decor

Gym: grey Play 3 mounted on wall next to treadmill to visually match and allow easy control of volume. Has a B&O Play A2 on top of it that gets used for sound when watching programmes on iPad and running

Relax area: Connect into Beosound 3200, so linking into Beolink system into conservatory and gym

Garage: Connect into Pioneer amp into Mission speakers

Courtyard: Connect into Pioneer amp into Bose environmental speakers


Other than kids' parties (well, they're not really kids anymore) Sonos rarely gets used. Wife won't touch it (hates the app), I find it too damn buggy and there's always something needed to be updated (we have 5 iOS and 5 OSX devices around to 'control' the Sonos setup).

I'm now replacing Sonos (actually duplicating) B&O multiroom around the house. Far more stable, and a better interface. Will probably replace garage and courtyard with Google chromecast.

I have been a big fan of Sonos. Can't quite bring myself to chuck it all out (would be an admission that I was duped) but I do feel let down by its usability and robustness... after all, it has one task: to play music. And yet today I faffed around for about an hour updating apps and then finding that various zones had a developed a complete life of their own.

Edited by AREA on Wednesday 3rd May 22:15

This looks like a massive PITA to me. One of the best bits about whole house Sonos is its ease of use. If you have a dozen other amps/speakers about the place that's completely lost. You also seem quiet keen on hiding things away to be unobtrusive, Connect Amps and ceiling speakers are the daddy of discrete.

[gifdy]

I have a Connect linked into my Linn DAC/preamp/amps & speakers in the main room. A ZP100 driving speakers in the kitchen and another in the garage. A Play5 in the bedroom and a 3 in my daughter's. I stream my own music from a NAS where I've ripped all my CDs onto FLAC. All my music is of no interest to my daughter so she uses Spotify.

Works well for us and is very flexible.

I'm converting my Dad so I'm on the look out for a Connect and a Play1 or 3 to get him started. Any dealers got a bundle on offer ? His 76th birthday is next week !

[AREA]

paralla said:

This looks like a massive PITA to me. One of the best bits about whole house Sonos is its ease of use. If you have a dozen other amps/speakers about the place that's completely lost. You also seem quiet keen on hiding things away to be unobtrusive, Connect Amps and ceiling speakers are the daddy of discrete.

PITA it is -- but these overlapping environments have come about because Sonos isn't so easy once you get to a certain scale = the updates and the flakeyness have been getting to me... the lack of physical controls on the units... the iOS app wife and kids won't use. Even with a couple of macs sitting there with the Sonos app open it just hasn't been embraced by the family.


Last weekend, after some update was required, a couple of the Play 5s decided that they would take on a mind of their own playing between 30secs to 2mins or so of a track and then going to the next one. In Basil Fawlty style I gave the system fair warning. Wednesday evening when I couldn't control the volume in the lounge the plug (well 14 plugs) were pulled.

The B&O system will be expanded some more tomorrow. The multiroom environment 'pilot' has worked great: swipe the top of a unit to change radio channels or tracks, tap to move from radio to play list, touch a speaker in a room to join in with others, even pick up the TV remote and control Deezer. It's just so damn easy.

[gifdy]

AREA said:

PITA it is -- but these overlapping environments have come about because Sonos isn't so easy once you get to a certain scale = the updates and the flakeyness have been getting to me... the lack of physical controls on the units... the iOS app wife and kids won't use. Even with a couple of macs sitting there with the Sonos app open it just hasn't been embraced by the family.


Last weekend, after some update was required, a couple of the Play 5s decided that they would take on a mind of their own playing between 30secs to 2mins or so of a track and then going to the next one. In Basil Fawlty style I gave the system fair warning. Wednesday evening when I couldn't control the volume in the lounge the plug (well 14 plugs) were pulled.

The B&O system will be expanded some more tomorrow. The multiroom environment 'pilot' has worked great: swipe the top of a unit to change radio channels or tracks, tap to move from radio to play list, touch a speaker in a room to join in with others, even pick up the TV remote and control Deezer. It's just so damn easy.

Got a connect to sell then ?

[Digger]

AREA said:

Courtyard:

Only on PH!

Made me chuckle

[LLCool_K]

Robertos88 said:

Were you able to listen to the B&W's before hand? I've currently got a pair of CM8's and am looking for a discrete set up in the kitchen diner. I've tried seven oaks, but none have them available to demo, which I found strange. Is it a question of bite the bullet and hope for the best?

I did listen to them first, yes at a place in Teddington, there are a few to compare between.

[dvshannow]

Think naim is a good option now with muso, an and the updated until range available soon

We have a muso which is a big step up from play 5 in not just sound but features, design and build.

[ROSSinHD]

At present I just have a Play 1 in the living room and we love its looks, sound and ease of use. Especially now we can just use the Spotify App and don't have to go via the Sonos App.

Currenty looking into another Play 1 and the Soundbar for surround sound but unsure how the sound bar works in terms of connections. I would want sound from an Xbox One and a Sky HD box. I believe my tv will take in the sound signal via HDMI but only pass out Stereo via optical. Any help?

[spitfire-ian]

Pretty simple set up that I've had for a few years now.

Playbar in the front room.
Play 3 in the dining room.

Have just ordered a Play 1 for the bathroom as we've got a redundant fan socket high up on a wall which seemed ideal to provide power for a Play 1

[silobass]

Is the Sonos soundbase any good? I currently have a Sony amp/Tannoy speaker set up and would like to go wireless and thought the soundbase seemed a good idea. Also doesn't help that the power button on the remote for the Amp doesn't work which winds me up.