Alternative to Gramofon?

Author
Discussion

B17NNS

18,506 posts

246 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
quotequote all
VEX said:
Ethernet only please.
Cobblestone is ethernet.

Driller

8,310 posts

277 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
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The Cobblestone looks good and has Ethernet but at £120 is more than twice the price of a Gramofon. Odd because one of the reviews from Amazon.com says $59

Also the shape is very silly.

Edited by Driller on Sunday 18th February 22:46

MrSparks

648 posts

119 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
quotequote all
The next model up from the Audiocast has ethernet

https://www.ieast.net/products/stream-pro/

But it also has a power switch so if there is a power cut it needs to be physically turned back on. Might not be a big issue depending on placement.

B17NNS

18,506 posts

246 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
quotequote all
Driller said:
The Cobblestone looks good and has Ethernet but at £120 is more than twice the price of a Gramofon. Odd because one of the reviews from Amazon.com says $59
Until a few days ago it was £60.

Driller

8,310 posts

277 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
quotequote all
B17NNS said:
Driller said:
The Cobblestone looks good and has Ethernet but at £120 is more than twice the price of a Gramofon. Odd because one of the reviews from Amazon.com says $59
Until a few days ago it was £60.
Would it be cynical of me to link the price hike with the demise of the Gramofon?

Actually that iEast streamer appears to be £50 with ethernet and it’s properly shaped smile

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01I1RPWZ6/ref=mp...

B17NNS

18,506 posts

246 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
quotequote all
Driller said:
Would it be cynical of me to link the price hike with the demise of the Gramofon?
Fair point. If I was wanting to spend £120 I'd probably go for something like this.

https://petertyson.co.uk/index.php/yamaha-wxad-10-...

Proper shape for you too Driller smile

Driller

8,310 posts

277 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
quotequote all
Good shout, for that price that’s what I’d go for and yes proper shape too hehe

That iEast jobby looks interesting though.


h0b0

7,559 posts

195 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
quotequote all
scovette said:
Btw, if you want to add a speaker to the multiroom group somewhere you can't run cable there's nice ones by B&O and some other brands.

Edited by scovette on Sunday 18th February 20:03
I have an echo dot with B&O S3s. I like how you can pair the speakers up and have Alexa control it all. It’s the reason why my google mini doesn’t get used as you have to buy a chrome cast to add speakers.


Edited by h0b0 on Wednesday 21st February 23:19

B17NNS

18,506 posts

246 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
quotequote all
Driller said:
Good shout, for that price that’s what I’d go for and yes proper shape too hehe
Liking the look of the Yammy more and more now. Burr-Brown DAC in it too. I'll give the pebble a whirl, can always fire it back onto the bay of thieves if I don't like it. Was only £25.

https://www.techradar.com/reviews/yamaha-wxad-10-m...

Issue I'm having at the moment is syncing of zones over DNLA using JRiver. It's got quite the learning curve and I constantly feel like a beta tester. There's no manual, the wiki's are out of date and support via the forums is sporadic.

Easy to see why Sonos is popular. It just works.

If I can't solve it I'll just go down the HEOS route.

scovette

430 posts

207 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
quotequote all
h0b0 said:
I have a echo dot with B&O S3s. I like how you can pair the speakers up and have Alexa control it all. It’s the reason why my google mini doesn’t get used as you have to buy a chrome cast to add speakers.
Yes the Mini doesn't do what the Dot can, so that Google didn't annoy companies like B&O, who have Chromecast built-in to their new models.

Driller said:
That iEast jobby looks interesting though.
Would the issue with that not be that it's likely to go the way of the Gramofon with a couple of years? Against Sonos, Amazon, Google + their partners (LG, Panasonic, Sony, Harmon Kardon, JBL, etc) and Apple (when they get their act together) there doesn't seem much space for the competition?


Edited by scovette on Monday 19th February 00:03

Driller

8,310 posts

277 months

Monday 19th February 2018
quotequote all
B17NNS said:
Easy to see why Sonos is popular. It just works.
True but so does the Gramofon, it’s just a shame the company went bust!

scovette said:
Driller said:
That iEast jobby looks interesting though.
Would the issue with that not be that it's likely to go the way of the Gramofon with a couple of years? Against Sonos, Amazon, Google + their partners (LG, Panasonic, Sony, Harmon Kardon, JBL, etc) and Apple (when they get their act together) there doesn't seem much space for the competition?
Actually, if you think about it, it’s not a problem. I’ve got my 4 Gramofons that I paid €59 each for and they’re still going strong. If at some point one of them goes beak up, I’ll just swap it out with the latest similar type box for a similar price.

They’re all very simple to connect and operate and all work on the same principle. I do pretty much use Spotify connect exclusively though.


VEX

Original Poster:

5,256 posts

245 months

Monday 19th February 2018
quotequote all
Ordered one of the iEast boxes to play with.

But I can also get the Yammy trade, so it will be interesting to see how that cost stacks up too.

Off to play with some spreadsheets and report back.

V.

dmsims

6,452 posts

266 months

VEX

Original Poster:

5,256 posts

245 months

Tuesday 20th February 2018
quotequote all
Exept!

Wireless Only
and
Not DNLA Compliant

So no go on two points.

dmsims

6,452 posts

266 months

Tuesday 20th February 2018
quotequote all
VEX said:
Exept!

Wireless Only
and
Not DNLA Compliant

So no go on two points.
Hmm
"Through your smartphone or tablet you can access stored music on the device or, via DLNA, on your PC, laptop or NAS drive."


VEX

Original Poster:

5,256 posts

245 months

Tuesday 20th February 2018
quotequote all
appologies, I couldnt see a photo of the rear, but checked the spec and it only mentioned wireless.


B17NNS

18,506 posts

246 months

Tuesday 20th February 2018
quotequote all
dmsims said:
Isn't that just a hub to connect Samsung speakers to via wifi?

I think VEX wants each zone hard wired to the LAN.

VEX

Original Poster:

5,256 posts

245 months

Tuesday 20th February 2018
quotequote all
I have been playing with costings today.

I now have Sonos Smashing Pricing for 4 / 6 and 8 Zone systems, Using Yamaha MusicCast, a Quality Amp, Monitor Audio Ceiling-Speaker and Fire/Accoustic hoods.

Thanks for all your help and ideas

V.

Driller

8,310 posts

277 months

Tuesday 20th February 2018
quotequote all
You’re welcome Vex winkbiggrin

B17NNS

18,506 posts

246 months

Tuesday 20th February 2018
quotequote all
Nice one, good choice on the Yamaha IMO. Looks like a much more premium product with a trusted brand.

Would this work with Roon over airplay?

Can you do multizone with airplay?

Edited by B17NNS on Tuesday 20th February 20:59