Zonal music - Sonos alternatives?
Discussion
I am renovating a large house and want to future proof the AV.
All rooms have cat 6e points and connections to hard wire TVs and speakers or Sky
All cat 6e cabling routes to a cupboard under stairs which will have an AV rack, patch panels, amps, router etc
For the 3 main TV areas I will likely have separate Sonos setups (sound bar, subs and play 1 surrounds) as I have most of this kit already for 2 TVs.
But in addition 7 rooms will also have ceiling speakers so ideally I would like a Sonos type system with 7 zones that can play same or different music, whether via Spotify etc or via my collection stored on a NAS.
Trouble is I think a Sonos solution means 7 amps at £600 each which is a lot!
Are there cheaper / better alternatives?
All rooms have cat 6e points and connections to hard wire TVs and speakers or Sky
All cat 6e cabling routes to a cupboard under stairs which will have an AV rack, patch panels, amps, router etc
For the 3 main TV areas I will likely have separate Sonos setups (sound bar, subs and play 1 surrounds) as I have most of this kit already for 2 TVs.
But in addition 7 rooms will also have ceiling speakers so ideally I would like a Sonos type system with 7 zones that can play same or different music, whether via Spotify etc or via my collection stored on a NAS.
Trouble is I think a Sonos solution means 7 amps at £600 each which is a lot!
Are there cheaper / better alternatives?
Yamaha do something similar, do you want to link everything up so the 7 zones plus the 3 tv zones ?
You could save some money by not getting the Amp and buy the Connect and get active speakers or a separate amp but on an instal of this magnitude it seems silly to skimp to save a few £100 .
Also could any of the zones be Sonos discrete speakers like the One as it would save a fortune , a pair of ones in Stereo sounds decent , I guess you want that totally clean look in all rooms
You could save some money by not getting the Amp and buy the Connect and get active speakers or a separate amp but on an instal of this magnitude it seems silly to skimp to save a few £100 .
Also could any of the zones be Sonos discrete speakers like the One as it would save a fortune , a pair of ones in Stereo sounds decent , I guess you want that totally clean look in all rooms
Don’t really need the TV zones to be integrated no, as those 3 rooms also have ceiling speakers.
I have a play 5 and 3 that can go in two of the bedrooms which don’t have ceiling speakers, but yes looking for the sleek hidden look in all the 7 rooms with zones.
Had 4 Sonos amps in last house but sold them as extras when we sold the house, so I know they work well but a) expensive and b) wondered if there was a more open source future proof option
its more b) though, a few hundred quid is not material given the eye-watering overall budget
Also I coudl split up the Sonos TV kit and use upstairs, and go down the Yamaha amp / MA speaker set route for TV rooms
I have a play 5 and 3 that can go in two of the bedrooms which don’t have ceiling speakers, but yes looking for the sleek hidden look in all the 7 rooms with zones.
Had 4 Sonos amps in last house but sold them as extras when we sold the house, so I know they work well but a) expensive and b) wondered if there was a more open source future proof option
its more b) though, a few hundred quid is not material given the eye-watering overall budget
Also I coudl split up the Sonos TV kit and use upstairs, and go down the Yamaha amp / MA speaker set route for TV rooms
Edited by Adam. on Wednesday 23 June 18:26
A Sonos Amp can power four speakers, so that is an option but assumes the same feed / volume to those four speakers.
Regardless of Sonos or not, having a separate source for each set of speakers is also going to be expensive, as you need something to receive and amplify the music.
Lithe Audio do Bluetooth and WiFi ceiling speakers which could be another option, but you will need to power them and have a source to stream to them. It would work but certainly not as seamless as Sonos.
Regardless of Sonos or not, having a separate source for each set of speakers is also going to be expensive, as you need something to receive and amplify the music.
Lithe Audio do Bluetooth and WiFi ceiling speakers which could be another option, but you will need to power them and have a source to stream to them. It would work but certainly not as seamless as Sonos.
although everyone will likely say its dated and Logitech stopped it years ago i would recommend LMS "Logitech Media Server"
its free, easy, has community support that means it does everything SONOS can do
and you can build (Don;t panic it really is as easy as loading an SD card) a Squeezebox Player player from a raspberry pi with amp board for circa £100 which will power any speakers you throw at it.
Want more Audio Quality use a DAC and decent amplifier
Raspberry PI touchscreen is Plug an Play if you want an interface panel at 1 or more zones, Control Apps available for IOS, Android, PC. Works with Alexa, and most of the major streaming services
I have some variation on that theme in most rooms of the house and powering soffit speakers in the garden.
Run independently or sync some or all zones as you see fit
its free, easy, has community support that means it does everything SONOS can do
and you can build (Don;t panic it really is as easy as loading an SD card) a Squeezebox Player player from a raspberry pi with amp board for circa £100 which will power any speakers you throw at it.
Want more Audio Quality use a DAC and decent amplifier
Raspberry PI touchscreen is Plug an Play if you want an interface panel at 1 or more zones, Control Apps available for IOS, Android, PC. Works with Alexa, and most of the major streaming services
I have some variation on that theme in most rooms of the house and powering soffit speakers in the garden.
Run independently or sync some or all zones as you see fit
Sonos will do everything you want easily with no hassle ,
Plus the benefit that you can link the 3+7 zones all together which is pretty handy if you have a party as the tv setup makes a decent sound system as well .
I went for Play5 for the rears for that very reason.
Discount codes of 15% were floating around for old legacy kit so that might be worth looking into
Plus the benefit that you can link the 3+7 zones all together which is pretty handy if you have a party as the tv setup makes a decent sound system as well .
I went for Play5 for the rears for that very reason.
Discount codes of 15% were floating around for old legacy kit so that might be worth looking into
I have an original Sonos system with lots of the original amplified base stations, and since all the upgrade shenanigans, total confusion over what I can upgrade (software) and what will be disabled, and the fact that radio streaming seems to work via Alexa voice one day, and the next day "Radio 2" gets you some random channel until you yet again remove and re enable the Sonos skill, I just don't use it any more. That's before i get into my SOoos 1 play that some days will read an audio book, the next day say its not supported, then refuse to play any radio at all until I.... remove and re enable the skill in Amazon app....
I now have Amazon Echos plugged into each sonos amp - and use the amp as purely that. The Echos work every time without fail. Elsewhere where I don't have sonos amps I use whatever is to hand as an amp - in my workshop its a JBL Charge speaker. In my garden it's a 12v amp and car battery and solar panel. All controlled with Amazon echo dots.
I get the speakers cheap of Facebook marketplace. You can get as-new QAcoustics speakers for £25 a pair is you are patient. I've got 3010i's in my garden - £25, and similar in other rooms
The catch is it's great for radio and audiobooks which is my mainstay during the day whilst I'm working, but useless for playing my music library - in that instance I bluetooth to the Dots with my phone and stream from it.
Not as elegant as the Sonos system for music library access but absolutely perfect for eveything else. I believe you can group Dots as well, and stero pairs. At £20 a dot they are a steal.
I now have Amazon Echos plugged into each sonos amp - and use the amp as purely that. The Echos work every time without fail. Elsewhere where I don't have sonos amps I use whatever is to hand as an amp - in my workshop its a JBL Charge speaker. In my garden it's a 12v amp and car battery and solar panel. All controlled with Amazon echo dots.
I get the speakers cheap of Facebook marketplace. You can get as-new QAcoustics speakers for £25 a pair is you are patient. I've got 3010i's in my garden - £25, and similar in other rooms
The catch is it's great for radio and audiobooks which is my mainstay during the day whilst I'm working, but useless for playing my music library - in that instance I bluetooth to the Dots with my phone and stream from it.
Not as elegant as the Sonos system for music library access but absolutely perfect for eveything else. I believe you can group Dots as well, and stero pairs. At £20 a dot they are a steal.
Edited by Griffith4ever on Thursday 24th June 09:57
Griffith4ever said:
I have an original Sonos system with lots of the original amplified base stations, and since all the upgrade shenanigans, total confusion over what I can upgrade (software) and what will be disabled, and the fact that radio streaming seems to work via Alexa voice one day, and the next day "Radio 2" gets you some random channel until you yet again remove and re enable the Sonos skill, I just don't use it any more. That's before i get into my SOoos 1 play that some days will read an audio book, the next day say its not supported, then refuse to play any radio at all until I.... remove and re enable the skill in Amazon app....
I now have Amazon Echos plugged into each sonos amp - and use the amp as purely that. The Echos work every time without fail. Elsewhere where I don't have sonos amps I use whatever is to hand as an amp - in my workshop its a JBL Charge speaker. In my garden it's a 12v amp and car battery and solar panel. All controlled with Amazon echo dots.
I get the speakers cheap of Facebook marketplace. You can get as-new QAcoustics speakers for £25 a pair is you are patient. I've got 3010i's in my garden - £25, and similar in other rooms
The catch is it's great for radio and audiobooks which is my mainstay during the day whilst I'm working, but useless for playing my music library - in that instance I bluetooth to the Dots with my phone and stream from it.
Not as elegant as the Sonos system for music library access but absolutely perfect for eveything else. I believe you can group Dots as well, and stero pairs. At £20 a dot they are a steal.
This Franken-system sounds perfect to achieve the sleek, integrated look the OP is looking for (not).I now have Amazon Echos plugged into each sonos amp - and use the amp as purely that. The Echos work every time without fail. Elsewhere where I don't have sonos amps I use whatever is to hand as an amp - in my workshop its a JBL Charge speaker. In my garden it's a 12v amp and car battery and solar panel. All controlled with Amazon echo dots.
I get the speakers cheap of Facebook marketplace. You can get as-new QAcoustics speakers for £25 a pair is you are patient. I've got 3010i's in my garden - £25, and similar in other rooms
The catch is it's great for radio and audiobooks which is my mainstay during the day whilst I'm working, but useless for playing my music library - in that instance I bluetooth to the Dots with my phone and stream from it.
Not as elegant as the Sonos system for music library access but absolutely perfect for eveything else. I believe you can group Dots as well, and stero pairs. At £20 a dot they are a steal.
Edited by Griffith4ever on Thursday 24th June 09:57
Denon Heos or Yamaha Musiccast are similar to Sonos but slightly cheaper but if you already have the TV systems from Sonos you are already half way there, I’d bite the bullet and go all Sonos.
If you were ground zero - new kit everywhere there are lots of newer, better alternatives both cheaper and more expensive.
However, given you are in the Sonos eco system already then it would be a hard argue for you to change everything over.
So that would be my suggested route, stick with Sonos, they learnt they lesson in trying to turn people off and threatening to brick kit. So I doubt they will try it again.
If desperate for a fresh start, yes Denon and Yamaha have system, but for me BlueSound is the winner, even if it is a little more. The quality, the hardware and OS and the open platform (NAD and Monitor Audio have bought into it) makes it a winner for me.
If I could, I would swap out the home to BluOS.
V.
However, given you are in the Sonos eco system already then it would be a hard argue for you to change everything over.
So that would be my suggested route, stick with Sonos, they learnt they lesson in trying to turn people off and threatening to brick kit. So I doubt they will try it again.
If desperate for a fresh start, yes Denon and Yamaha have system, but for me BlueSound is the winner, even if it is a little more. The quality, the hardware and OS and the open platform (NAD and Monitor Audio have bought into it) makes it a winner for me.
If I could, I would swap out the home to BluOS.
V.
paralla said:
This Franken-system sounds perfect to achieve the sleek, integrated look the OP is looking for (not).
Denon Heos or Yamaha Musiccast are similar to Sonos but slightly cheaper but if you already have the TV systems from Sonos you are already half way there, I’d bite the bullet and go all Sonos.
I was only trying to help.Denon Heos or Yamaha Musiccast are similar to Sonos but slightly cheaper but if you already have the TV systems from Sonos you are already half way there, I’d bite the bullet and go all Sonos.
It actually works very well.
I have voice control of the radio everywhere, and Amazon music. Even in my field, and my workshops. If I want to listed to my own music collection I say "Alexa connect to my phone" and then that's it, play it from my phone through whichever Dot and amp I'm nearest, or whichever I tell it to play through.
In all the years I've owned a sonos system I can barely recall using the party mode.
Perhaps if the OP doesn't like my Franken-system suggestion he'll let me know.
Griffith4ever said:
I was only trying to help.
It actually works very well.
I have voice control of the radio everywhere, and Amazon music. Even in my field, and my workshops. If I want to listed to my own music collection I say "Alexa connect to my phone" and then that's it, play it from my phone through whichever Dot and amp I'm nearest, or whichever I tell it to play through.
In all the years I've owned a sonos system I can barely recall using the party mode.
Perhaps if the OP doesn't like my Franken-system suggestion he'll let me know.
I appreciate your suggestion thank you, and I have linked in Amazon dots and it’s very cool to ask Sonos to “play stone roses in kitchen” or similarIt actually works very well.
I have voice control of the radio everywhere, and Amazon music. Even in my field, and my workshops. If I want to listed to my own music collection I say "Alexa connect to my phone" and then that's it, play it from my phone through whichever Dot and amp I'm nearest, or whichever I tell it to play through.
In all the years I've owned a sonos system I can barely recall using the party mode.
Perhaps if the OP doesn't like my Franken-system suggestion he'll let me know.
However your uses are very different from mine, I play a lot of music, no audiobooks and radio only in the car
Thank you
Thanks VEX and Git (Chris you fitted some of my AV in previous home!)
Coming round to same conclusion, whilst the aging of older kit was a bit cheeky it didn’t really impact my play 5 as it still works fine with all the existing functionality it had.
Haven’t had an issue with updates that have limited my use yet.
Will look into BluOS
Coming round to same conclusion, whilst the aging of older kit was a bit cheeky it didn’t really impact my play 5 as it still works fine with all the existing functionality it had.
Haven’t had an issue with updates that have limited my use yet.
Will look into BluOS
Edited by Adam. on Saturday 26th June 04:06
Griffith4ever said:
I was only trying to help.
It actually works very well.
I have voice control of the radio everywhere, and Amazon music. Even in my field, and my workshops. If I want to listed to my own music collection I say "Alexa connect to my phone" and then that's it, play it from my phone through whichever Dot and amp I'm nearest, or whichever I tell it to play through.
In all the years I've owned a sonos system I can barely recall using the party mode.
Perhaps if the OP doesn't like my Franken-system suggestion he'll let me know.
You're butting up hard against the sunk-cost fallacy here I suspect. Some people have spent a metric fIt actually works very well.
I have voice control of the radio everywhere, and Amazon music. Even in my field, and my workshops. If I want to listed to my own music collection I say "Alexa connect to my phone" and then that's it, play it from my phone through whichever Dot and amp I'm nearest, or whichever I tell it to play through.
In all the years I've owned a sonos system I can barely recall using the party mode.
Perhaps if the OP doesn't like my Franken-system suggestion he'll let me know.
k tonne of cash on Sonos and the like and they need you to do the same to justify their folly. It's therefore not helpful to point out that if you wire ceiling speakers back to a cupboard, pickup some second hand amps on Gumtree for £50 a pop and plug a Chromecast into them you have the same setup for relative pennies. You don't need the £15-20 Nest Minis to give you voice control as your phone will do the same thing from your pocket, but they do add a little extra for not much.
You'll struggle to get amazing sound out of the ceiling, so is it worth spending hundreds on ceiling speakers? Probably not, I'm using Adastra 6.5" speakers that are £55 a pair on Amazon, they're pretty decent.
(I'm sure Amazon works as well, I have no experience)
paulrockliffe said:
You're butting up hard against the sunk-cost fallacy here I suspect. Some people have spent a metric fk tonne of cash on Sonos and the like and they need you to do the same to justify their folly.
It's therefore not helpful to point out that if you wire ceiling speakers back to a cupboard, pickup some second hand amps on Gumtree for £50 a pop and plug a Chromecast into them you have the same setup for relative pennies. You don't need the £15-20 Nest Minis to give you voice control as your phone will do the same thing from your pocket, but they do add a little extra for not much.
You'll struggle to get amazing sound out of the ceiling, so is it worth spending hundreds on ceiling speakers? Probably not, I'm using Adastra 6.5" speakers that are £55 a pair on Amazon, they're pretty decent.
(I'm sure Amazon works as well, I have no experience)
In my field (garden - I rent a field by my house for business use and have portioned part of as my our garden - hence no mains power, no hifi access etc) I have a car battery, solar panel, and a tiny LP-2020 12v amplifier, all hidden in a garden-box thingy (well, not the solar panel!) connected to an Echo dot (I have wifi in the field) and to a pair of Q Acoustics 2020i's that I paid £25 for. I made speaker stands out of simple batten wood. The sounds is fantastic - absolutely amazing for a 12v amp , and outdoors. I lie in my hammock and command Alexa to entertain me :-)k tonne of cash on Sonos and the like and they need you to do the same to justify their folly. It's therefore not helpful to point out that if you wire ceiling speakers back to a cupboard, pickup some second hand amps on Gumtree for £50 a pop and plug a Chromecast into them you have the same setup for relative pennies. You don't need the £15-20 Nest Minis to give you voice control as your phone will do the same thing from your pocket, but they do add a little extra for not much.
You'll struggle to get amazing sound out of the ceiling, so is it worth spending hundreds on ceiling speakers? Probably not, I'm using Adastra 6.5" speakers that are £55 a pair on Amazon, they're pretty decent.
(I'm sure Amazon works as well, I have no experience)
I'm very much treating the source components (Echos in this instance) as disposable and investing in the amp and speaker side. I used to love how sonos worked but I'm just finding it too unreliable now. I was a very early investor - bought one of the very 1st bundles, on finance, many years ago!
OP - you are welcome - appreciate your requirements are not like mine
paulrockliffe said:
You're butting up hard against the sunk-cost fallacy here I suspect. Some people have spent a metric fk tonne of cash on Sonos and the like and they need you to do the same to justify their folly.
Assume you are talking about me seeking to justify my wasting a tonne of money? You usually get at least one polite comment like this on PH.k tonne of cash on Sonos and the like and they need you to do the same to justify their folly. Despite the fact the point of my question was to do the opposite.
I was thinking of buying a bunch of £150 Yamaha amps and adding something from Sonos (a bridge?) that turns them into the equivalent of the over priced Sonos amps.
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