new hifi SONOS
Discussion
Having sold all my seperates as they took up far to much room i have been stereo less for a year now. I have been using the 5.1 which consists of a marantz amp, harman kardon sub and speakers which are great for watching films but not as good for music i find. Just feels like its a little removed.
I used to sell tv and hifi about ten years ago but have really lost touch with technology since then. My phone is a twenty quid jobby out of argos and was a little lost when i went to look at a smart phone recently, im not great with computers either so im trying to get back in touch.
I really like the idea of having a good nice sounding stereo again but i also would like it in multipul rooms of the house but not to take over the house or having to rip it apart to run cables. I would like something thats small enough to go on a side board in the living room.
I was recommended a sonos system when i brought our tv from sevenoaks recently, especially as the telly came with a free samsung tab that apparantly can be used to control everything throughout the house from this device. Trouble is i got lost as he was telling me how marvelous it is as to what i would actually need to set up 3 rooms in the house. Also does anyone have any experience in these systems and what are they actually like. We listen to all sorts of music in the house from rock, r n b, pop and house. I hate stereos that distort as soon as you turn them up a bit or have a heavy base line
I used to sell tv and hifi about ten years ago but have really lost touch with technology since then. My phone is a twenty quid jobby out of argos and was a little lost when i went to look at a smart phone recently, im not great with computers either so im trying to get back in touch.
I really like the idea of having a good nice sounding stereo again but i also would like it in multipul rooms of the house but not to take over the house or having to rip it apart to run cables. I would like something thats small enough to go on a side board in the living room.
I was recommended a sonos system when i brought our tv from sevenoaks recently, especially as the telly came with a free samsung tab that apparantly can be used to control everything throughout the house from this device. Trouble is i got lost as he was telling me how marvelous it is as to what i would actually need to set up 3 rooms in the house. Also does anyone have any experience in these systems and what are they actually like. We listen to all sorts of music in the house from rock, r n b, pop and house. I hate stereos that distort as soon as you turn them up a bit or have a heavy base line
I'm a big Sonos fan - we have several zones using the zone players - which as custodian pointed out, can be turned into a very high quality source with the addition of an external DAC. The only disappointment to me is the quality of the play:3 and 5 - which I think are very average and a long way short of the likes of the Zeppelin. Hopefully Sonos will bring out better units in the future - something like the new B&W A7
anonymous said:
[redacted]
True but the bridge is currently free anyway....http://www.johnlewis.com/Shop+by+Brand/Sonos/Categ...
from me. I'm awaiting delivery of my Connect:Amp Can the Sonos be easily connected to your TV/DVD to be used as home cinema or for (back to the dark ages) CDs if your PC doesn't happen to be on? I have a Panasonic GT series plasma so pretty much up there in terms of TV hierachy but being an absolute tech numpty I have no idea how to do so....
Model I'd be looking at is the Play3 that John Lewis currently have with the bridge. I understand you can download an app to control it all from your smartphone (Galaxy II) but I don't have my music stored on there - I-pod classic and my PC for that.
Are there any techno numpty idiot guides out there at all?
Model I'd be looking at is the Play3 that John Lewis currently have with the bridge. I understand you can download an app to control it all from your smartphone (Galaxy II) but I don't have my music stored on there - I-pod classic and my PC for that.
Are there any techno numpty idiot guides out there at all?
It's purely for playing music, it's essentially a network attached amp and speaker. No need for the music to be stored on your phone, it's used as a remote control and display so you can tell what you're playing, I use a NAS to store my music on that it is always turned on so no need for the PC to be on as well.
I haven't checked mine but it seems the S5 can have an external source attached...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonos
I haven't checked mine but it seems the S5 can have an external source attached...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonos
Edited by Pipster1969 on Monday 26th November 22:00
Zippee said:
Can the Sonos be easily connected to your TV/DVD to be used as home cinema or for (back to the dark ages) CDs if your PC doesn't happen to be on? I have a Panasonic GT series plasma so pretty much up there in terms of TV hierachy but being an absolute tech numpty I have no idea how to do so....
Model I'd be looking at is the Play3 that John Lewis currently have with the bridge. I understand you can download an app to control it all from your smartphone (Galaxy II) but I don't have my music stored on there - I-pod classic and my PC for that.
Are there any techno numpty idiot guides out there at all?
Yes, you can plug your TV into the back of a Sonos unit (you'll need something like a phono to 3.5mm jack connector lead) and select it as external input. This also makes the audio available on all other Sonos units on your network, so you can have the TV sound in every zone - handy if you want to carry on listening to say a sports commentary when you pop into the kitchen Model I'd be looking at is the Play3 that John Lewis currently have with the bridge. I understand you can download an app to control it all from your smartphone (Galaxy II) but I don't have my music stored on there - I-pod classic and my PC for that.
Are there any techno numpty idiot guides out there at all?
However I would suggest that the sound from a Play:3 is a bit "lightweight" for a TV, and even the Play:5 wouldn't be ideal. I's suggest a Zoneplayer so you could have the speakers further apart to get a wider stereo image. Or perhaps go for something with a bigger sound than the all-in-one Sonos units like a B&W Zeppelin. However, I find the Sonos controller/software better than the Airplay equivalent in terms of convenience.
StuH said:
Yes, you can plug your TV into the back of a Sonos unit (you'll need something like a phono to 3.5mm jack connector lead) and select it as external input. This also makes the audio available on all other Sonos units on your network, so you can have the TV sound in every zone
Is this true on the Play3 and Play5 ?I Ask becuase I'm looking at the moment at buying Sonos for a new house set up and I'm sure I couldn't see any sort of input on the back?!TonyHetherington said:
StuH said:
Yes, you can plug your TV into the back of a Sonos unit (you'll need something like a phono to 3.5mm jack connector lead) and select it as external input. This also makes the audio available on all other Sonos units on your network, so you can have the TV sound in every zone
Is this true on the Play3 and Play5 ?I Ask becuase I'm looking at the moment at buying Sonos for a new house set up and I'm sure I couldn't see any sort of input on the back?!The play:5 (via a 3.5mm jack) and Zoneplayers (ZP 90 and ZP120 via phono) all do, the Play:3 doesn't as there is no input.
I've just plugged my iPhone into the back of the Play:5 and can now select "Guest Bedroom: Line In" as a music source in all the other zones.
Also another solution for the TV is to get a pair of Play:5's or 3's and configure them as a stereo pair - which is managed by the Sonos system.
Brilliant, thanks for checking, that's useful to know.
As I have a knoweldgeable Sonos chap now reading this, sorry to steal the thread a little, but can I ask something else?
I want to use ceiling speakers in the kitchen and the bathroom. Is the only way to connect these to use the Sonos: Connect ? It seems an expensive way of doing so, unfortunately.
As I have a knoweldgeable Sonos chap now reading this, sorry to steal the thread a little, but can I ask something else?
I want to use ceiling speakers in the kitchen and the bathroom. Is the only way to connect these to use the Sonos: Connect ? It seems an expensive way of doing so, unfortunately.
TonyHetherington said:
Brilliant, thanks for checking, that's useful to know.
As I have a knoweldgeable Sonos chap now reading this, sorry to steal the thread a little, but can I ask something else?
I want to use ceiling speakers in the kitchen and the bathroom. Is the only way to connect these to use the Sonos: Connect ? It seems an expensive way of doing so, unfortunately.
Well it depends if you want them as discrete zones. If you're happy to just have them "piggy-back" on another zone you could just use a line (or speaker) level splitter, but then they'd have to have the same music, volume etc as each other.As I have a knoweldgeable Sonos chap now reading this, sorry to steal the thread a little, but can I ask something else?
I want to use ceiling speakers in the kitchen and the bathroom. Is the only way to connect these to use the Sonos: Connect ? It seems an expensive way of doing so, unfortunately.
No need to be independent; the whole house will be one zone (I'll be living on my own).
So they can come from the same feed, the only thing I'd like to be able to do is turn them on and off independently (i.e. bathroom for when i'm only in the bathroom, rather than all the time the kitchen speaker is on too).
So they can come from the same feed, the only thing I'd like to be able to do is turn them on and off independently (i.e. bathroom for when i'm only in the bathroom, rather than all the time the kitchen speaker is on too).
Depending on how you have or can wire it would depend on how easy it would be to switch it.
If you want to switch Bedroom / En Suite then a simple wall A/B Speaker switch would work and is commonly used.
If your rooms are a little further apart you could split the signal out of the Connect : Amp (if only two pairs of speakers) the then run each feed through a standard type light switch, wire the positive lead to the switch and then you would have On / Off control for the room (providing the Sonos is playing)
If your running more speaker pairs or more zones then you need to look at a proper speaker switch as this would manage the load and resistances correctly.
HTH
V.
If you want to switch Bedroom / En Suite then a simple wall A/B Speaker switch would work and is commonly used.
If your rooms are a little further apart you could split the signal out of the Connect : Amp (if only two pairs of speakers) the then run each feed through a standard type light switch, wire the positive lead to the switch and then you would have On / Off control for the room (providing the Sonos is playing)
If your running more speaker pairs or more zones then you need to look at a proper speaker switch as this would manage the load and resistances correctly.
HTH
V.
Ooooo that sounds very doable.
Kitchen is below the bathroom so running the cables won't be too difficult actually.
So, to make sure I understand you right, I simply need to run the positive of the two speaker wires via a switch and that will act as a switch perfectly? I can then simply turn on and off as I enter each room, and control the volume through the :Connect.
As I say, it's just me on my own so I don't need to zone it or anything.
Thanks a lot that's really helped in my mind how I'm going to run it now, very useful
Kitchen is below the bathroom so running the cables won't be too difficult actually.
So, to make sure I understand you right, I simply need to run the positive of the two speaker wires via a switch and that will act as a switch perfectly? I can then simply turn on and off as I enter each room, and control the volume through the :Connect.
As I say, it's just me on my own so I don't need to zone it or anything.
Thanks a lot that's really helped in my mind how I'm going to run it now, very useful
Switches - that's just nasty.
I've just done something similar in my place Tony. Got a couple of CONNECT:Amps and a CONNECT from Toxicnerve (
). Stuck them in my hub cupboard and wired two out to speakers in the ceilings of the bathroom and one into the kitchen. The CONNECT is running to a valve amp in the dining room.
Works a treat and trust me now - you will end up zoning them.
I've just done something similar in my place Tony. Got a couple of CONNECT:Amps and a CONNECT from Toxicnerve (
). Stuck them in my hub cupboard and wired two out to speakers in the ceilings of the bathroom and one into the kitchen. The CONNECT is running to a valve amp in the dining room. Works a treat and trust me now - you will end up zoning them.
Oh, I thought it was quite a clean way of doing it!? Do you mean that you've got an individual CONNECT: AMP for both the kitchen and for the bathroom?
It's just at £350 for each amp, plus the speakers they're going into, it ramps the cost up somewhat
Why have you got yours zoned - is it so that you can play independent music, or just so you can control it all from your ipad/iphone etc?
It's just at £350 for each amp, plus the speakers they're going into, it ramps the cost up somewhat
Why have you got yours zoned - is it so that you can play independent music, or just so you can control it all from your ipad/iphone etc?
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