So this Sonos stuff then....

[GT03ROB]

...is it any good? Simple to use & operate? Limitations??

Currently all music is stored in iTunes on a Mac. Have Apple TV in the lounge which connects to the Mac to send music to the AV receiver & speakers. I'm just looking at putting music into a couple of other rooms.

[tomw2000]

I bought some Sonos bits and bobs and set them up last week.

Really impressed with how easy it was to get it all going.

Obviously not it's not lunatic obsessive audiophile sound quality - but good enough nonetheless and the convenience factor is great.

I'm currently just running spotify and deezer through it. I'm between moving houses - and this weekend will get the imac moved and get sonons pointed at my iTunes library. I don't envisage too much trouble.

(I bought, a boost, connect (to play sonos through my Linn separates), playbar, sub, and the 'old' play 5 - get 'big' sound in one large open-plan living area - very pleased with results).

[megaphone]

You could do it for less money using Airport Express' and connect to a small hifi or similar. However the Sonos system is about the best and most seamless system I've used, if you just want some extra speakers then the Play stuff is good, just need some mains power and away you go. The Connect will integrate into you existing HiFi.

[GT03ROB]

So is my understanding correct that I connect the speaker to the wi-fi or hardwired network & it can simply access my iTunes on the Mac, using an iPhone to control?

[mini me]

Yes, although not all sonos speakers have hardwired connections. Mine are all connected to the wifi. I control using an app on the iphone or on my pc.

[paralla]

Sonos can access the music on your iMac but it means leaving your iMac on all the time, Sonos can play music direct from your phone or a NAS drive (so you can turn your iMac off) but once you experience a streaming service you will never look back. Sonos + Spotify (or similar) is a revolution. I put my iTunes library on a NAS and pointed Sonos to that but never bother with it. Spotify rocks (max out the bit rate to 320kbps in settings for best sound quality).

You also have access to thousands of radio stations.

[Tallow]

I don't wish to sound like a Luddite/troll/person that veers threads off topic, but what is the benefit of Sonos over liberally spreading AirPlay & Bluetooth devices around the house (which is essentially what I do)?

[paralla]

You can't play more than one AirPlay device at a time from the same source and it's my experience that Airplay is a bit flaky with frequent dropouts. The SONOS network is rock solid.

[paulrockliffe]

megaphone said:

You could do it for less money using Airport Express' and connect to a small hifi or similar. However the Sonos system is about the best and most seamless system I've used.

This is a good summary, Sonos is really good but also really expensive. When I did the install as part of my renovation everyone told me to use Sonos, at £200 an amp for each room! I ended up using £15 amps out of China Raspberry Pi, XBMC and an Android remote App with manually switching for the sound sources.

Saved a packed, but it's not as good as a Sonos install.

However, the new Google Chromecast Audio is supposed to be getting multi-cast soon. I've got one at the moment, it's really good because all the control drops into your Phone, the system is as good as the phone software. With multi-cast you should get the bit that's missing compared with Sonos, the ability to bounce different sources to whatever rooms you want on demand.

If you tot up the cost of Sonos and have a mini heart attack, it might be worth hanging fire a bit.

[AREA]

I went Sonos a few years ago. After trying to using Apple TVs to get sound around the house I absolutely loved the whole Sonos thing to start with. Coupled with Napster I was a very happy bunny.

Initially I went for a few rooms and then started to build it up very quickly. Got to about 8 zones and it started to struggle with drop outs and freezes. Sonos support were very helpful but essentially their advice was to ethernet as much as possible which kind of defeats the object. I persevered some more and ended up with 11 zones of which 5 are hard wired. I gave up expanding at that point.


Wife and kids won't use it. My wife hates the app (both on phone and Mac), the kids can't be bothered with starting the app on their phones and waiting for it to find the Sonos system, or complain that "it wants to do an update again."

I so wanted to be a massive adopter but in the end I got really hacked off. I tried to make it easy for the family with a dedicated iPad, a couple of Macs running with the app always active, but I was the only one using it.

I came very, very close to chucking the whole system out one Saturday afternoon when we had friends round and it was playing up but I have kept it. I really only use three zones now and instead we're now expanding our B&O system (and in the process have discovered that quality through Deezer is better than Napster) and then have a bunch of bluetooth speakers around the house for the kids to stream to. Interestingly, that's what I'm tending to do as well.

With the benefit of hindsight what would I do now...?
- for up to say three or four rooms, if you want to have the same thing playing, I'd still Sonos
- if you want to be able to walk in to a room and stream off your phone, then I'd go down the bluetooth route
- kitting out the whole house? Dunno as not fully there yet but B&O is advancing a room at a time as Sonos retreats.

[GT03ROB]

AREA said:

I
Wife and kids won't use it. My wife hates the app (both on phone and Mac), the kids can't be bothered with starting the app on their phones and waiting for it to find the Sonos system, or complain that "it wants to do an update again."

I so wanted to be a massive adopter but in the end I got really hacked off. I tried to make it easy for the family with a dedicated iPad, a couple of Macs running with the app always active, but I was the only one using it.

I came very, very close to chucking the whole system out one Saturday afternoon when we had friends round and it was playing up but I have kept it. I really only use three zones now and instead we're now expanding our B&O system (and in the process have discovered that quality through Deezer is better than Napster) and then have a bunch of bluetooth speakers around the house for the kids to stream to. Interestingly, that's what I'm tending to do as well.

With the benefit of hindsight what would I do now...?
- for up to say three or four rooms, if you want to have the same thing playing, I'd still Sonos
- if you want to be able to walk in to a room and stream off your phone, then I'd go down the bluetooth route
- kitting out the whole house? Dunno as not fully there yet but B&O is advancing a room at a time as Sonos retreats.

Interesting feedback.

At present I can see that I'd have:
o 1 zone hardwired in a summer room in the garden
o A connection to my current AV Amp & Bose in the lounge
o Another zone in the kitchen

So number of zones shouldn't be a problem. You imply the interface is not good, I'd of thought that would have been good! If it's not then I'm in the same position of the wife not wanting to use it, The other issue I have is wi-fi dependence. I have a rather solid house, think heavy concrete block walls & concrete decks as the 1st floor slab!

Guess I probably need to see a set-up in action.

[Tallow]

paralla said:

You can't play more than one AirPlay device at a time from the same source and it's my experience that Airplay is a bit flaky with frequent dropouts. The SONOS network is rock solid.

Good to know. The random dropouts of AirPlay can be rather annoying. Cheers.

[AREA]

GT03ROB said:

Interesting feedback.

At present I can see that I'd have:
o 1 zone hardwired in a summer room in the garden
o A connection to my current AV Amp & Bose in the lounge
o Another zone in the kitchen

So number of zones shouldn't be a problem. You imply the interface is not good, I'd of thought that would have been good! If it's not then I'm in the same position of the wife not wanting to use it, The other issue I have is wi-fi dependence. I have a rather solid house, think heavy concrete block walls & concrete decks as the 1st floor slab!

Guess I probably need to see a set-up in action.

Yep, suggest you find someone with a Sonos set up, take the wife around and let her have a good long play with it on phone/tablet/laptop or whatever you might use. Get excited by the amount of options you've got, then come back down to earth with "let's try out a few scenarios" What does she want to listen to, where and when.

My Mrs is not a techo-luddite by any stretch of the imagination but just finds the apps too much of a faff: got to start it up on the phone, then it's got to find the Sonos network which in some parts of the house takes longer, then you've got to select the zone you want, maybe group or ungroup other zones, then into the music source, then search or select for the music you want, then sometimes it complains that it's got problems streaming from Napster. It's that problem of balancing a lot of flexibility with simplicity. That's why I set up a couple of dedicated iPads and Macs but even then there's fair bit of clicking. If it's more than two or three clicks to get the job done then she's not interested.

My kids' non-usage is interesting as well (hence why I suggest thinking through your usage scenarios). They go to YouTube to listen to a lot of the music they want. Just Bluetooth streaming to a B&O Play unit is nice and easy. They seem to look at the Sonos in the same way that they look at CDs, cassettes, reel to reel, LPs and wax cylinders --- old fashioned and too much trouble ! We do live in strange times.

[talkssense]

AREA said:

I went Sonos a few years ago. After trying to using Apple TVs to get sound around the house I absolutely loved the whole Sonos thing to start with. Coupled with Napster I was a very happy bunny.

Initially I went for a few rooms and then started to build it up very quickly. Got to about 8 zones and it started to struggle with drop outs and freezes. Sonos support were very helpful but essentially their advice was to ethernet as much as possible which kind of defeats the object. I persevered some more and ended up with 11 zones of which 5 are hard wired. I gave up expanding at that point.


Wife and kids won't use it. My wife hates the app (both on phone and Mac), the kids can't be bothered with starting the app on their phones and waiting for it to find the Sonos system, or complain that "it wants to do an update again."

I so wanted to be a massive adopter but in the end I got really hacked off. I tried to make it easy for the family with a dedicated iPad, a couple of Macs running with the app always active, but I was the only one using it.

I came very, very close to chucking the whole system out one Saturday afternoon when we had friends round and it was playing up but I have kept it. I really only use three zones now and instead we're now expanding our B&O system (and in the process have discovered that quality through Deezer is better than Napster) and then have a bunch of bluetooth speakers around the house for the kids to stream to. Interestingly, that's what I'm tending to do as well.

With the benefit of hindsight what would I do now...?
- for up to say three or four rooms, if you want to have the same thing playing, I'd still Sonos
- if you want to be able to walk in to a room and stream off your phone, then I'd go down the bluetooth route
- kitting out the whole house? Dunno as not fully there yet but B&O is advancing a room at a time as Sonos retreats.

Same here really.

My wife and kids hate it when they just want to play something quickly (radio mainly) or put a quick list of music together.

In 1993 if you wanted radio one you walked into the kitchen and pressed a button on the radio for instant music.

In 2015 with Sonos I walk into the kitchen and press the button on top a Sonos player. After a few seconds I get Spongebobs greatest hits because my son has been in there. At this point I reach to my pocket to find my phone is on charge next door. Go and get the phone. Unlock phone. Get distracted by three texts, a Facebook message and a couple of emails. Load the Sonos app. Phone rings so cancel call. Load Sonos app. Find speaker. Navigate through a few. A. Screens. Press radio one. Wait a few seconds. Hope internet is up.

It's progress apparently.

There are good bits like the multi room but for quick family listening it's a pita. There are ways round it like sitting control4 over the top so you can tie it into a light switch or panel (different buttons for different family members favourites) but it's expensive.

The best multi room system by a mile at the moment is B&O and no where near the cost people think. They have been doing it for 30 odd years and have a good mix of quick access and faffing around on phones etc.

For most people Bluetooth is a better option, and the benefit of being able to just fire music up quickly outways the very odd occasion most people really need the same music in more than one room (Christmas and the odd birthday in our house, and then I get told to turn it down)

[GT03ROB]

AREA said:

My Mrs is not a techo-luddite by any stretch of the imagination but just finds the apps too much of a faff: got to start it up on the phone, then it's got to find the Sonos network which in some parts of the house takes longer, then you've got to select the zone you want, maybe group or ungroup other zones, then into the music source, then search or select for the music you want, then sometimes it complains that it's got problems streaming from Napster. It's that problem of balancing a lot of flexibility with simplicity. That's why I set up a couple of dedicated iPads and Macs but even then there's fair bit of clicking. If it's more than two or three clicks to get the job done then she's not interested.

Ok they just about kills the idea then. The TV causes enough problems.... I'm away 6 weeks at a time & I normally come back to find they have been hitting random buttons on the AV remote & now can't get SKY or anything else on the TV!! Doh!

[NorthDave]

GT03ROB said:

Ok they just about kills the idea then. The TV causes enough problems.... I'm away 6 weeks at a time & I normally come back to find they have been hitting random buttons on the AV remote & now can't get SKY or anything else on the TV!! Doh!

Find someone who will let you use it or go to John Lewis and have a play.

The Sonos system is about as easy as it gets to use. You'll always find someone who hates the interface or can't be arsed to use the system but if you want music in a room then Sonos is as easy as it gets.

We install systems way more "complicated" than Sonos. Clients always say that their wives wont use it. They do. It depends if they want to or not.

[Podie]

We moved to Sonos because my wife has no issues using it - unlike the previous kit we had...

[talkssense]

NorthDave said:

The Sonos system is about as easy as it gets to use. You'll always find someone who hates the interface or can't be arsed to use the system but if you want music in a room then Sonos is as easy as it gets.

I really disagree with this. If I want either my favourite radio station or my favourite playlist when I walk into a room there are much easier ways than faffing around with an app. There is an old fashioned device called a button, that works very well.

Even if I want a specific track from Spotify, Deezer, or the library on the phone Bluetooth is a much simpler option.

The only time Sonos wins as far as I am concerned is if you want the same music in multiple rooms, and even then there are simpler ways of doing it, and in reality how often to people do it?

If more than one of us is home we won't be listening to the same thing anyway. If I am home alone I can't be in two rooms at once.

[paralla]

A pair of Play 1"s our bed head is our alarm clock. Vanessa Phelps on Radio 2. Works a charm.

Maybe I have been lucky, I think a solid wifi signal everyone in the house helps. No kids changing ianything to spongebob also helps.

We have a few old iPad minis around the house to control everything (lighting, hearing and music).

Practically every song ever recorded in whatever room you want. That's a lot of choice so a bit of button pressing is surely to be expected. I like my playlists on Spotify and also browsing music lists on Soundcloud.

Connect Amps and ceiling speakers in the kitchen and bathrooms are fantastic, once you get over the cost. I often find myself turning it up and having a private disco while cooking. Enjoying music, that's what it's about.

[BBYeah]

I've got a small Sonos install and have it integrated via a Z-Wave controller to do things like play sounds when the IP camera on drive detects motion. It's sort of like a pre-doorbell but in the past have changed it to the sound of dogs barking while out.

The Z-wave controller also allows you to do stuff like stop all music when the door bell rings (which I have yet to set up), have a remote key fob you can configured to do anything you want, e.g. pause all sonos, turn volume up or down etc. In theory, I should be able to get it to pause all music when the phone rings.

The new thing Sonos are bringing out to configure speakers optimally for the environment they're in also sounds cool. It's done with your mobile and might give a boost to sound quality if it's not just marketing fluff.

They also sound a lot better in dual stereo config, so double the cost.