Sonos - What is your set up?
Discussion
Hi all - bought a bungalow that we will be ripping apart in a few months and am just in the planning stages of smart home/multi room audio.
I already have 2 x play:1's and a connect so i am trying to work out if i should go the ceiling speakers route in a few rooms with a separate amp and buy a load of connects or get an assortment of play:1's and 3's on brackets for each of the rooms.
rooms i have:
Kitchen & dining room (being knocked into one)
living room
Family Bathroom
ensuite
master bedroom
guest bedroom
office
garage/garden
So question i have is:
What kit do you have in what rooms and what was your thought process behind your choices.
I already have 2 x play:1's and a connect so i am trying to work out if i should go the ceiling speakers route in a few rooms with a separate amp and buy a load of connects or get an assortment of play:1's and 3's on brackets for each of the rooms.
rooms i have:
Kitchen & dining room (being knocked into one)
living room
Family Bathroom
ensuite
master bedroom
guest bedroom
office
garage/garden
So question i have is:
What kit do you have in what rooms and what was your thought process behind your choices.
paralla said:
Lounge Sonos Connect into a big Dennon 5.1 Amp and KEF T205 5.1 Speaker package
http://www.kefstore.co.uk/t205-system-179-p.asp
Kitchen Sonos Connect Amp and Monitor Audio CP Series ceiling speakers
http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/controlled-...
Bathroom Sonos Connect Amp and Monitor Audio CP Series ceiling speakers
http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/controlled-...
Roof Terrace Sonos Connect Amp and Monitor Audio Climate CL50 speakers
http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/climate/cl5...
Main Bedroom Pair of Play 1's
Spare Bedroom Single Play 1
Best bit of advice I can give is to run Ethernet cables to the places you think you might want to put the Sonos kit. The less traffic on the SonosNet the better. It might seem like running cables is kind of missing the point of a wireless music system but since you are ripping the place apart anyway you might as well and it will help you avoid any wifi issues later on.
I also think a Sonos Connect and conventional surround amp and speakers of equivalent cost to a Sonos PlayBar + Sonos Sub + Play 1's for rears performs much better in your main listening room. That surround stuff from Sonos really adds up quick.
People go on about the high cost of the Connect Amp and pair of ceiling speaker combo but in a bathroom (where you are not supposed to have a plug socket) I think they make perfect sense. The Connect Amp for my bathroom speakers in in a cupboard in the room next to the bathroom with just the speaker wire running through the bathroom ceiling. Its so nice to lay back in the bath with something on quietly or crank it up and have a shower disco, you should see my moves in the double walk in shower in front of the full length mirror behind a locked door!. Solo bathroom disco's are now a thing.
Our house is very clean lines/minimalist so the decision to have the expensive Sonos Connect Amp + ceiling speakers in the kitchen is purely for aesthetic reasons, they are practically invisible. A pet hate of mine is wall brackets for anything, they remind me of TV's in hospital rooms. Our kitchen bench is completely clutter free except for a fancy coffee machine. and grinder.
The Connect Amps drive a single pair of 6 inch ceiling speakers to levels that are more than loud enough, no problem. The outdoor speakers have similar sensitivity to the ceiling speakers but are in free space so I find I have to crank the volume sliders way higher to drive them to similar levels, still plenty loud enough but I think I'll add a subwoofer up there at some point to bolster them (and really get on the neighbours tits).
You mention Sonos Connects and a separate Amp. I considered this but couldn't find a multi channel Amp that I was happy with. I wanted Class D for efficiency and signal sensing turn on/off so it powers down when its not in use. I couldn't find a single one on the market which is why I ended up with three expensive (especially for the modest power output) Sonos Connect Amps.
For a while I used the Kitchen Connect Amp and a cheap speaker switch for both the kitchen and roof terrace speakers, logic being that if we were in the kitchen we were not on the terrace and saved the cost of another Connect Amp. This lasted about a month, b
hing and moaning from my partner "the kitchen Soos isn't working again" me "I showed you that you need to change this switch in the airing cupboard from terrace to kitchen, you have been making the neighbours listen to your early obscure disco for hours without knowing it" him "can't we just have a separate zone called Roof Terrace" me "yes we can, it will cost £450" him "OK". I didn't need any more encouragement than that so sprang for the extra amp.
Pair of Play 1's on the bedhead is great, that's also our alarm clock
We love our music and the cost of all this compared to the cost of the house is not worth getting excited about and it makes living there nice. Sonos in every room (except the guest bathroom, its not big enough to dance in) plus a Spotify premium account has all our music needs covered.
.
what an awesome post - thank you. You seem to be 'wired' exactly the same as me and my other half.http://www.kefstore.co.uk/t205-system-179-p.asp
Kitchen Sonos Connect Amp and Monitor Audio CP Series ceiling speakers
http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/controlled-...
Bathroom Sonos Connect Amp and Monitor Audio CP Series ceiling speakers
http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/controlled-...
Roof Terrace Sonos Connect Amp and Monitor Audio Climate CL50 speakers
http://www.monitoraudio.co.uk/products/climate/cl5...
Main Bedroom Pair of Play 1's
Spare Bedroom Single Play 1
Best bit of advice I can give is to run Ethernet cables to the places you think you might want to put the Sonos kit. The less traffic on the SonosNet the better. It might seem like running cables is kind of missing the point of a wireless music system but since you are ripping the place apart anyway you might as well and it will help you avoid any wifi issues later on.
I also think a Sonos Connect and conventional surround amp and speakers of equivalent cost to a Sonos PlayBar + Sonos Sub + Play 1's for rears performs much better in your main listening room. That surround stuff from Sonos really adds up quick.
People go on about the high cost of the Connect Amp and pair of ceiling speaker combo but in a bathroom (where you are not supposed to have a plug socket) I think they make perfect sense. The Connect Amp for my bathroom speakers in in a cupboard in the room next to the bathroom with just the speaker wire running through the bathroom ceiling. Its so nice to lay back in the bath with something on quietly or crank it up and have a shower disco, you should see my moves in the double walk in shower in front of the full length mirror behind a locked door!. Solo bathroom disco's are now a thing.
Our house is very clean lines/minimalist so the decision to have the expensive Sonos Connect Amp + ceiling speakers in the kitchen is purely for aesthetic reasons, they are practically invisible. A pet hate of mine is wall brackets for anything, they remind me of TV's in hospital rooms. Our kitchen bench is completely clutter free except for a fancy coffee machine. and grinder.
The Connect Amps drive a single pair of 6 inch ceiling speakers to levels that are more than loud enough, no problem. The outdoor speakers have similar sensitivity to the ceiling speakers but are in free space so I find I have to crank the volume sliders way higher to drive them to similar levels, still plenty loud enough but I think I'll add a subwoofer up there at some point to bolster them (and really get on the neighbours tits).
You mention Sonos Connects and a separate Amp. I considered this but couldn't find a multi channel Amp that I was happy with. I wanted Class D for efficiency and signal sensing turn on/off so it powers down when its not in use. I couldn't find a single one on the market which is why I ended up with three expensive (especially for the modest power output) Sonos Connect Amps.
For a while I used the Kitchen Connect Amp and a cheap speaker switch for both the kitchen and roof terrace speakers, logic being that if we were in the kitchen we were not on the terrace and saved the cost of another Connect Amp. This lasted about a month, b
hing and moaning from my partner "the kitchen Soos isn't working again" me "I showed you that you need to change this switch in the airing cupboard from terrace to kitchen, you have been making the neighbours listen to your early obscure disco for hours without knowing it" him "can't we just have a separate zone called Roof Terrace" me "yes we can, it will cost £450" him "OK". I didn't need any more encouragement than that so sprang for the extra amp. Pair of Play 1's on the bedhead is great, that's also our alarm clock
We love our music and the cost of all this compared to the cost of the house is not worth getting excited about and it makes living there nice. Sonos in every room (except the guest bathroom, its not big enough to dance in) plus a Spotify premium account has all our music needs covered.
.
1) - cabling - we had planned to flood fill cat5e/6 anyway - i hate wireless and would avoid like the plague if i could. I will not use wireless CCTV or intruder alarms...
2) - ceiling speakers to reduce clutter - it was my thoughts too, but wasn't sure if this was the most cost effective route - i guess if you were worried about cost you wouldn't choose sonos in the first place
3) - non-sonos A/V route - i had been heading that way for some time - especially after the sonos price hikes (699+799 just for the soundbar and sub?!) - and the fact that it is still only 5.1 (90's tech?). A nice 7.2 amp with a connect there makes good sense.
4) - very interesting re the connect vs connect:amp - i have only recently started comparing standalone amps and you have just confirmed for me really that for the extra hassle (and standby amp hiss) it would be a better shout going with the standard amp to start with.
5) - bathrooms - i was thinking about having an echo dot fitted in the center of the ceilings for controlling the sonos via voice whilst soaking/showering, apparently they are adding integration later in the year (i know you could do it via aux in but thats just messy...)
thank you everyone for your input.
Driller said:
Ever since Spotify, Netflix et al have established themselves I think a whole house audio system has become pointless.
When media was on a sever in the basement it made sense. Now all you need is a streaming device or smart TV in each area connected to the net and you use your phone as a remote control-which is what you do with a multiroom system anyway.
Identical functionality for a fraction of the cost
personally, i am not happy with listening to my music out of TV speakers When media was on a sever in the basement it made sense. Now all you need is a streaming device or smart TV in each area connected to the net and you use your phone as a remote control-which is what you do with a multiroom system anyway.
Identical functionality for a fraction of the cost
also, having the same track playing in the ensuite, bedroom and kitchen in the morning means i can have it on quieter but still hear it whilst getting ready at 6am
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
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
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