Sonos sound system ?

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Hexdump
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Sonos sound system ?

Post by Hexdump »

Does anyone have any hands on experience with the above product ?

With the imminent delivery of a 55" LED T.V., I need to redo our entertainment center and I like the idea of wireless.
I have mostly wired equipment now with 2 fairly large sized, free standing main speakers.

thanks
toofache32
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by toofache32 »

I have the Sonos Play:5 wireless speakers set up in a few rooms and the porch to stream music and I love it. Really easy to set up on my wifi network. I don't have any experience with their home theater stuff and my first question would be how is the connectivity? In other words, you probably also need their "bridge" or "connect" hardware to get it hooked up to your TV. For my TV surround system I have the Panasonic SC-BTT490 which does have a wireless option for the rear speakers, although none of them are truly "wireless" since you still have a power cord.
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avenger
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by avenger »

It's good sound. A little expensive. You are required to use the sonos software with your computer/device. No direct streaming from apps outside the Sonos software. (iTunes radio, for example, cannot be used with Sonos). Otherwise it's great.

Mark
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matjen
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by matjen »

mwille wrote:It's good sound. A little expensive. You are required to use the sonos software with your computer/device. No direct streaming from apps outside the Sonos software. (iTunes radio, for example, cannot be used with Sonos). Otherwise it's great.

Mark
Just to clarify this, Sonos has agreements with like a dozen major players in the streaming music category but perhaps not iTunes Radio. So you can stream Pandora, Songza (my fave by far), Amazon Cloud, etc. I have had Sonos for 7 years+. Fantastic product.
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yukonjack
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by yukonjack »

I have had the Sonos Play 5 for several years and really enjoy it. The sound is good but probably not high fidelity. Sonos is very easy to use and set up. And their help line is very helpful. You talk to a real person that knows how to solve problems. Pretty much every review that I've read including CR has given the system thumbs up. They often have deals that includes a free bridge with the purchase of the speaker system.
I don't have sound bar for my tv but I would assume it would the same quality and reliability as the Play systems.
jacoavlu
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by jacoavlu »

I'm dealing with this now as well in a new build house, and seems to me the best connectivity to a TV system if you don't have a receiver already is the soundbar, which has an input for an audio cable to come from an output on your tv, so when you turn the tv on the sonos system automatically switches to tv.

Without the soundbar you would need a "connect" box ($300 plus) to accept an input from your tv or cable box or receiver. This is my understanding anyway.
Jacksonhole
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by Jacksonhole »

Sonos makes a great easy to use group of products. I currently have a movie man cave with a playbar, sub, and two rear channel play3s and it is great. You could probably have a slightly "better" sound system for movie watching for the same money, but it would require a receiver, be wired, and not as easy to control as the sonos system. It also has a very clean look with one bar and a sub providing all of the frontward sound.

We currently have three other zones in the house as well set up with a stand alone play 3 and tow zone players and they all work great. Very simple to set up and use. App controller for iPhone and android. We also have a stand alone controller, which we bought early on, but we rarely use it.

As said above, you can't use iTunes Radio, but pandora and spotify along with a handful of other streaming systems are available. I would highly recommend all of their products.

FYI, I bought most of it on ebay and saved anywhere from $60-200 per component. It does require patience though. Also if you by something from the sonos website, it usually ships free.
EnjoyIt
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by EnjoyIt »

I have done quite a bit of research regarding sonos.

In my personal opinion, which means really very little, I find the sonos 3,5 and bar very low quality especially for the price. If you are looking for a dedicated 5.1 sound system for your TV/media room, then this is not the way to go. For the same price, and yes some wires you will get a much better quality of sound from dedicated speakers and a receiver. Good sound is so important for a media room, or movie watching experience.

If you are looking for a decent way to send sound simultaneously to multiple rooms in your house, then this technology is really good. Again the sound quality no great, but how good of a sound system do you need in your kitchen, bath room, bedroom. Again for a dedicated listening area I find the sonos to be very poor. They do sell a sonos amp for about $499 put that with a good set of speakers and the quality improves drastically. Sonos does make some very high end stuff that is not part of their wireless streaming music systmem so they do have knowledge on good sound quality. I just find the play 5 and play 3 a bit overpriced for the sound you get.
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Aptenodytes
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by Aptenodytes »

I got a single speaker over the holidays and love it. Got the 1 and put it in our kitchen. Was already a heavy Spotify user plus had a big personal digital collection, so the interaction has been very intuitive and satisfying. I didn't have a favorite internet radio program so using the Sonos default is fine. I like the easy access to the music collection on the home server.

It isn't high fidelity, as some have pointed out, but it is definitely good enough for me. It is replacing powered computer speakers connected to the laptop -- vastly better and a zillion times easier to use.

The alternative for me was some kind of compact stereo, and this is so much more convenient. I like being able to control it from the computer if I'm working, from my Android phone if I'm cooking, or from my wife's IPhone if she wants to use it. She is something of a technophobe and the fact that she uses it fairly easily is a big plus.

The only negative for me is the limited compatibility with podcast software. It just doesn't work with what I'm used to, and migrating to what it requires has thrown up enough transaction cost hassles that I haven't been able to do that. I'm sure I could if I dedicated some effort, but when it comes to podcasts Sonos fails to achieve the kind of 'it just works' engineering it does for everything else.
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telemark
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by telemark »

For what Sonos is good at, no one else can touch it. This may or may not be what you need. I have a 4-player system (two Connects, a 3 and a 5) and I love it, because I can listen to music in any room, and if I walk into the next room the same music is already playing there. If all you want is to connect some speakers without running wires, something like

http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Wireles ... io-Adapter

may be the better choice. To use your existing speakers with your TV, you could buy a Connect or a Connect Amp, run a cable from the TV to the line in on the Connect, and run wires from the Connect to your speakers. And an ethernet cable to your router, or else a Bridge connected to your router. You've probably noticed that this doesn't get rid of any wires, although you can now also play internet radio or Spotify or Rhapsody or Amazon cloud music etc. on the same speakers. It's when you start using multiple rooms that the system really starts to shine.
Bungo
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by Bungo »

I use the Sonos Connect as the main audio source in my living room. It feeds into your existing amplifier or receiver just as a CD player would have done in the days of yore. The sound is excellent (if you feed in CD quality source material then the result is CD quality: it doesn't impose any of its own degradation that I can hear) and the streaming performance is flawless. All the major streaming services that I use or have used are supported: Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, Rdio, etc. Internet radio streams also work fine. You can also stream your own locally stored music, but I have found that feature to be a bit fiddly, because it needs to reside on a server that is visible to the network, and my PC's are usually asleep unless I am actively using them. More and more I'm uploading music to Amazon and listening to it from there.

I also have a Play 5 mainly for use on the patio. Sounds decent but I would hardly call it high fidelity, just comparable to an '80s-style boombox but with a smaller profile. The streaming works fine where I've placed it, maybe 50 feet from the router with one exterior wall between them. Haven't tried moving it around to see how far away it will continue to work.

Finally, I have a Bridge connected to my router since I don't do any listening anywhere near the router. If you are in a position to connect at least one of your Sonos components directly to your router, then you don't need a Bridge.

One somewhat weak point is controlling the system: I don't have a tablet, so I just use my phone for this purpose. But battery life between recharges isn't all that great on a phone, certainly not compared with a more conventional remote control. Also, the phone needs to see your WiFi router, which can be a bit dubious outdoors. I had to move my router in order to get a better signal on the patio. The user interface is also a bit clunky and you can't do everything that you can with the desktop-based controller (for example, I don't think you can manually enter a streaming URL on the phone).

Overall it's a nice system, and I do all of my non-car music listening through the Sonos now, even local radio stations as I no longer own a conventional radio.

The only catch is that it's a bit pricey for what it is, especially the Play components which I don't think are a very good value: I'm not likely to buy another Play if I want to listen in another room; I'll just move the one I have. If the price was maybe $200 instead of $400, it would be less of an issue.
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avenger
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by avenger »

matjen wrote:
mwille wrote:It's good sound. A little expensive. You are required to use the sonos software with your computer/device. No direct streaming from apps outside the Sonos software. (iTunes radio, for example, cannot be used with Sonos). Otherwise it's great.

Mark
Just to clarify this, Sonos has agreements with like a dozen major players in the streaming music category but perhaps not iTunes Radio. So you can stream Pandora, Songza (my fave by far), Amazon Cloud, etc. I have had Sonos for 7 years+. Fantastic product.
Right, I should have said so. But sometimes I'd rather just stream from the app I'm in to Sonos, rather than having to go through Sonos myself. A minor point, but you rely on what applications Sonos thinks is important enough to include in their software. In its defense, however, they do have a good number of players in their streaming category. iTunes Radio, however, is not one (which I suppose is strategic on Apple's part). One workaround, however, is to connect an airport express to the Sonos system you are using.

Mark
cheers ... -Mark | "Our life is frittered away with detail. Simplify. Simplify." -Henry David Thoreau | [VTI, VXUS, BND, VTEB, SV fund]
jacoavlu
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by jacoavlu »

I think this applies to the OP question, so I'll ask for my own benefit

Does anyone else have experience/thoughts with regards to implementing a new Sonos system in a living room, with only a TV and cable box, no receiver or other components, specifically the question of whether to go with the Soundbar to connect to the TV, versus using a Connect to accept input from the cable box (or TV) and then using Play 5's (or 3's).

I've heard mixed reviews on sound quality from the soundbar (it's essentially 3 play 3 units together), compared to the 5's which have a small sub component.

Right now I'm leaning toward soundbar plus sub.
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Hexdump
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by Hexdump »

Thank you for all this helpful info.

I am not so much interested in the multi room ability as I am in being wireless and small footprint.
I now have a traditional A/V receiver connected to a variety of video/audio sources and a smaller LCD TV.
DW and I have a 55" LED TV coming and I will need to get some new furniture plus plan for the surround speakers and sub-woofer.
I have a pair of larger floor standing main speakers, Kef C80s, that I think I want to keep and work into the design because I like their sound.

I liked the look of the Sonos and have heard the midsized models in an audio store but not the smaller Play:1. At 1st glance the Play:1 seemed like it might fit in for wireless surround, but maybe not. It looks like I need to do more research.
That W3 Wireless is worth a visit.
Geist
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by Geist »

For the last few months I've been looking at Sonos as well, mostly for the ease of piping music (wirelessly) throughout the house. Looking initially at a sound bar only for the living room & Play 3's for my bedroom & office... knowing that I'll eventually want to expand at least the living room setup. I'm simple in my demands for high-quality speakers though... if it plays without audible errors & scratches, I'm perfectly happy. (more of a "What's Hi-Fidelity?" mindset). Still looking around if there's anything better (less expensive) for my needs, but if no luck within the next month or two, I think I'll end up pulling the trigger.
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ogd
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by ogd »

I use a Sonos but I'm slowly moving away from it. I have a Connect + own speakers and receiver. It's a good product and for a while it was the best way to play music, and it's still the best way to run multiple systems, e.g. little speaker for the kitchen.

However, for one music system it's no longer worth it. The new kid on the block is the little $35 Chromecast, which can do online music services in addition to video, of which more are due to be added shortly now that they've opened it up to all developers.

Advantages:
* cost (if you have a sound sytem already)
* you get to use the native apps. This is big, because the Sonos app despite the valiant effort is just not as good.
* doesn't require a wired network or clunky bridge setup.
* it can be your Netflix / YouTube solution as well. The mobile apps tend to be way ahead of the Smart TV apps.
* easy to cast presentations or random websites from desktop browser.
* chromecast switches my AVR input automatically. It might seem like a small thing, but it's so seamless I love it.

Disadvantages:
* hard to add more listening zones
* Sonos right now has more apps
* the chromecast is not independent enough to play your music library without a phone / tablet supporting it. One solution is to upload them to Google Music

At worst, you're out $35. No big deal.
TO
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by TO »

Hexdump wrote:Thank you for all this helpful info.

I am not so much interested in the multi room ability as I am in being wireless and small footprint.
I now have a traditional A/V receiver connected to a variety of video/audio sources and a smaller LCD TV.
DW and I have a 55" LED TV coming and I will need to get some new furniture plus plan for the surround speakers and sub-woofer.
I have a pair of larger floor standing main speakers, Kef C80s, that I think I want to keep and work into the design because I like their sound.

I liked the look of the Sonos and have heard the midsized models in an audio store but not the smaller Play:1. At 1st glance the Play:1 seemed like it might fit in for wireless surround, but maybe not. It looks like I need to do more research.
That W3 Wireless is worth a visit.
If you want to keep your existing A/V setup intact, but add wireless functionality, consider simply connecting an AppleTV to your receiver. IF you already have an apple device, you can wirelessly stream virtually any audio source to your A/V receiver via Airplay using the AppleTV as a conduit. This will only cost ~$100, and will have the added benefit of providing additional video content through the AppleTV box.
cheapskate
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by cheapskate »

Have a Play 3 and a Play 1 for a few months. You've already gotten the positives from other posters. While I really like my Sonos setup, a few negatives.

- No Apple Airplay support. Big negative for me as we have mostly Apple devices. I can play Pandora and a few other built-in stuff on the Sonos speakers, but a lot of the music sources don't have agreements with Sonos. I bought a 3rd Bluetooth speaker (Bose Soundlink Mini) to overcome this.
- Sound is decent, but not great considering the Play 3 costs $300 and the Play 1 costs $200.
- There are several technical gotchas that you need to be aware of with Sonos. (1) There are interactions with Parental Controls on some WiFi routers that interact with Sonos (causing the speakers/bridge to never connect). One router that won't work until you fiddle with parental controls is the one that Comcast rents you. (2) There are issues with sourcing music from computers which run VPN software in a certain mode. On the flip side, Sonos customer support is great and they will patiently help you work through these issues.

If I were purchasing today, I would look into equipment that supports Airplay (something like the Bose Soundtouch 20 or Pioneer A5) side-side with the Sonos.
Marquintosh
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Re: Sonos sound system ?

Post by Marquintosh »

TO wrote:
Hexdump wrote:Thank you for all this helpful info.

I am not so much interested in the multi room ability as I am in being wireless and small footprint.
I now have a traditional A/V receiver connected to a variety of video/audio sources and a smaller LCD TV.
DW and I have a 55" LED TV coming and I will need to get some new furniture plus plan for the surround speakers and sub-woofer.
I have a pair of larger floor standing main speakers, Kef C80s, that I think I want to keep and work into the design because I like their sound.
If you want to keep your existing A/V setup intact, but add wireless functionality, consider simply connecting an AppleTV to your receiver. IF you already have an apple device, you can wirelessly stream virtually any audio source to your A/V receiver via Airplay using the AppleTV as a conduit. This will only cost ~$100, and will have the added benefit of providing additional video content through the AppleTV box.
I wouldn't replace your KEF's with Sonos, you have much better sound with the C80's by far. Adding wireless is really your issue here.
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