Which Audio Solution?

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by Wayneb

IPeng works great on an iPad for controlling Squeezeboxes, so does Squeezepad,
You can make just about anything into a Squeezebox, a Raspberry Pi can be used as a LMS server and is very easy to setup, I am using a $20 pogo plug with a 500GB hard drive as my server. My iPad and iPods are also useable as Squeezeboxs with iPeng. My server runs just fine and draws less than 5 watts.

That's awesome, so many changes on the past few years. So many new apps. A Pi may be the way to go when getting started.

[tmiranda]

After doing more research I finally decided to bite the bullet and go for Sonos. I bought a single Play:3. It's still sitting in the box, will set it up over the weekend.

[Skirge01]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

After doing more research I finally decided to bite the bullet and go for Sonos. I bought a single Play:3. It's still sitting in the box, will set it up over the weekend.

You won't regret it, Tom. Well, you might regret how much you love the damned things and that you want one in every room of the house. These have even replaced all radios in our home, since you can stream local stations over them.

[reggie14]

I think you'll be happy with it.

I don't know if you have an Android phone or tablet. If you do, it's worth trying out the public beta of the new controller app. I've had a few stability/reliability problems during the beta, but it seems to be pretty stable now. The UI is much, much nicer than the old controller app, and I like the integrated search function. Now, when you search it will automatically look through all your music sources (e.g., your library, pandora, spotify, etc.)

Sonos just added support for Google Play Music, which I'm pretty excited about. In many ways, Spotify support is still better, but Google Play Music support is pretty functional. The main difference that stands out is that you can't modify Google Play Music playlists from within the Sonos app. You can create and edits Sonos playlists that link to Google Play Music songs, but those playlists don't sync up with Google. Hopefully that functionality will come in a future update.

I'm a bit of a cheapskate, and was worried I'd regret my decision to dump several hundred dollars on Sonos components (each!). Instead, I've been thrilled with it, and I continue to add to my system.

I just wish they would release a battery-powered variant of the Play:1. My patio doesn't have any power outlets.

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by Skirge01

These have even replaced all radios in our home, since you can stream local stations over them.

What do you use for this? The quality of the radio stations in TuneIn is terrible. I know that's not Sonos' fault, or even TuneIn's, but I find the quality is bad enough that I won't listen to it. Sometimes I'll listen to NPR, but even that is pretty bad.

It's sad when FM radio sounds much better than Internet streaming.

[tmiranda]

I don't have an android device, just an iPhone and an iPod. I wish Sonos had a dedicated controller

I will probably use my daughter's old unused and unloved iPod as a controller for the Sonos.

I didn't get the bridge, only the Play:3 which I plan to connect directly to the network. Luckily the location I have in mind for the Sonos has a router very close by.

BTW - I listened to the Play:1 and was very unimpressed with the sound, and I am not an "audio guy". The difference with the Play:3 was amazing. I didn't dare even listen to the Play:5 because I was afraid if I heard that I'd but it instead of the Play:3.

[reggie14]

I listened to the Play:5. So naturally, I left the store with a Play:5. The sound is pretty impressive. Sure, you don't have stereo separation, but the sound is quite good for the size.

I later expanded my system with a Connect:Amp and a pair of Primus P163 bookshelf speakers. Honestly, I'm tempted to say the Play:5 sounds better (they both have clear flaws, but the Play:5's flaws are less distracting).

I also have a Connect attached to my AVR, which uses Primus P360 speakers for the mains. Those certainly sound better, but they're also much larger. I think the P360 speakers are a great deal, but I didn't want to put them in my living room.

Sonos used to have a dedicated controller, but it looks pretty clunky compared to, say, a Nexus 7 with a TLYT Vu charger/dock (it was also pretty expensive). Though, I kind of wish Sonos would come out with an Android app that would function in a "kiosk" mode. If they made the app a launcher, you'd essentially be able to create your own dedicated controller.

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

I don't have an android device, just an iPhone and an iPod. I wish Sonos had a dedicated controller ...

I wouldn't worry about it, the iDevices work very well. You are going to love the Sonos system.

And if you get tired of the wireless speakers, and want a weekend project you can add this.

[Skirge01]

Originally Posted by reggie14

What do you use for this? The quality of the radio stations in TuneIn is terrible. I know that's not Sonos' fault, or even TuneIn's, but I find the quality is bad enough that I won't listen to it. Sometimes I'll listen to NPR, but even that is pretty bad.

It's sad when FM radio sounds much better than Internet streaming.

Most often, you can just add your own streams directly from the source online. If you have trouble finding a source, Sonos' customer support seems very helpful. I couldn't find a stream for one local station and they scoured the web to find a working source for me within 24 hours. If TuneIn already has it and it's not very good, you might be out of luck, though.

The bunch of stations I listen to come in quite good. This could be due to the fact that the majority of them are in NYC and probably spent tons of money to ensure that internet streaming is solid.

[tmiranda]

Now that I've had a bit of time to setup and use the Sonos all I can say is WOW! Really nice system. Super easy to install, sounds great, tons of content, iPhone app is easy to use and powerful. I am glad I spend the $299.

The one thing that is odd is that there is no "off" button on the remote. I did some Googling and everybody says to use the "pause" function but this is not intuitive to me at all. They should add an "off" button

Other than that minor annoyance I am 100% satisfied with the Play:3. Thanks for the recommendations.

[Brent]

Sonos is pretty pricey, but I consider it one of my favorite purchases ever. Still recommend it to any who can afford it.

[Skirge01]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

Now that I've had a bit of time to setup and use the Sonos all I can say is WOW! Really nice system. Super easy to install, sounds great, tons of content, iPhone app is easy to use and powerful. I am glad I spend the $299.

The one thing that is odd is that there is no "off" button on the remote. I did some Googling and everybody says to use the "pause" function but this is not intuitive to me at all. They should add an "off" button

Other than that minor annoyance I am 100% satisfied with the Play:3. Thanks for the recommendations.

You'll grow to appreciate the pause-instead-of-stop function as you use it more because stop means you're permanently done; whereas pause means you can resume where you left off at another point. I have a Sonos in the kitchen and almost always listen to a single local news station there. I hit pause when I leave and the next day I just hit pause again to have it play the same station's live feed again. I don't need to whip out the phone to select the Sonos device, browse to that same radio station again and begin playing it once more. (Granted, should someone else use that Sonos device and play something else, I'd then be resuming from where they left off, but you get the idea.)

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by Skirge01

You'll grow to appreciate the pause-instead-of-stop function as you use it more because stop means you're permanently done; whereas pause means you can resume where you left off at another point. I have a Sonos in the kitchen and almost always listen to a single local news station there. I hit pause when I leave and the next day I just hit pause again to have it play the same station's live feed again. I don't need to whip out the phone to select the Sonos device, browse to that same radio station again and begin playing it once more. (Granted, should someone else use that Sonos device and play something else, I'd then be resuming from where they left off, but you get the idea.)

IMHO that's not intuitive at all. If I hit pause on a live feed I'd expect it to buffer so when I unpaused it would pick up where I left off, not at the current "live" position. That's exactly why I think "off" makes more sense. When I turn it back on it starts playing the live feed from the current position.

Not a show stopper, just a quirk.

It's like when newbies to Sage struggle to find a way to simply stop a recording. All of the pros say "tell me why you want to stop it and I'll tell you why you really don't need a 'stop recording' button"

[Skirge01]

I totally agree with you from an intuitiveness standpoint, but for a regular user of the device, it does make more sense and it's much more functional. It will resume a playlist, but it won't resume live content after a certain point, which is good, since I wouldn't want to resume from yesterday's news, weather, and traffic broadcast. It will, however, allow you to pause and resume live content for some period of time; I'm just not sure how long that is.

[Fuzzy]

I use squeezeplayer for the receiver in my garage (which also powers speakers in the back yard). Great for parties, as I can control it from my PC, my phones, mine or the kids tablets, etc. I am using an old retired Motorola Droid phone in a dock out there, connected via wifi. Works great. The receiver just stays on all the time at a fixed volume, and everything is controlled by the various UI's available. I've occasionally fired up a squeeze client on my living room sage client to play on those speakers as well, but with Pandora, sync doesn't work, so it eventually gets out of time with the back-yard speakers (which can be heard). For library music, it works and syncs well.

[nebulink]

I am also a huge fan of Sonos. It doesn't get any better when retrofitting. Plus the ease of use is great. My wife even uses it.

[KeithAbbott]

Is there a good pdf guide available that gives an overview of Sonos solutions and how to fit them into your existing home?

[Skirge01]

Forgive the dumb question, but did you try the Sonos site? I thought they did a pretty good job of explaining how everything works. The only piece I was confused about was the best way to integrate my receiver and its connected speakers (you use the Connect). However, heed my words and just buy a Play:# appropriate for the room you want music in and ignore the receiver completely. Since integrating the receiver in my own setup, it has been used exactly 2 times. Not that it's hard to use the Connect, but it's actually easier to unplug another Play:# from somewhere else in the house and plug it into an outlet in the room with the receiver (it's literally "plug & play"). Plus, this also ensures that the TV (and attached HTPC) can still be used while the Sonos is playing, since the receiver isn't being tied up for music.

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by KeithAbbott

Is there a good pdf guide available that gives an overview of Sonos solutions and how to fit them into your existing home?

This is pretty much what I was looking for: http://www.sonos.com/support/onlineuserguide/en/

[tmiranda]

Had my first hiccup yesterday. Came home and the Sonos app couldn't find the Play:3. Had to cycle the power on the Play:3 to get it to show up again. Not a big deal unless it starts happening repeatedly.