Okay, Im blown away by Sonos

Hey all! So last weekend, I went to my uncles house, and we were talking about Dark Side of the Moon, an album we both love. He took me downstairs and he showed me his audio setup. 2 Sonos Play1s as surround speakers, a Sonos Playbar and a Sonos sub. Right off the bat, Im thinking its gonna sound horrible. I set my expectations very low. He played a surround sound version of DSOTM. Wow. I was speechless. I still am. For wireless speakers, these things sound amazing.

At $200 a pop, is it worth the price? Maybe not. But for wireless speakers? Im impressed. Anyone else like the Sonos speakers? Im thinking about buying a few now for the kitchen and the office.

 

I too am curious about Sonos. A lot of these "gimmicky" speakers sound great at first. But for prolonged listening they don't hold up.. Is Sonos the modern day version of Bose cubes?

 

well the Playbar and Sub are a bit more than $200 a pop ...

 

Very true. If I remember correctly, my uncle said that his entire surround setup was roughly $1500.

 

The most audiophile-centric Sonos product is the Connect, which is a source component with analog and digital outputs.

In terms of the rest of the Sonos ecosystem, keep in mind your Uncle's system has a pretty hefty pricetag -just the Soundbar and Sub are $700 each. I have a Play 1 speaker that my wife loves, but the real value with them is when you have a few, and can mirror the same music in different rooms, etc. Just speaking of the Play 1 as a speaker, it's good but by itself it's no giant killer.

Another big advantage of Sonos is ease of use. My wife still thanks me for buying the Connect, as it was the first streaming solution that allowed her to be able to easily use the McIntosh system in the living room. It makes me very happy to come home and hear her enjoying the system. At this point, I use Roon and Sonos is just for her.

 

Like I said, I was very hesitant at first too

 

Do you currently use a network-based music system? Sonos is kinda "all in", meaning if you go with there smallish wireless speakers for the kitchen, etc., there's very few ways (Sonos Connect?) to integrate a similar experience with your main listening system. There's no hi-rez support.

If you're going to make a major shift to something like Sonos, you may want to consider the "next gen" of whole-home music servers... ones that are supplemented with voice control, i.e. Amazon's Alexa or Google Home.

For years, I had a Squeezebox Boom in the kitchen. With easy access to all my music library, as well as streaming services, all controlled via iPhone app or front of unit. But then, I started fooling around with an Echo dot (ironically connected to the Aux-in of the Boom), and now I can just say "Alexa, play Wilco's 'Summerteeth'" and it automatically starts playing. So easy, the entire family can use it. I'm just a couple of steps away from integrating it with my local streaming library, but that is really the panacea, and should be rather mind-blowing.

EDIT: looks like Sonos is working on voice integration: Sonos demoes Alexa control, says more assistants coming

 

For our living room, my wife and I were going for a stereo set of Play5's, but after we heard it in the store, my wife--who until then had claimed that she couldn't tell the difference btw my main highend system and any other system--realized that she had indeed been accustomed to good sound. The Play5's couldn't play very loud before they started to sound constrained, and she vetoed them.

We did buy a Sonos system, though. We have a Play5 in the kitchen and in the living room a Connect, which feeds into a Pathos Classic One III amp and a pair of small Tannoy speakers. I have also heard a Sonos sound bar with a Sonos sub a friend's place, and the bass was indeed quite good, at least the background listening levels I heard.

It has been quite a hassle to get it going. We aren't really convinced about the supposed user-friendliness of the system. For the first couple of months, we had constant problems with the units disappearing. That turned out to be related to an Ethernet cable which works perfect in all other applications. Now it is working, but we still have regular problems with the units disappearing from the controller SW. Usually it is solved by a router restart. But set it and forget it? No.

 

Generally speaking, if you can fix a problem by restarting your router, it means your router is on its way out (somewhat bizarrely, despite having no moving parts, routers only last a couple of years max).

At any rate, you're the first person I've ever encountered to have stability problems with Sonos. It's probably the most rock solid networked hardware I've ever used.

 

Just as a side note, there are already skills for Plex and J River Media if you want to control audio via the Echo on the server side. I have my computer pointed at an Airplay receiving device via Airfoil and I can send audio too my main system by voice. I also use the Alexa via Bluetooth (since I can just tell it to connect to my Yamaha WCX-50) and it will auto-connect. I have my old Marantz on a Echo-controllable switch, so I can just turn it on and off with a command. It all works great. I also use the Dot with its analog output.

I have also read that Sonos plans on making an Echo Skill which will definitely be a very nice addition to the setup.

As for the sound of the Sonos speakers, I am skeptical about their specs since they aren't published (at least the last time I checked). I believe they do use some room correction and I have found that this feature alone can make a huge difference in perceived SQ.

 

They added the room correction fairly recently. It's kind of cool the way it works, using your phone as a setup microphone it bounces test tones off of.

It looks like Sonos is almost done with full integration with both Amazon Echo and Google Home as well. They also can serve as Roon endpoints now.

 

Hmm, the router works perfectly in all other aspects ... AFAIK all routers have to be restarted regularly when they have a lot of devices connecting to them, but the Sonos system is always the reason we have to reboot.

Moreover, a little research on Sonos and connectivity problems will reveal that I'm not the only one who's had problems. However, I will grant you that given the number of Sonos systems out there, they probably do perform pretty well in terms of stability.

 

Yep, that's how it begins. There's always one device that doesn't work, then works for a while, then stops. Then there might be a second device, or you find yourself having to toggle wifi on your laptop on and off, etc.

I definitely hear you on the "everything else works" part, but given that router technology advances pretty quickly, you might be surprised at the improvements to everything else speed and coverage wise. But I'm not a router salesman or anything, so...

 

As far as I'm concerned, once you get used to the ergonomics, the price and the novelty...you're still going to become dissatisfied because you're not crankin' a $500 turntable through a McIntosh and a pair of floor-standing towers. But the Sonos will still work, your wife and friends will be satisfied, and you'll have no ammunition left to convince yourself you need to buy the next big thing. I had the same problem with my 2009 Mazda 626; it was nothing special, but I couldn't justify getting rid of it, because it. just. wouldn't. break.down...

There is nothing more dissatisfying than the 2nd bowl of ice cream: it's the same damn ice cream...but without the excitement of discovery you got from the first one.

 

I have numerous Sonos speakers in my house (two Play 5, two Play 1, one Play3 and a sub). The sound quality is pretty decent for their size and the connectivity of the multiroom system has been flawless for me. The interface is great and I love the fact that my wife can easily control everything (as another poster said earlier). I also have my turntable running through it.

As someone already noted, a big drawback is the lack of support of hi-res music. I have a server filled with vinyl rips and other hi-res music that I can't play at all through the Sonos, unless I converted them to a lower bit rate. From what I've read, the Sonos developers are not in a big rush to add support for hi-res.

So, because of that, I'm very interested in seeing what Riva Audio's new multiroom system is going to sound like and what the reviews are about the interface.

https://rivaaudio.com/wand/

A year ago, I did try out another multiroom system (Definitive Technology speakers using Play-Fi) that is capable of playing hi-res files. The sound was great, but the interface developed to run Play-Fi on your phone or tablet is awful and I had a lot of connection issues with the speakers, so I ditched that plan and went back to my Sonos set up.

 

As with others here, my wife loves the convenience. We have 2 play:1's and a connect. Use them for background music mostly. However, the connect is on the bedroom system which also powers speakers we have on the deck. It's nice to listen to what I want out on the deck while she has something else playing in the kitchen. All controlled by a very nice phone app.

 

I have one of these in the kitchen and I had the same expectations as you did. (gonna sound ok at best).

However I was pleasantly surprised and thought "that price seems reasonable for what you get". Some days I think it sounds better than my klipsch r14m's. Obviously with one you don't get stereo really which kinda sucks, but its great especially when you have people over.

Only thing I didn't like was that you really can't turn it off, and sometimes my network broke for no reason and made it impossible to change songs and such with the app.

Great purchase for sure though, glad you like yours too.

What kinda bit rate/depth are you trying to play? I haven't had any issues playing my 16bit 44.1 flac vinyl rips. Not sure if it supports 24bit though.

 

I have had Sonos for 4 years. I now use Sonos to drive 22 in-ceiling speakers throughout my house (inside and out). I like the convenience of the interface. The limitations of Sonos match well with the limitations of in-ceiling speakers for background music. I also have a play 5 in a 1000 SF garage with a 12 foot ceiling and can play plenty loud without distortion. I also have several connects for other systems. One is a Wyred4sound modified unit which ups the ante for 2 channel. No high res. No big deal for me thus far. That's why I have vinyl I think it is a viable and worthy option if your needs overlap with its capabilities.

 

How many Sonos units did you need to purchase per zone? Is it one Connect per zone?

 

Not sure I completely understand your question, but basically each Sonos unit IS a zone. If you have a 2 connects, 2 play 5s and a Playbar, then you essentially have 5 zones that you can use individually. Or you can setup the 2 play5's to left/right stereo setup and use them as a single zone.

 

And as an fyi, the Playbar is really a pretty darn good unit sound wise. I use one with a Sonos sub for our living room tv, and it's not bad at all.

 

I'm familiar with the PLAY series of speakers and have a few in my house. My question concerns multi-room built in speakers, though.

I've just purchased a vacation house that has built in speakers in three of the rooms from the prior owner (and no, I don't know the brand yet or if they're any good).

In order to run Sonos to those built ins, would I need to purchase a separate CONNECT or CONNECT AMP unit for each room? Alternatively could I use a single CONNECT to play different tracks in each of the three rooms simultaneously?

 

I don't care much for the Play1 speakers, but I have a first gen Play5 and like it a lot, though I can say that it does not come close to the BlueSound Pulse.

I ditched the big surround setup with a very good Anthem MRX510 in favor of a Playbar/Sub and a Connect Amp driving my DefTech rears. It doesn't compare to my main system, but it is very decent and my wife loves it for its simplicity.

Sonos is very good at covering the bases well. The core BlueSound Node2 and PowerNode2 are better, but BS has not nailed the sound bar and sub yet and I think these two put Sonos over the top. Add the best range of connected services and integration and it's definitely the winner.

 

I have seven zones.
Zone 1: Garage - Play5
Zone 2: Gym - Connect Amp - 2 speakers
Zone 3: Basement media room - Connect feeding into Yamaha 7.1 receiver, with zone B of Yamaha running Pool table area - 9.1 speakers
Zone 4: Master sitting room (TV room) - Connect Amp - 2 speakers
Zone 5: Listening room - Wyred4Sound modified Sonos feeding whatever I have rotating this month - currently Marantz into Dentons for nearfield
Zone 6: Kids bonus room - Connect feeding yamaha 5.1 with built in surrounds in back wall plus two in ceiling speakers for music - 7.1 speakers
Zone 7: Main living area and outdoor areas - Connect feeding multichannel amp (Episode - cheap I think) which runs 2 speakers in dining room, 2 speakers in family room, 2 speakers in kitchen, 2 speakers in screened patio, 2 speakers in covered deck, and 2 speakers in basement patio. All these areas are open and connected so it made sense to make it one zone.
I miscounted - I have 26 speakers plus Play 5 (not including the front 3 of both surround systems).

No wonder my building budget for this house was blown!
No wonder I can only afford Dentons now! Damn It!

 

Well, maybe I should try getting a new router. The one we have is about 10 years old. I just don't like throwing out stuff that seemingly works ...