Help deciding between three streaming solutions

[grifter182]

Hey all,

I currently have a PROJECT DEBUT CARBON turntable, REGA BRIO-R amp, and Q ACOUSTICS 2020 speakers with their matching stands. (WHICH I LOVE!)

I now want to be able to stream Spotify (and Apple Music) with quality sound for when I'm feeling lazy or have guests, so hoping I can get some advice on what seems like the best option:

Adding a SONOS CONNECT to my current turntable, amp, and speakers system.

This lets me use my own speakers and amp (which I'm guessing would sound much better than a Sonos speaker), plus stream vinyl and Spotify to other rooms in the house if I buy more Sonos speakers. However, is steaming vinyl to other rooms worth it? Does it sound okay? Is the Connect still using my amp properly, or bypassing it?

Simply buying just a SONOS PLAYBAR.

This lets me stream Spotify with decent sound quality (I'm currently using my TVs built in speakers to play Spotify with my ROKU) and improve my TVs sound, and add rooms with more Sonos speakers later on, however, it doesn't use my current speakers or amp, and won't let me stream vinyl to other rooms. Also guessing the Soundbar wouldn't sound as good as my current speakers and amp streaming Spotify?

Or, go a more dedicated route (focus just on streaming Spotify, and forget about multi-rooms, streaming vinyl, and impoving my TVs sound) and add a Cambridge Audio CX-N streamer to my current system. This means only one room will be for music (my loungeroom), but would this be the best option sound wise?

Thanks heaps guys!

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

I'm not to clued up on the multiroom side of hi-fi,but if you're planning to use spotify as the main streaming service for the lounge,the Amazon fire tv box has Spotify connect(ps4 also),just a dac needed and controlled via your phone or tablet (it doesn't get much more laid back than that)for the time being that's the way I'm streaming Spotify myself . I'm not sure whether it's worth upgrading to a proper streamer with 24/192 khz as Spotify at it's best is only 320 kbs,so possibly the wee box from amazon at 16/48 khz is all you ever need tto stream Spotify to a decent level. Although if you got a large array of cd's and digital music in different file formats,then you might want to look at dedicated streamers and nas drives.If anyone else on the forum could shed some light on whether it's worth the extra just for Spotify streaming,it'd be appreciated,as I also have the urge to get a streamer,but it'll only be used for Spotify as I have no interest in ripping my thousand or so cd's on to my pc (it'll take forever).

 

[grifter182]

I'm not to clued up on the multiroom side of hi-fi,but if you're planning to use spotify as the main streaming service for the lounge,the Amazon fire tv box has Spotify connect(ps4 also),just a dac needed and controlled via your phone or tablet (it doesn't get much more laid back than that)for the time being that's the way I'm streaming Spotify myself . I'm not sure whether it's worth upgrading to a proper streamer with 24/192 khz as Spotify at it's best is only 320 kbs,so possibly the wee box from amazon at 16/48 khz is all you ever need tto stream Spotify to a decent level. Although if you got a large array of cd's and digital music in different file formats,then you might want to look at dedicated streamers and nas drives.If anyone else on the forum could shed some light on whether it's worth the extra just for Spotify streaming,it'd be appreciated,as I also have the urge to get a streamer,but it'll only be used for Spotify as I have no interest in ripping my thousand or so cd's on to my pc (it'll take forever).

Thank you mate.

I have no CDs or NAS stored music, so I'll be only using it for Spotify and Apple Music.

So, I'm guessing this makes the dedicated Cambridge Audio streamer overkill, as it's more used for streaming high defination FLACs or similar stored on a NAS?

 

[Leeps]

Just to confuse you, you could look at a Bluesound Node 2 (due in the shops next month).

It has an optical input which you could connect your TV to, and its own DAC (the previous generation of which was reputedly pretty good) so you'd just use RCA analogue leads to connect to your Brio-r.

It does offer multi-room capability, and gets your TV & Spotify sorted but the downside is it won't give you multi-room capability for other sources (like your vinyl). It does have a single analogue input (which presumably you could use the record output from your Brio-r) but it's in the same place as the optical so would mean swapping leads over which clearly isn't an ideal solution.

Another way would be to buy a DAC. Optical output from your TV into it, a Sonos Connect into it, and the DAC's output into your Brio-R. You could skip the Sonos initially and continue to use the Roku (through your TV) as your Spotify source. The sound ought to be a vast improvement through the TV to DAC to Brio-r.

I'm not a vinyl buff, so other forum members may have other solutions for their own experiences.

 

[drummerman]

Double post.

This flaky site takes ages to function again. Apologies

 

[drummerman]

The cheapest option, less elegant, is to just use a cable from your laptop to your amp. For better sound quality you could add a dac such as a Dragonfly etc but you may find your pc/laptop/mac in-built sound is adequate.

As to 'streaming vinyl' ... not sure why you'd want to do that but each to their own.

 

[drummerman]

Short of a streamer you could just buy a bluetooth aptX receiver and connect it to your hifi. You can then stream from your laptop/phone. Many makes out there including Arcam.

HarmanKardon also makes one which uses Harman's proprietary protocol, different to aptX, but reviewed favorably too.

They are all reasonably cheap and once mated to your bluetooth device, should do the job relatively unobtrusive.

Soundquality of AptX is said to that approaching CD so should be good enough for Spotify.

As always, the DAC and output stage used in the device will determine the outcome.

 

[drummerman]

Short of a streamer you could just buy a bluetooth aptX receiver and connect it to your hifi. You can then stream from your laptop/phone. Many makes out there including Arcam.

HarmanKardon also makes one which uses Harman's proprietary protocol, different to aptX, but reviewed favorably too.

They are all reasonably cheap and once mated to your bluetooth device, should do the job relatively unobtrusive.

Soundquality of AptX is said to that approaching CD so should be good enough for Spotify.

As always, the DAC and output stage used in the device will determine the outcome.

 

[davedotco]

Thank you mate.

I have no CDs or NAS stored music, so I'll be only using it for Spotify and Apple Music.

So, I'm guessing this makes the dedicated Cambridge Audio streamer overkill, as it's more used for streaming high defination FLACs or similar stored on a NAS?

You are looking at two separate issues here, online streaming and multiroom functions

Firstly streaming, do you really want both Spotify and Apple music? Both need their own specific hardware to deliver their best unless you are happy to stream both from mobile devices, in which case all you need is an Airport Express or ATV, the cheap current one will be fine.

Right now, trying to integrate Sonos multiroom with an analogue setup of the kind you have is possible but awkward, easy to get tangled up in the various functionality issues. The best way might be to use the Connect as your main streaming source but it will need to access your computer to stream Spotify or Apple music and it does not have Airplay. Use the tape output on the Brio r to the Connect and add extra speakers as you wish.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Yeah .Streaming vinyl is missing the point of having vinyl in the first place I'd say,unless it's super rare vinyl.oh and if you do find You're on the search for a dac,i can heartily recommend the arcam ir dac,it does a great job with my apple tv and amazon tv box,heck I can even plug my iPhone into it's USB.

 

[Leeps]

Thank you mate.

I have no CDs or NAS stored music, so I'll be only using it for Spotify and Apple Music.

So, I'm guessing this makes the dedicated Cambridge Audio streamer overkill, as it's more used for streaming high defination FLACs or similar stored on a NAS?

...The best way might be to use the Connect as your main streaming source but it will need to access your computer to stream Spotify or Apple music and it does not have Airplay...

Dave - I stand corrected, but that's not my understanding of how the Connect works. I thought that you just use your mobile app to control Spotify, but that it pulls the actual music from router through ethernet cable directly to the Sonos Connect?

FWIW, having used streaming (Spotify then Tidal) using Airplay on my receiver for a few years now, I'd certainly have a preference for doing this wired: it frees up your ipad / phone's battery and would hopefully suffer less wifi-related dropouts. These are rare, but still annoying when they happen. When funds permit, I'll certainly be looking at a wired solution for my system. Obviously Bluetooth is not dependant on wifi, but it would still hammer your ithing's battery.

 

[davedotco]

Dave - I stand corrected, but that's not my understanding of how the Connect works. I thought that you just use your mobile app to control Spotify, but that it pulls the actual music from router through ethernet cable directly to the Sonos Connect?

FWIW, having used streaming (Spotify then Tidal) using Airplay on my receiver for a few years now, I'd certainly have a preference for doing this wired: it frees up your ipad / phone's battery and would hopefully suffer less wifi-related dropouts. These are rare, but still annoying when they happen. When funds permit, I'll certainly be looking at a wired solution for my system. Obviously Bluetooth is not dependant on wifi, but it would still hammer your ithing's battery.

Ok, I think we have a language issue here, regarding the use of the word "connect".

Firstly, Spotify Connect is a hardware solution that enables a Spotify Connect equipped streamer to play music directly from Spotify using the Spotify Client app on your mobile device as a remote control. Once you have instructed the streamer, you can use the mobile for something else or switch it off.

Then we have Sonos Connect, which is, obviously enough, a Sonos streamer/multiroom product. It does not support Spotify Connect (nor Airplay either) so you you use 'regular' Spotify which is controlled from the Spotify pages in the Sonos Control app, which remains involved in the process of playing music.

Nothing like as elegant to use as the Spotify app itself which is functionally identical to using Spotify over Airplay, but the music is not transmitted, just the remote instructions to the streamer.

I believe Tidal have a technology that is similar to Spotify Connect but other than Bluesound product, it is pretty hard to find. Certainly no low cost alternatives such as the Fon and Fire TV devices at this time.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

I also find the connect method of streaming Spotify is better than the airplay.Airplay totally kills your battery as the stream is going directly to the device,whereas with Spotify connect,your device is more a remote control with the stream going to the actual unit ie amazon tv,ps4 or proper streamer pioneer n50a,naim unitiqute 2 etc.it also sounds better.

 

[The_Lhc]

I'm on my phone, so it's too much of a ball-ache to reply to each message so I'll summarize my thoughts:

Using Sonos to send vinyl around the house, this is not difficult like Dave thinks, it's dead easy, I've got two turntables connected to two different Sonos devices and I can listen to either of them in any room I like, in the main room I also have a tape deck connected to my amp, the tape out of which goes to the Sonos connect so I can listen to old cassettes in any room as well, it's very useful.

Spotify: Sonos' spotify implementation is not great, however if the current beta is anything to go by it's about to get a lot better, maybe not to the level of spotify's own app but after several years of nothing it's a start and will presumably be the start of on going improvements now that Sonos and spotify have decided they can work together after all.

Apple music: to my knowledge (I'm not an Apple user) Sonos does not support Apple Music. I might be wrong though, if not one assumes it is likely to be implemented soon enough.

 

[Dave_]

Then we have Sonos Connect, which is, obviously enough, a Sonos streamer/multiroom product. It does not support Spotify Connect (nor Airplay either) so you you use 'regular' Spotify which is controlled from the Spotify pages in the Sonos Control app, which remains involved in the process of playing music.

Dave, the Sonos Control app is exactly that.

It is in no way 'involved in the process of playing music' like Airplay or BT is

 

[Dave_]

Apple music: to my knowledge (I'm not an Apple user) Sonos does not support Apple Music. I might be wrong though, if not one assumes it is likely to be implemented soon enough.

Apple announced Sonos integration as 'coming soon' when they launched Music.

 

[davedotco]

Then we have Sonos Connect, which is, obviously enough, a Sonos streamer/multiroom product. It does not support Spotify Connect (nor Airplay either) so you you use 'regular' Spotify which is controlled from the Spotify pages in the Sonos Control app, which remains involved in the process of playing music.

Dave, the Sonos Control app is exactly that.

It is in no way 'involved in the process of playing music' like Airplay or BT is

Ah, thank you. I have only 'demoed' Sonos, not lived with it.

If you have a minute, an explanation of how Sonos playing Spotify differs from Spotify Connect would be good to know.

I am looking into a new system primarily for streaming Spotify or Apple music so I am genuinely interested in all this.

 

[Dave_]

Then we have Sonos Connect, which is, obviously enough, a Sonos streamer/multiroom product. It does not support Spotify Connect (nor Airplay either) so you you use 'regular' Spotify which is controlled from the Spotify pages in the Sonos Control app, which remains involved in the process of playing music.

Dave, the Sonos Control app is exactly that.

It is in no way 'involved in the process of playing music' like Airplay or BT is

Ah, thank you. I have only 'demoed' Sonos, not lived with it.

If you have a minute, an explanation of how Sonos playing Spotify differs from Spotify Connect would be good to know.

I am looking into a new system primarily for streaming Spotify or Apple music so I am genuinely interested in all this.

There's no difference in terms of playback, they're both grabbing the streams directly from Spotify's servers.

its just Sonos uses its own control app rather than the remote functionality built into the native Spotify apps used by Connect devices

So it may not be as slick as the native app but at least it's not Airplay...

 

[iQ Speakers]

Spotify Connect is exactly the same as using Spotify

Spotify through the Sonos you have, search by Album, Artist, Track. You can queue, add to queue, play now, create playlists. What you can not do is use Spotify mood streams or there radio streams or there playlists. 85% its perfectly good its just that I want to put that "dinner party stream I saw on Spotify on" you can not. I use both and both systems are good.

 

[davedotco]

Thanks guys.

Last time (a couple of years ago now) I tried Spotify on Sonos I found the experience slightly disapointing, it simply did not feel as slick as the Spotify app and the Search function seemed to miss a lot of things I knew to be available. Spotify Connect on the other hand is a delight.

Still no Airplay on Sonos either, I want to avoid it for critical use but it is occasionally useful for bits and bobs I find on line.

Mind you, I have yet to decide on Spotify or Apple Music, and that depends a lot on what exactly the new Apple TV does and does not do.

 

[The_Lhc]

?

Apple music: to my knowledge (I'm not an Apple user) Sonos does not support Apple Music. I might be wrong though, if not one assumes it is likely to be implemented soon enough.

Apple announced Sonos integration as 'coming soon' when they launched Music.

Yeah I checked afterwards, Sonos hope to have it ready by the end of the year.

 

[Leeps]

Dave - I stand corrected, but that's not my understanding of how the Connect works. I thought that you just use your mobile app to control Spotify, but that it pulls the actual music from router through ethernet cable directly to the Sonos Connect?

FWIW, having used streaming (Spotify then Tidal) using Airplay on my receiver for a few years now, I'd certainly have a preference for doing this wired: it frees up your ipad / phone's battery and would hopefully suffer less wifi-related dropouts. These are rare, but still annoying when they happen. When funds permit, I'll certainly be looking at a wired solution for my system. Obviously Bluetooth is not dependant on wifi, but it would still hammer your ithing's battery.

Ok, I think we have a language issue here, regarding the use of the word "connect".

Firstly, Spotify Connect is a hardware solution that enables a Spotify Connect equipped streamer to play music directly from Spotify using the Spotify Client app on your mobile device as a remote control. Once you have instructed the streamer, you can use the mobile for something else or switch it off.

Then we have Sonos Connect, which is, obviously enough, a Sonos streamer/multiroom product. It does not support Spotify Connect (nor Airplay either) so you you use 'regular' Spotify which is controlled from the Spotify pages in the Sonos Control app, which remains involved in the process of playing music.

Nothing like as elegant to use as the Spotify app itself which is functionally identical to using Spotify over Airplay, but the music is not transmitted, just the remote instructions to the streamer.

I believe Tidal have a technology that is similar to Spotify Connect but other than Bluesound product, it is pretty hard to find. Certainly no low cost alternatives such as the Fon and Fire TV devices at this time.

Yes, sorry, I thought you were talking about the Sonos Connect when you were actually referring to Spotify Connect. Doh!

To the op: I hope you can make sense/use/paper aeroplanes (delete as appropriate) out of my confused sayings above.

 

[grifter182]

Hey guys, thanks HEAPS for all your replies.

My head is racing with thoughts at the moment, and a few things I'll have to Google some more to understand.

However, while I get my head around everything, by vinyl streaming I mean being able to play my own vinyl across several rooms at the same time. For example, hearing the music in the lounge room where my turntable setup is located, and in the bedroom, at the same time. As I may be listening in the lounge room, and my wife might be reading a book in the bedroom and want to hear what I'm playing.

Hope this makes sense.

I guess what I'm really looking for now is the best possible streamer for my needs to play Spotify (or Apple music) using my existing amp and speakers. I have used a direct connection, but this was rather fiddly, restricted the use of my phone, and guessing didn't sound as good as it could due to a rubbish DAC inside my phone (is this true?).

All the other things (like being able to stream my own vinyl and Spotify to other rooms, or improve the sound of my TV by simply getting a SONOS SOUNDBAR for all my streaming and bypassing my amp and speakers) were bonuses that I thought were worth considering when making my purchase.

 

[Philim]

I would do a sonos connect streamer. Sound quality is good and the services it provides are second to none.
The cxn is basically a less capable streamer with their basic DAC inside. It doesn't sound that good for the money.
You could also try a raumfeld if budget is a problem.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Yes the Sonos would be your best solution. Though the CXN does sound better The Sonos is rock solid, I have had mine since 2006 and love it its probally the best value bit of kit I've ever owned.