Multi-room Options

[Mattan]

Hi, I'm hoping all the knowledgeable people here can help. I'm looking for a multi-room set up (don't *need* it at the moment but likely in the future). It needs to work with the following:

1. Stream music wired and/or wireless from a Netgear ReadyNAS Duo v1

2. Control from the device (colour touch screen) and / or an android smartphone/tablet.

3. Different sized units, so to have a more powerful unit in the lounge, smaller in the kitchen etc.

4. Ideally allow different music in each room or synchronise.

5. Nice to have - pair two speakers.

Looking around, the following have caught my eye, but with the pros/cons:

1. Sonos. Seems to work meet the above and easy to set up, but quite expensive. Also heard the sound quality not great?

2. Pioneer (XW-SMA1 / XW-SMA4). Again, seems to tick the requirements and cheaper than sonos, but bass of SMA4 too much??

3. Pure Jongo. Good range of sizes, but don't believe I can stream from my NAS unless they connect through a Pure 200D Connect?? Quite like the look of that unit as it has a colour touchscreen, but not sure whether it is powerful enough for the lounge.

Are there any other set ups out there that are similar? What are people's experiences with the above?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[The_Lhc]

1. Sonos. Seems to work meet the above and easy to set up, but quite expensive.

Not expensive at all. It costs more than some others but it works a million times better.

Also heard the sound quality not great?

********.

 

[John Duncan]

Sonos rocks. That Play:N models are not the last word in quality, no, but they're up there with Bose Sound Docks and Zeppelins IMO. With a Connect you can plug it into any stereo you want and make it sound as good as you like, really.

 

[rs6mra]

Sonos rocks. That Play:N models are not the last word in quality, no, but they're up there with Bose Sound Docks and Zeppelins IMO. With a Connect you can plug it into any stereo you want and make it sound as good as you like, really.

++++++1

 

[iQ Speakers]

Im with The_Lhc on this one, love your direct replys!

 

[The_Lhc]

I have been in a bit of a hurry this morning to be fair...

 

[BenLaw]

You must not be at work then.

 

[Mattan]

Hi all,

Thanks for your prompt replies!

It certainly seems that Sonos has a good following and I've also read that "it just works" which is also good.

In terms of "power", the first unit would be in the lounge (20ft x 12ft). Do you think the Play:5 and/or Play:3 would powerful enough? My house party days are over, but wouldn't want to have a speaker that needs to be on full to get a decent volume.

(Having separates are a no-no, as according to my wife they're 'hideous, and as for those speakers ...', so they're consigned to the snug!)

 

[John Duncan]

Hi all, Thanks for your prompt replies! It certainly seems that Sonos has a good following and I've also read that "it just works" which is also good. In terms of "power", the first unit would be in the lounge (20ft x 12ft). Do you think the Play:5 and/or Play:3 would powerful enough? My house party days are over, but wouldn't want to have a speaker that needs to be on full to get a decent volume. (Having separates are a no-no, as according to my wife they're 'hideous, and as for those speakers ...', so they're consigned to the snug!)

A Play:3 might be pushing it, though if you get two as a stereo pair they become more than the sum of their parts and can go quite loud (though do get ragged if pushed too far). I would be inclined to find a friendly Sonos specialist (luckily mine is five minutes' walk away ) and try a few combos - Play:3, Play:5 and both of those as stereo pairs - to see what suits room and pocket best.

 

[skippy]

Hi all, Thanks for your prompt replies! It certainly seems that Sonos has a good following and I've also read that "it just works" which is also good. In terms of "power", the first unit would be in the lounge (20ft x 12ft). Do you think the Play:5 and/or Play:3 would powerful enough? My house party days are over, but wouldn't want to have a speaker that needs to be on full to get a decent volume. (Having separates are a no-no, as according to my wife they're 'hideous, and as for those speakers ...', so they're consigned to the snug!)

Just remember with , you will need a bridge (50 quid) if you can't plug your first unit directly into the router.

You could also plug a Sonos connect directly into a compact set of studio monitors (if the missus would allow), these start from about 200 quid/pair upwards.

 

[Mattan]

Yes, definitely need to manufacture a visit to a Sonos shop. Would be good to compare setup/stability/sound against the the Pioneer considering the units are £100 cheaper, but don't seem so widely available.

Wouldn't need the bridge initially as the speaker would be close to the router, but most likely as new units were added. I'm not particularly familiar with their "mesh". What's the range like compared to wireless N? Is there known interference with other electrical/wireless devices?

 

[skippy]

As long as you can plug one unit into your router that's all you need, then as you build your system they all link together.

I've never had any issues regarding fighting between the networks.

Rangewise, I have a summer house in the garden which is about 50-60' away from the connect and I've never had any probs.

One of the biggest things for me is to be able to make new playlists, edit and control the volume from my phone just sat in the back.

 

[visionary]

Hi all, Thanks for your prompt replies! It certainly seems that Sonos has a good following and I've also read that "it just works" which is also good. In terms of "power", the first unit would be in the lounge (20ft x 12ft). Do you think the Play:5 and/or Play:3 would powerful enough? My house party days are over, but wouldn't want to have a speaker that needs to be on full to get a decent volume. (Having separates are a no-no, as according to my wife they're 'hideous, and as for those speakers ...', so they're consigned to the snug!)

I used a pair of Play 5s in upstairs windows to provide music for our street party last summer. Plenty enough for that (and stunning stereo as a stereo pair >) )

Biggest prob was getting out of control range at the end of the street

edited for spelling

 

[Mattan]

That's good to know, so probably won't need to use a bridge in my set up.

Now, just need to get to the hi-fi shop to have a listen!

 

[The_Lhc]

You must not be at work then.

I was at the time, but only for the morning, so I was in a rush to get everything done before I had to leave.

 

[The_Lhc]

Wouldn't need the bridge initially as the speaker would be close to the router, but most likely as new units were added.

Actually if anything that would become LESS likely, unless you're intending to locate a unit a long way from the rest of the network (in a shed at the end of the garden for instance).

I'm not particularly familiar with their "mesh". What's the range like compared to wireless N?

It's based on the wireless G spec, so the range is actually further than N but not as quick (it doesn't need to be though, it's only passing audio, so G is more than fast enough).

Is there known interference with other electrical/wireless devices?

Yes, it's using the same frequency spectrum as "normal" wi-fi, so you need to ensure the Sonos is using a different channel to your own wireless router (and turn off wideband, 40Mhz, "turbo" modes on the router as well) and that of any near neighbours (which can be a little more difficult if you're in a block of flats for example).

 

[Mattan]

Is it possible to change the channel used by the Sonos systems? My routers are set to auto and whilst generally stay on channel 1, they occasionally hop over to another channel if there's a stronger signal. It would be good to force the Sonos up to channel 11 (or 13 if possible).

Can the Sonos players operate across ethernet/homeplugs? i.e. if I had two connected up via homeplugs to my router would they sync etc.?

 

[The_Lhc]

Is it possible to change the channel used by the Sonos systems? My routers are set to auto and whilst generally stay on channel 1, they occasionally hop over to another channel if there's a stronger signal. It would be good to force the Sonos up to channel 11 (or 13 if possible).

Yes you can change the channel on Sonos (1, 6, or 11 only though) but you'd be well advised to fix the routers to one channel as well, if they suddenly decide to use the same channel as Sonos it'll be messy.

Can the Sonos players operate across ethernet/homeplugs? i.e. if I had two connected up via homeplugs to my router would they sync etc.?

Yes there's plenty of people doing that, it's just ethernet after all, although strictly speaking I don't think Sonos support it if you have an issue (they'll probably ask you to direct wire the units whilst troubleshooting any issue you may have.

You said routers? You'd need to ensure that all Sonos units are on the same subnet, they can't communicate across different class C subnets.

 

[iQ Speakers]

Its worth remembering each piece of Sonos acts as a transmiter of the Sonos Mesh as well as a reciever, hence huge range and reliability.

 

[The_Lhc]

Its worth remembering each piece of Sonos acts as a transmiter of the Sonos Mesh as well as a reciever, hence huge range and reliability.

But still not immune to wireless interference, no way it could be, given it's using the same technology.

 

[michael hoy]

The wireless capabilities of the Sonos are second to none, the mesh they create gives a very stable connection.

Agree that as any other wireless system it is not immune to interference.

 

[scene]

What can I say that hadn't already been said? I steam my music from my readynas to various sonoses and it all just works and sounds superb. Play:5s can go pretty loud, but get a bit uncontrolled at high volumes. Connect a sonos connect to a half decent pair of active monitors and you'be got a great little system that you can upgrade in future. Android and apple devices all have apps to control the system and you can pay stiff directly from your devices in an airplay-like manner.

 

[Mattan]

Thanks for your advice everyone. Much appreciated.

 

[Mattan]

I just had an email from Pure saying that they're hoping to release a new Connect App in the next 4-6 weeks that will allow the Jongos to stream music from a NAS.

Could this be a Sonos contender?

 

[The_Lhc]

I just had an email from Pure saying that they're hoping to release a new Connect App

Is that hardware or software? I do wish they'd think of a different name, first Sonos ConnectAmp), then Spotify Connect and now this, it's ridiculous.

Could this be a Sonos contender?

Who knows? Depends how well it all works together, I've not seen anything else that can match Sonos' multi-room abilities of up to 32 zones all perfectly synced but then I've also never really come across anyone that needed that capability.

I think things like the Playbar and SUB are now what sets Sonos apart from the rest.