Newbie query - network system on budget

[mhoskins13]

Hi, I am new to things hi-fi, but am hoping for some advice on a potential purchase. I have previously had pretty basic all-in-one micro systems, but have not had a complete system for a while. I listen to a lot of radio and have a standalone internet radio. Most of my music is on the computer having been ripped from CDs or downloaded and I use spotify a lot through my computer and phone (a premium subscription allows offline listening). Anyway, I have a budget of around £600 (which can be upped a bit, but will need to include speakers) and am looking for a something that will bring all the above together in a single 'proper' system. Probably the major source of music will be spotify so a good network connection is a must. I have looked at the Onkyo CRN755 (paired with Dali Zensor speakers) which seems to get rave reviews and ticks all of the boxes above. However, I have recently seen the Onkyo TX-8050 which seems to do the same, is more powerful , is a little bit cheaper and it does have more options for expansion... The reason this caught my eye is that I'm quite interested in the "Zone 2" approach to multi-room. I was at one point considering Sonos (but I'd have to save a while to get any more than one part of the system). If I could add an extra pair of speakers in the kitchen, that would be great (probably not as good as a sonos speaker in every room, but we can't have everything). Also, my use of CDs is pretty limited so the player on the CRN755 would be a bit redundant. I do like Onkyo's style of system as to me they look like a traditional hifi system and not too modern - if you know what I mean! They also seem to have a good relationship with Spotify allowing for (apparently) good integration. Plus, I want something that looks good on the shelf! After that rambling email, I guess my questions are: 1. Does anyone have any specific thoughts on comparing the CRN755 with the TX-8050? 2. Could I at one point in the future use the CRN755 to achieve some sort of "multi-room"/"Zone 2" system that the TX-8050 would allow? 3. Are there alternatives to these that I'm missing (within a realistic budget for me)? Thanks in advance for your replies. Browsing these forums is an education! Cheers Mike

 

[mhoskins13]

Hi again. I've continued my research and thought that if my query is now clarified, there may be more thoughts from the forum members who know a lot more than I do.

I've decided that I don't want/need a full multi-room system such as Sonos as I'm unlikely to want to do the whole playing of different things in differnent rooms.

My focus is on having a good quality main system within my budget that is networked for streaming, with the ability to extend that system to other rooms when required.

My current preferred option is having the TX-8050 and using the "Zone 2" feature to a wireless speaker transmitter (I've seen something called "Rocketfish" that does this) to a receiver in the other room. This could then be controlled through the Onkyo app to deliver whatever's on the main system (CD, Internet Radio, Spotify) to the other room.

Do you have any thoughts on this set-up? Is it as straightforward as that? It seems a lot simpler than the complicated Wi-Fi streaming systems on offer.

Thanks in advance again.

Mike