PS3 vs Sonos as an audio source

[ianandyr]

My son (Ahem!) is receiving a PS3 from Santa. Dad might be receiving a Sonos but before he writes his list for Santa is wondering if the PS3 being fed V0 (highest quality) VBR mp3 files would provide a comparable quality source. Does anyone out there have experience/opinions of using PS3 as a source and if so how do you rate it ?

Even better is anyone in a position to provide a Sonos / PS3 comparison.

Just to add, if it's a Sonos then FLAC will be used instead of V0 VBR. 

Source will be feeding a Beresford -> Onkyo 875 -> B&W 685's.

Cheers 

 

[ianandyr]

Any PS3 or Sonos owners out there who'd care to offer up some opinions?

Very keen to hear from anyone using a PS3 as a main music source, not just on quality but also ease of use etc.

Cheersÿ

 

[Anonymous]

If you're running lossless files into the same DAC they will both sound identical.

The problem with the PS3 is that the interface isn't as nice as Sonos, and you're limited by file formats.

If you rip with the PS3 I think you can use ATRAC or MP3, but naturally these are lossy codecs, unlike FLAC.

The only way to play lossless on the PS3 - that I can think of right now - is to rip CDs to WAV on a computer and then either stream them over or put them on a memory stick and copy the files onto the PS3 harddrive. You can get FLAC running on the PS3 too in a roundabout way by using a piece of server software that will transcodes the FLACs on the fly. I.e. when you select a FLAC file the computer will convert it to WAV in real time and send it over your network to the PS3.

To conclude, both are capable of the same sound quality ultimately, but the Sonos is a nicer and easier way to do it.

Owning both the PS3 and Sonos is fne because the former will serve up games, films, and play your CDs, whilst the latter will complement it with streaming music.

If you want to combine most of the functionality into one product consider a Mac Mini or Apple TV. You'll lose the gaming capability but have a great interface for video, photo and music, especially when combined with iPod Touch as a remote control.

 

[ianandyr]

Thanks quattro. The PS3 will be under the tree come what may or I will have a very disappointed youngster in the house. I know the Sonos has a very nice interface - wondering how I would get on using the PS3 with a large music library. I believe the PSP can be used as remote in a similar way to the iPod Touch so that's also an option. Still works out many pounds cheaper than a Sonos !

 

[Anonymous]

Yes you can use the PSP but it's still not ideal and the interface becomes more annoying as the music library grows.

I owned everything mentioned in the thread, and think the PS3 is a great value and flexible item, but the navigation of a decent music library is better elsewhere.

 

[ianandyr]

Cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder if a PS3>Eico HF-81>Bose 301s would be possible? Does the PS3 have RCA outputs?

 

[d4v3pum4]

I would also look at the Squeezebox. I've used various streaming devices and it's my favourite as a dedicated music player (flac). The PS3 is cumbersome and slow and not ideal as a media streamer (same goes for Xbox 360). I did demo Sonos but couldn't get on with the look of it (ugly), the clunky 2 handed remote, at least one zone player has to be hard wired and it was pricey. I went with Squeezebox as it offers great sound quality, it's upgradable with plugins and although not as seamless to setup as the Sonos, it is easy to setup and use, it's cheap and I love the display and it has totally transformed the way I listen to music. I did try controlling it using the web interface on a PSP but it's very slow. Now I use my Harmony Remote plus the ipeng app. on my itouch which works a charm with my modest music library. I can't recommend squeezebox highly enough, fantastic product and the software is evolving all the time.

 

[d4v3pum4]

nickgomez:I wonder if a PS3>Eico HF-81>Bose 301s would be possible? Does the PS3 have RCA outputs?

You can use the AV cable (omitting the yellow video cable) for analogue output.

 

[The_Lhc]

The other point about SONOS is it's a multi-room system, that's the point of it, whereas the PS3 isn't. If you don't need multi-room (Whether now or later) then there isn't much point going with SONOS, as suggested already, the Squeezebox might be a better bet (and MUCH cheaper). However if the plan is to build a multi-room system then SONOS is the only choice really, the PS3 won't be any good for that.