Sonos 1 or what ?

[CharlesY]

Dear all,

My first post on the forum and apologies if this goes as a really amateurish / newbie question.

I've got following setup:

1 x Marantz NR1501 receiver

3 x JBL 125SAT speakers (1 as centre, 2 as surround)

2 x Jamo A102 speakers (fronts)

1 x JBL SUB125

Above is setup as a humble 5.1 system, which I use rarely to watch movies, mostly to listen music.

1 x Apple TV, connected to receiver, mainly to stream music from PC / iPhone

I mostly listen Classic and Jazz with occasional Rock.

Recently I bought Bose OE2 headphones and noticed that there was more detail in everything I was listening to - not sure if it is me but the sound from my system feels a bit dull. I am nowhere near an audiophile, not even to tell the difference objectively.

Recently had a chance to listen to Sonos 1 in a store and the sound was impressive. Again, I don't see myself listening lossless audio anytime soon, I like the idea of a wireless system, Internet radio etc. So considering to buy a Sonos 1 with a view to add one more in a few months time as a streo pair.

Now, my newbie question, would this improve my sound quality, especially from clarity point of view ? I've been reading really good reviews of these, however it is usually not clear what are they being compared with. Idea sounds good but on the flip side it feels a bit silly to use a single, mono speaker, however good it is, having a 5.1 system.

At the moment, my budget limited to £200 so not really considering another high-end system, but don't want to throw money at Sonos just because it looks cool either.

What would you do ?

Many thanks,

Charles

 

[skippy]

Think it might be a case of upgrading your speakers that you have in your system.

You could start with your fronts, then as money permits do the rest.

You already have a streamer so if you can home demo some different speakers, that would be the best option, also consider buying 2nd hand.

Music shouldn't sound lifeless, a better pair of speakers should do the trick... You may even end up getting back into movies

 

[bigboss]

You mean Sonos 1 right?

 

[CharlesY]

Thanks for the answer, it makes sense. What would be a good choice of speakers, again considering that they would be connected to Marantz NR1501 and the limited budget of about £200 for a pair.

Bigboss - thanks for the reminder, yes I meant Sonos 1 (now corrected).

 

[Broner]

You limit your budget for a pair of speakers to £200, but you are thinking about going for a pair of Sonos 1 speakers, which will cost you £338. Additionally, you will need a Sonos Connect, which costs £279, bringing your total to £617. That is quite a difference.

Anyway, I’ve also had a listen to the Sonos 1 and to me it was quite disappointing, after having read several positive reviews. I guess it all depends on one’s expectation. Sonos is particularly nice because of it’s wireless set up, the possibility to set up a multi-room system and the possibility to control the music from your laptop, tablet or smartphone, which integrates nicely with services such as Spotify or Google Play Music, but also allows you to play music from radio stations or from your hard drive.

I think you will need to decide for yourself what your priorities are. For any given amount of money, it’s very easy to get a much better system than the Sonos speakers if sound quality is your priority. It would be good to check out how Sonos works and whether you want to buy into their system.

Please note that it's also possible to buy a Sonos Connect and add a pair of active speakers, or buy a Sonos Connect: Amp and add a pair of passive speakers (and sell your current amp). This would give you the functionality of the Sonos system with the benefit of better sound quality, depending on the speakers you use, however, this won't be wireless, and it would also exceed your budget.

 

[bigboss]

You limit your budget for a pair of speakers to £200, but you are thinking about going for a pair of Sonos 1 speakers, which will cost you £338.

The OP wants to buy one Sonos 1 first, and then add another later.

Additionally, you will need a Sonos Connect, which costs £279.

Why would he need a Sonos Connect?

 

[bigboss]

Please note that it's also possible to buy a Sonos Connect and add a pair of active speakers, or buy a Sonos Connect: Amp and add a pair of passive speakers (and sell your current amp). This would give you the functionality of the Sonos system with the benefit of better sound quality, depending on the speakers you use, however, this won't be wireless, and it would also exceed your budget.

There are more options:

1) Add Sonos Connect to existing amp. This won't improve sound quality.

2) Use Play:3 or Play:5 instead, again can be used as a stereo pair.

 

[Broner]

You limit your budget for a pair of speakers to £200, but you are thinking about going for a pair of Sonos 1 speakers, which will cost you £338.

The OP wants to buy one Sonos 1 first, and then add another later.

Additionally, you will need a Sonos Connect, which costs £279.

Why would he need a Sonos Connect?

-I noticed that the OP wants to buy one Sonos 1 first, and add another later. But it still means that the OP is comparing apples and oranges, if he doesn't factor in the costs of the second Sonos 1.

-My bad, the Connect isn't necessary.

 

[Tarxman]

I'm quite familiar with both those Jamo A102 speakers and the Sonos Play 1's. I can understand why you'd be so taken with them by comparison, however, I do feel you may be better served heading to your local dealer and trying out some small bookshelf speakers. They will integrate better with your current setup and you'll likely get better performance for money invested if you budget the value of two play 1 speakers into other speakers. As for streaming, there are other ways to get that sort of functionality, such as a Bluetooth adapter which can be used to stream from phones/tablets/computers.

 

[skippy]

Like Tarxman says, go and have a listen.

Monitor Audio BX1, Dali Zenzor 1's and Q acoustics 2020's are in your range

 

[Cypher]

Anyway, I’ve also had a listen to the Sonos 1 and to me it was quite disappointing, after having read several positive reviews.

All Sonos speakers I have listened to have been disappointing. I expected them to sound better after all the sonos hype.

 

[Broner]

Anyway, I’ve also had a listen to the Sonos 1 and to me it was quite disappointing, after having read several positive reviews.

All Sonos speakers I have listened to have been disappointing. I expected them to sound better after all the sonos hype.

Well, I would still consider buying one for a study room or a kitchen, mostly because I like the way it all works. For it's size, the Sonos 1 isn't bad either and outperforms just about about all of those wireless and portable speakers, but then again, you can't take the Sonos 1 with you to the beach.

For the OP I guess it would be worth his while to check out some bookshelf speakers as recommended before.