Question Sonos or Audio Pro or Bluesound

Dan Needs Help

Active member
Oct 20, 2020
12
10
25
Visit site
Relative newb here that is going to take the easy way out, and instead of doing the "right" thing with separates will be starting with a wifi system. Basing that on budget/brain capacity right now.

Loved the reviews of the three market leaders here, but wondering if anybody else had experience going head to head.

Seems to me the most important thing for these should be the native sampling rates, and it seems the Sonos 5 goes does 48kHz, while the Bluesound 2i does 192kHz. Still efforting to find out what the Addon 10/Drumline do.

I listen to streaming, but also the hi-res concert recordings on archive.org. Will also plug in a record player. Trying to cover two connected spaces but will only have one speaker in each.

Thanks for the advice. And I'm all ears if anyone wants to suggest a "real" hi-fi set up for around $1,200. I started falling in love with the Cambridge stuff, and the price tags got a little hefty fast.
 

Tonestar1

Moderator
Hi Dan,
Welcome to the forums.
I would look for a two speaker wireless setup rather than a one box solution if you are looking for a true hifi sound as you will get proper stereo separation which is very difficult to achieve with on box systems. Maybe Kef LSX for your main listening space and a cheaper one box solution for the other room.
Or you could go for the Yamaha, which is very highly regarded, and some bookshelves in one room and take your pick from the MusicCast speakers and you have the start of a really nice multiroom system whilst having a proper hi-fi in your main listening space.

 

batonwielder

Well-known member
May 13, 2008
32
2
18,545
Visit site
Go used. Bluesound Node 2 can be had used for about $350. A Cambridge CXA60 should be around $400 (I wouldn't pay any more than that). Q Acoustics 3020 is $220 new. That's a perfectly enjoyable system for way under your budget.
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
Bluesound PowerNode with some good budget speakers (PSB, Q Acoustics, Monitor Audio or Dali) for your main listening space. Add a Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i for the secondary room, and you've got all your requirements ticked.

The PowerNode will happily withstand significant future upgrades of your main system.
 

scene

Well-known member
Hi Dan - and welcome to the forums :)

As someone who has a *lot* of Sonos kit, I'd agree that if you want proper hi fi sound go for a proper hi fi setup, with some good (budget) speakers for your main listening space - as suggested. If you're only going to have two rooms, I wouldn't go down the Sonos route, but if you are looking to expand it might be worth considering. If you were going down the Sonos route I would have recommended the Sonos Connect (or Conect Amp) - put that's no longer an option, and the reviews of the Sonos Port have been less than flattering, so I would hesitate a bit in recommending it... But it is another option - rather than the Bluesound route.

And yes, secondhand to keep costs down is an option I'd seriously look at. How big are your two rooms, btw?
 

Dan Needs Help

Active member
Oct 20, 2020
12
10
25
Visit site
Thanks everybody. Really appreciate the warm welcome and advice. I'm excited to learn more as the passion develops. This is really re-awaking - so many hours in the listening rooms at UCSC's music department, often with the musicians we were studying as music sociologists.

So the main room is about 14' by 32' or so, with a big opening in one wall, and a smaller opening going into the kitchen. The other room is really a combo kitchen/sitting area, with the sound more geared towards the sitting area, so probably about 8' by 25', but idea was really to focus on the 8' x 8' sitting area.

The main room is empty now, and we'll be getting furniture at some point to make it a living room/dining room area. But the hi-fi comes first. Priorities, right?

Based on the above it seems like something to power two bookshelf speakers will give me the best sound in there, and then throw it to wifi speaker for the small room. Going to start shopping that out now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tonestar1

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts