Sonos vs Airport Express

[omnibeard]

About to move into my new house - well, it's old but new to me. I've wired it all up so wireless network issues are not a problem. Bearing that in mind, my problem is as follows:

I have a couple of AEXs kicking around, never really got on with them for one reason or another - wireless drop out problems in current house due to massive thick stone walls meant they just never really worked consistently.

With a wired network, presumably they should just work, always?

I also have various ipads/ipods/android devices kicking around. Each of these can be used as a controller to stream to an individual AEX from the NAS wired into the network. So, for example, 2 ipads would give control over 2 zones.

Obviously Sonos can just stream different content to multiple receivers using, for example, just one controller. But if I'm happy having to use multiple controller devices to do the same thing, then what would be the advantage of Sonos over that? How does Sonos sound quality compare to AEX, presuming decent quality DACS are used where necessary? I get the advantages of the Sonos mesh network stuff, but if I'm doing everything on a wired network then that should work fine?

OK, think I've just answered my own question - streaming from iTunes on an ipad is still relying on the wireless connection between ipad and network, whereas the Sonos boxes are commanded wirelessly, but then can be set up to pull all the music from the NAS over the wired network, or over their own mesh network (I am keen to have everything connected to the wired network).

So, is Sonos the answer, or is there a way of using AEXs and various controller devices without having to rely on a wireless network for the actual streaming? For example, is there a way of telling a NAS to stream content A to AEX A, and content B to AEX B? That would mean you were only relying on a wireless network to command the NAS, from there on it would all be done over the wired network.

If I have all my files on the NAS, itunes on an ipad and I use the ipad to stream to an AEX, is the ipad accessing the music file over wifi, then streaming to the AEX over wifi too? Or does itunes server on, for example, the Synology DS212j work differently than this?

Hope this makes sense!?!

 

[omnibeard]

Sorry if this should be in a different forum!

 

[The_Lhc]

Main advantage of Sonos is that, as well as playing different things in each room (you won't be able to do that using one iPad to a bunch of AExs) you can also play the same thing in every room (or a subset of rooms) in perfect sync. AEx won't do that.

 

[John Duncan]

Main advantage of Sonos is that, as well as playing different things in each room (you won't be able to do that using one iPad to a bunch of AExs) you can also play the same thing in every room (or a subset of rooms) in perfect sync. AEx won't do that.

Not quite correct. It won't do it with Airplay (ie you can only 'beam' from an iThing to one AEX) but from iTunes (or using Airfoil) on a PC/Mac you can beam to any or all of them.

It won't do the former though (different music in each room), unless you have an iPhone or iPad for each of the AEXes, which seems a bit ostentatious

EDIT - just read the OP more closely, and it seems he is not beyond a little ostentation...;-)

 

[The_Lhc]

Main advantage of Sonos is that, as well as playing different things in each room (you won't be able to do that using one iPad to a bunch of AExs) you can also play the same thing in every room (or a subset of rooms) in perfect sync. AEx won't do that.

Not quite correct. It won't do it with Airplay (ie you can only 'beam' from an iThing to one AEX) but from iTunes (or using Airfoil) on a PC/Mac you can beam to any or all of them.

In *perfect* sync?

 

[omnibeard]

Yeah, I'm pretty damn ostentatious.

Worked in IT for many years until recently, so have lots of bits of stuff kicking around is all.

I guess what I need to know is how itunes server works on a NAS. If it can be told to stream different content to different AEXs over a wired network.

Even with my ostentatious use of multiple controller devices, it looks to me like that would still come down to streaming from NAS to, say, ipad then again to AEX. Which I don't want to have to do wirelessly.

Think I remember reading something along the lines of having a computer running multiple instances of itunes, each of which could then stream to individual zones, or to multiple zones. There would be a few ways of doing that, but it's a bit messy and requires a computer switched on 24/7 which kinda defeats point of NAS.

Something called itunes server running on a NAS instinctively sounds to me like it should be able to stream different content to different zones, but from having a quick google I can't find any confirmation of this.

 

[omnibeard]

Main advantage of Sonos is that, as well as playing different things in each room (you won't be able to do that using one iPad to a bunch of AExs) you can also play the same thing in every room (or a subset of rooms) in perfect sync. AEx won't do that.

Not quite correct. It won't do it with Airplay (ie you can only 'beam' from an iThing to one AEX) but from iTunes (or using Airfoil) on a PC/Mac you can beam to any or all of them.

In *perfect* sync?

To be honest, this isn't the deal for me - what is the deal is being able to stream different content over a wired network from same NAS to multiple AEXs. It could, I guess, be done with 2 or more NASs (ie a NAS per zone) but even for someone as ostentatious as myself, that seems a bit overkill. Especially when it seems to me that this should just be bread and butter for a bit of kit calling itself itunes server!

 

[John Duncan]

In *perfect* sync?

Yep, Airport Express adds a 2 sec delay in transmission (and presumably a handshake of sort) so that they all sync together.

 

[omnibeard]

From my experience I would have to agree with this - when all the AEXs were actually working (my fault not theirs due to placement of wifi transmitters and thick stone walls) they were in perfect sync.

 

[John Duncan]

I guess what I need to know is how itunes server works on a NAS. If it can be told to stream different content to different AEXs over a wired network.

(SNIP)

Something called itunes server running on a NAS instinctively sounds to me like it should be able to stream different content to different zones, but from having a quick google I can't find any confirmation of this.

iTunes server running on a NAS isn't actually a server at all; it basically acts as a shared library which is then available to anything that can consume it (iDevices or iTunes on a running PC). So to have 'zones' the way you've described it (as in avoiding wireless transmission), you're looking at Squeezebox or Sonos I'd say.

 

[bigboss]

.....or Raumfeld.

 

[The_Lhc]

Main advantage of Sonos is that, as well as playing different things in each room (you won't be able to do that using one iPad to a bunch of AExs) you can also play the same thing in every room (or a subset of rooms) in perfect sync. AEx won't do that.

Not quite correct. It won't do it with Airplay (ie you can only 'beam' from an iThing to one AEX) but from iTunes (or using Airfoil) on a PC/Mac you can beam to any or all of them.

In *perfect* sync?

To be honest, this isn't the deal for me

What makes you think this is still about you?

Huh, looks like my self-censor filter has finally broken for good, this could get interesting. For Chinese values of "interesting" at any rate...

 

[The_Lhc]

.....or Raumfeld.

Or SimpleAu... oh wait, that won't work.

 

[John Duncan]

Huh, looks like my self-censor filter has finally broken for good

Joined: 16/10/2008

 

[omnibeard]

I guess what I need to know is how itunes server works on a NAS. If it can be told to stream different content to different AEXs over a wired network.

(SNIP)

Something called itunes server running on a NAS instinctively sounds to me like it should be able to stream different content to different zones, but from having a quick google I can't find any confirmation of this.

iTunes server running on a NAS isn't actually a server at all; it basically acts as a shared library which is then available to anything that can consume it (iDevices or iTunes on a running PC). So to have 'zones' the way you've described it (as in avoiding wireless transmission), you're looking at Squeezebox or Sonos I'd say.

OK, thanks - seems a bit mental, it's just software dev at apple to sort this out surely, and they must know people would want this. If they fix this then it looks like a NAS with "itunes server" running on it would be great Sonos alternative.

Still, I guess Apple know what they're doing, share prices would suggest so.

Whichever way I look, it does seem that Sonos is the answer.

Re squeezebox - the squeezebox touch looks to me like it "should" be designed slightly diff so that you can carry the touch screen bit away from a base unit (which is wired to network). Touch screen bit would then wirelessly tell base unit to communicate with squeezebox server on NAS (or it would just communicate wirelessly directly to NAS) and NAS would then stream to the base unit. From what I see, that's not how it works - the portablity of the unit being compromised by, in my case, wanting to wire it to the network. Does that sound right?

 

[The_Lhc]

Huh, looks like my self-censor filter has finally broken for good

Joined: 16/10/2008

Yeah, took longer than I thought...

 

[The_Lhc]

Re squeezebox - the squeezebox touch looks to me like it "should" be designed slightly diff so that you can carry the touch screen bit away from a base unit (which is wired to network). Touch screen bit would then wirelessly tell base unit to communicate with squeezebox server on NAS (or it would just communicate wirelessly directly to NAS) and NAS would then stream to the base unit. From what I see, that's not how it works - the portablity of the unit being compromised by, in my case, wanting to wire it to the network. Does that sound right?

Even if it's not wired to the network it'll have to be wired to something, a DAC or amp, so you'll still be restricted. Must admit I've always thought it was an odd configuration for a touchscreen device.

 

[omnibeard]

What makes you think this is still about you?

My steely sense of self-confidence bordering on arrogance and narcissism.

 

[omnibeard]

Even if it's not wired to the network it'll have to be wired to something, a DAC or amp, so you'll still be restricted. Must admit I've always thought it was an odd configuration for a touchscreen device.

It is an odd configuration.

In case of Sonos it is correctly designed, if I understand it correctly, at least as far as my needs are concerned (ie. not wanting to have to rely on wireless). A base unit that is communicated to by a controller wirelessly (that bit's fine over wifi) which then pulls music off of a wired network. I know most people will use Sonos wirelessly, and are perfectly happy with it, but I'm going to stick to my guns and insist on connecting whatever I finally choose to the wired network. Probably just cos I don't want to look like a moron for having networked my house up for no good reason.

 

[omnibeard]

If an AEX could serve as a DLNA client that might do the trick, but I don't think it can?

 

[John Duncan]

OK, thanks - seems a bit mental, it's just software dev at apple to sort this out surely, and they must know people would want this. If they fix this then it looks like a NAS with "itunes server" running on it would be great Sonos alternative.

Still, I guess Apple know what they're doing, share prices would suggest so.

Whichever way I look, it does seem that Sonos is the answer.

Re squeezebox - the squeezebox touch looks to me like it "should" be designed slightly diff so that you can carry the touch screen bit away from a base unit (which is wired to network). Touch screen bit would then wirelessly tell base unit to communicate with squeezebox server on NAS (or it would just communicate wirelessly directly to NAS) and NAS would then stream to the base unit. From what I see, that's not how it works - the portablity of the unit being compromised by, in my case, wanting to wire it to the network. Does that sound right?

To my mind, the Squeezebox isn't portable at all, it's just small. Controlling it is very much a job for your iPhone or Android (iPeng is very nice).

I'm not sure iTunes Server is even an Apple thing; they think your PC should be on or you have an iDevice to stream to something Airplay-enabled.

Having said all that, though, I wonder if Apple TV would do what you want...

 

[John Duncan]

What makes you think this is still about you?

My steely sense of self-confidence bordering on arrogance and narcissism.

30-15...

 

[John Duncan]

If an AEX could serve as a DLNA client that might do the trick, but I don't think it can?

Nope. Tuh.

EDIT - plenty of things around the same price or less that can though.

 

[omnibeard]

I think Sonos is probably the answer!

 

[omnibeard]

To my mind, the Squeezebox isn't portable at all, it's just small. Controlling it is very much a job for your iPhone or Android (iPeng is very nice).

I'm not sure iTunes Server is even an Apple thing; they think your PC should be on or you have an iDevice to stream to something Airplay-enabled.

Having said all that, though, I wonder if Apple TV would do what you want...

It would, as would a mini mac or a netbook, or a dedicated streamer or such like. I'm just a bit infuriated that a setup with multiple AEXs and some kind of improved itunes server software running on a NAS doesn't yet exist as this would be perfect, and wouldn't require another box permanently switched on.