Upgrading the Lounge part of my Sonos setup

[admin_exported]

Hi all, Not sure which forum this belonged in but went for hifi in the end as that's the bit I'm keen to get an opinion on. I have recently bought the first zone for my new house, and have a Sonos ZP100 amplifier feeding a pair of Q Acoustics 1010 speakers, which perform well for their size. The plan is in October (when I've got more dosh), to move the 1010's and the ZP100 into the kitchen, and then for the living room either a) Buy another ZP100 and a pair of Monitor Audio BR2s
b) Buy a Sonos ZP80, and then buy a Rotel RA04 and some Monitor Audio BR2s
c) Buy a Sonos ZP80, and then buy a Roksan Kandy LIII and Monitor Audio Silver RS1s Given that the source is going to lossless audio off of my NAS is it worth going for option c) over b), or will the money be wasted as the Roksan will just highlight problems with the source?? I have to say I like option b) and c) because it allows me to add multiple additional sources later. The reason I have chosen Monitor Audio speakers is that they are always talked about as not too choosy about where they are positioned. Are there any other speakers in these price ranges I should be looking at? Thanks in advance. James

 

[Andrew Everard]

Having run the Sonos systems through my hefty TAG McLaren Audio/PMC rig in the past for testing, I've have no problems at all with the c) option on quality grounds.

The Roksan wouldn't be my personal choice, although I know it has many fans on the magazine: I'd be more inclined towards the likes of the Musical Fidelity X-T100, which is about £900 but worth every penny, or the £725 Naim NAIT 5i - both of which I reckon you should hear.

But I have no qualms about the MA speakers - I've got a pair of the little GS10s at home at the moment for a forthcoming Gramophone review, and they're laaarvely!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Andrew.

I'll definitely take a look at the Naim, but I feel the Musical Fidelity is a touch too far pricewise for me.

By the way, is it going to be asy for me to demo these?? Do hi fi dealers really let you take stuff home to trial these days??

James

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="jimsmac"]Do hi fi dealers really let you take stuff home to trial these days??[/quote]

One can only ask. You may have to give a credit card swipe for the value first, which will be cancelled if you decide not to buy.

We've always thought that's what proper retailers do - maybe some people out there would like to name or shame local shops?

 

[Anonymous]

On further investigation it appears that a number of my local dealers stock the Sonos system, so hopefully I can dem some of this kit with Sonos as the source.
If i can't have have Sonos as the source, is there a certain CD player you guys would recommend I should demo with?

Thanks for all your help so far!
James

 

[Andy Clough]

is there a certain CD player you guys would recommend I should demo with?

If you like the Roksan Kandy L.III amp, then consider the Roksan Kandy MkIII CD player (£650) or Cyrus CD6s (£650). Both are excellent.