What wireless speaker should I buy to operate through my iPad?

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

My misses bought me an iPad for Christmas and finally I have a great piece of kit which I can start to develop my home music system. I have to be honest I have grown completely out of touch with technology and am a novice, but i just can't decide on what system I should buy.

i like the look of the sonos system which is on offer at present the play 3 plus bridge and napster included at £229, but then there's the Bose soundlink and b&w a7 which run through airplay. I live in a cottage with thick walls but can access wi if fine across the home without any glitches, however should I opt for the airplay systems or sonos? If I went for the Bose or b&w would I need to purchase the airport express or can these operate without it?

which is the most future forward????? The best purchase long term? And one which I can add to when I move to a larger home.

then there is the portability factor the Bose has the rechargeable attachment and both the Bose and b&w can be plugged into the tv (I think), whereas the rear connection options on the sonos are limited.

then there's the question of the Bluetooth wireless speakers, (to be fair I think I have ruled these out, it seems the price of a good quality Bluetooth speaker I may as well stick with a sonos or good quality airplay unit), however the jawbone jambox big has had some good reviews.

i'm reluctant to have to pay over £200 quid for such a speaker system but would bite the bullet and push the budget if the benefits/quality outweigh anything else.

Products like the ihome and Sony sans don't seem to cut the mustard, is there anything in between, or am I avoiding the inevitable that the best purchase would be a sonos or Bose or b&w?

Help I need some guidance!!!

 

[bigboss]

1) Sonos uses its own mesh network, and is more stable than AirPlay. Also, each Sonos unit has its own network so the zones extend the wireless reach of Sonos.

2) It is future proof, in the sense that you can add more zones to cover your entire house when funds allow, or you move to a bigger place.

3) You can connect your TV to Sonos as well (clicky). Alternatively, you can connect your TV to a powered speaker which is connect to Sonos ZP90 as well, so your TV can use the speakers independent of the Sonos (like what I've done with my bedroom TV & Audioengine 2s) & the same speakers can be used to listening to music from your iPad / Pod Touch / iPhone / NAS drive.

 

[Andy Clough]

Hi mooster, I would go with the Sonos set-up. AirPlay can suffer from wi-fi dropout whereas Sonos has its own wireless mesh which is more robust in my experience. Also, you can now play music directly from an iPad through Sonos (you previously needed an AirPort Express), making it even more flexible. The B&W A7 is very good too, and also works without an AirPort Express, and both systems can easily be expanded if you want to add more speakers in other rooms.

However, you're right, you can't connect the Play:3 to a TV (although you can a Play:5), while the B&W and the Bose have a 3.5mm input jack so you could feed in sound from the TV using the headphone socket on the telly. Personally I'd still take the Sonos or the B&W over the Bose.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks big boss really appreciate the advice, I'm sold then on the sonos. unfortunately I have a bog standard home setup, a Sony kdl32v4000 v+box and xbox 360 which has done the job for several years. I gather then that the zp90 is a conduit for playing music through a current speaker system? If that's the case I have only the speaker from the tv! Embarrassing I know! Does this mean then I could upgrade the sound from my telly with the sonos speaker, the sonos play 5 with its connections plug straight to my tv / v+ box (I don't think my kdl has an optical lead) , but with the play 3 I would have to invest in the zp90? is there any requirement to have the sonos bridge? Do you think the play 3 gift pack rather than a play 5 be the best starter for me?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Andy, both your and big boss advice has been great, what are your thoughts re my reply to big boss?

 

[bigboss]

Your current speaker system is your TV? Then ZP90 is not ideal. You could buy Audioengine 2 powered speakers. You can connect both ZP90 (or Sonos Connect as it's called now) & your TV. Or get a Sonos Play:5 which can connect to your TV. As Andy pointed out, Play:3 will not connect to your TV. But you could start with it, & get something else later for your TV when funds allow.

Sonos Bridge is only required if your router is going to be placed away from the Sonos product you're planning to buy (Play:3, Play:5 or Connect). If the router is in the same place, then simply connect your Sonos to it. At least one Sonos component should connect to your router via an Ethernet cable.

Play:5 is obviously better for you as it solves 2 problems, obviously depends on your budget.

 

[Anonymous]

Top man thanks for help, I'm now in hiding until I get some decent kit, afraid the only speakers in my lounge are the built in speakers in my telly!!