Re: Sonos, Bose or Philips!

[Kevin Hawkins <yahoogroupskh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wayne ..

+1 from me on Sonos.too.  I find myself increasingly using online
services rather than my local library as  it works so well , and without
a PC. One of my best buys ever.

Just to clarify though that the Sonos iDevice integration is a bit
of a workaround rather than being integrated AirPlay.   They offer three
solutions none of which quite hits the ease of use that integrated
AirPlay would offer , although there are other advantages and the audio
quality can be better.

1) You can use an Airport Express as an Airplay receiver plugged
into a line input on a Sonos Connect or Play 5.  The player detects
audio presence on this input and can then automatically switch itself
and other predefined  zones to play the music.  So you can just select
the AirPlay zone on your iDevice and the music will play on Sonos.
You can also use the standard zone routing facilities to stream this
AirPlay sourced music to any other rooms you want, perfectly synched.
If you wanted more Airplay zones you could add additional Airport
Express receivers into other Zone players as long as they have an audio
line input,  IIRC the Play 3 doesn't. AirPlay does compromise audio
quality.

2) There's an  iPod doc from Sonos (30 pin connector not Lightning)
which connects via wireless SonosNet and then the iDevice appears as a
source on your selection list of things to play.   Depending on the
actual iDevice model / age you may or may not get track listings and
artwork on other controllers and full browse and playlist management
features, most recent models are OK .  IIRC you do get full library
browse features with their dock and the audio quality is good plus it
acts as a charger..  This is now discontinued but probably still
available from most stockists.

3) Their latest software only offering effectively allows you from
within the Sonos iOS  application to browse and play music held on your
iDevice via the Sonos system.  I think this feature requires iOS 5, at
least it doesn't work on my iPad original version , and I assume that it
handles any FairPlay DRM tracks as well (?). Very nicely playback
continues when you switch applications and during sleep..  Again
excellent quality playback.  You can play different tracks in different
zones and the play list for each zone is manageable from all
controllers. However the music on your iDevice is not available as a
library resource on Sonos so you can't browse the whole library from
other controllers for independent selection.

If your iTunes library is assembled from non DRM protected tracks
held on a network share you can fully browse and play those tracks via
the standard Sonos system of course.

K



On 05/12/2012 13:37, Mark McCall wrote:
> Just setup one of these Philips units for my sister the other day -
> http://autoho.me/SMB9eX
> She wanted to play music from her iPad and didn't want to spend a lot.
>
> You'll not be disappointed by Sonos if you decide to go that way too.
> Been in our house for over 7 years now and one of the best things we
> ever got.
>
> http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/reviews/sonos-long-term-review.html
>
> M.
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 11:48 AM, Neil Ball <neilball@xxxxxxx>
wrote:
>> +1 for Sonos from me too J
>>
>>
>>
>> Just one thing to watch, the Play:3 does not have the headphone or
line-in
>> sockets so is the only zone player in the range not to support
line-in
>> connections (although you can play the line-in source from any
other player
>> in your system).
>>
>>
>>
>> The line-in function is quite useful as it is digitised and made
available
>> to any zone in the house and you don't have to play the line-in
source on
>> the connected zone to listen to it somewhere else either. For
example I have
>> my Sky audio connected to the line-in on one of my zone players
and can then
>> listen to this anywhere else in the house.
>>
>>
>>
>> As Paul mentioned, the latest software update has added the
ability to play
>> music direct from your IOS6 device over wifi rather than needing a
physical
>> dock or the Airplay/line-in method. For those familiar with Sonos,
it allows
>> you to add tracks from your IOS device to the Sonos queue, so you
can now
>> mix and match tracks from your IOS device, or any of the other
track-based
>> music sources (local library, Spotify, Napster etc) into a mixed
queue or
>> save as a playlist. However you can only add music from the IOS
device using
>> the Sonos App on that device, you cannot use a separate controller
(existing
>> Sonos CR100, CR200, Desktop Controller, or a different IOS
device/App) to
>> add music from another device.
>>
>>
>>
>> Neil B.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
>> Mark Gardner
>> Sent: 05 December 2012 10:50
>> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
>> Subject: Re: [ukha_d] Sonos, Bose or Philips!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> +1 for SONOS from me.
>>
>> Nothing else compares.
>>
>> Cheers
>> Mark
>>
>> On 5 Dec 2012, at 11:45, "Paul Gordon"
<paul_gordon@xxxxxxx
>> <mailto:paul_gordon%40hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>>> I can't comment on any of the Bose or Philips stuff, but I can
certainly
>>> chime in on the Sonos questions...
>>>
>>> Firstly, Sonos is very definitely 100% self-contained... there
is no
>>> "server" app required anywhere for it to run.. All
you need is your
>> internet
>>> connection and you have functional internet radio. Then all
you need is
>>> network access to your music library... Sonos integrates with
iTunes, and
>>> supports your iTunes library as a source.
>>> In my case, my music library is 100% MP3 format sitting on a
NAS share
>> which
>>> I point iTunes to, but I do NOT allow iTunes to manage it...
thus I just
>>> point my Sonos to the same NAS share...
>>>
>>> I guess you may not need to access a local music library at
all if you use
>>> any of the popular online music services, as Sonos directly
supports all
>> of
>>> the popular ones such as Napster/Rhapsody, Deezer, Spotify,
Last FM and so
>>> on. There's also a new software update just out which adds
your local
>>> iDevice as a music source.. as you probably know Sonos have
discontinued
>>> their own dedicated hardware controllers in favour of apps for
>>> PC/MAC/Android/iDevice... now with the controller app
installed on an
>>> iDevice, that local iDevice appears as a source which you can
play on any
>>> Sonos zone.
>>>
>>> AFAIK (I don't have any of the PLAY devices), all of the Sonos
players
>> have
>>> a line-in to which an external device can be connected... once
connected
>> to
>>> any Sonos device in your network that is available as a source
on ALL
>> other
>>> devices. That much is certainly true of all of the ZP (now
called
>> "connect")
>>> devices. - I have used this feature to pipe text-to-speech
announcements
>>> from a PC running HA software all over the house.
>>>
>>> The zone synchronisation is unparalleled in my opinion... I
have 4 zones
>> in
>>> a house in which I can usually hear music from more than one
zone at a
>> time,
>>> and any drift in synchronisation would be very obvious... when
the zones
>> are
>>> linked up that are absolutely rock-solid 100% in sync.
>>>
>>> You do NOT need the bridge in order to use the iDevices as
controllers...
>>> you don't need a bridge AT ALL if you can make sure at least
one of your
>>> Sonos devices has a wired connection to your home LAN.. - that
is the
>> basic
>>> rule for a Sonos network... there *must* be a wired point of
contact
>> between
>>> the Sonos network and your network... - if you only had the
portable PLAY
>>> devices and didn't want to plug them into a wired Ethernet
cable (to keep
>>> them portable), then you can use a bridge to fulfil that
requirement... I
>>> believe there's plenty of offers around that bundle a PLAY
device with a
>>> "free" bridge... - you connect the bridge to a wired
connection, then hide
>>> it away and forget it... then all of your zone players can be
completely
>>> wireless...
>>>
>>> One other point which may be worthy of mention is that the
Sonos control
>>> system is based on UPnP and as such is pretty standard...
therefore there
>>> are numerous 3rd party controllers that can be implemented to
give you the
>>> ability to control Sonos functions from other home automation
systems... I
>>> have a CBUS wall switch in the bathroom that starts/stops the
player in
>> that
>>> room...
>>>
>>> I would not hesitate to wholeheartedly recommend the Sonos
system... it is
>>> one of those all too rare treasures that "just
works" and as such has
>>> extremely high WAF
>>>
>>> HTH
>>>
>>> Paul G.
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
>> [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
] On Behalf
>> Of
>>> Wayne Harrison
>>> Sent: 04 December 2012 22:47
>>> To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx <mailto:ukha_d%40yahoogroups.com>
>>> Subject: [ukha_d] Sonos, Bose or Philips!
>>>
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> I am looking to replace a mini hifi in the kitchen and would
like to take
>>> the plunge with WiFi streaming. In-house is starting the move
to Apple (i
>>> tunes / pads / pods / macs etc) so the library that was PC
based is going
>> to
>>> be moving into iTunes at some point.
>>>
>>> All was going to be simple until a recent visit to John Lewes
and the
>>> discovery of the new Bose AirPlay speakers ( http://bit.ly/ViRiHz ). The
>>> plot thickens when I also popped into a Currys Mega store to
find now that
>>> Philips ( http://bit.ly/UEoe0K ) has got in on the
act. (and yes - the
>>> assistants in there wouldn't know a Kettle could boil water
without
>> reading
>>> it off the little price tags in front of them!!)
>>>
>>>
>>> Ideally I would like the ability for the solution to be able
to still play
>>> 'radio' (BBC, Heart, etc...) either as it has a tuner (looking
slim) or be
>>> able to get a stream from the net. Airplay (or wired ethernet)
>> compatibility
>>> would also be good - as mentioned, most of the media will be
in iTunes.
>> Also
>>> the ability to not be tethered to a single computer would be a
bonus
>>> although at some point the 'server' side of my mac's itunes
library will
>> be
>>> moved to a permanently 'on' box.
>>>
>>> The only downside with Bose / airplay in general would appear
to be that
>> you
>>> have to have something pushing out airplay - there is no
intelligence in
>>> them to go it on there own so to speak. Oh - and the biggie,
there are no
>>> multi streams to different zones from the same central library
(as yet
>>> anyways).
>>>
>>> Anyways, a few questions.
>>> Has anyone had any experience with the Philips kit at all, as
I said -
>>> Currys were a waste of space... the chap in there just ranted
about wifi
>> and
>>> routers - and I dont think he even knew what they were! The
'stickers'
>>> suggested internet radio but no idea if it does this off its
own back or
>> you
>>> need an 'app on a server'?
>>>
>>> With Sonos - looking at the video's there seems to be internet
radio built
>>> in, again, does this need an 'app on a server' or do these
things operate
>>> independently of a server for radio access? Same for iTunes
access - is it
>> a
>>> case of setting it up with said 'app' to connect to itunes or
do the boxes
>>> connect directly with itunes HomeShareing?
>>>
>>> There seems to be a workaround to get airplay to work with
Sonos by using
>> an
>>> airport express as a 'feed' into a line in on a 'Play 5' to
which you can
>>> use that as a source. Can this then be routed to any sonos or
will it only
>>> play on the box its plugged into?
>>>
>>> Controls for these will be via iphone or ipad so I would
imaging for Sonos
>>> needing the 'bridge' to get it plugged to the lan?
>>>
>>>
>>> I suppose most importantly - this is mainly (at this point)
going to be
>> used
>>> by the Wife - so big brownie points for ease of use!
>>>
>>> If anyone has any ideas or thoughts that would be a big help.
>>> Hopefully this makes sense!
>>> Wayne.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
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