Hi Fi System to Whole Home

[Keyscapeunit]

Hi all, if I want to run my Hi Fi system through my whole house (including the back deck) would Sonos speakers be a good way to go?

[Tardcore]

I kindly refer you to any one of the dozen threads on this exact exhausting topic.

[Keyscapeunit]

Thanks, sounds like a sticky might be in order?

[Tardcore]

Thanks, sounds like a sticky might be in order?

 

Lordy, I hope not.  the TLDR of it is that if you don't care about vinyl quality, Sonos or other similar solutions are fine.  At that point, why not just go with MP3s.

[Keyscapeunit]

Good point! The LPs would still be through the hifi but would allow for the music to be shared through the whole house albeit not at the same quality

[tooclosetosee]

That is what I am doing. It will sound good (it's all relative) but likely not as good as your record set up, it will work, it will be expensive. 

 

What some people consider HIFI and what others do not is a personal thing and it depends on how picky you are about your audio. Me personally, I am not that picky. I can go back and forth from FLAC and vinyl and not care about audio quality. Records for me are more about the experience and feeling connected to the music than the audio quality. 

[circuit bored records]

You can get a very high-end, good quality distributed audio system but you will spend a ton of money doing it and unfortunately that isn't in the cards for most people on this board who start these topics. So yes, Sonos is a good option for most.

[allenh]

There's got to be a cheaper way though for the level of quality you do get from it.

 

I've looked at Sonos recently and really wasn't impressed with the level of sound quality for the money they ask for the various bits.

 

I keep seeing adverts for Baumfield wireless speakers which can be made to make a system much like Sonos and look a bit more hifi but are also more money, I haven't heard them yet though so can't comment on whether they are any better value for money either.

[tooclosetosee]

I think Sonos does not have a match on usability and amount of sources you can use. That is it's big selling point. It is extremely modular as well and you don't have to spend tons of time and/or money putting in physical wires. 

 

allenh, what was the source when you were listening to sonos? That has a lot to do with it. 

 

Audio quality is up to each individuals standards. If you are wanting extremely good sound, then look elsewhere. If you want to throw music outside by the pool, it is perfect. 

[Keyscapeunit]

Thanks guys.  I searched the forum here but didn't find too much in regards to this topic.  The audiophile quality will reside with our current hifi setup, but I would like to throw in music on the deck, in the living/dining room, etc., that would be more ambient quality than direct listening (thinking parties, etc.).  I could see a wireless stereo speaker setup on the deck perhaps.

 

One more question - what would be a good way to run both Sonos and my current setup (a Marantz amp) at the same time?  I know (at least I think I do) that I can hook the Sonos amp to the Marantz Rec Out but I'm not sure if it will still play the phono input through the hifi speakers connected to the Marantz?  If so, I'm assuming there are no ohm requirements from the Sonos so I shouldn't need to be worried about overheating the amp?

 

Hope this makes sense

[Tardcore]

If you use a TAPE out or similar, it should just output whatever the receiver is playing.  I use the TAPE 1 output on my Marantz PM8004 to output to the headphone amp on my desk.  At that point, you're just outputing a line-level signal with no amplification and no volume adjustment.

[allenh]

allenh, what was the source when you were listening to sonos? That has a lot to do with it.

I have a friend who has a completely Sonos run house and I listened to a few different sources and it just left me feeling underwhelmed.

I love the idea of it and if I thought I would be getting value for money I would be in.

I really don't know if the limitation is in the transmission medium, the amplifiers or the speakers but I just didn't like what I heard

[tooclosetosee]

If you already have amplification from your record player then what you want is a sonos:connect (non-amp) it will take the audio input and be able to put that out so any sonos device can play it. You can also probably use that device to stream digital music to your marantz amp. 

 

I use a sonos:connect to push and pull audio from my home theater sound bar because i didn't want to spend $2000 on a sonos sound bar and sub that didn't have an hdmi port. So I can pull audio that is going through my tv, and I can use my sound bar to play sonos controlled music. 

 

I use a sonos:connectAMP for my record playing setup. It is hooked up to a denon DP300f with built in preamp, and goes straight to the connect:amp that drives my wharfedale 10.1 speakers. It will also push digital music to the wharfedales. This is how I grab music from my record player and send it throughout the house. 

 

The difference is one can drive speakers and the other can not. 

 

http://i57.tinypic.com/28k36ah.jpg

[Keyscapeunit]

Thanks tooclosetosee.  I have a Rega RP1 so there is no preamp in the turntable.  The Marantz handles amplification, so the player plugs straight into the Marantz and then the source would pass from the Marantz to the Sonos:Connect.

[seaneee]

I've used Sonos a few times and can never bring myself around to actually buying it. I think it's good for parties and get together situations, but the quality is meh.

 

Honestly, if you want the best sound, it's all about hardwire. I think wireless audio is a couple generations shy of "getting there."

 

I've been doing the hard wire things slowly and putting keystones with stereo jacks in different rooms/outside. Will probably use an A/B switch for receivers as my turntable is hooked up to a solid state and everything else is on a modern receiver.

[ajhall04]

I've used Sonos a few times and can never bring myself around to actually buying it. I think it's good for parties and get together situations, but the quality is meh.

 

Honestly, if you want the best sound, it's all about hardwire. I think wireless audio is a couple generations shy of "getting there."

 

I've been doing the hard wire things slowly and putting keystones with stereo jacks in different rooms/outside. Will probably use an A/B switch for receivers as my turntable is hooked up to a solid state and everything else is on a modern receiver.

This. 

My house was previously hardwired in nearly every room luckily. If you have an attic, basement, it's actually not too bad to do yourself. 

[allenh]

As someone said earlier it depends on your definition of hifi so if your experience of audio is at a level that Sonos is adequate then fine but if not then it just isn't good enough.

 

I'd still like to know where the limitation is, if it's in the transmission medium then we have a long time to wait but if it is with the Sonos electronics and or speakers then there must be a better way.

 

My instinct is that there is something of a limitation in wireless as it stands now but that the Sonos audio electronics and speakers are of a pretty low standard and they are charging much higher quality prices which is my problem with the product as a whole.

 

I get the feeling that the original design brief was to stream mp3 quality and as people are paying the money why do they need to cut their profit margins and make something better.

[Keyscapeunit]

To me (the OP), it's not so much a question of wanting hifi sound or not - I already have that with the hifi setup.  If I want to truly sit and listen to vinyl/hifi/etc., then I would do it in front of my current setup sitting in the optimal position for the loudspeakers (which I do and will continue to do).  However, in a party setting, etc., I would like to be able to play the hifi giddyup but also play ambient music throughout the house.

 

The main issue is that we are moving to a new home and I don't know how easy it will be to run speaker wire to where I want to put speakers, so I am considering wireless as an alternative.  In terms of products available, Sonos is the one I know of the best but perhaps there are alternatives.

[tooclosetosee]

I think what a lot of people are missing here is that you are purchasing the software more than the hardware. If you want comparable audio quality out of a set of speakers you can do it for much cheaper than sonos. Good luck on controlling them easily from any source and any device though. 

 

I have yet to find anything that competes software wise. 

 

You can still use a hard wired solution and run connect amps to everything. It just gets expensive really fast, but then so does all of the other whole house audio solutions. 

[Tardcore]

I have yet to find anything that competes software wise. 

 

Airplay?

[circuit bored records]

Airplay?

AirPlay is only essentially a one way connection; one phone has the capability to stream to one device. Streaming to multiple devices or speakers is not supported by AirPlay or Bluetooth. You need something that incorporates distributed audio into it's software and hardware, and again, that usually doesn't come cheaply. Whether it's a wireless solution or wired, it'll always cost.

There is currently a competitor to Sonos called Play-Fi, essentially very similar but they are claiming better sound quality (supports hi-resolution streaming), also portability and versatility to cross brands. Currently to my knowledge, Polk Audio, Denon and Definitive Technology all make Play-Fi compatible speakers and adapters. Same price points as Sonos speakers so don't expect them any cheaper, but for those looking into Sonos but are let down by sound quality, I would say to at least check out the Play-Fi speakers.

[Tardcore]

Not sure what you mean.

 

I can select multiple speaker sources with my airplay setup.  I very rarely have a reason to actually do that, but I have a wireless speaker in the kitchen, my receiver in the living room and speakers connected directly to my PC on my desk.

[circuit bored records]

If it were me building out the system personally and sound quality was a high priority, I would build out reasonably priced two-channel set ups in each room (speakers + amplifier) and use a Sonos connect or Play-Fi adapter in each one. That way I get the full functionality of a Sonos or wireless "whole house" system but I get to actually choose the speakers and amps I would be using, which of course will have a larger impact on sound quality than the fact that the music is streaming over wifi. Even those Pioneer bookshelf speakers hooked up to a cheap amp will sound better than a $400 Play 5 Sonos speaker and it would cost less (not including the adapter of course). And then you also have the option and flexibility to use wired connections on the same system now as well (turntable, CD player, etc.)

[circuit bored records]

Not sure what you mean.

 

I can select multiple speaker sources with my airplay setup.  I very rarely have a reason to actually do that, but I have a wireless speaker in the kitchen, my receiver in the living room and speakers connected directly to my PC on my desk.

Sorry, you can stream to multiple devices with a computer using AirPlay, just not an iPhone or iPad. Most people nowadays want to use a portable device as a controller but yes if you are using your computer I believe AirPlay supports up to 6 devices at once.

[Tardcore]

Sorry, you can stream to multiple devices with a computer using AirPlay, just not an iPhone or iPad. Most people nowadays want to use a portable device as a controller but yes if you are using your computer I believe AirPlay supports up to 6 devices at once.

 

You can control itunes with the IOS remote app.  I think there is an Android version as well.  The whole thing works as well or better and is basically free assuming you own a computer.