Info re Sonos

I have touched on this subject before,well computer audio related. I am considering setting up a system in my living room and was interested to get info from any sonos users. I am considerin a Sonos controller and the amplified zone unit and connecting this to a pair of smallish stand mount speakes. What I would like to know is.......
Is this all I need ? Does this unit connect wirelessly to my current PC wireless system?
How good is the sound that it produces I know this is very much down to opinion but generally I want reasonable quality with ease of use.
I intend ripping all my cds to itunes,windows media,or similar and would prefer to do it in a lossless format.I take on board some of the membrs earlier comments and intend obtaining two external harddrives to provide storage and back up.

Speakers will be any reasonably good small stand mounts,proac etc.

My intention is to ultimately convert to some form of didgital storage /access meium and probably sell my main system. So I would like some guidance on the easiest route. My inital thoughts were using a cradle,ipod and something like a Kingrex amp with speakers but the Sonos seems like a reasonbly easy solution and I could ultimately include other rooms.

Your thoughts would be appreciated .

 

Ihavent heard the sonos.

Reading the site, the zoneplayers seem to have 55w class D amplifiers.

Have you heard this kind of module before?

I would personally say it is (the good) - clean, clear and crisp, excellent detail (the bad) - lack the weight and body of a chunky valve or hifi class a/b / a amp.

as a wireless-music-streamer chap myself, I'd be reluctant to expect too much of a 55w class D amp found in a $500 box, Im sure it will sound good - but I wouldnt put £1k speakers on the end and expect audiophile sounds, perhaps a seperate amp and wireless music router for that kind of critical listening.

.. or perhaps a wireless device (any kind sonos, any..) .. and some active speakers is another option to consider.

Good luck, and hope you get to the results you want.

 

Thanks Bottleneck,I am probably looking for the same info as DR Martin on another thread.Its like starting all over again as its a different technology and there are lots of different systems.I looked at dbpower and was interested in the ripnas storage but its expensive and I want top bang for my bucks.I think this one is going to involve a lot of research.Apple is probably the simplest route but I would rather select the one I prefer than possibly the simplest oute.

 

Some further assistance/guidance sought. After reading endless amounts of material on wireless streaming etc I need some advice. Where I am/was is I decided to think about an amp with a dac(one box wife will like it).So I am looking at the xtc integrated . The problem I have now is that after considering a non amplified Sonos unit fed by a Ripnas unit someone has suggested that it would be a cheaper route to use a server (HP/Acer etc or products such as QNAPS) than the RIPNAS and use a Logitech receiver and remote. I realise that to rip all my cds I would have to invest in a unit to do this as the IT guys beside me reckon my pc drive wouldnt handle it well. Apart from what i think is the obvious ,the RIPNAS is straight forward to use ie rips and stores and has a lot of "ease of use" facilities preloaded is the server unit a better route? Any useful input /guidance would be of assistance

 

Hi Colin

I simply stuffed a 500gb HD in my PC (I'd use a terrabyte one now of course, they are available and cheap).

I bought a squeezebox 3.

My computer is about 2-3 years old, an early quad-core. Its nothing flash - it works absolutely great with the SB3, no issues at all. Reckon your IT boys might have it a bit wrong. A mate of mine (an IT guy) was using his SB3 with a computer that is REALLY old. Specifications on the PC really dont need to be anything special at all.

You can run a SB3 (or touch or whatever version takes your fancy) wireless or wired. You can use an iphone, pda, or laptop (which I use) as a remote control with a screen of course.

My laptop simply provides a duplicate of the music server on the main pc where the music is stored.

Some people upgrade logitech devices, some use better power supplies, some use a better DAC.

Its a very cheap way to get great sounds. The stock SB3 is as good sounding as a sub £1k CDP in my personal opinion, but if you want ''highest high end'' you may want DACs etc.

Sonos gives a nice user interface, and for many it's a nice way in.

People with MACS often buy 'apple airport' and stream music that way.

There are much more expensive streaming options, and when you want to spend perhaps £3k plus, they are worth a look.

If you want budget streaming and have a regular PC, a bigger harddrive (£40?) and a £160 SB3 is a cheap way to get good sounds.

NB
Your PC friends definately wrong.

 

Thanks for that, after looking at lots of alternatives you are sort of pointing me in the direction that I am probably heading.Effectively I am getting options of Mac Minis and Sonos and RIPNAS and the more I learn the more I can see the benefits of adding an external or internal, if I can fit it, harddrive.I will be ripping lots of cds so I would like to make the output reasonably safe with back ups. Then use the Logitech with my amp to deliver the sounds. What I want to spend is aboout 1500, so far amp and speakers,System audio,£700, I reckon £250 would get me a decent ext harddrive and 250 for the logitech duet. Sounds alright , may have to get some long speaker cable as I have agreed to put the cable under the floor but I am not gonna spend much on that. Appreciate your input as its a subject which still seems to have most of the support on online forums.

 

Worth pointing out that the newer Mac notebooks will take a 1TD hard drive.
These drives are slightly fatter than smaller capacity drives and so don't fit many PC notebooks (and older macs) but fit the new ones perfectly.

1TB holds an awful lot of lossless music.
I've about 1200 albums on mine and the drive is about 1/3 full - including the OSX system files and the rest of my gunk.

In my case I used a Western Digital Scorpio Blue - £115.
it seems to perform as well as smaller dives in terms of speed and is whisper quiet. The only slight 'hit' is a slightly longer machine start-up time as the drive takes a wee bit longer to spin-up.

Worth doing IMO as you can let iTunes uses the default music folder on the notebook (it always tries to do this even with external drives connected which is a pain) and the whole playing/ripping/searching process is more responsive using the internal SATA drive.

 

Thanks Rob , I have a spare slot in my PC , dont use Mac, if I could add a drive in there it might be useful,I am just conscious that once I have done this I intend shipping a lot of my cds on so want to ensure I have a safety net which is why I thought about a back up exeternal. I still have a spare 300g on my pc but I tend to do things with a reasonable margin of error allowance so for the sake of a £150 - £200 I would like the back up. Not sure what software to use to manage my files I need to investigate that.Itunes is relatively simple but I find that its not as user freindly as others. However it may be the simplest route and ultimately all I want is to have a lot of my music available at little effort.Biggest thing for me will be parting with my TT and albums.I may try to digitise some as I know they are not available elswhere.

 

Just thought I would give an update on what I have eventually done. Went for the Sonos unit and have connected the amplified unit to a set of System audio speakers I picked up mint for £100, Living room sorted and most impressed I am. Other zone bridge is upstairs connected to my hifi rig and I am really very impressed with the quality I am getting. Next step is I will add a dac to the unit and see how good we can get this thing.

The last piece of info /advice I need is I am attached a 2tb NAS unit to my computer and will commence cd ripping. I currently have to make a choice over the software system, itunes is commonly used and I am sure is ok, I run an account for my son and wife but I have never liked how it functions.Dont get me wrong its ok but I always felt Windows media player more user friendy. So the question is Itunes.WMP or Foobar etc.I wont to rip lossless and have the ability to use the files in future if need be. Dont get all techy on me here just your thoughts and ultimately does it make any difference?