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Apple Music Coming to Sonos Home Audio Systems by End of 2015

jdag said:
I actually think that your statement "...but this is the first time I've really needed AirPlay since installing my Sonos..." is telling.

While I am absolutely not dismissing that having AirPlay built into Sonos would be a welcomed benefit, once you become accustomed to the Sonos ecosystem you may not really miss AirPlay too much.

I also see a lot of complaints from people that the Sonos Play:1 and Play:3 speakers lack an Aux input option. Again, likely something that a non-user might see as a negative, but once in place you likely won't miss it much if at all.
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I agree - I've had the Play:5 for over 2 years and the Airport Express for even longer but have never found the need or desire to connect the two together until now

I'm sure that once Apple Music is supported natively on Sonos it'll be disconnected again :)
 
Phil A. said:
I had loads of issues with Airplay (dropouts, etc) so moved to Sonos a few years ago and haven't looked back. I was disappointed that Apple Music isn't available yet on Sonos, but dug out an old AirPort express base station and plugged it into a Sonos Play:5 so now I have AirPlay support integrated with my sonos system and can play Apple Music via that. The Airport Express is wired via Ethernet so hopefully I won't get any of the dropouts that used to plague me with AirPlay in the past


I guess I could have done it years ago, but this is the first time I've really needed AirPlay since installing my Sonos system :)
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Wait... so iTunes doesn't play through the Sonos? Now I'm confused. I thought it did.
 
Sill said:
Wait... so iTunes doesn't play through the Sonos? Now I'm confused. I thought it did.
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It depends what you mean by iTunes - Sonos has never supported streamed from the cloud music from Apple (i.e. no Match support): What it supports is a local iTunes library that it can connect to via a network share and local music on your iOS device. This still works but only for non-drm music. If you have iTunes match active alongside your apple music subscription, stuff you upload to your library and stuff you've bought will still be DRM free and will still work with Sonos. Stuff you download that you haven't bought (i.e. just using your apple music subscription) won't play on Sonos until they release support for Apple music.

Be aware also that if you don't have iTunes match, any music downloaded to your phone for offline playback will have DRM (even if you uploaded it without DRM) so won't work with Sonos
 
Phil A. said:
It depends what you mean by iTunes - Sonos has never supported streamed from the cloud music from Apple (i.e. no Match support): What it supports is a local iTunes library that it can connect to via a network share and local music on your iOS device. This still works but only for non-drm music. If you have iTunes match active alongside your apple music subscription, stuff you upload to your library and stuff you've bought will still be DRM free and will still work with Sonos. Stuff you download that you haven't bought (i.e. just using your apple music subscription) won't play on Sonos until they release support for Apple music.

Be aware also that if you don't have iTunes match, any music downloaded to your phone for offline playback will have DRM (even if you uploaded it without DRM) so won't work with Sonos
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In addition to what Phil A mentioned, using your iTunes library through the Sonos app requires that:

1) The computer storing your iTunes music be running, or
2) If you store your iTunes music on a NAS, that NAS has to be running and available on the network
 
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Phil A. said:
It depends what you mean by iTunes - Sonos has never supported streamed from the cloud music from Apple (i.e. no Match support): What it supports is a local iTunes library that it can connect to via a network share and local music on your iOS device. This still works but only for non-drm music.
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I don't use any cloud services from any provider, and all my music and movies are stored locally, no DRM. I don't have music on my iOS stuff - aside from an old iPhone4 I used as a Touch, but I wouldn't be using that in my system. When I'm talking about iTunes over Sonos, I'm just talking about Homesharing. I have my iMac driving AppleTV, and I have a sizeable movie collection stored on the internal drive. I just want to be able to play movies on the TV and have the sound go through to the Sonos setup. Essentially, I'm asking if iTunes can be used as the server for Sonos, or do I have to have a Sonos application handling my media? I went through that with Plex, and I don't want to repeat that disaster.

Phil A. said:
If you have iTunes match active alongside your apple music subscription, stuff you upload to your library and stuff you've bought will still be DRM free and will still work with Sonos. Stuff you download that you haven't bought (i.e. just using your apple music subscription) won't play on Sonos until they release support for Apple music.
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I still haven't decided if I want an Apple Music description - even a trial version. From what I can tell, signing up means Apple has complete access to the local library, for "matching" purposes. Until I see that can be blocked, I'm not going to try it.

Phil A. said:
Be aware also that if you don't have iTunes match, any music downloaded to your phone for offline playback will have DRM (even if you uploaded it without DRM) so won't work with Sonos
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Not a problem here.If I decided to get Sonos, and it works with iTunes, I have about 30 days of continuous listening from years of collecting music. No need for an outside service.
 
jdag said:
In addition to what Phil A mentioned, using your iTunes library through the Sonos app requires that:

1) The computer storing your iTunes music be running, or
2) If you store your iTunes music on a NAS, that NAS has to be running and available on the network
Click to expand...


Having the computer running is something I'm used to. I have to wake it up every time I want to play a movie. Its not a great difficulty. Now that NAS prices are falling, I'm seriously thinking about getting in a couple of 5TB units, one for server one for backup, and digitizing everything. I just don't know enough about it though, to know if its going to be easy. Can something like that be done with only, or mostly, Apple software? Again, I don't want a repeat of the Plex debacle here.
 
Sill said:
...I just want to be able to play movies on the TV and have the sound go through to the Sonos setup...
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The only Sonos speaker that will connect to your TV is the Playbar. Technically, the Play:5 has an Aux input and will play TV sounds, but you will have lip sync issues. With that in mind, what you are suggesting is exactly what I have setup:

iMac w/iTunes running 24x7x365 in my office
AppleTV in my family room connected via HDMI to my TV
TV connected via optical cable to the Sonos Playbar (and wirelessly to the Subwoofer and 2 Play:1 speakers as surrounds to complete the 5.1 setup)

If I am watching AppleTV or any other TV programming, all sound is out of the Playbar/Sub/Surrounds. The TV sound has been disabled. In addition, I can use the Sonos app to play any other programming to the family room, be it Spotify, Pandora, my iTunes library, radio stations, etc. assuming the TV is not in use.

I also have 2 Play:1 speakers in my office, 1 in my bedroom, and 1 in my sitting room. Each can be played independently or grouped in any way I want right from the app. Further, different people can play different programming at the same time. Generally I have all speakers grouped and have music all throughout the house. Volume can be controlled as a group or for each room separately. It is quite flexible.

Lastly, it took me 5x longer to type all this up that it would to teach anyone (including technically challenged people) to use the system. It is super simple to use.
 
Phil A. said:
I agree - I've had the Play:5 for over 2 years and the Airport Express for even longer but have never found the need or desire to connect the two together until now

I'm sure that once Apple Music is supported natively on Sonos it'll be disconnected again :)
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Go on eBay and pick up a Sonos dock (you may need a 30 pin to lightning adapter). Then you can stream anything from the phone through Sonos.
 
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Uofmtiger said:
I don't have time to go over every inaccurate statement about airplay right now, but the limitation is with iTunes not Airplay. In other words, if your iTunes library is on a Synology NAS you can stream different or the same audio over multiple Airplay receivers using their DS Audio app. iTunes will only send the same stream to multiple receivers.
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Sure - but multiple iTunes can airplay to different speakers from one shared library. Thought I think shared libraries are a bit pointless with Apple Music.
 
jdag said:
That's possible. You'll spend major $$$ on the 4+ multi zone amp. And, if you've ever tried to control a multi-zone amp, even one with just 2 zones, you quickly realized that it is cumbersome at best. Not to mention you'll have to wire your home. If you truly want 4-8 separate locations:

1) Seriously explore Sonos or one of the other whole-home solutions such as Denon HEOS, Bose SoundTouch, etc. It is precisely what they are designed for, and they work painlessly.

2) Just get a bunch of portable AirPlay (or Bluetooth) speakers, there are tons of options from $5 and up.

3) Construct a "whole-home AirPlay system" by purchasing a bunch of AirPort Express or AppleTV units, put them throughout your house, and directly connect your choice of speakers to each AirPort Express or AppleTV. You can use powered speakers or passive speakers with a small T-Amp in each room. This would likely exceed the complexity and cost of going with an established whole-home system like Sonos, Bose, Denon, etc.

While the app is not perfect by any stretch, it really is about as simple to use as possible. Group rooms together, separate them, adjust volume of the whole group or individual rooms, link to your iTunes library, use Pandora, etc.

I said this earlier in this thread. If you have not really used Sonos (and I presume Bose, Denon, etc.), do it, and not just in a store. Sonos has a 45 day trial period and they pay for shipping in both directions, so nothing to lose. BB caries Sonos and alternates too.
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Well that's the Thing I have £15,000+ of Speakers Already spread across my house - 90% are better than any £300 Sonos all accumulated over the last 10 years. Some ceiling mounted. Some External and some hidden. They are all wired to a centralised room At the moment I have a couple of Decent but 15 year old amps and 5/6 Mini amps (link) + 8 Airports Expresses - But I am moving soon so was going to most of the amps as they are integrated. Just think there must be a better way for people who already own good speakers.
 
prowlmedia said:
Well that's the Thing I have £15,000+ of Speakers Already spread across my house - 90% are better than any £300 Sonos all accumulated over the last 10 years. Some ceiling mounted. Some External and some hidden. They are all wired to a centralised room At the moment I have a couple of Decent but 15 year old amps and 5/6 Mini amps (link) + 8 Airports Expresses - But I am moving soon so was going to most of the amps as they are integrated. Just think there must be a better way for people who already own good speakers.
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If you have that kind of investment in speakers, then replacing with Sonos speakers is certainly a poor option. I would think that there are a few paths (I am sure there are more) to continue to use your existing speakers...

1) Get everything wired to a central location and get 1 multi-zone amp (or a couple of separate amps) to control many zones. Aattach an AirPort Express to each amp. If you use multiple amps, you would not be able to combine zones for playback. I would imagine it would be a tough system to operate.

2) Put multiple amps in multiple rooms around the house, attach an AirPort Express to each. Sort of the old fashioned way. Again, would be cumbersome to operate and you would not be able to combine zones.

3) Get Sonos Amps (and/or Sonos Connect) units and keep your speakers, but control via the Sonos app. The Sonos Amps are pricey at $500/ea, so this could be a big expense, but likely the most streamlined to operate.
 
boshii said:
This should be a given considering all the other crap streaming services Sonos supports.
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Because Sonos provide access to most of the available streaming services available should not be a mark against them. Most other brands of streaming music systems only support about 5 services and are so far behind Sonos that it is not even a contest in that regard. There may be proprietary units that don't play well with others, but that is not the business that Sonos is in. It is a good sounding system for 99.9% of consumers and because of its long list of streaming partners, is a valid product for 99.9% of consumers. I come from the high end audio industry and understand that some audiophiles may not find this adequate for their listening pleasure. For them, they can have a 2 channel audio room with a tube amp and some Sonus Faber towers with an analog audio source and 1 comfy chair in the middle of the room. The rest of the house will be wired with Sonos as a distributed audio system and audio solution for the basic TV sound as well. It is a win win. It still has its place. For some decent playback, I have a Sonos CONNECT:AMP on a beautiful set of Monitor Audio tower speakers. I stream Deezer Elite for a high fidelity source. It is pretty impressive for a streaming system. I own McIntosh, Nakamichi, Bryston, Parasound, Denon, Escient, and more. Yet, I still find I love my Sonos too.
 
Sonmi451 said:
I guess that's good news. I want to like Sonos more but no DTS support, no AirPlay, optical only is what kills it for me.
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Unless you want to do something rare, Airplay may not be needed. You can play from your iOS and Android device wirelessly as well as access your music library on your computer or a NAS drive.
 
prowlmedia said:
Well that's the Thing I have £15,000+ of Speakers Already spread across my house - 90% are better than any £300 Sonos all accumulated over the last 10 years. Some ceiling mounted. Some External and some hidden. They are all wired to a centralised room At the moment I have a couple of Decent but 15 year old amps and 5/6 Mini amps (link) + 8 Airports Expresses - But I am moving soon so was going to most of the amps as they are integrated. Just think there must be a better way for people who already own good speakers.
Click to expand...
I install 6 SONOS CONNECTs to 12 channel amps (you can do this with your amps individually) as well as use CONNECT:AMPS for zones wired elswhere. Use portable PLAY1, PLAY3, PLAY5 where you do not already have speakers. Obviously, if you are moving, then a different config may be needed. But you can easily make a Sonos system work for your needs.
 
snmrenn said:
Unless you want to do something rare, Airplay may not be needed. You can play from your iOS and Android device wirelessly as well as access your music library on your computer or a NAS drive.
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All my music is on my NAS. Which is a pain because I have to sync it all from my main iTunes Library. Then I can only use the Sonos app. I know I can buy a $300 Connect, and airplay will work, but that's a lot of money. I'm so close to converting my house to Sonos system, but I'm very hesitant with these 2 things.
 
Sonmi451 said:
I guess that's good news. I want to like Sonos more but no DTS support, no AirPlay, optical only is what kills it for me.
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I am a little out of practice as far as NAS for Sonos, but I do not think you need to have it go through an iTunes library in order for Sonos to access it. You may want to contact Sonos and find out about that. Their tech support is phenomenal.
 
snmrenn said:
I am a little out of practice as far as NAS for Sonos, but I do not think you need to have it go through an iTunes library in order for Sonos to access it. You may want to contact Sonos and find out about that. Their tech support is phenomenal.
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That is correct...the Sonos app can access the files from a NAS (or any networked hard drive) directly. iTunes is not needed at all.
 
jdag said:
That is correct...the Sonos app can access the files from a NAS (or any networked hard drive) directly. iTunes is not needed at all.
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Right but I still usually need a gui. To have to use another app just to use those specific speakers is inconvenient.
 
Sonmi451 said:
Right but I still usually need a gui. To have to use another app just to use those specific speakers is inconvenient.
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I guess I am not following you. You indicated initially that you were considering converting your house to Sonos. Then you say "to have to use another app just to use those specific speakers is inconvenient."
 
jdag said:
I guess I am not following you. You indicated initially that you were considering converting your house to Sonos. Then you say "to have to use another app just to use those specific speakers is inconvenient."
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I don't want to have to use the Sonos app to play music. I want to play music from my phone or laptop which is easy to navigate and select music. Which is why I need airplay to use iTunes.
 
Sonmi451 said:
I don't want to have to use the Sonos app to play music. I want to play music from my phone or laptop which is easy to navigate and select music. Which is why I need airplay to use iTunes.
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I am not going to try to convince you, but would recommend you at least try the Sonos app within your environment, including the NAS.

The Sonos app is available for phones and computers, and is very very simple to use/navigate to select music. It also "consolidates" music for you, regardless of the source. So within the Sonos app you will be able to access your NAS, Pandora, Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music (soon), and many other sources.
 
jdag said:
I am not going to try to convince you, but would recommend you at least try the Sonos app within your environment, including the NAS.

The Sonos app is available for phones and computers, and is very very simple to use/navigate to select music. It also "consolidates" music for you, regardless of the source. So within the Sonos app you will be able to access your NAS, Pandora, Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music (soon), and many other sources.
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I've had a play:1 for 2 years using the Sonos app, I'm very familiar with it. It's nice that it can connect straight to the NAS, and I can just hit play when I come home and it will pick up where it left off. In the end it just collects dust since I'd rather just open my iTunes and hit play to airplay some music.
 
Sonmi451 said:
All my music is on my NAS. Which is a pain because I have to sync it all from my main iTunes Library. Then I can only use the Sonos app. I know I can buy a $300 Connect, and airplay will work, but that's a lot of money. I'm so close to converting my house to Sonos system, but I'm very hesitant with these 2 things.
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Go for the Sonos, it will play the music from your NAS without any need for iTunes. The the majority of us they are great devices that play music as we get on doing other stuff. Serious audiophiles may have other needs, but I think they are great having used them for the past 4 years.
 
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