Only because you have an Apple TV which has Airplay which is hooked up to your Sonos system.
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Sonos Review: The Play:5 is the Perfect Centerpiece for a Whole House Audio System
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Only because you have an Apple TV which has Airplay which is hooked up to your Sonos system.
Sonos owner here. AirPlay sucks compared to the Sonos experience IMO. Pricey but worth it
Okay, you say AirPlay "sucks", but - given that AirPlay allows you to immediately send audio from Apple Music (which is turn is fast to find music in, and can be used with Siri - what does Sonos do that makes up for not being able to do this?
Curious, as I'm trying to decide what setup to buy.
I like my Sonos system but it's far from perfect. The desktop app is not good. At all. The way in which it accesses the iTunes library on my network is a bit kludgey. The mobile app is OK but I'd rather be able to simply send any source from it's native app. It's pretty sad that they dropped support for Audible last year and have still not fixed it.
I think I'm a good advert and 'test' for SONOS products
• I love music - rarely watch TV
• I dont have a fortune to spend -but appreciate quality is worth paying a bit extra for
• I live in a rural setting in North Wales with 18 inch thick walls so a good test for 'SONOS net'
• I cant get normal broadband!
Okay, I first bought a Play 5 about six years ago, next a connect amp with Warfedale Diamond speakers x2, then a Play 3 - so 4 zones
• Living room - connect amp
• Dining room - "old" pair Play 5
• Kitchen - play 3
• Master bedroom - connect amp
So have 4 zones am a Google Play Music subscriber at £4.25 a month for 30,000,000 tracks plus amazon Prime music free and my GPM "online locker" approx 40GB
The quality of SONOS is outstanding though EE 4G streaming.
100% recommend SONOS not cheap but WOW worth every penny/Cent.
ps
I do fancy a pair of those new 5's OP!.... but I'm happy with what I've got!
• I love music - rarely watch TV
• I dont have a fortune to spend -but appreciate quality is worth paying a bit extra for
• I live in a rural setting in North Wales with 18 inch thick walls so a good test for 'SONOS net'
• I cant get normal broadband!
Okay, I first bought a Play 5 about six years ago, next a connect amp with Warfedale Diamond speakers x2, then a Play 3 - so 4 zones
• Living room - connect amp
• Dining room - "old" pair Play 5
• Kitchen - play 3
• Master bedroom - connect amp
So have 4 zones am a Google Play Music subscriber at £4.25 a month for 30,000,000 tracks plus amazon Prime music free and my GPM "online locker" approx 40GB
The quality of SONOS is outstanding though EE 4G streaming.
100% recommend SONOS not cheap but WOW worth every penny/Cent.
ps
I do fancy a pair of those new 5's OP!.... but I'm happy with what I've got!
Hi
I was watching a Peter Gabriel concert in bed on my iPhone 6 on youTube via airPlay and airport express yesterday and SONOS conect amp - Warfedale speakers.
to be fair sometimes you do get occasional "drop outs" but yesterday was flawless.
hope this helps
dont game dont understand it but someone may help on gaming - cheers
I have played around with many systems, but Sonos is the only wireless systeem that is reliable and doesn't suffer from outages like with AirPlay, Bluetooth or systems such as the B&W a7. I have two Play1s and a Play5 and they are fantastic.
Sonos has fanboys worse than Apple fanboys could be. Strange for such a lousy system. Tried Sonos and did not like it. Having to use an extra app instead of Airplay? Wasting power on standby as much as all of my lights in my whole house on 24 hours a day?? Are you kidding me? And don't get me wrong, I am a musician and have good ears but the price is too high for that quality.
Addressing each of your points
• SONOS do have a loyal following - hardly suprising for such an amazing line of products.
• The system is far from "lousy" perhaps you have not had a demo? - or a system you purchased was not correctly setup.
• Power in standby on SONOS has been mentioned on the SONOS forum ad infinitum its no big deal - https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/260/~/sonos-power-consumption-when-idle
• I'm not 'rich' but the beauty of SONOS is you can start small and build. (6 years four zones).
cheers
Lol at the review as its mediocre at best, much like the Sonos and its sub-par sound.
Sonos is the wireless Bose. Meh.
Sonos is the wireless Bose. Meh.
sounds like you have never been to a house with a SONOS setup - maybe I'm wrong.
In my experience AirPlay has not been reliable, takes a long time to stream to start , buffering, etc. can't play to multiple speakers from an iOS device. Have to buy a $99 device to make it work with existing speakers. But the biggest thing I hate about it is if you're streaming music at a get together from you phone and a call comes in the audio stops. Sonos is just a much better dedicated music setup and imo the speakers aren't that expensive considering what you get vs what u have to pay to make airplay work. Not to mention the fact that it is cross platform so if u ever leave apple your airplay devices are garbage but sonos is not. There's a reason that sonos gets excellent reviews all over the place. They are like the Apple of distributed music in some ways, plenty of haters, premium price but deliver an excellent product (with some caveats)
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Another reason why I'm thinking of switching to android and google music. Can stream to sonos speakers directly from the google play music app
Hi Buddy
If its okay can I ask a few queries?
• do you have a good - preferably unlimited broadband connection?
• do you subcribe to a streaming service? if not would you object to?
• are you an audiophile ie listen to vinyl records lossless etc
• do you like the idea of music in all rooms of your home
cheers
Agree wholeheartedly. As someone who threw themselves into Airplay FIRST, before doubling back and turning to Sonos, I can say from experience with both, that Sonos is better (albeit more expensive). I was all about Airplay when it launched, and I waited for the highly reviewed Pioneer-branded Airplay speakers, which promised all this greatness. They sounded great, but truth be told, Airplay is what held it back. The audio dropouts and pairing/re-pairing became unbearable.
After about two weeks of testing two Pioneers out, I returned them to Best Buy and got a single Play:1 for my then studio apartment (since two of the Pioneers cost the same as a single Play:1). I haven't turned back. Three years later, and now living in a 2BR/2BA apartment, I've since bought six more Play:1s, a Sub, and a Playbar (two of the Play:1s are paired with the Sub and Playbar in the living room for surround sound). My entire apartment is outfitted, with speakers in every room (six zones).
I think it was the best decision my wife and I have made for our home (technologically). And not just from a audio quality and usability perspective. But from a lifestyle perspective. The baby has white noise in his room at night, while the kitchen has upbeat music while cooking, and the living room has the surround sound on with a movie. And when we have guests over, it's always a conversation piece.
I can leave the apartment (run to the trash room, greet a guest, etc.), and the music keeps playing. I can receive a call and run away to the bedroom without worry of ruining the party. To be frank, Sonos is just a better music + life solution. If we stop slicing and dicing technology up by decibels, inconsequential audio discrepancies, etc. and truly judge it based on how these things fit into (and enrich) the flow of our lives, you'll come out with wholly different results and opinions.
Sonos brings music into our home and everyday lives in a way Airplay simply couldn't.
Sonos is one of the products that for me has been one of the best technology investments I've made. My original 2005 units are still in use and are still updated by Sonos to support new features. I've added a ton of components since, but the original zone players work even better today than they did then. How many other products have such a long usable life and receive updates after 10 years?
As an aside, Sonos has a media event scheduled for 8/30 where it is rumored that voice control for Sonos via Amazon Echo is coming. The new play: components already feature a mic which has thus far remained unused but was more likely than not earmarked for voice control.
As an aside, Sonos has a media event scheduled for 8/30 where it is rumored that voice control for Sonos via Amazon Echo is coming. The new play: components already feature a mic which has thus far remained unused but was more likely than not earmarked for voice control.
If you want the new Play 5 and don't want to play your Spotify or Google Play music (or any chromecast compatiple app) through the Sonos app, there is a cheap and easy way to get around it. A Chromecast Audio. It works with the audio in and it allows you to:
-Play your music through it's native app with playlists intact
-Allows you to use the casting device independent of the stream. Make calls, play games, watch videos, etc.
-Calls and notifications do not interrupt stream
-Has multi-room support
Again, this is an option if you don't want to play your music through the Sonos app. Note, this not an option for Apple Music on iOS or Android since AM doesn't support Chromecast... yet.
-Play your music through it's native app with playlists intact
-Allows you to use the casting device independent of the stream. Make calls, play games, watch videos, etc.
-Calls and notifications do not interrupt stream
-Has multi-room support
Again, this is an option if you don't want to play your music through the Sonos app. Note, this not an option for Apple Music on iOS or Android since AM doesn't support Chromecast... yet.
That is actually a valid concern when buying into a proprietary system like this.
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I have a Klipsch Airplay speaker, when it works it sounds great, but there's just a lot of dropouts and connection issues, so much that I hardly use it anymore. Part of this is dependent on your environment and what devices are around you (other wireless gear, microwave ovens, etc.). And your own network of course, but mine is pretty good, I can stream Netflix/Amazon/iTunes video all day long with zero dropouts, but not music over Airplay.
That said, I've avoided Sonos because of the proprietary apps required and kludgey ways you have to access your music to use it. With AirPlay, at least you can pretty much send any audio you can play on your Mac or iOS device to it.
Indeed, this is de only system that is independent of smartphones and computers and that can play music by pressing only one button. It is so easy that even my wife is a big fan and listens to music now far more than she did before.
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Starting your post by mentioning fanboys is a good way to avoid serious responses. In addition, your signature also makes your first sentence sound quite hypocritical.
Why can't people just accept that a certain technology or solution might be a great fit for someone else's needs, even if you personally don't like it?
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That vertical Sonos logo on the front is oddly irritating to me. Still planning to purchase however...
Sonos is great. I have 2 systems. My main is Auralic Aires streamer>Chord Hugo TT DAC>ATC SMC 40A speakers and Audeze LCD 2 headphones. The other is Sonos 5 in the bedroom and Sonos 3 in the kitchen. Music stored on a NAS. I find myself listening to the Sonos the most. Its great for just playing stuff around the house or when friends are over. Reliable, easy to use, sound quality is not the last word in hifi, but easily good enough for 99% of listeners. For a serious listening session I turn to my main set-up in the living room, but I find I don't have a lot of time for just sitting and listening by myself, so the Sonos is on most of the time. I recommend Sonos to everyone who's looking for a new set up.
The only negative I can think of is that Sonos is not (yet) compatible with 24bit HD music files.
I think the main competitor to Sonos is Bluesound, though many other manufacturers are entering the streaming market.
The only negative I can think of is that Sonos is not (yet) compatible with 24bit HD music files.
I think the main competitor to Sonos is Bluesound, though many other manufacturers are entering the streaming market.
In my opinion sonos is a lot better for music playing than airplay/bluetooth. I like airplay, but for the ability to stream video to my tv. But I don't like it for music because when I leave the house the music stops.
I used to have an iHome receiver, because of the disconnects it quickly turned into a nightmare. Then I bought 3 Sonos Play:1's and I'm happy now. My girlfriend manages to play music, or radio. There are physical buttons on each speaker which allow you to control some basic things.
But what I love the most about this system is that you can enhance the functionality by creating new apps for it. So thats what I did, I created a widget named Quick Sonos for your iphone/ipad which allows you to quickly control your sonos speakers. One of the features I have added is Music Shift, this allows you to shift the currently playing music (and queue) without interuptions from one zone to another. With Quick Sonos you can roam around the house and take your music with you.
This turns your sonos system into a true multiroom experience
see:
https://appsto.re/be/dbdG7.i
and
https://www.quicksonos.be
for some videos
cheers
I used to have an iHome receiver, because of the disconnects it quickly turned into a nightmare. Then I bought 3 Sonos Play:1's and I'm happy now. My girlfriend manages to play music, or radio. There are physical buttons on each speaker which allow you to control some basic things.
But what I love the most about this system is that you can enhance the functionality by creating new apps for it. So thats what I did, I created a widget named Quick Sonos for your iphone/ipad which allows you to quickly control your sonos speakers. One of the features I have added is Music Shift, this allows you to shift the currently playing music (and queue) without interuptions from one zone to another. With Quick Sonos you can roam around the house and take your music with you.
This turns your sonos system into a true multiroom experience
see:
https://appsto.re/be/dbdG7.i
and
https://www.quicksonos.be
for some videos
cheers