Wireless/streaming music systems

[Tommok]

Apparently Spotify on Sonos was playing up for most people earlier today so don't panic if it happened to you, probably wasn't your system.

[Duncan Disorderly]

Got a Red wireless speaker for the missus for 20quid which does the trick.

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

I'm about to go for a Sonos I think. I just want to stream music from Spotify really. So a Play:1 or a Play:3 should be all I need, right?

 

Or are there better alternatives to Sonos in this day and age?

[Rovingronrobyrugbyreporter]

I'm about to go for a Sonos I think. I just want to stream music from Spotify really. So a Play:1 or a Play:3 should be all I need, right?

 

Or are there better alternatives to Sonos in this day and age?

The Google audio chromecast looks like a cheap alternative, its £30.

[cymrococh]

Depends where you're going to put it, a Sonos looks decent as well as doing what you need.

 

If it's going to be hidden away, a decent set of powered/computer speakers and one of these might work out cheaper.

 

I've got both and the Sonos is better in so much as it supports SoundCloud, Stitcher, internet radio and loads of other music sources, but if all you want is Spotify then the Gramofon works well.

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

So the Google and Gramofon options only do the casting; you need to get a speaker too. Whereas the Sonos speakers have the casting tech built-in, right?

[cymrococh]

Yes

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

Thanks.

 

And can you access your Spotify playlists through the Sonos app?

[cymrococh]

Worth bearing in mind you can't synchronise two different systems as far as I know, so if you want the same music playing in different rooms (or think you might at some point in the future) then you need to commit to one solution.

 

I've got the Sonos in the bedroom and the Gramofon in the kitchen with a set of Bose computer speakers, if I'm playing something from Spotify on one then I can't on the other - well I can, but it stops on the first one.

 

EDIT: Playlists, yes. As far as I remember you can only access playlists so you have to save albums as playlists rather than just adding them to My Music. You can search Spotify from the Sonos app, and create Sonos playlists that can have music from multiple sources.

Edited October 13, 2015 by cymrococh

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

Cheers.

I need the speakers and they'll be pretty visible, and I will want to listen to listen to internet radio through it on reflection, so it sounds like Sonos is the way to go.

 

Trying to decide whether to get the Play:1 or the Play:3, and whether to just get one or whether to get a pair for stereo.

[cymrococh]

Play:1 is easily loud enough for normal usage, no idea about the sound quality increase in a 3.

 

They've introduced some magic thing that configures the sound specifically for the room it's in, havent tried it yet. Mine is pointing out of the window since using it for BBQs in the summer.

[Kvarme Ate My Food]

You are being most helpful cymrococh.

[charlie clown]

Yeah the Play:1 speakers are plenty bass-y and punchy enough for a relatively small space. The only downside with them is that, obviously, if you only have one you don't get stereo, If you get a pair, even though both speakers are receiving the same feed, they are smart enough to reproduce the stereo effect.

[cymrococh]

I got a bit obsessed when I was trying to set it all up.

 

There are still enough people who haven't got a clue about it that you look like James Bond the first time they hear it.

[charlie clown]

May well be a stupid question this.

 

 

I've got a Sonos 1 and it works great. I've also got an old-fashioned mini hi-fi system in the house ... can I somehow connect that up to my Sonos speaker? I guess I need to connect something to the amp in the mini system ... is it the Sonos Bridge I need??

 

I got the Bride and it does the main hifi and Sonos speakers link thing pretty well. But if I was only playing music stored in, say. my phone I could connect to the hifi and the PLay:1 speakers. It worked great, But I was limited to the music in the phone.

 

If I wanted to stream music from iTunes Match as well, I needed to connect to an Apple AirPort instead of the Bridge as there is no native connectivity between the Apple devices and Sonos but the AirPort somehow fixes the problem.

 

By the way - people saying a Bridge is expensive - I got mine for about £20. The Apple AirPort was about £80. The AirPort was what I needed to get iTunes Match working in full with the Sonos system, not the Bridge.

I got a bit obsessed when I was trying to set it all up.

 

There are still enough people who haven't got a clue about it that you look like James Bond the first time they hear it.

 

 

Yeah, I was the same, spent almost all of one of the bank holiday weekends earlier this year dicking about with mine when I was first setting it up.

Edited October 13, 2015 by charlie clown

[Rex Ham]

just invested in a bose soundtouch set, bose version of sonos. i'm well happy with it. not sure the neighbours are as impressed.

[£440,000]

The advantage of the Chromecast Audio is you'll be able to cast from apps on your phone.

 

That's the one thing I sometimes wish I could with my Sonos. I'd like to be able to cast podcasts from the phone to the Sonos, but even though my podcast app sees the Sonos speakers, it doesn't work, whereas it does to the telly via Chromecast.

 

Having said that, I love my Sonos set-up. Maybe they'll make them more Chromecast compatible. You can already cast from Google Play on your phone, so it seems potentially possible.

 

I've got a Gramofon as well, but find it a bit fiddly to access stuff sometimes. It's not hard but it's not as easy as the Sonos. I think I might replace it with a Chromecast Audio soon.

[cymrococh]

I've got a Gramofon as well, but find it a bit fiddly to access stuff sometimes.

How's that? I just play stuff through Spotify and click the Spotify Connect button

[£440,000]

How's that? I just play stuff through Spotify and click the Spotify Connect button

I've not got a Spotify account anymore so use it via Napster. I have to go in via the AllPlay app and then connect to Napster. I've got two wifi networks as well and you have to be on the right one to connect to it. With the Chromecast, that's not a problem.

 

I also don't like that I can't search the music on my NAS easily, which I can do on Sonos.

[Cunny]

Bluetooth Minirigs are very impressive if you want a very portable speaker.

Cracking sound quality.

[charlie clown]

The advantage of the Chromecast Audio is you'll be able to cast from apps on your phone.

 

That's the one thing I sometimes wish I could with my Sonos. I'd like to be able to cast podcasts from the phone to the Sonos, but even though my podcast app sees the Sonos speakers, it doesn't work, whereas it does to the telly via Chromecast.

 

Having said that, I love my Sonos set-up. Maybe they'll make them more Chromecast compatible. You can already cast from Google Play on your phone, so it seems potentially possible.

 

I've got a Gramofon as well, but find it a bit fiddly to access stuff sometimes. It's not hard but it's not as easy as the Sonos. I think I might replace it with a Chromecast Audio soon.

 

Can you not play the podcasts through iTunes? To be honest I've never tried to listen to a podcast over an 'open' speaker - I like the intimacy of somebody talking in my earhole that no one else can hear at the same time.

Edited October 14, 2015 by charlie clown

[£440,000]

 

Can you not play the podcasts through iTunes? To be honest I've never tried to listen to a podcast over an 'open' speaker - I like the intimacy of somebody talking in my earhole that no one else can hear at the same time.

Dunno. I don't ever use iTunes, but I'm not sure that it plays nice with Sonos or Gramofon.

 

I agree about the ear thing. Mostly listen to podcasts when I'm walking to work. Just subscribed to the Anfield Wrap, but I think I might live too close to work to get time to listen to them all!

Edited October 14, 2015 by £440,000

[Hus]

The advantage of the Chromecast Audio is you'll be able to cast from apps on your phone.

 

That's the one thing I sometimes wish I could with my Sonos. I'd like to be able to cast podcasts from the phone to the Sonos, but even though my podcast app sees the Sonos speakers, it doesn't work, whereas it does to the telly via Chromecast.

 

Having said that, I love my Sonos set-up. Maybe they'll make them more Chromecast compatible. You can already cast from Google Play on your phone, so it seems potentially possible.

 

I've got a Gramofon as well, but find it a bit fiddly to access stuff sometimes. It's not hard but it's not as easy as the Sonos. I think I might replace it with a Chromecast Audio soon.

 

Dont a couple of the Sonos speakers have a aux in? You could plug the Chromecast into the back and cast away

 

I'm pretty sure the play 5 has one, not sure about the speakers.

 

Not as seamless as casting from within the app but it should still work.

[£440,000]

Yeah, the 5 does. The other two don't.

 

I've got the TV plugged into my 5, so I can cast through it but it means the screen is on.

 

Will give it a try.

[Stevie H]

Bluetooth Minirigs are very impressive if you want a very portable speaker.

Cracking sound quality.

 

yes, can vouch for this. lovely little piece of kit and you can take it anywhere with you.