sonos advice

[Mcanaday]

Hello all-

 

I am interested in setting up a Sonos system on my stereo, and having it sound as good as possible. This is what I have come up with so far:

 

--buy a modified Sonos unit from Wyred4sound

 

--connect this to an external DAC (probably the Rega DAC as my other components are Rega?)

 

--use MOG through Sonos (which I gather has the highest stream rate)

 

First, is there anything I am missing? (For example, do I want at some point to think about a USB converter like Audiophilleo2 between the modified Sonos unit and the DAC, or is this redundant?)

 

Second, what kind of cables do I use in between the Wyred4sound unit and the DAC and the DAC to the amp? I'm asking about both type of cable and brand. (I'm new to this.)

 

Thanks for your help!

 

mc

[Paul R]

Just curious, but what is attracting you to the Sonos system? You might already have a computer setup (feeding that Rega DAC?) and Sonos is unlikely to beat what you can put together on a computer.

 

Not pelting you for you choice, just honestly curious.

 

-Paul

 

 

Hello all-

 

I am interested in setting up a Sonos system on my stereo, and having it sound as good as possible. This is what I have come up with so far:

 

--buy a modified Sonos unit from Wyred4sound

 

--connect this to an external DAC (probably the Rega DAC as my other components are Rega?)

 

--use MOG through Sonos (which I gather has the highest stream rate)

 

First, is there anything I am missing? (For example, do I want at some point to think about a USB converter like Audiophilleo2 between the modified Sonos unit and the DAC, or is this redundant?)

 

Second, what kind of cables do I use in between the Wyred4sound unit and the DAC and the DAC to the amp? I'm asking about both type of cable and brand. (I'm new to this.)

 

Thanks for your help!

 

mc

[Mcanaday]

Just curious, but what is attracting you to the Sonos system? You might already have a computer setup (feeding that Rega DAC?) and Sonos is unlikely to beat what you can put together on a computer.

 

Not pelting you for you choice, just honestly curious.

 

-Paul

 

 

Good question, Paul. It's for my partner. She wants it to be really easy; take up no space; and also the variety of music. I want it to sound as good as it can. Hence trying to squeeze as much sound quality as possible out of the Sonos system. Thanks!

[Paul R]

That makes sense. You realize you still need a computer running to support the Sonos, as it does not store the files internally, but you can put that somewhere remotely so long as it is on the same network.

 

We looked at Sonos, and determined that because it cannot play any hi-res music it was not a good solution for us. We have quite a collection of hi-res, including most of our old record albums as "needle drops" at 24/96 or 24/192 so that was important to us.

 

On the W4S modified Sonos (ZP90 by my notes) you can connect the device to your DAC via optical or coaxial cable. The general rule of thumb is that coax sounds better, but I have occasionally found that optical sounds better, so you might want to try them both out. The output rate from the Sonos is set and not modifiable.

 

Now, have you considered a little Mac Mini? Same kind of form factor, silent operation, and coolness - but you can eliminate the separate PC and you have a lot more high end players to choose from. (grin)

 

-Paul

 

 

Good question, Paul. It's for my partner. She wants it to be really easy; take up no space; and also the variety of music. I want it to sound as good as it can. Hence trying to squeeze as much sound quality as possible out of the Sonos system. Thanks!

[Mcanaday]

Hi Paul-

I am currently in the position of not having hi-resolution files; I have looked into this and am intrigued, but decided to put off the process of ripping and figuring out how to playback my cds this way. I will do it at some point, though. The Mac Mini is cool and very appealing. But wouldn't I also have to hook that up to a computer screen in some way? Can I run that with a smart phone?

 

My partner is totally uninterested in all of this though, and I think just wants a Sonos! As for the computer, I know it needs an ethernet connection. I was under the impression that we could stream MOG through an iphone, though, and don't actually need to hook up a computer to play it. Is that wrong?

 

Thanks for the cable suggestions, too.

 

cheers, mc

[Paul R]

I see- well - you are missing out on about 80% of what Sonos offers if you do not RIP and play your CD's through it- but there really isn't, so far as I can figure out, anything at all that Sonos does that something like a little Mac Mini does not do just as well. A little more trouble to setup initially, but once setup, no- you do not need a keyboard, mouse, or monitor attached to it at all. You can do what little maintenance needs to be done occasionally from a Mac, PC, or iPad connected on the same network. (Wireless, wired, it does not really matter all that much.)

 

Using a Mac, there are two basic paths people follow: First, they use the native MacOS, which provides iTunes as a library manager, and the Apple REMOTE.app on iPhones and iPads to control it. Very nice, very easy to use, allows synchronized expansion to multiple rooms, allows you to play content from your iPhone or iPad through the stereo, etc. Often people add audiophile players like Audirvana+, Amarra, Pure Music, Bit Perfect, J. River Media Center, etc. All of these add on players add some missing feature, and most people think they sound better. You would still continue to control playback through an iPhone or iPad, the same as with iTunes.

 

Secondly, people load Windows on the little beastie (it's fully supported from Apple) and run J. River Media Center, FooBar 2000, or some other Windows player. By far, the most popular choice is JRMC at this time.

 

There is a reason for that, and it is the at least in part to the fabulous remote control application called JRemote that runs on iPhones and iPads. It doesn't matter if JRMC is running under MacOS or Windows (or soon, Linux), the JRemote interface acts the same way and runs just beautifully. Like the Apple REMOTE.app, it allows you to control playback, but it also acts as playback device, allowing you to stream music from the server to your iPad or iPhone. This is a wonderful thing when you just want to listen to music with a set of headphones.

 

None of which has fully described the whole setup, but it might give you an idea. You would need a screen and keyboard to initially setup the Mac Mini, but from that point on, you can accomplish almost all your interaction with the machine through either the REMOTE.app or JRemote.

 

Some links below:

 

Computer Audiophile - JRemote The iOS remote for JRiver Media Center Review

 

JRemote – The iOS remote for JRiver Media Center

 

Apple - Apps - Remote

 

 

 

 

Hi Paul-

I am currently in the position of not having hi-resolution files; I have looked into this and am intrigued, but decided to put off the process of ripping and figuring out how to playback my cds this way. I will do it at some point, though. The Mac Mini is cool and very appealing. But wouldn't I also have to hook that up to a computer screen in some way? Can I run that with a smart phone?

 

My partner is totally uninterested in all of this though, and I think just wants a Sonos! As for the computer, I know it needs an ethernet connection. I was under the impression that we could stream MOG through an iphone, though, and don't actually need to hook up a computer to play it. Is that wrong?

 

Thanks for the cable suggestions, too.

 

cheers, mc

[realhifi]

Hello all-

 

I am interested in setting up a Sonos system on my stereo, and having it sound as good as possible. This is what I have come up with so far:

 

--buy a modified Sonos unit from Wyred4sound

 

--connect this to an external DAC (probably the Rega DAC as my other components are Rega?)

 

--use MOG through Sonos (which I gather has the highest stream rate)

 

First, is there anything I am missing? (For example, do I want at some point to think about a USB converter like Audiophilleo2 between the modified Sonos unit and the DAC, or is this redundant?)

 

Second, what kind of cables do I use in between the Wyred4sound unit and the DAC and the DAC to the amp? I'm asking about both type of cable and brand. (I'm new to this.)

 

Thanks for your help!

 

mc

 

Well, for starters, you need to know that MOG will be shutting down in April as they were acquired by Beats last year. The jury is still out on how well Beats will carry on the standards that MOG has set. That said there are other streaming services on Sonos that are good too such as BBC, Spotify, etc.

 

Personally, I would try a flat out stock Sonos into a Rega if you already like their sound. As far as cables, would simply echo what brand you are already using in the rest of your system for starters (try coaxial for starters) and just see how you like the streaming sound quality and how you and your significant other like the availability and convenience.

[ecwl]

I think your plan to get a W4S Sonos is great. I don't think you're missing anything. I understand other posters are trying to get you the "best" sound they think you can get for similar costs. But I think our audio needs are all different and our gear is always a compromise amongst price, audio quality, ease of setup, ease of use, etc. Based on your description, W4S Sonos is the best way for you to optimize audio quality while maintaining ease of use.

As for choice of cable, that's an even more controversial subject. The non-audiophile engineers and probably a lot of audiophile engineers will tell you any decently constructed coax S/PDIF and audio interconnect will do. Others may disagree. Since W4S Sonos is already a big investment, I would probably recommend using standard cables to start off and then trying out audiophile cables in the future if you see fit.

[ErikM]

I have a W4S modified Sonos, and they sound really really good.. That said as others have mentioned it won't do HiRes, but you know that. The Sonos interface is great and they just work, very stable and reliable. The best way to setup Sonos system is with a NAS drive for all your music that way no computer needs to be on, if you don't get a NAS you do need a computer on to take full advantage of what Sonos can do. The other option is the new Blue Sound units..Bluesound - HiFi for a wireless generation they will do HiRes and have some other different takes on the "Sonos" experience...

[Mcanaday]

Hi everyone- This is all very helpful, and you have given me lots to think about and follow up on. I'm grateful. cheers!

[DaQi]

As a Sonos user since they first came out they really are hard to beat for simplicity and they just work. That being said the real advantage of a Sonos system is in a multi-room setup. A couple thoughts from this thread...

 

-If you are only interested in ripping CDs you will not want to rip them any higher than 44.1 and 16 bits which is their native format and the Sonos will handle this just fine.

-You really are missing out on a lot by not ripping your CDs and storing them on some sort of network available device. My choice, a NAS, as that means I can just leave it running all the time and have your music available to any device on your network.

-If you are interested in multi-room and high resolution files (i.e. more than just CDs) a system to take a look at is the BlueSound system which looks very similar to the Sonos but able to play higher resolutions files that the Sonos can't.

-If you are not looking at the multi-room capabilities of the Sonos then a lot of other options open up that are much better than the Sonos and just as easy to use. These other options will mainly give you better upgrade paths in the future. After you start enjoying the electronic music I can guarantee your curiosity will be piqued and you will explore more.

 

I am sort of moving up in that respect and have a dedicated computer running JRiver Media Center on it and control it with JRemote on iPad and iPhone. I have it connected to a TV so I can use that screen but most of the time the screen is off and I either control it with remote desktop at whatever computer I am working at or using the remote apps on an iPad or iPhone. The JRemote app really is as good as if not even better than the Sonos app in usability so nothing lost there. Incidentally, this setup also sees my Sonos boxes and can control them.

[mwheelerk]

I'm giving some consideration to a system like the Sonos and the Bluesound. I've a few things to consider. I would want a multi-room set up but for only two rooms. I would like everything wireless. I'm am a little confused by what I'm reading on the Sonos and Bluesound sites. I understand that Bluesound supports high res files and that is a distinct advantage but only about 7.5% of my titles are high res. still I would hate to lose access to them. Looking at Bluesound I'm unsure about the wireless aspect. I see things in the Quick Start Up Guides that refer to traditional speaker cables, interconnects and direct connection via Ethernet to your router. Sonos it would appear is completely wireless.

 

Basically id like a stereo and sub set up in one listening space and maybe a single speaker in a bed room space and the components to control it. I don't think I'm interested in the vault on Bluesound but I'm not sure how you access your existing library with it otherwise.

[ejk1]

The Bluesound Node is both wired and wireless, so buy one and enjoy.

[ejk1]

You access the Bluesound interface via your computer or phone

[mwheelerk]

The Bluesound Node is both wired and wireless, so buy one and enjoy.

 

I went and look at the BlueSound. I was not thrilled with the wired aspect of the PowerNode. It kind of defeats my purpose or at least the general ideal I had. And I know the speakers are much more expensive but I think the Dynaudio XEO are more appealing. The biggest deal with the BlueSound system is the 24/96 wireless capability but that will be hugely dependent on your own wifi capability of course.

[ejk1]

I went and look at the BlueSound. I was not thrilled with the wired aspect of the PowerNode. It kind of defeats my purpose or at least the general ideal I had. And I know the speakers are much more expensive but I think the Dynaudio XEO are more appealing. The biggest deal with the BlueSound system is the 24/96 wireless capability but that will be hugely dependent on your own wifi capability of course.

If your not thrilled with the wired aspect then just use it wirelss. I don't understand.

[mwheelerk]

If your not thrilled with the wired aspect then just use it wirelss. I don't understand.

 

How would that be done? The PowerNode requires speaker cables. If you are using their Duo set you have to make typical speaker cable connections to the main speakers and a coax connection to the subwoofer. It does not operate wirelessly other than for the streaming aspect of music. The Node needs to be connected to a stereo component for it to function and the Vault requires connection to an ethernet line. I guess my way of thinking that is not a wireless system but has a wireless component within it.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but other than power Sonos is completely wireless speakers and all

[realhifi]

 

 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but other than power Sonos is completely wireless speakers and all

 

You be right. The Xeo system does wirelessly stream 24/96 also.

[hk6230]

Well, Bluesound has Pulse which is like Sonos Play series. It's huge. Bluesound advantage over Sonos is its support for 24/192 files. But, in terms of cloud music services, Sonos has the upper hand.

[Ianuk]

I am new here (so be gentle) but I am glad I started reading this thread & a few others today, I was nearly going to get a Connect myself but think I will hold that thought I think, maybe disappointed. I have actually had the Bluesound Node myself for about four months so I know exactly what its good points and not so good points are if anyone wants to know. For the moment I think I will just stick to my Macbook Air into my DAC until I get a Mac Mini using my existing Jriver software which I enjoy using on my iPad.

[DZetye]

Ianuk--I sent a PM. Thanks