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Anyone got a Sonos Connect?

Got one yesterday, a late birthday prezzie (late, because they are apparently selling very well)

I've got a traditional hifi set up (n.b. British amp, CD player and speakers ) the guy at the hifi shop who did a small repair on my Creek amp sold me on it.

It's a small white box which can play all digital music through your system, and you control it from your tablet. So within 10 minutes it had my entire digital library transferred from my computer (this mean all my CDs, which i'd previously ripped). It also plays internet radio, and streaming services (he persuaded me to go for Deezer).

This means it appears to have made redundant:

- the little Pro-jekt device which played music from an iPod through my amp (quality nowhere near this)
- the tuner
- the CD player

Blimey. Last night I accessed one of 80s rock favourites through Deezer, and it suggested all this other stuff I might like, and I just melted into a musical journey through my past. It was 01.00 in the morning before I knew it. Now I'm educating myself on Pat Metheny.

And the slightly dodgy thing is that I seem to "own" all these tracks, because I saved them, and all I have paid is a tiny subscription to Deezer.

Will be interested to hear from anyone else who as one or something similar. I'm not clear on one thing. If my wifi was down, would that mean I could not access my music library, which is on the computer? I guess the Sonos does not actually download and store the files itself? If so, i guess that's the downside, and the reason to keep the "redundant" units.

Great sound though on the Deezer stuff.

Comments

  • Sounds good. How much does it cost and is there an on going subscription?
  • I've got five sonos speakers scattered about the house. I'm using the setup with Google Play which is similar to Deezer.
    My Internet was down a few weeks ago, but I could still play tunes that were stored on a local device, in my case was a mobile phone.

    When you say wifi down do you mean no Internet connection or do you mean no wifi connection?
  • I have a connect plus three other sonos speakers. Sonos should always play your music library (I.e. the mp3s stored on your computer). With Deezer or Spotify, you can download tracks so you can play them offline but if your subscription ends you can't access them.

  • I use Spotify thru my Sonos box - best thing since sliced bread-Deezer sounds similar.
  • I hadn't heard of Deezer before and had used Spotify.

    Deezer v Spotify v Last FM. What are the pros and cons of each?
  • @popicon, @jints I'm trying to understand how vulnerable the system is to either the wifi net dropping or the ADSL internet connection failing. I'm not a techie, and I am wondering how, if either those two things happened, the Sonos can connect to and play the music library.

    @milo the box I bought, designed to connect to an existing hifi system costs around £280. The Deezer sub is absolute peanuts, something like 24pence/month for a two year agreement. That made me wonder about the artists. I don't like stealing music (although I confess that I will download TV programmes and movies that don't get shown in local cinemas, on the basis that I'd gladly pay a digital licence fee if only they could offer it to people abroad)
  • You do need the internet to work in order to stream on sonos or anything else but you should be able to directly connect your computer to sonos to play music you own.

    You're only getting deezer that cheap because they have a deal with sonos. Otherwise its a tenner a month or more for the lossless streaming.

    Anyone got a sonos sub? Trying to justify the cost to myself!
  • Just to clarify, you dont need your internet to be working to stream from a local device, eg a connect attached to a hifi or tracks stored on a hardrive within your home network.
    However if your wifi is faulty then you will not be able to stream between devices.

    Try just unplugging your router and playing something from a CD -via your connect-. Best thing to do is have a play around.

    I have a sub paired with a soundbar, sounds incredible with the TV.
  • @PragueAddick Am I right in thinking the Sonos has no on-board storage? Or a screen to display what's playing plus album art? Do you rely on the connection to your tablet for that.
    I'm running a fairly ancient Philips Streamium which does store on its hard drive and also has a display screen on the main unit plus the slaves.
    I don't inderstand why the current kit doesn't do this stuff.
  • cafcfan said:

    @PragueAddick Am I right in thinking the Sonos has no on-board storage? Or a screen to display what's playing plus album art? Do you rely on the connection to your tablet for that.
    I'm running a fairly ancient Philips Streamium which does store on its hard drive and also has a display screen on the main unit plus the slaves.
    I don't inderstand why the current kit doesn't do this stuff.

    Well the on-board storage thing is what's puzzling me. I don't think it does, because when it "found" my music library on the desktop Mac, the transfer only took about 10 minutes. But Popicon and Jints seem sure it would play that library even if the net went down. This still puzzles me, if it hasn't stored the files, it has to connect to the Mac. There is no cable connection, so I don't know what else it can use but wifi.

    otherwise, no, its a small box with no screen. But I quite like controlling it from the tablet, it means you can control the Sonos from wherever. That would be even better if I could connect it up to our rather rudimentary multi-room system. Could switch from BBC London to a relaxing Bruce Hornsby album, while sitting in the bath :-) I suppose that's what they imagine people want to do.
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  • You have to remember that the Internet and wifi aren't exclusive to one and other.

    Sonos can stream songs that are stored on your mac around your home using your wifi connection without it being connected to the Internet.

    @PragueAddick Have you tried unplugging your Internet connection and testing this?
  • PopIcon said:

    You have to remember that the Internet and wifi aren't exclusive to one and other.

    Sonos can stream songs that are stored on your mac around your home using your wifi connection without it being connected to the Internet.

    @PragueAddick Have you tried unplugging your Internet connection and testing this?

    Aha. I never knew that. Will try it.
  • Stig said:

    I hadn't heard of Deezer before and had used Spotify.

    Deezer v Spotify v Last FM. What are the pros and cons of each?

    Last time I checked you couldn't stream much music through Last Fm? It's more of a social networking thing which links into your spotify, and keeps track of everything you listen to, then you can see how much of your life you've spent listening to Justin Bieber, and it will recommend The Jonas Brothers to you.

    It works quite well, although Spotify do something similar. Anyone that has spotify, I urge you to type in on google Spotify Year in Music 2014. It will give you an in depth analysis of your type of music, and will generate a new playlist based on your previous listening, and ones based on specific genres you listen to regularly. Well worth it.

    AS for Deezer vs Spotify, there's no real difference, it is mostly interface.
  • Loving my Beam gen 2 and two SL I got for Christmas, just added two SL for the other end of the lounge. A bit of a faff setting up the Truesound but got there eventually. 
    Anyone have the five connected to a deck for vinyl, my Missus wants to keep the deck but £500 for the five just to do that is a bit heavy!
  • Beam gen2 arrived just before xmas as present to self. Loved the sound so much I picked up a One gen 2 for the kitchen. Integrates with Deezer very well indeed. Might try to sneek a sub and a pair of Ones past the FPO next for home cinema ...
  • red10 said:
    Beam gen2 arrived just before xmas as present to self. Loved the sound so much I picked up a One gen 2 for the kitchen. Integrates with Deezer very well indeed. Might try to sneek a sub and a pair of Ones past the FPO next for home cinema ...
    Do need ones with the beam?
    Surely the beam has the microphone so the cheaper SL is the way to go, as for the sub I think I’ll go for the mini when I can sneak it past the fun police, I think the other sub would take the roof off the house. 😂
  • If anyone is running both S1 and S2 apps and having issues installing new kit. You need to turn off your Sonos S1 hardware.
    The only speaker i know that isn't S2 compatible it the Play:5 Gen 1, but there are likely other older bits.

    I'm not entirely convinced the newer gear is as good as the old stuff. I recently got a Move and haven't really found a logistical use for it, beyond moving it to the garden. It's certainly not a patch on either the Gen 1 or 2 Play:5's.
    Does anyone have both the beam and the older style soundbar or the new compact sub and the old style one? I'd be interested know their thoughts.
  • T_C_E said:
    Loving my Beam gen 2 and two SL I got for Christmas, just added two SL for the other end of the lounge. A bit of a faff setting up the Truesound but got there eventually. 
    Anyone have the five connected to a deck for vinyl, my Missus wants to keep the deck but £500 for the five just to do that is a bit heavy!
    I have a BT deck but got the Port (£400) to connect it to my Sonos speakers. Connection is rock solid. 


  • T_C_E said:
    Do need ones with the beam?
    Surely the beam has the microphone so the cheaper SL is the way to go, as for the sub I think I’ll go for the mini when I can sneak it past the fun police, I think the other sub would take the roof off the house. 😂

    Mini for me too, larger one is quite a bit more expensive. You are right on the SL option, keeping an eye out for any sales
  • I have a Sonos Play Base which I have had for about 3 years. Love it. Sound quality is amazing and the connections, no matter what device I hook up are bomb proof. Also acts as a very nice stand for my TV. If anyone is looking for an alternative to a Soundbar go for one of these, I have seen them almost half price at £350-£400 (depending on the colour) on Amazon or Richer Sounds.
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  • I’ve got a Sonos beam & 4 play ones.
    Two of the ones are set up for surround sound with the beam on my TV.
  • I have two of the older Sonos Ones upstairs and downstairs, in the living room have a Gen1 Bean with 2x Sonos One's. Would love to add a sub to the living room, but other things need to take a priority. Maybe one day. 

    Love Sonos, love the integration. Films sound great too. 
  • Massive sonos fan. Beams in living room and kitchen both with Sonos play 1. Having issues hooking up my vinyl turntable now that there is a split between s1 and s2. I had a Sonos connect but it is s1 and all the other devices are s2. Play five or amp seems to be the only way but that is expensive just for a turntable. 
  • For anyone who has a vinyl turntable they want to hook up to a Sonos I have found a slightly hacky way of doing it. RCA - HDMI converter box (£13 on Amazon), plug turntable into RCA, HDMI into in TV that has a play beam attached. Vinyl plays through HDMI channel (blue screen, as no visual of course) and through the BEAM connected to the TV. Can group multiple Sonos s2 systems to play vinyl all through the house.  Costs only RCA to HDMI and a HDMI cable. Obv can’t watch something at the same time on the TV that vinyl is connected to.  
  • Blimey, I see my Sonos Connect is nearly eight years old…
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