Hi Mak,
I have a Sonos Connect and Amp. My opinion in brief:
It works very well within its limits. Those limits are CD quality streaming, rather than higher resolution streaming. This does not matter to me, although i understand that other streamers, such as an Aurender, will give a better-sounding CD quality stream. That is what I have been told, though I have no direct experience of a comparison.
The great advantage to a Sonos is that it allows you to access a wide range of streaming services. Many are limited to Tidal, and a few others also have Spotify. With the Sonos, you can get Deezer and Deezer Elite (which we use for about 90% of our listening - FLAC / lossless quality) as well as Tidal, Spotify and many other services. Another source we use a great deal is TuneIn Radio; that is a great service.
The serious drawback to Sonus, in my opinion, is that the interface is not as good as it should be. Within the Sonos app itself, there are some frustrating navigation limits. For example, there is often no way to 'go back' to your current listening 'location'. By this, I mean that if you are listening to a selection, and then search for something else, there is no going back to your current selection and keeping the full hierarchical path. Hard to explain, but it is frustrating.
When using a service like Deezer or Spotify or Tidal, the interface options and functionality are limited; you do not get the full functionality that you would have if you used the actual Deezer or Tidal app to control things. This limit can affect your ability to save or delete songs or albums from a 'your music' category, or a set of favourites. Sometimes I have to go to the computer, go to the Deezer app and from there edit albums I've saved. Very annoying.
More and more I am annoyed by the limited metadata available with Sonos. Not critical all the time, but it does get tiresome.
I've had some connection issues, but they are not frequent.
So, it is a system that gives you great access to streaming services as well as music stored on your computer. It is limited to CD quality, and the user interface options are not a complete as it should be.
I would certainly like to find an alternative, but I'm not going to give up access to a wide range of streaming options.
The Bluesound Node may be worth considering; it is more money but may be a better product. Others will chime in here, I'm sure.
So, I give the Sonos 6 out of 10. 7 out of 10 if I were pushed to be generous.
I have a Sonos Connect and Amp. My opinion in brief:
It works very well within its limits. Those limits are CD quality streaming, rather than higher resolution streaming. This does not matter to me, although i understand that other streamers, such as an Aurender, will give a better-sounding CD quality stream. That is what I have been told, though I have no direct experience of a comparison.
The great advantage to a Sonos is that it allows you to access a wide range of streaming services. Many are limited to Tidal, and a few others also have Spotify. With the Sonos, you can get Deezer and Deezer Elite (which we use for about 90% of our listening - FLAC / lossless quality) as well as Tidal, Spotify and many other services. Another source we use a great deal is TuneIn Radio; that is a great service.
The serious drawback to Sonus, in my opinion, is that the interface is not as good as it should be. Within the Sonos app itself, there are some frustrating navigation limits. For example, there is often no way to 'go back' to your current listening 'location'. By this, I mean that if you are listening to a selection, and then search for something else, there is no going back to your current selection and keeping the full hierarchical path. Hard to explain, but it is frustrating.
When using a service like Deezer or Spotify or Tidal, the interface options and functionality are limited; you do not get the full functionality that you would have if you used the actual Deezer or Tidal app to control things. This limit can affect your ability to save or delete songs or albums from a 'your music' category, or a set of favourites. Sometimes I have to go to the computer, go to the Deezer app and from there edit albums I've saved. Very annoying.
More and more I am annoyed by the limited metadata available with Sonos. Not critical all the time, but it does get tiresome.
I've had some connection issues, but they are not frequent.
So, it is a system that gives you great access to streaming services as well as music stored on your computer. It is limited to CD quality, and the user interface options are not a complete as it should be.
I would certainly like to find an alternative, but I'm not going to give up access to a wide range of streaming options.
The Bluesound Node may be worth considering; it is more money but may be a better product. Others will chime in here, I'm sure.
So, I give the Sonos 6 out of 10. 7 out of 10 if I were pushed to be generous.
Damon
Powernode, NAD M32, Cambridge CD transport, Analysis Plus, Nordost, iFi Nova, CSS Criton 1TDX, KEF C62
Vancouver, Canada
