# Any Sonos owners here?



## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Ive been reading up on Sonos systems and they do look very good. Anyone here got one, that can comment on sound quality?

Cheers

http://www.sonos.com/system


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## Voice of Reason (Mar 26, 2013)

I've had one for a couple of years now and can't fault it. We also have a Bose Lifestyle surround sound cinema system and it's clearly not as good as that in terms of quality, but it's better than the Bose sound dock. We're about to expand our sonos into a couple of other rooms as we're having work done on the house and it's much easier to extend that the Bose Lifestyle because it's wireless. It has an iPhone ap that makes your iPhone easy to use as a handset which I have configured for Napster, Spotify, iTunes and Radio so it's extremely flexible. HTH.


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## macca666 (Mar 30, 2010)

Got my first sonos play 3 last year when they were throwing in the 6 month Napster membership and the bridge free. I have to say sound quality was far superior than my Bose soundock which was a version 1 mind so they might've improved since then.

Got a new amp and surround for the TV at Christmas so got another play 3 at the time along with a connect to play through the surround. This gave me a play 3 downstairs in kitchen/dining room, through the surround in the living room and another play 3 upstairs.

Have to say I'm very impressed with sound quality and ease of use. When all 3 are playing together I can't have it up full as neighbours apparently object to noise! And I'm in a detached!

I have the app on my Android, the wife has it in her iPhone and we've also got it on the tablet so can be controlled from either.

Do it you won't regret it. :thumb:


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## majcas84 (Aug 24, 2012)

I've been using Sonos for a couple of years now and wouldn't want to be without it.
Can't give you much of an expert analysis of the sound quality but it's plenty loud and clear enough for me. I have a 'Play 5' unit both upstairs and downstairs and that covers most of the house really.

Couldn't be easier to set-up and expand - not much more to it than just plugging into a power socket. The build quality is very good also, which is always quite an important thing to me. If you have an iPhone/iPad then there is no need to get a dedicated controller as the free app is extremely good to use.

Got mine linked to Napster and that gives me access to all the music I could possibly need for less than £5 p/m.

Overall my Sonos is one of my favourite things and although it isn't cheap to buy it's been great value considering the amount of use it gets.


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## Voice of Reason (Mar 26, 2013)

Yes I agree, the tablet app is a must and by far the easiest to use. Things can be a little "compact" on the phone sized devices!


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

I'm a long-term Sonos fan/user too 

As others have said, it sounds great, is easy to use, and covers all kinds of system requirements. If you like music then you'll love Sonos!

Have you looked up your nearest dealer on the Sonos website dealer finder? That way you can go along and listen for yourself.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Mmm, might have to find a showroom and take a look. I like the idea that me and the wife can play own music from our own phones. Can music be played from my iTunes via my MacBook also?

I reckon Id want the sound bar for my TV as well as a couple of Play3/Play5 speakers.


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## PWOOD (Apr 30, 2007)

I have had mine a year now and its amazing. I have a CONNECT box added to my av system so the sound quality using FLAC is brilliant and if Im honest the equal of my arcam CD73 cd player which never gets used now. If you are starting from scratch there is a lot to consider but would suggest the soundbar for the living room to cut down on the boxes if you dont want a full on AV 5.1 system in the room. The PLAY 3 is more than enough for small rooms.

How you intend on ripping your collection should be at the top of the list after purchase as you dont want to get it wrong trust me, DBpoweramp is the most comprehensive. A NAS drive should be added in to the cost unless you want your home computer running all the time or intend on subscribing to Napster / Spotify.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks PWOOD.

To be honest, music isnt a big part of my life, but I do appreciate good sound quality, especially for home cinema. But Ive discounted a traditional 5:1 surround system for various reasons. 

So I was planning on just playing music on the Sonos from my iPhone. I assume for movies I could connect a bluray player such as PS3 to the Sonos soundbar?


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## MikeyD (Jan 4, 2013)

Like the others here, only have praise for my Sonos system. 5 zones and one in the garage 

Just heard the sound bar today in a demo room and its fantastic, it is expensive at £600, but a number of years ago I had a 5:1 system / amp and hated the cables!! With the Sonos the quality of the sound from the DVD/ blue ray was awesome today, plus it's all wireless as is the subwoofer  started saving 

Go for it and you'll be Hooked 
Cheers


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

I love mine and better know you can play what on your phone great sound and back when problems happen spent 3/4 hour with me with iPhone 5 problem


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## bgm46 (Dec 23, 2008)

I got a play 3 at Christmas, love it. Tremendous bit of kit and i also got the napster offer. 

I can honestly say i have used it nearly every day.

Seems expensive but well worth it when you get it.


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## Audi m8 (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi

I'm a big fan of Sonos kit. Very flexible & prob most versatile muli-room audio at good price. 

The soundbar looks very good indeed. You'd be best to connect this up to an output from your TV. That way, you can route the TV audio direct out for whatever you watch. Note, the Sonos only has optical input. Most modern TVs provide optical out. If you don't have this, no prob, you can get coax to optical converter at very little cost. 

Go for it! You'll soon wonder how you managed before Sonos!?,
:thumb:


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

Hi Steve

I've had Sonos for about 7-8 years now and love it!

I've got a Play:3 but the main part of my system is the ZP120s which I thin are now called Connect. 

We have it in our lounge, dining room, kitchen, study and now the one ombined for the bedroom/bathroom 

It's a great system but you need to think how you'll use it. I.e. playing your ripped CDs; digital/streamed radio; Napster/Spotify subscription services (great value) etc. 

John Lewis in Sheffield used to have a display st up but your best going to an independent that has a listening room IMO


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## jordanogrady (Sep 13, 2008)

I have a play 5 in the kitchen. It's superb! Managed to get it in America, super cheap with a bridge.... Always worth checking best buy when you go over to see if they have and in boxed models  


Jordan


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## PWOOD (Apr 30, 2007)

LeadFarmer said:


> Thanks PWOOD.
> 
> To be honest, music isnt a big part of my life, but I do appreciate good sound quality, especially for home cinema. But Ive discounted a traditional 5:1 surround system for various reasons.
> 
> So I was planning on just playing music on the Sonos from my iPhone. I assume for movies I could connect a bluray player such as PS3 to the Sonos soundbar?


Provided your Tv has and optical output then its one cable from tv already connected with sky, ps3 etc make sure tv has optical output older ones may not.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks everyone. I wasnt aware that the soundbar used optical inputs, I'll keep this in mind. Thats a good idea also to find a specialist that has a listening room:thumb:

We are doing some work to the house, knocking walls down, new kitchen, and creating an additional living room space so I can get away from my boy when he has kids tv on etc.

As an incentive to get started on all this diy work im going to treat myself to a nice new TV and Sonos system when its all finished, so I will ensure the tv has optical out.:thumb:

So, if I had a soundbar for the TV would I also need an additional speaker for music in the same room, or would the soundbar provide this?


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## BladesLad (Oct 29, 2009)

Morning mate,

If you are planning to go down the sonos route, I can't recommend the Sevenoaks area on Ponsfords on London Road in town enough - you will be able to get a full demo there of the full suite which sonos offer.


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

LeadFarmer said:


> Thanks everyone. I wasnt aware that the soundbar used optical inputs, I'll keep this in mind. Thats a good idea also to find a specialist that has a listening room:thumb:
> 
> We are doing some work to the house, knocking walls down, new kitchen, and creating an additional living room space so I can get away from my boy when he has kids tv on etc.
> 
> ...


You can certainly use the Soundbar for music listening, it works just like any other Sonos zone player.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

BladesLad said:


> Morning mate,
> 
> If you are planning to go down the sonos route, I can't recommend the Sevenoaks area on Ponsfords on London Road in town enough - you will be able to get a full demo there of the full suite which sonos offer.


Thanks, didnt realise they had a place in Pondsfords :thumb:



shl-kelso said:


> You can certainly use the Soundbar for music listening, it works just like any other Sonos zone player.


Brill :thumb:


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## winrya (Aug 4, 2006)

I'm a massive Sonos fan.

Purchased a play 3 4 weeks ago for the lounge. Within a couple of days I had it in the turbo biking room and was absolutely blown away by the quality of the sound and the stunning apps for phones and laptop.

The way it ties together with spotify means unlimited music at your fingertips and I really love that.

Last week I had the itch for a play 5 and purchased one for the lounge. I've connected it to the tv and even though I couldn't hear much difference between the 3 and 5 in the shop, once in the house it is clearly superior. It's very nice to set up a party and have them both playing the music which makes it feel like music is flowing throughout the house.

It's very addictive though, was in the kitchen the other day thinking how nicely a play 3 would fit in there:thumb:


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## rojer386 (Mar 15, 2008)

This is an interesting thread as I'm also considering a Sonos System. I currently have a Bose 321 cinema system in my tv room and have 2 sound docks dotted about the place. 

It seems to get great reviews, it's about time I went to my local stockist.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Im a bit out of touch with things like spotify, i was thinking more of just playing music from my iPhone. But perhaps I should broaden my horizons?


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

^^ at £5 / £10 per month it can work out good value especially wen listening to current/chart music as this is offset by you to having to buy the mp3 or CD. 

IIRC you get a 30 day free trial when you buy Sonos and not long since they did a 6 month Napster subscription for free!

Downside is if you like music in the car, you can't download and transfer these streaming services to your car.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks Buck, sounds like it could be worth considering :thumb:


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## winrya (Aug 4, 2006)

Buck said:


> Downside is if you like music in the car, you can't download and transfer these streaming services to your car.


My missus has a new mini with bluetooth which allows the idrive system to connect to spotify through her iphone. Works with all the latest BMW's as far as i know. Works amazingly well and means her mini now has unlimited music choice


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## Xploit (Nov 16, 2011)

I was at a trade show recently on the stand next to SONOS as we manufacture a range of mounting products for the SONOS range and I must say they were the best sounding products there by a mile.

The soundbar is a fantastic looking and sounding product but to make proper use of it with your TV for films etc you need the Sub too. So you're £650 Playbar soon becomes £1250 once you add the sub to it!

We're just working on some stands for the Play:3 as SONOS's intention is for users to use the Play:3 as rear speakers in a somewhat surround sound setup, hopefully we'll have them sorted soon because the distributor is getting abit impatient!

If anyone is interested in mounts for SONOS check out www.flexson.com ! We make these products for the UK distributor of SONOS and they're all manufactured in the UK 

We even do a mount for the unmountable SONOS Sub and they guy from SONOS just laughed at me when I told him, no faith!


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

^^Thats impressive :thumb:

Im keen to get all the decorating done now so I can get a Sonos system. I know what you mean about using a sub for better sound. I currently have a Yamaha sound bar which is really good, but when I added the matching sub it made the world of difference. 

The Yamaha can go into the new living room we are creating, and the Sonos will go into the other:thumb: I think I'll get the sound bar/sub first as TV sound is my priority, and get a Play3 for the kitchen to keep the wife happy, then add any other speakers as and when:thumb:


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## Xploit (Nov 16, 2011)

LeadFarmer said:


> ^^Thats impressive :thumb:
> 
> Im keen to get all the decorating done now so I can get a Sonos system. I know what you mean about using a sub for better sound. I currently have a Yamaha sound bar which is really good, but when I added the matching sub it made the world of difference.
> 
> The Yamaha can go into the new living room we are creating, and the Sonos will go into the other:thumb: I think I'll get the sound bar/sub first as TV sound is my priority, and get a Play3 for the kitchen to keep the wife happy, then add any other speakers as and when:thumb:


We're gona develop a Playbar bracket now as the SONOS once isn't inclusive with the soundbar 

Heard a surround sound system made up of Play:3 and Play:5 a few days ago, exceptional!


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

One more question please...

Does the Sonos speaker literally play the sound to anything being played on an iPhone? So if I was listening to the radio or a radio podcast or even watching a film on my iPhone then I could listen to the audio via the Sonos?


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

LeadFarmer said:


> One more question please...
> 
> Does the Sonos speaker literally play the sound to anything being played on an iPhone? So if I was listening to the radio or a radio podcast or even watching a film on my iPhone then I could listen to the audio via the Sonos?


No, it does not work like that. If you can find the now-discontinued Sonos iPhone dock or use a cable to wire it to the line-in socket of your zone player (as long as its not the Playbar or Play3) then yes you can play the audio from your phone out through any Sonos player. If you want to play anything wirelessly from your iphone then it will only access your iTunes music library on your phone and let you play from that.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Understood, thanks :thumb:


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## Beancounter (Aug 31, 2006)

Just about to go down the Sonos route myself, so great to hear all the positive feedback......so from what I'm reading setting up a surround sound system (Playbar, 2 x Play 3 and a Sub) would offer a good surround sound solution?

I'm in a similar position to a few above in that we are having some works carried out on the house and it seemed an ideal time to lose the cost into the expenditure program and keep it under the radar from SWMBO 

Thing is the cost is mounting up, so far I recon:

Kitchen - Play 3/5
Lounge - Playbar, 2 x Play 3, sub
Dining Room - Play 3
Bedroom 1 - Play 3 (possibly 2 if set up in 'stereo)
Bedroom 2 (Sons room) - Play 3 or 5
Garage  - Play 3
Bridge

Are there any places that would discount an order like that or is the price of Sonos pretty much set across the board ?


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

There's not a great margin on Sonos stuff for dealers so not much room for manoeuvre on Sonos-only sales, however it never hurts to ask 

It's much easier to get deals when buying systems using the Sonos amplifier with HiFi or in-wall/in-ceiling speakers etc as there is more margin to play with.

Otherwise it's a case of looking for dealers offering bundle discounts (usually limited time offers sanctioned by Sonos or discounts via Amazon that you may be able to get price-matched at the likes of Richer Sounds).

Have a look on the Sonos website at the Dealer Locator to see if you've got any local dealers and give them a call. You're much more likely to get a deal if you go along in person with a clear intent to buy


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## Xploit (Nov 16, 2011)

Beancounter said:


> Just about to go down the Sonos route myself, so great to hear all the positive feedback......so from what I'm reading setting up a surround sound system (Playbar, 2 x Play 3 and a Sub) would offer a good surround sound solution?
> 
> I'm in a similar position to a few above in that we are having some works carried out on the house and it seemed an ideal time to lose the cost into the expenditure program and keep it under the radar from SWMBO
> 
> ...


Give Divine Audio a ding dong, Tim may be able to help you out with that quantity, or if as suggested you go for another in-wall system he can help with that, top bloke!

http://www.divineaudio.co.uk/ - +44(0)1536 762211


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## Beancounter (Aug 31, 2006)

shl-kelso said:


> Have a look on the Sonos website at the Dealer Locator to see if you've got any local dealers and give them a call. You're much more likely to get a deal if you go along in person with a clear intent to buy


Yup, was on my list to do, as you say, a lot easier to try face to face. :thumb:

Edit: I see there's a place not too far away, so will give them a call and arrange to pop in.


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## organisys (Jan 3, 2012)

LeadFarmer said:


> One more question please...
> 
> Does the Sonos speaker literally play the sound to anything being played on an iPhone? So if I was listening to the radio or a radio podcast or even watching a film on my iPhone then I could listen to the audio via the Sonos?


No, The Sonos APP can just access the iPhone / iPad's Music storage.

MASSIVE Sonos fan had it for a good few years now and wouldn't be without it.

3 Zones, iPad iPhone and PC Controllers.

Come into it's own with a nice NAS drive, like a Synology.

Sound quality is good with FLAC, WAV (lossless formats) and still very good with mp3 at a high enough bit rate and sampling frequency.

Persoanlly I find the iTunes files a bit too compressed, and prefer to rip CDs to FLAC or higher rate mp3.

I don't use Spotify or Last.fm at present, but I do listen to a lot of streaming radio (sound quality is obv alot poorer here).

HTH.

Sonos have their own forum and customer service is superb in my experience.
They also keep updating and adding new features to the firmware and controller apps.


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