SONOS - sound bar Thoughts, opinions?

[tommy p]

Thinking about taking the plunge into wireless surround sound with SONOS and wondering if anyone here has any experience with their products. We'll be moving into a new house in 2-3 months and I want to go wireless as much as possible.

I plan to to get the SONOS Playbar and subwoofer first and then some rear speakers (probably the 3's) later on. From what I've read it seems all I'll need to use any of the various music-streaming services is the bridge so I'll pick that up too. The SONOS stuff is pricey (for me, anyway) so being able to use the bridge at a cost of $49 is a lot better than having to use the Connect or Connect:amp at $349+.

I'm interested in how well the streaming options work and of course the sound quality for home theatre and streaming music.

----commencing countdown for Johnny B input----

[tommy p]

And my Johnny B comment wasn't meant to be snarky! I'm anxiously awaiting his expert opinion.

[stratacus]

I purchased 2 Sonos Play:1 speakers and a bridge at Christmas. Best Buy had a deal so that any Sonos purchase over $200 automatically included the $49 Bridge for free. The speakers sound great and I plan on buying more along with other components. The Sonos iPad interface is very easy to use, and integrates with Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody, etc as well as your local song library. The interface provides very granular control of all the Sonos components connected to the system - you can have specific speakers play in stereo, stream different play lists (different play lists by room), etc.

The $49 Bridge connects the Sonos speakers/components to your existing wireless network. The Connect allows you to integrate your existing stereo system with Sonos. The Connect:Amp allows you to use your existing speakers with Sonos directly (without your stereo system).

[tommy p]

Stratacus, you didn't get the Playbar? I was under the impression that that's the starting point and you build around it.

[JohnnyB]

You might find this CNet review enlightening. It points out the strong and weak points and names a couple of similarly-priced alternatives. The reviewers have a broader experience in audio gear than many of the other reviews you might find.

Alternatives named in the review:

SpeakerCraft CS3, just $299-399

Harman-Kardon SB 16, about $469

I don't have any direct experience with Sonos, but I'm familiar with Steve Guttenberg's reviews and tend to trust them.

[stratacus]

Stratacus, you didn't get the Playbar? I was under the impression that that's the starting point and you build around it.

I did not get the PlayBar, as I was more interested in building a system that will provide music in every room rather than surround sound.

You can start with a Bridge and a single Sonos speaker (Play:1, Play:3, Play:5, PlayBar...) or Connect/Connect Amp to use your existing stereo / speakers.

Here's a review from PC Mag and another from The Wirecutter

[cynic]

I don't have an opinion on the soundbar, but after using Apple's "airplay" audio streaming from my computer to home stereo for several months, I have no further interest in wireless audio streaming.

For those not familiar with Airplay, in theory it's sending a CD quality, lossless signal with no compression. In reality, I don't know enough "phile" words to agree or disagree, but I can say I listened to less and less music because it wasn't moving me.

I've also tried bluetooth streaming from my iPhone to a car stereo, and again found that I just wasn't enjoying the music.

This made me think back to JohnnyB's review of the Dragonfly DAC, where he said something to the effect of knowing the quality of the music was better because he felt an overall improvement in his mood.

I use the dragonfly either between my iMac and a pair of 5" monitors, or my laptop and my home stereo. Long story short, I'm enjoying music again. There's something lacking in wireless that really lessens the experience for me.

[Toadroller]

I've been getting more involved and enjoying music again through some technologies...

Through the Pandora app on my dvd player, picking a genre and enjoying the variety it introduces to me. Examples include dixieland (I submit that it's imporssible to be depressed when you're listening to dixieland), Buddy Guy, and, interestingly enough, The Fixx. Set up a Pandora channel for the Fixx and you get a cross-section of the best of the 80s.

While driving my car on long business trips, I'll use my smart phone and listen to comedians via Pandora. Enter Jim Gaffigan and you'll get numerous storytelling comics such as Daniel Tosh, Mike Birbiglio, Kathleen Maddigan. Enter Bill Cosby and you'll get the Smothers Brothers, Bob Newhart, and George Carlin. I also stream the Dave Ramsey show.

I also picked up a pair of M-Audio M-40 studio monitors (http://amzn.com/B0051WAM64) for my home-office desktop workstation, and enjoy the detailed, close-monitoring stereo presentation they provide. Cheap thrills.