Sonos Play 5

[Mickfb]

I bought the Sonos play 5 hi fi system this weekend. What a revelation, it is a brilliant bit of kit. I have NAD separates and Mordant Short speakers but haven't used them lately.
The Play 5 can't compete on the sound quality of the separates but it is a joy to use and the sound quality for the size is very good. Can use my MacBook Pro, iPad, touch and Android phone to control it. Use Google Play music to stream more music and radio stations than you can shake a stick at. Just add more speakers in different rooms to listen all around the house, even different music in different rooms at different sound levels.
Only problem is knowing when to stop buying extra speakers.
 

 

[nclemmons]

Did you try the Sonos Amp hooked up to your existing speakers?

Lots of options with their setup.  Really happy with the flexibility of their system.

Like Festool, it's a slippery slope!

neil

 

[joraft]

... Like Festool, it's a slippery slope!

It sure is, I've been adding to my system for years. There's almost nothing that can't be done in setting up a whole house music system with Sonos components.

Latest addition was a Polk Atrium outdoor system hooked up to a Sonos Connect:Amp located inside. Speakers are installed on a small patio on the side of the house, sound is unbelievable.

The only downside is that's where my wife likes to relax and read, so I only get to REALLY enjoy it when she's not out there.  [smile]

 

[rmwarren]

Ditto all above, we started our system around 8 years. I just added outdoor Polks with a used ZP100 from eBay, $350.

Sonos just simply nailed the hardware and software and it keeps getting better. Along with TiVo probably the best tech purchase we ever made.

RMW

 

[RC]

So what's your take on the optimal starter kit on the slippery slope of Sonos?

I looked up their shop and it seems that a Play:5 + bridge costs about the same as 2x Play:1's + bridge.

If I understood correctly even though the Play:5 has 5 speaker elements its still mono whereas the two 1's can operate in stereo mode, right?

Do you have stereo setups in each room or are you happy with single Sonos speakers in each room in mono?

And where does the Play:3 fall in between the 1's and 5's?

Edit:

Another question would be the soundbar - has anyone set this up with a projector? i.e. the sound source would be the AV amp at the back of the room rather than a TV up front where the screen is. If the audio needs to be input via optical for home theatre operations it won't work just like I can't have a WiiU or Kinect in my system since my projector and amp are on a bookshelf at the rear of the room and no signal cable (except normal speaker cable) is long enough to reach under the screen from there (20m+ going around the library walls)

 

[BMH]

Two sonos 1 are my best friend in the shop and around home for my projects.

 

[Mickfb]

I love the set up. The Play 5 is stereo if you move the balance you can hear move from side to side. I shall add Play 1 as time goes by. The play 3 has 3 speakers as apposed to the 5 which has 5. Giving it more depth.

 

[Sean7a]

I love my sonos setup.  It's a slippery slope for sure, but one I'm glad to be on.  Can never have enough speakers.  It's great to wake up to music in the whole house every morning.  Awesome to cook to it.  Great lounging around or cleaning the house.  Anywehre you go, there's music.

I have 1's, 3's and 5's.  I have two 5's as a stereo pair.  It's great.  I certainly recommend getting some pairs, no matter the model, to setup some rooms in stereo.

Have never used the playbar.  Does it allow "linkability" to 1's, 3's and 5's if you get the playbar, or does the TV only produce sound from the playbar?

Talk to me about this other hardware you guys were mentioning.  You can use non Sonos hardware with Sonos software?

 

[joraft]

... Talk to me about this other hardware you guys were mentioning.  You can use non Sonos hardware with Sonos software?

Using the Connect:Amp you can hook up to any components you choose.

 

[joraft]

So what's your take on the optimal starter kit on the slippery slope of Sonos?

I looked up their shop and it seems that a Play:5 + bridge costs about the same as 2x Play:1's + bridge.

If I understood correctly even though the Play:5 has 5 speaker elements its still mono whereas the two 1's can operate in stereo mode, right?

Do you have stereo setups in each room or are you happy with single Sonos speakers in each room in mono?

And where does the Play:3 fall in between the 1's and 5's?

Reiska,

I do have a Bridge, which is a network gateway using Sonos' proprietary wifi system. It works well and will serve the entire house, but I like to hard wire my network wherever I can, so most of the system is set up that way. If it is possible to hard wire your system, you don't need a Bridge, since every component has its own Ethernet connector.

As for speakers, I think the choice depends on room size. You are right, a single speaker will give you mono only. While it still sounds pretty good, two speakers can be programmed to play right and left channels only, which of course sounds much better.

Part of my system is 2 Play:3s (best size for the room) mounted in the ceiling of the bathroom and a Sub hidden in the closet. Talk about a concert in the shower!  [smile]

Sub woofers in general tend to be non-directional, so they can really be placed anywhere. The Sonos Sub takes it to a whole new level, it can be placed anywhere and at any angle. It can even lay flat and go under a couch or bed.

 

[nclemmons]

I have two Play 5's that I use as separates - one in an office and one in a bedroom.  I'm very happy with the quality for smaller rooms when used as one speaker.

The other components I have are Amps and Connects - total of 7 zones in our home and they are hooked up to either powered or non-powered speakers.  If you want stereo, you can pair Play 1, 3, 5 individual speakers for stereo or drive powered speakers with the Connect or non-powered speakers with the Connect:Amp.  Any speakers can be paired with the Sub.  Soundbar can be paired with 1's, 3's and the Sub, and I believe also the 5's as well for 5.1 surround.  The controllers for IOS, Android, Mac, and Windows enable the pairing and speaker and zone settings.  Amazing the range of music inputs from most of the streaming services - Amazon, Spotify, Beats, Rhapsody, Beats, Concert Vault, Sirius XM, Songza,

You don't have to use a bridge if one of your speakers is Ethernet connected, so that may save you money. 

IF you choose to run some Sonos zones wired and some wireless, you need to be aware of 'network loops' that can happen, and your switch needs to be able to handle this.  Some switches will not resolve the loops resulting in network storms, so be aware that multiple wired Sonos components can add complexity.  I'd suggest you talk to Sonos customer support first if that is your plan.  I have mixed zones that work fine, but needed some switch configuration with Sonos to handle it.

neil

 

[RC]

So what you are saying is that they can be hard wired, but using the dedicated bridge is preferable from a network mgmt perspective?

I have some 48 CAT6 sockets around the house with a 24-port GBE switch running the home network and I have two old 24-port 10/100 switches still in the rack that could be re-purposed for a dedicated switch for the Sonor gear if needed and my firewall has another 3 free GBE ports left for the uplink and routing.

Or I could just slap a bridge next to my TimeCapsule and do the sound wirelessly... Hmm...

Have I understood correctly that the Sonos devices contain a media streaming computer in each speaker that is capable of connecting to CIFS/SMB fileshares or one of the streaming services autonomously and they create a mesh network between themselves to decide who is the communications master?

I guess I'm tipping towards a pair of 1's with a Bridge since I'd like to get music out in the backyard and it seems that only the 1's have any humidity sealing on them... Thinking moving them between the living room and patio when we are outside.

[Edit]
Well, to hell with it - just bought my gateway to the next slippery slope of a Play:1 + Bridge... Lets see how long they take to deliver... At least got the extra 6 months of Google Play Music to go with it.

 

[nclemmons]

Reiska

You can connect to streaming services or to local shares on the network.  Both are configured in the controller software.  Check out the Sonos Support Forums if you have specific issues or questions.

Sonos uses Spanning Tree Protocol to resolve and remove network loops if you wire more than one.  It does create a separate mesh network based on WiFi but is a different network than your home WiFi.  You will want to configure channels to reduce potential for interference between the two if you have a lot of interference.

I'd start with the wired bridge and the Play 1's wireless and add additional units wirelessly to start.  If you don't have to wire additional speakers it's easy to expand and move them for parties, etc.

There is a diagnostic page you can bring up to show wireless signal, how the units are connected, etc.  Typically that is submitted to Sonos and then you can chat with them if any issues show up.

Enjoy!  Ping with questions when you get your gear.

Neil

 

[RC]

Well, they seem to be quick at least - just got my shipping confirmation email with tracking... 4 hours...

Thanks Neil, I don't expect to have much trouble with wireless - got both a 2.4GHz and a 5GHz networks running on my TimeCapsule and only two neighbors within Wifi range to mess things up. I decided to go Wireless since the main reason to buy one is that I'm fed-up unplugging and re-positioning my daughters iPhone speaker dock from her room to the livingroom or the backyard terrace during parties and being stuck to using her old iPhone in the dock for the whole time since the dock is of the older 30-pin connector type and hence incompatible with my 5S's lightning port.

Lets see how this works... if its as good as you and other reviewers claim it to be it will replace my aging Terratec Noxon internet radio in the living room and maybe get a mate soon to have permanently outside under the terrace roof for the summer ;-)

 

[joraft]

... I guess I'm tipping towards a pair of 1's with a Bridge since I'd like to get music out in the backyard and it seems that only the 1's have any humidity sealing on them... Thinking moving them between the living room and patio when we are outside.

Reiska,

Sonos does not really recommend any of their units for outdoor use. Of course it depends on what is meant by outdoor, sitting under a covered patio well protected from the weather should be fine.

In my case, I like to hide the speakers in the bushes so it sounds like the sound is coming from anywhere and everywhere. It never rains in California, so that's not a problem.  [smile] But sprinklers can be.

I chose to get some speakers that are designed to repel moisture, and hook them to a Sonos Connect:Amp inside the house with a "direct bury" cable running through the wall into the garden.

However you set up your system, you won't be disappointed with Sonos products. The only complaints I've ever heard are about the cost.

 

[builderbob]

I bring my Play units in and out when I'm outdoors. I never leave them out. The Play 1 is supposed to have some sort of moisture/humidity resistance to allow use in a bathroom, etc but it's not water or weather proof.

 

[B_Swanson]

I went all in on Squeezebox units several years ago, (which were unfortunately discontinued a few years ago).  I feel like I chose betamax instead of VHS, although all the hardware still does what I need it to do.  I use the squeezeboxen mainly to stream my library of FLAC files from my home server to existing low-mid-fi set-ups throughout seven rooms and the screened patio.  As someone said earlier, there's nothing like perfectly synchronized music playing throughout the house if you are a music junkie.  Suffered a lightning strike last summer that took out one pair of powered speakers so I replaced it with a Play5 to prepare myself for the likely need to migrate to a new platform.  The sound is excellent, and set-up is far simpler than set-up for the Squeezebox units.

 

[Mickfb]

Well ! On that slippery slope. Just added a Play 1 and a NAS drive.

 

[RC]

Just setup my new shinies - now waiting for the morning to really try making some noise [big grin]

Rocking away with my freebie 6 months of Google Play Music that came with them - Paradise City [thumbs up]

I can easily see that a few more might be soon on their way... Very simple to setup and surprisingly good sound even from the 1's.

 

[Mickfb]

How goes it with the Sonos then Reiska.  [big grin]