Multi-Room Music Systems

[stevo-08]

Any audiophiles out there??

Im think about investing in a multi-room music system and just wondering if anyone has any experience of the various systems out there. Sony, Philips & Logitech all have their own variations but top of the bunch seems to be Sonos. So, I'm thinking of getting the Sonos BU120 (http://www.sonos.com/whattobuy/promos/bundle120/default.aspx?rdr=true&LangType=2057). It's got superb reviews everywhere I've seen and supports every format imaginable including FLAC, which is the format I'll be storing all my CDs in. It's a very pricey piece of kit though so thats why I'm wondering if anyone here has got one.

Also, if I do go for the Sonos unit, I'll probably store all my CDs on a NAS device. So has anyone any recommendations for a good NAS unit, not costing the earth. 80GB would be absolutely loads of storage for my needs even with ripping my CDs to FLAC.

thanks in advance.

[heganboy]

invested in a sonos a couple of months back- just raging I dint get it done sooner, great to actually get the radio stations from home on in the background.

[stevo-08]

what sonos system did you get heganboy? Do you stream music from your PC or a NAS device?

[bcarrier]

These are very good and no wiring.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Klipsch-Room-Groove-Wireless-Speaker/dp/B000WELHM4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1229359932&sr=8-4

[Main Street]

Any audiophiles out there??

Yep, but I am also into speaker switch boxes and wires, with my amp wired to the computer & digibox.

If you have not already got a good amp, the Sonos looks very neat, easy to set up and efficient remote control. I can see how you'd pay that much for function, style and quality.
You are spending that money to elegantly send lossless encoded music from your hard drive to another location in the house.
The reproduction on the orbit amp is said to be perfect according to Stereophile test (the only one really worth reading).
The Amp is powerful enough. You still have to get speakers. And if you are paying that much you should get good bookshelf speakers.
http://www.canton.de/en-produktdetail-ergo-ergo620.hhtm 
Beautifully crafted smooth round edged natural wood cabinets and lovely sound.
That sound and cabinet quality should be your standard. You can't be skimping on the speakers


I bought a cherrywood Bergstein amp for my daughter for an upcoming christmas present.
http://www.bernstein-audio.de/web/en/galerie.php
Cost €300, about half the retail price, (maybe the retro look did not catch on sales wise)
It has a 2 valve amp, neat enough sounding speakers inbuilt, phono inputs for her portable computer and a dock for her iPod.
also a coax connection for a 'hand me down' working sub woofer.

[stevo-08]

Thanks for that response Main Street, very helpful

If you have not already got a good amp, the Sonos looks very neat, easy to set up and efficient remote control. I can see how you'd pay that much for function, style and quality.

Yea, i dont have a good amp which is why the sonos is appealing. However, I do have a sony surround sound system hooked up to my dvd player, so i could possibly go for the sonos zp90 (cheaper than the ZP120) which doesnt have an amp, and connect it to the dvd player. Although Im sure you'll tell me I shouldnt be sacrificing speaker sound..

You are spending that money to elegantly send lossless encoded music from your hard drive to another location in the house.

Thats exactly what i want to do, and why i have my cd collection in FLAC format. However, I'd prefer to take my music off my laptop and move it onto a networked hard drive. i dont want to pay alot of money for a sonos system, and only be able to play it when my laptop is turned on. Any suggestions on a network hard drive??

The reproduction on the orbit amp is said to be perfect according to Stereophile test (the only one really worth reading).
The Amp is powerful enough. You still have to get speakers. And if you are paying that much you should get good bookshelf speakers.
http://www.canton.de/en-produktdetail-ergo-ergo620.hhtm 
Beautifully crafted smooth round edged natural wood cabinets and lovely sound.
That sound and cabinet quality should be your standard. You can't be skimping on the speakers

Thats good to hear about the amp quality. For other rooms in the house, I could go for the ZP120 which has the inbuilt amp and connect it to speakers like the canton ones you've recommended. Kef speakers are also supposed to be excellent quality.

Anyway, it's alot of money to fork out for a music system but at least there's some reassurance that it looks top quality. cheers.

[Main Street]

Any suggestions on a network hard drive??

There is a question of what will work with the Sonas, I thought I read something about compatability or is there something that you could make work?
like something here?
http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/range.htm?id=10007

or something like this with no hard drive for $250, but the best multimedia network box for the dollar.
http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/index.php?pluginoption=catalog&task=info&item_id=10&main_id=0&category_id=

or for  $125 - $150 more
http://www.tvix.co.kr/Eng/products/HDM6500A.aspx
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/accessories/0,39100116,49298114,00.htm

there are other multimedia network drives going around, cheaper, good value probably but I don't know if their network capabilities match those two proven boxes. Some things are not as advertised.


Flac files or Apple Lossless are identical quality, so they say. Works out at about the same size files. So your player doesn't have to be flac compatable, just makes life easier if you download lossless in flac format from those handy sources.