I don't understand the attraction of Sonos. Please educate me.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by Dj_AmTraX

I have a 2010 Mac Mini and an iPad with about 500gb of AIFF music on a USB hard drive. I sometimes use Amarra Mini as the sound engine. The music server works great with the PS Audio DAC and an Airport Express for my bedside DAC and headphones system. The iPad or iPhone does the controlling. No monitor on the Mac Mini.

What does a Sonos offer that I don't already have? Does it sound better than my setup?

Easy to install.

The wireless network works flawlessly.

Sounds good enough with services like Rhapsody and Pandora (using an external DAC like the MDA1000 at least.)

Sounds great with high-res streaming from your computer.

I can control it with my iPhone or iPad.

One of my best audio purchases, unbeatable for background music through Pandora and Rhapsody. I'd estimate 60% of my listening is through the Sonos.

Hope this helps,

Alberto

[Tonepub]

As you don't have a huge digital music collection, you might even want to investigate a Squeezebox Touch. Pretty handy little device.

[j3brow]

Originally Posted by Alberto

Easy to install.

The wireless network works flawlessly.

Sounds good enough with services like Rhapsody and Pandora (using an external DAC like the MDA1000 at least.)

Sounds great with high-res streaming from your computer.

I can control it with my iPhone or iPad.

One of my best audio purchases, unbeatable for background music through Pandora and Rhapsody. I'd estimate 60% of my listening is through the Sonos.

Hope this helps,

Alberto

instead of hi-res, i assume you mean lossless WAV 16/44 as Sonos will not pass anything higher than 16/44 to the best of my knowledge. It is the achilles heel of a Sonos based system.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by j3brow

instead of hi-res, i assume you mean lossless WAV 16/44 as Sonos will not pass anything higher than 16/44 to the best of my knowledge. It is the achilles heel of a Sonos based system.

Yes, I should have been more precise. I meant lossless.

Thanks for the correction.

Alberto

[Dj_AmTraX]

I don't have any high-Rez files so it doesn't matter.

[PHC1]

I have 8 Sonos zones throughout the house. In-ceiling Triad speakers, Transparent wiring, Arcam powered. I love Sonos. I use it daily in different rooms. Any music I want in the master bath while taking a shower in the morning, any music I want in the kitchen while eating breakfast, any music I want in the library, any music I want in the family room, dining room while eating dinner with the family or entertaining guests.. you get my drift... Having instant, streaming music of any genre that you can que up without having the physical media or having it ripped to your computer is an awesome thing.

['cisco]

Holly Molley Serge.....are you breeding those ZonePlayer 90's?

[Dj_AmTraX]

That's a lot of Sonos.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by PHC1

I have 8 Sonos zones throughout the house. In-ceiling Triad speakers, Transparent wiring, Arcam powered. I love Sonos. I use it daily in different rooms. Any music I want in the master bath while taking a shower in the morning, any music I want in the kitchen while eating breakfast, any music I want in the library, any music I want in the family room, dining room while eating dinner with the family or entertaining guests.. you get my drift... Having instant, streaming music of any genre that you can que up without having the physical media or having it ripped to your computer is an awesome thing.

I had to do a double-take on that rack, it looked like something Ivan would have. Great set up Serge!

Alberto

[Alberto]

One thing I love about the Sonos is using it in conjunction with Rhapsody and the iPad. I love to read about music and music reviews (with music playing in the background of course.) With the Sonos+Rhapsody+iPad, I can read about a record and - 90% of the time - I am able to cue it up in less than a minute and read a review or analysis of that music while listening to it.

Yes, it's low-res streaming, but the goal is not serious listening - it's seeing if the piece of music is something you'd like to add to your collection with a CD, or LP or high-res download.

In the past, more than 50% of the records I'd buy would not get more than a couple of listens (i.e. a lot of "dogs") but not I rarely buy a record I don't enjoy listening to again and again - because I made sure I would with Rhapsody.

If you get a Sonos, I would add an iPad and a Rhapsody subscription.

Alberto