Once set up, Sonos connects to your existing home network, and then creates its own dedicated network, purely for music. All the control units and amplification could be kept out of sight. Similarly, for higher quality output, the Connect could be used with a better quality stereo power amplifier, and/or a dedicated DAC.
The Connect:Amp is convenient for a small dedicated system, but depending on the number of rooms, it may prove to be more cost effective to buy a multi-channel power amplifier and use the unamplified connects.
Both the Connect and Connect:Amp can be hooked up to a stereo source such as an amplified turntable, allowing that source to be shared throughout the house.īoth can, of course, be mixed and matched. Sonos provides three ways to listen to music - the wireless speakers (which we've decided against), the Connect:Amp, which is effectively a small, dedicated integrated amplifier, which can drive a pair of speakers, and be controlled from a mobile device, or the Connect, which offers the same functionality as the Connect:Amp, but delegates to amplification to a separate (non-Sonos) component. Then, for each room, we need to connect a music source, and then we need a way to control them. Four rooms, that's eight channels of amplification. It stands to reason that each pair of speakers needs two channels of amplification. Let's assume we've chosen the speakers, and they've been installed - the cost is the same. Imagine I've listened to something like the range-topping Sonos Play:5 (£430), and compared it to a similarly priced amplifier and speaker setup, or experienced a demo of in-ceiling speakers, driven by a power amplifier, and I'm inclined towards the aesthetics and convenience of music built into the wall or ceiling, and prefer the sound of dedicated speakers, so I opt for some dedicated, free-standing speakers in the living room, but in-ceiling speakers elsewhere. Let's say I want to be able to listen to music in the following rooms: Maybe in another article, I can look at the more primitive 'wireless speaker' options, but this article is more concerned with getting as close to the quality and convenience of the systems I designed 15 years ago, but at a fraction of the cost. The former does a pretty decent job, but as a music lover I'm more interested in getting the best possible sound, yet also have the convenience of selecting and controlling my music from a phone or tablet, in a number of locations in the house. Let's look at the market leader, Sonos, and compare it to Yamaha's MusicCast.Īt this point I want to make a distinction between dotting a few compact wireless speakers around the house, and use of higher quality in-ceiling or in-wall speakers, or standalone speakers.
Nowadays good quality wireless home sound systems are within reach of everyone. I designed and built some incredible systems (including for a certain Robbie Williams), but they were complicated and expensive. When I started in the industry, independently selected and controlled music in every room was the preserve of the very rich.
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