Simplifying my digital life...

AKT

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All good people on this forum, I am looking for some advice.

I have a full fledged home theater setup (B&W 685, HTM62, Def Tech PM1000 Speakers, Cambridge Soundworks P300HD Sub, Oppo BDP 105 and Marantz SR6008). A Synology NAS feeds content into the setup with or w'out an XBMC media player (essentially a jail broken apple TV). As anybody would, I have carefully curated and upgraded these over a period of time.

I am now planning to sell everything and switch to SONOS. Consider it a meltdown or digital life simplification! I have NEVER listened to a SONOS myself! Could you be my ears on a comparative scale? I am almost certain sound quality would not be at par with my current setup; but considering the simplification would it be worth a downgrade? What do you suggest?
 
A very big downgrade. I have a B&W A7 and A5 and they are also a downgrade from full sized systems like yours
 
Don't, the SQ is pretty lame. My Sony dock sounds way better and it cost 1/3rd the price of the Play 5.

FWIW, Sonos too is having a meltdown, laying off staff, focusing on internet streaming, and voice apps (like Amazon Echo). It doesn't bode well for a company that sells wireless speakers... or maybe they are having a tough time of selling them lately. More info at Navigating an Industry In Transition, Investing in the Future of Music | SONOS.

If you need a breather and want the simple joys of music then simply buy a Chromecast Audio and start streaming internet radio on it. I'm doing just that the past few weeks... have over 30 stations I've discovered that don't just play mainstream music or today's hits, but have actual human DJs who create/curate playlists with the single goal of music discovery. I'm discovering (or rediscovering) new acts and bands from the 70s to the latest Indie performers with such streaming stations.

Or maybe you just need to shut down the music system for a month or two and get hooked on a serial. I do that too frequently... caught up on multiple seasons of some TV shows and the break from Pink Floyd did me good too. Get Netflix and dig into some TV shows.

Lastly, a couple of weeks or a month at the beach with no technology. I did that once, no email or internet, not even mobile for a month and it was refreshing unlike anything.
 
All good people on this forum, I am looking for some advice.

I have a full fledged home theater setup (B&W 685, HTM62, Def Tech PM1000 Speakers, Cambridge Soundworks P300HD Sub, Oppo BDP 105 and Marantz SR6008). A Synology NAS feeds content into the setup with or w'out an XBMC media player (essentially a jail broken apple TV). As anybody would, I have carefully curated and upgraded these over a period of time.

I am now planning to sell everything and switch to SONOS. Consider it a meltdown or digital life simplification! I have NEVER listened to a SONOS myself! Could you be my ears on a comparative scale? I am almost certain sound quality would not be at par with my current setup; but considering the simplification would it be worth a downgrade? What do you suggest?
I think in this scenario, Devialet would be worth giving a shot. [emoji4]
 
All good people on this forum, I am looking for some advice.

I have a full fledged home theater setup (B&W 685, HTM62, Def Tech PM1000 Speakers, Cambridge Soundworks P300HD Sub, Oppo BDP 105 and Marantz SR6008). A Synology NAS feeds content into the setup with or w'out an XBMC media player (essentially a jail broken apple TV). As anybody would, I have carefully curated and upgraded these over a period of time.

I am now planning to sell everything and switch to SONOS. Consider it a meltdown or digital life simplification! I have NEVER listened to a SONOS myself! Could you be my ears on a comparative scale? I am almost certain sound quality would not be at par with my current setup; but considering the simplification would it be worth a downgrade? What do you suggest?

Have you listened to the Sonos in your room? Or is this a hypothetical question? what is prompting this change?
 
I am now planning to sell everything and switch to SONOS. Consider it a meltdown or digital life simplification! I have NEVER listened to a SONOS myself! Could you be my ears on a comparative scale? I am almost certain sound quality would not be at par with my current setup; but considering the simplification would it be worth a downgrade? What do you suggest?

One word. "Don't"
If you feel your setup is too complicated and has too many wires, PM me and come and take a look at my rig.
There is no wireless, all wired and cables running all around. You will go back home and say to yourself "I am not as crazy as I thought!!"
Wireless is still new and will take at least 3-5 years to settle down. The players today are charging an arm/leg/body parts to make life supposedly easier.
Take FM regeHA's advice and go into detox, if you feel it may work for you.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
Hi folks
I amnew and looking for a Sub woofer for my room 12x14 ft - what brand and model to buy?
presently have a ENBEE ZXI &ZX80- AMP and PRE AMP( 80 RMS) and CD player Marantz CD5004 with Jamo Speakers S426- floor stand2,center1,surrond2).
Also need to buy a DVD with USB port for Playing music from Pen drive.
Also would like to listen to Radio Music what to which will give all this at the cheapest ?
Many thanks for your advise.
Goget
 
Thats not a downgrade, thats an abomination, ...:D :D from the kind of setup you have. ........BTW wires!!! who care for wires if the setup brings the eternal heaven of music/movies down your ears ...lol

Take a break for couple of weeks and then come back I am sure you will not regret the decision of not downgrading ... :)
 
All good people on this forum, I am looking for some advice.

I have a full fledged home theater setup (B&W 685, HTM62, Def Tech PM1000 Speakers, Cambridge Soundworks P300HD Sub, Oppo BDP 105 and Marantz SR6008). A Synology NAS feeds content into the setup with or w'out an XBMC media player (essentially a jail broken apple TV). As anybody would, I have carefully curated and upgraded these over a period of time.

I am now planning to sell everything and switch to SONOS. Consider it a meltdown or digital life simplification! I have NEVER listened to a SONOS myself! Could you be my ears on a comparative scale? I am almost certain sound quality would not be at par with my current setup; but considering the simplification would it be worth a downgrade? What do you suggest?

I can relate. Been through this phase. I dismantled a massive reference grade home theater setup 4 years ago, to get into simpler things in life. While the high such a setup provides is hard to beat, it does get fatiguing after a while. Especially if you are the only one who is responsible for running the show. At the peak I had cartons full of cables/wires/connectors and other bits that only accounted for rejects/spares. Now down to simple setup, and I am not terribly upset I let go of such a high quality private theater.

I want to give you a perspective from my personal experience, hopefully it will be of some use to you. I offer some points to consider.

Do you foresee yourself spending as much time using the home theater as you did? If yes, makes no sense to simplify. That will be counter productive. If no, it makes sense to simplify. Within a year or two you will be used to a simpler setup and will find absolute solace in less.

Do you see the family growing? At some point in time family priorities start taking a higher precedence over personal hobbies. How often do you entertain friends, family, extended family? If you have regular gatherings, it makes little sense to let go. A good home theater is an attraction. I used to have a number of "friends" who would just find some reason to stop by me over weekends every couple of weeks. Not that I am complaining, friends are good to have :lol:

Finally, some facts in case you want to simplify. It is definitely possible to "downgrade" and yet be satisfied. You can go for high end sound bars. Yamaha has a few models that are good. Granted, they don't even try to match the scale of a home theater, but for private TV viewing they suffice. A high end sound bar + a good small footprint sub can more than compensate for the lost ground.

If you want to move towards 2-channel, get a pair of DynAudio Xeo 6 and a streamer such as Chromecast. It will be a very satisfying, if comparatively limited, experience.
 
Hi skdas,

Thanks for the kind words! Happy to share what I have experienced. Hope this helps the OP and some other folks in similar dilemna.
 
Take a deep and honest look at your priorities. Many of these simplification / convenience solutions cannot give you high performance. So knowing your priorities really helps to take the right decison.

If you stay true to yourself, you do not need a detox :)
 
Thank you all good people.

I received so many responses! My bad, I am attending to this thread after a while. Was neck deep with year end closures at work.

With that aside............

Listening to music should not be an event. It should be woven into your lifestyle. With humongous systems, it becomes a dedicated activity. Pl do not dish me on this statement. I am as much an audio lover as you are and have spent money, time and effort in understanding and enjoying it over a decade now. I am just sharing my thoughts with fellow forum members. Have you ever come across one or more following scenarios...?

1. Your wife (used metaphorically) is not able to use the system. What appears to be a very simple sequence of activities to you, completely stumps her and she gradually moves away from it. (I have a Harmony 900 remote, just in case you are wondering).

2. You are getting ready for work; felt like listening to Bill Withers when you realize you just can't. You need to go to the living/listening/study room, switch everything on and load a CD or find a high quality mp3/FLAC. You just don't do it. You are getting ready for work after all!

3. This is a big one and I might be the only culprit. I DO NOT listen to music. Most of the times, I listen to audio quality . My sessions inadvertently turn out to be critical listening sessions. Should I re-position my sub; how about toeing in my L/R speakers just a tad bit; should I change speaker wires, its been two years, they would have gotten oxidized; or probably the source is not good. I am fed up of it guys. I have stopped enjoying music :sad:

Now you know why SONOS comes as a rescue. Everywhere music, very easy to use, and locked down sound quality. Sometimes absence of choices is a good thing...huh.

As a first step, I have decided to sell my oppo blu ray and downgrade to a 2.0 setup. I shall gradually add SONOS to EVERY room.

Long thread I know but your thoughts....?
 
You seemed to have missed the point. Its not a tirade against simplifying your life, but rather against the intended use of Sonos.

1. Your wife (used metaphorically) is not able to use the system. What appears to be a very simple sequence of activities to you, completely stumps her and she gradually moves away from it. (I have a Harmony 900 remote, just in case you are wondering).

Happened to me with both wife and my father. My mother actually very quickly got the hang of the smartphone and began to use services like Spotify and Saavn as well as YouTube from day 1. But after a while, my dad actually prefers the smartphone and wireless casting approach to Worldspace, even has a ton of radio stations and streaming services added.

The wife did take longer. I believe it was because of Apple and not primarily the setup I had. The simplest solution was to get her an iPad, a Sony Dock that works with the iPad and also the likes of Sonos (which I'll come again to later).

2. You are getting ready for work; felt like listening to Bill Withers when you realize you just can't. You need to go to the living/listening/study room, switch everything on and load a CD or find a high quality mp3/FLAC. You just don't do it. You are getting ready for work after all!

That is precisely why I advocate everyone rip their content (FLAC or WAV) and get a NAS. If nothing you can listen on your phone or tablet even with their limited speakers, and in a couple of seconds pretty much anywhere.

I don't believe anyone pops in CDs anymore... maybe SACD on the Oppo for novelty or to show off your system to friends, but that's a rarity. Today everybody rips or streams. I'm one of the few folks who still buys CDs and has friends borrowing the latest releases like Adele.

3. This is a big one and I might be the only culprit. I DO NOT listen to music. Most of the times, I listen to audio quality . My sessions inadvertently turn out to be critical listening sessions. Should I re-position my sub; how about toeing in my L/R speakers just a tad bit; should I change speaker wires, its been two years, they would have gotten oxidized; or probably the source is not good. I am fed up of it guys. I have stopped enjoying music :sad:

This is a big one for most folks on forums. But end of the day you need to decide for yourself if you are a music lover or a gadget lover. I'm a music lover and can and do continue to enjoy music on even subpar equipment. Not everybody can and more power to them because music is better enjoyed on better equipment. But this brings us back to your 2nd point... how quickly can you get your music playing. Today that should be no longer than 2-5 seconds at most. Anything requiring more time is not worth the effort... but then again I've many friends who love the vinyl ritual. Just taking care of the stack, cleaning it, maintaining it, etc. takes so much time that they don't spend as much time actually listening to music. But then everyone would actually call the vinylheads the true music lovers and not the digitized folks who listen to anything and everything from the likes of mp3 to bad radio.

Now you know why SONOS comes as a rescue. Everywhere music, very easy to use, and locked down sound quality. Sometimes absence of choices is a good thing...huh.

This brings me to my main point or the main problem i.e. Sonos. Equate Sonos with simplicity or ease of use, but not with good music. There is a huge difference. If you want simplicity with good music then there are better options than Sonos. Bluesound is better for starters, heck even Chromecast Audio plugged into a boombox or HiFi components or separates will do a better job. Even my Sony dock walks all over the Sonos and everything I've heard from the likes of AudioEngine, Mackie, Vanatoo, and even HiVi Swans Speaker like M200MKII or M200MKIII will walk all over the Sonos - and also cost less. Something like the Vanatoo will even take digital inputs and not need a DAC. But the main point is they all walk all over the Sonos and offer the same level of simplicity and ease of use. You can say I'm against Sonos and not simplifying your digital life.

If you want simplicity and ease of use then get something like Swans Speakers or Vanatoo and throw in a couple of Chromecast Audios. Will pretty much kill anything and everything Sonos.
 
Friends, I was in Singapore for last couple of months and extensively auditioned SONOS. Here are my thoughts.

1. For a digital only setup, it is pretty good. The freedom of listening to almost any song at will on a more than decent hardware is really a welcome change.

2. Play 1 is surprisingly good for its size. Play 3 is ok. Play 5 is the big one and sounds obviously better than all. However, my personal preference would be 2 Play 1s with a Sub.

3. In comparison to my current setup (Marantz SR6008 + B&W 685 + Cambridge Soundworks P300HD sub), the SONOS setup is definitely inferior. However you add the freedom, remove wire clutter and couple it with an amazing software for multi-room audio; the difference starts diminishing. Its a lifestyle choice. You do the math.

I finally bought a Play 1 (single piece) for myself to test waters. It is in my bedroom and I am happy so far.
 
A perfect example of digital - saturation. The best option is to disassemble everything, take a break for few weeks and then rebuild your HT starting from wall paint. Please do not downgrade, you will repent soon
 
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