Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Off Topic OT: Sonos vs. Squeezebox

For those interested I went with a Western Digital MyBook World Edition II 2 TB (2 x 1TB) NAS...although the documentation is very poor the flexibility, functionality, performance, support and use are, in my view, very good.

The one mistake that I amde was going for such a large unit because at the end of the day -- including input from those here --I concluding that the disk mirroring that this NAS offers is NOT sufficient in terms of protection in that in the event of fire, power surge, water damage, etc. both disks could get destroyed and then there would be a BIG problem as one thing in life that I do NOT want to do is re-rip my CD collection...hence, I invested in a backup solution as well.

HTH..

" I'd suggest the HP MediaSmart EX470 - which is a Windows Home Server box. "

I got a 4tb Hp 475 version , an SB3 and a Duet which , incidentally solves any line of sight problems as it can operate either type of unit . I like the whole ' Free your Music ' ethos of Squeezebox and the fact that there are lots of people cleverer than I to develop some very useful plug-ins for me

~M~

I was very tempted by the Sonus solution at the Bristol show this year, almost entirely due to the controller which seemed to answer my prayers. However I couldn't believe they would go to all that trouble of producing such a user friendly product only to not add learning capabilities so you would still need 2 remotes!!

I'm not sure if the Duet addresses this issue but it IMHO this would be a huge selling point for me and the deal clincher on either of the 2 relatively similar products (ZP80 Vs Duet).

Cheers... Still miffed at M's price rises....! Simon

just started using an iTouch with 'remote' app with my airport express setup and have to say it is BRILLIANT! worth every penny of the �5 to upgrade to new software. the app is then free.

You can pick music by album/artist/playlist etc, which remote speakers you want, multiple remote speakers, volume control, pause/play, skip, rw - just about everything that itunes can do - awesome!

i have been waiting for this solution for a while now and it works.

James

Agreed, and like you I was slightly put off at the need for a second remote but then my thinking cahnged and, to that end, I note the following:

1. The remote issue is more complicated than you think for at least two reasons...the first is the use of soft buttons and a wheel would be very difficult to incoporate into a hard button remote but doable on a panel...the second, and larger issue, is the use uPnP code which is impossible without a lot of work, so much so that it can not be incorporated into my Crestron control system and I have checked with 3 Crestron Master Level Certified programmers who, in turn, have checked with thei brethren....

2. At first the need for a second remote remote put me off but no longer and here is why...1) for the remote friendly users in the house it ismuch easier to simply pick up the SONOS remote and go from there without having to drill down (albeit no more than an additional 2 button presses) to get to the SONOS...2) in most of the rooms/zones where I have the SONOS remotes I do not also have a Crestron touchpanel and I can tell you from experience the SONOS remotes are one hell of a lot less costly than the Crestron touchpanels...bottom line, at least for me, the need for a secondary remote is only an issue in those locations where there is a need for a nother remote (i.e. home theater) and, admittedly this is less than ideal, as 1 remote is needed to power on the HT and 1 remote is needed to operate the SONOS but, that said, the benefit from being able to access and control all your music, once again, at least to me, outweighs this minor issue...YMMV

The one issue that I do have is the damn transformer on the power cord that does make the power cord an eyesore...

HTH

What is the problem with Crestron/Sonos? As far as I know a friend of mine has a working Crestron/Sonos/Meridian system...

Tommy:

Wow..that is the first I hear of that I did a lot of checking...any way you could either put me in touch with your friend or have him send me his code for doing this...

Thanks.

I will check with him, hoping that I haven't misunderstood it so that he has Crestron only at work and Sonos at home... (I haven't visited for a while)

Tommy:

Much appreciated as I would very much like to integrate the control of my SONOS into my Crestron system, but have all but given up based on earlier conversations...I am, however, checking one last thing with my porgrammer that being whethe rit would be possible to build an interface between between SONOS' computer application and the Crestron control system as this may be an easier route...

Await your response...

Sonos quoted me $1795 for a 4 ZP80s and a controller. 4 receivers and an SB controller lists at $846, so quite a difference.

I've contacted support about being unable to update my SB controller, we'll see. I doubt any update will address the frequent connection/receiver recognition issues I have. As a comparison, in the same room about 40 feet from my Airport Extreme and down some stairs, my Apple TV has no problem hooking up, the SB controller is iffy.

Though the larger display and functionality of the Sonos controller is tempting, I'd be happy w/the SB if it just worked reliably, and I've already spent the money. That the Sonos is its own mesh network looks to be a further advantage for my layout.

I had similar problems with my Duet at the start and what really made me mad was the SB3 worked perfectly out of the box at the same time . I upgraded my router and instantly setup and reliability improved . The only crash Ive had since was caused by my server downloading an update and not re-launching Squeezecenter afterward .

Once its up and running your perseverance will be well rewarded .


~M~

I've had it since it came out -- it works about half the time I pick it up. This morning, for instance, it did not connect; popping the battery out/in solved this. The SB2 that I just updated the firmware on now stops in the middle of songs to rebuffer -- it had been rock solid for a few years. On top of all this, since adding ten or so feet of length to our house, reception has been a problem. Spent some money on powerline ethernet plugs which solved that.

Blah, blah, blah. If I sell all the above stuff I can go a decent way toward a Sonos system. Tired of the unreliability, time to move on, I think. Perhaps something designed from the ground up to be a network w/a remote multiroom controller is a better way to go for me.