Sonos speakers will work 'as long as possible'

EssexGonzo · 25 Jan 2020

Bletchleyite said:
The issue with Sonos systems is that you build them into a house but they aren't long-term things as they are heavily software dependent. If I was building in audio to a house I'd use a classic system and plug in a device to control it which itself might have an "expiry date".

FWIW I do have whole house audio but using Amazon Echo Dots costing a total of about £100. Quality isn't there compared with Sonos but TBH I'm very happy with it at the price.

We had a similar decision to make 4 years ago when building a house extension and rewiring the rest of the house. Our instinct was to build speakers in or at least pre-wire with the option to do so. After looking at the price (eye-watering) and looking at Sonos-type options (proprietary and software/application driven) we decided against it.

Instead, we bought several UE Megaboom wifi/bluetooth speakers that can be linked wirelessly or used individually. The sound is plenty good enough for us - they're not up there with Meridians linked to a Linn Sondek but they work at a party! They can also be wired using a 3.5mm jack, to avoid the future end of life issue, but the reality is in a few years our heads will have been turned by something else. But at least we don't have to hack the house around for nothing.

RailUK Forums

pdq · 25 Jan 2020

I upgraded my hifi last year to a Marantz Melody X (M-CR612) and a couple of Dali Oberon 1 speakers which are wall mounted. The Marantz still has a CD drive but also has a DAB and analogue tuner, and connects to my WD NAS drive where I'm gradually ripping my CDs to as FLAC files. It will connect to Spotify, Amazon, Deezer etc and has a couple of optical inputs (TV and a Chromecast Audio) and an analogue input. So I think the best of modern streaming tech with the ability to play 'legacy' formats (albeit it hasn't got a phono amp...).
Talking of legacy, I plugged my 1990 Technics tape deck in last week to play some home recordings from when I was a child. It just worked after being in a cupboard for getting on for 10 years.

DaleCooper · 25 Jan 2020

My music is stored in either RIAA compensated analogue format on double sided polymer hard discs or as uncompressed 16 bit digital files on Al/PC laminated hard discs. These are stored in dedicated wall mounted units and are accessible from anywhere in the house via a 12 tier communications channel.

Each room has an individual control console providing source selection and volume control with visual confirmation using an ergonomic UDI or remote activation. WiReD technology is used to feed discrete voltage intensification units which in turn drive multi-component transducer cabinets which constitute the programme/user aural interface.

Glossary:
dedicated wall mounted units - shelves
12 tier communications channel - staircase
UDI - User's Digit Interface

Verulamius · 25 Jan 2020

I use the logitect media system, or squeezebox as it is also called.

Whilst the hardware has not been made for around 8 years, the software is all open source and there is very lively community who design plugins, such as BBC radio player etc. The hardware is now replaced by raspberry pis.

I run my music server on a raspberry pi with HDs storing my music. This is then cast via wifi to my speakers, hifi system, using my phone /laptop as a controller.

It integrates well with raspberry pi with attached DACs for those who want an ultra HD system.

Romsey · 25 Jan 2020

yorksrob said:
I have to chuckle that the chief executive is called Patrick Spence -

"The king sits in Dunfermline town, drinking of the blood red wine ......"

There's no "like" button, but it did give me a chuckle as the track is about as old as the speakers being discussed... ( BTW it's Sir Patrick Spens.)

yorksrob · 25 Jan 2020

Romsey said:
There's no "like" button, but it did give me a chuckle as the track is about as old as the speakers being discussed... ( BTW it's Sir Patrick Spens.)

Not quite the right spelling, but you get where I'm coming from

MidlandsChap · 25 Jan 2020

Never seen the appeal of this kind of thing. More than happy with my old seperates. If for any strange reason I need to hear the music in another room I will just turn it up and leave the doors open. But usually I am relaxed on the sofa giving it my full attention.

D365 · 26 Jan 2020

RichT54 said:
A few years ago I had been thinking of building such a device, but in the end I bought a Brennan B2. It's a small box that contains a Raspberry Pi, small display screen, amplifier, CD drive and can have either an SD card, hard disk drive or SSD to store the music files. Mine has a 1TB HDD. It comes with a credit card size remote control. You can connect the B2 to your LAN using an (optional) WiFi dongle or ethernet cable. Once connected you can then control the unit using a web browser or their android app. The built in software allows you to rip music CDs but you can also load music files from a USB drive, or transfer them from your PC using the web browser interface. The B2 can power suitable speakers itself or you can connect it to an existing HiFi amp and speakers. The software is updated several times a year, mainly to add new functionality. However, the user has control of the update process and can decide if and when to do so.

I find that the system works very well. The only complaint I have is with security. For example you can connect a bluetooth dongle which then allows you to play music on a bluetooth speaker, or send music from your phone to be played by the B2. However, there are no checks on which devices can pair with the unit which means that if your neighbours are close enough, they can connect their phones and start playing their music on your system (this has happened to me). Brennan say the lack of security checks is to make it easy for the owner to pair with the B2. I guess they don't have any neighbours close enough to interfere.

I've seen a lot of Mr Brennan's adverts on YouTube (they pop up from time to time), so it's interesting to hear your experience with the B2.

It sounds like the B2 puts the RasPi inside a "plug and play" device. Best of both worlds, in a way. Strange to hear that he won't consider any security measures, surely a pin code system wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility.

Puffing Devil said:
Sonos are the Apple of the smart speaker world - touted as easy to use for people who can't or won't get into the weeds of a "proper" system. Unfortunately, digital systems do not last forever as technology marches on and it's not always possible to support older technology with newer releases, video game consoles and even Windows 7 being other examples. I can see many people becoming unhappy with Google and Amazon when support is dropped for their first-generation smart speakers at some time in the future.

People are more accepting with phones and other items that have an expectation of a shorter working life, while speakers you would expect to last for 10 years plus. If you want to ensure a longer life, you need to be more aware as a buyer or seek more advice before committing.

You say that, but Apple is far better at keeping their phones updated than Android. For example, the 4.5 year old iPhone 6s still runs the very latest iOS software. But I can definitely agree; despite the supposed political push towards sustainability, anything with a "System on a Chip" inside it from the last decade can very much be considered disposable.

RichT54 · 26 Jan 2020

D365 said:
I've seen a lot of Mr Brennan's adverts on YouTube (they pop up from time to time), so it's interesting to hear your experience with the B2.

It sounds like the B2 puts the RasPi inside a "plug and play" device. Best of both worlds, in a way. Strange to hear that he won't consider any security measures, surely a pin code system wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility.

I totally agree, but it's not just the bluetooth component that lacks security. All the units are delivered with the same root password which is actually revealed on the Brennan website. None of their user interfaces provide a mechanism for changing it. You have to ssh from another computer into the unit and then used the linux 'passwd' command to change it. I'm sure there are many customers that wouldn't know how to do that. Brennan have stated several times that it's not necessary to change it, but I certainly don't want my B2 becoming part of a botnet, being used for DoS attacks or for spreading malware!

D365 · 26 Jan 2020

RichT54 said:
I totally agree, but it's not just the bluetooth component that lacks security. All the units are delivered with the same root password which is actually revealed on the Brennan website. None of their user interfaces provide a mechanism for changing it. You have to ssh from another computer into the unit and then used the linux 'passwd' command to change it. I'm sure there are many customers that wouldn't know how to do that. Brennan have stated several times that it's not necessary to change it, but I certainly don't want my B2 becoming part of a botnet, being used for DoS attacks or for spreading malware!

It's the same on any Raspberry Pi, the standard username and login on Raspbian Linux is "pi" and "raspberry" respectively. However I do get where you're coming from, at least on your web router you have the means (in the web software) to change the password relatively easily.

Baxenden Bank · 26 Jan 2020

Wow, I don't understand a single post in this whole thread.

Other than the bit that modern business practice is to screw you over with built-in obsolescence. Ever sooner rates of replacement to drive sales growth. Strangely, the young generation is the one all concerned about the environment yet expect to (in reality want and absolutely just must) replace all of their consumer electronics seemingly annually.

Do people expect to live in the same house long enough to make it worth burying speakers in the walls? Or have I stumbled on the people who buy all the lifestyle guff pushed in the glossy supplements of weekend newspapers?

I'll just go and get my pipe and slippers. Darn, the tartan blanket has slipped off my knees again.

Bletchleyite · 26 Jan 2020

Baxenden Bank said:
Do people expect to live in the same house long enough to make it worth burying speakers in the walls?

Er, yes? Quite a lot of people live in the same house for many years. Not everyone downsizes on retirement, my parents haven't, they have just adapted rooms for other purposes, e.g. my old bedroom is now a second TV lounge so if they don't want to watch the same thing they don't have to. They did consider downsizing but on balance felt that they had done too much to the house over the years to make it ideal for them that they wouldn't want to start again from scratch in their 70s, so the next move won't be until a home or supported living becomes necessary. So far that's 33 years in the same house, there's a fair chance it could go over 40.

In certain markets (young professionals) it's also a big selling point. I reckon it would probably add value to 2-bed houses and flats in attractive areas for work.

Baxenden Bank · 26 Jan 2020

Bletchleyite said:
Er, yes? Quite a lot of people live in the same house for many years. Not everyone downsizes on retirement, my parents haven't, they have just adapted rooms for other purposes, e.g. my old bedroom is now a second TV lounge so if they don't want to watch the same thing they don't have to. They did consider downsizing but on balance felt that they had done too much to the house over the years to make it ideal for them that they wouldn't want to start again from scratch in their 70s, so the next move won't be until a home or supported living becomes necessary. So far that's 33 years in the same house, there's a fair chance it could go over 40.

In certain markets (young professionals) it's also a big selling point. I reckon it would probably add value to 2-bed houses and flats in attractive areas for work.

I have lived in my house for many years (25+ years) - location, location, location. Buy in the area you want to live and mould a reasonable house into one perfectly suited to your needs. My parents have been in the same house for 50+ years. However, I got the impression that a lot of people moved house quite frequently nowadays. Certainly that was the case before the 2008 financial crisis - which is, I suppose, a long time ago now. The average then being something like every five to seven years.

The point being is it worth investing in long-term improvements to a property if you either don't intend being in it for a long time, or if there is no return on the investment when you sell (never build a swimming pool!).

I remember "Tomorrow's World" many years ago talking about integrated homes where the systems would communicate with each other. It seemed rather far-fetched and fanciful but it would appear that it is now happening. Just not as quickly as they suggested.

Integrated sound, or entertainment systems, seems a strange one given the rapidly changing technology. As people post at the top of the thread their old, wired, hi-fi speakers still work perfectly well but vinyl records went out fashion, as have CD's.

Bletchleyite · 26 Jan 2020

Baxenden Bank said:
I have lived in my house for many years (25+ years) - location, location, location. Buy in the area you want to live and mould a reasonable house into one perfectly suited to your needs. My parents have been in the same house for 50+ years. However, I got the impression that a lot of people moved house quite frequently nowadays.

Renters do, and for them a preinstalled system like this can be a selling point. Buyers...I wonder if remote working and improvements to the railway might have made it less necessary.

talltim · 26 Jan 2020

Baxenden Bank said:
vinyl records went out fashion.

And then back in

Romsey · 26 Jan 2020

My daughters smart speaker system which could link to her phone and MP3 player has just died. ( As expected a few months after the end of the guarantee.)
I'm sat here listening to my 1988 system of separates which still works well. The cassette deck isn't used and I had to get a new turntable (with usb download) but the amp, tuner, CD player and speakers are just fine.
They just don't build things like they used to!

HSTEd · 26 Jan 2020

I've been pondering this sort of thing myself.
And I came to the conclusion that the best bet is dumb speakers and route the entire house into a single integrated A/V and computing head-end.

cactustwirly · 26 Jan 2020

Bletchleyite said:
Renters do, and for them a preinstalled system like this can be a selling point. Buyers...I wonder if remote working and improvements to the railway might have made it less necessary.

What is remote working anyway?

Bletchleyite · 27 Jan 2020

cactustwirly said:
What is remote working anyway?

Working from home.

Sonos speakers will work 'as long as possible'

EssexGonzo

Member

RailUK Forums

pdq

Member

DaleCooper

Established Member

Verulamius

Member

Romsey

Member

yorksrob

Veteran Member

MidlandsChap

Member

D365

Veteran Member

RichT54

Member

D365

Veteran Member

Baxenden Bank

Established Member

Bletchleyite

Veteran Member

Baxenden Bank

Established Member

Bletchleyite

Veteran Member

talltim

Established Member

Romsey

Member

HSTEd

Veteran Member

cactustwirly

Established Member

Bletchleyite

Veteran Member