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sonos vs squeezebox

187 posts & 45 voices | Started 5 months ago by sadexpunk | Latest reply from sadexpunk

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sadexpunk - Member

been getting some good email advice from a subscriber on here, but i just cant make my mind up. id be interested to hear if any of you had to make this decision, what you chose and why.

i understand that sonos is better in multi room use, which i dont need. for now. its also more expensive.
squeezebox touch looks nice kit for the price, and probably more visually attractive.

basically i only want it for one room. more rooms would be nice, but not a deal breaker. id be storing music on laptop for now, mebbes NAS later, but i believe both support these.

i have a decent amp and speakers, so i think itd either be the basic sonos (connect) £279 i think, and use an android app as remote control..... or the squeezebox touch at £200 with its own remote.

id be ripping cds to laptop/nas (lossless, so flac format?) and also maybe some mp3s that id be trying to get at fairly high bitrate.

spotify may be interesting, i did look into which system supported that, but cant remember now.

ill be working away from home next year, so would be interested in knowing if either could access my music storage remotely at home, altho thats more for nas, as id have my laptop with me whilst away.

thoughts/ decisions/ advice welcome please

thanks

Posted 5 months ago #
youngrob - Member

I've had a squeezebox for a couple of years and hardly used it. It does work but takes a while to rescan my itunes library (admittedly itunes may be the problem!). I recently bought an airport express and now can easily stream music from my macbook or iphone through my amp & speakers. You don't mention apple above so the squeezebox might work better for you. My pal has sonos and it is much slicker (and more ££).

Posted 5 months ago #
leffeboy - Member

I'm fairly sure the squeezebox won't work from a NAS device unless it already runs the squeezebox server soft or you fart around to put it on in some way. The NAS devices I have seen tend to run twonky instead which squeezebox doesn't work with

Posted 5 months ago #
dobo - Member

i use my dlna blu ray player connected to the tv which can access my nas that hidden away in the spare room.

its a hp microserver which runs ubuntu, the blu ray player is a sony bdps370 and i connect them up with ethernet over power.

you could use the laptop as a nas with ubuntu easily enough, theres a learning curve with linux though but plenty of guides around for ubuntu or you could just use windows home server if you happy to buy it.

for dlna i use serviio
for laptop, phone, pc, ipad browsing i use subsonic

then use webmin for server admin

i rip everything to flac and serviio and subsonic transcode with ffmpeg to mp3

works brilliantly streaming hd videos or music

you could even use xmbc for a front end if the server/laptop is in the same room

Posted 5 months ago #
STATO - Member

I got lost just after you said 'i use my...'

Posted 5 months ago #
dobo - Member

lol yes i can see how a lot of my post may be difficult to understand if not familiar with this sort of thing

Posted 5 months ago #
robob - Member

dobo, dead interested in this stuff, but, like STATO, didn't understand most if what you just said... any chance of translating?

Sadexpunk, sorry for the slight hijack.

Posted 5 months ago #
vorlich - Member

I love my Sonos. No complaints. You won't regret it.

Posted 5 months ago #
ericemel - Member

I also love my sonos setup, such an uncomplicated device! No nas software required and works a bloody treat!

I have tried many solutions (PS3/PC/Mac/SB/Naim Streaming) and the Sonos is the winner!

And it really comes into its own when you have 2.

Posted 5 months ago #
sadexpunk - Member

youngrob, yep, i didnt mention apple cos i dont get on with the devices. i have an ideal situation in my head of relaxing on the sofa, and using an app on my android phone as a remote control to access all my music and play it through the speakers. course, that wouldnt be necessary with a squeezebox remote.

dobo, thanks for all that, but seems a bit toooo complicated for my ideal 'ease of use' set up. i can find my way round some technical stuff, but that seems a bit much for me thanks.

looking at the reviews, it does mention nas with the squeezebox, so i assumed thered be no probs with that.

are there many differences in the add-ons, such as spotify, napster, internet radio stations etc? and what about remote access to music whilst away? would i be better off just buying a decent set of portable speakers to plug into my laptop and keep it separate from the sonos/squeezebox setup?

thanks a lot

Posted 5 months ago #
CaptainMainwaring - Member

Got a Sonos starter kit a week ago. The bridge which is connected to my router, and the connect plugged into my audio system. Also downloaded the controller to my iPod, Mrs M's Galaxy SII, and two laptops. Comments:

1) I can't believe how simple it was to set up the whole system, including downloading the apps and getting them connected
2) The integration with Spotify (premium), music on my laptop and internet radio is brilliant
3) The sound quality is absolutely superb

Will be adding more rooms and a NAS device when budget allows

Posted 5 months ago #
leffeboy - Member

it does mention nas with the squeezebox, so i assumed thered be no probs

Be careful with the language used. In many cases it says the logitech software can be installed on a NAS device - but it may not be easy. Wikipedia suggests that "Logitech only supports the Netgear ReadyNAS NAS devices". I can tell you that the squeezebox doesn't work with my Western Digital NAS although my Avox Indio player does.

The squeezebox is nice though

Posted 5 months ago #
josemctavish - Member

I think you will be happy with either as they are both good. I have a Squeezebox Touch connected to the hifi and a couple of radios dotted about the flat, all synchronised together and they work great that way. With the Touch, you have three options - Stream music from your PC/laptop, stream it from a supported NAS box, or plug a USB storage device directly into it and play music direct from that. There is also a free app made by Logitech for iThings and Android to use as a controller. I find I use the app more than the remote, as it replicates the interface of the Touch almost identically.

Squeezebox supports Spotify, Last.fm and a couple of other streaming music services too (Napster and something else I can't remember). There's no remote streaming access that I know of, but you could install something like The Orb for that.

Posted 5 months ago #
infidel - Member

I'm fairly sure synology NAS devices have squeezebox comparability .

Posted 5 months ago #
si_progressivebikes - Member

I have used the squeezebox stuff and it works a treat. Heard people say the Sonos is better at multi room, but i have a boom and squeezebox and using the Ipeng app on my iphone or ipad it controls the devices in two different rooms with ease.

I have a few internet radio stations added to favourites, easy to access that way.

Loads of plugins, like Last FMetc too.

I use my PC without using itunes, many NAS devices are available with squeezecentre already installed.

The squeezebox is smaller than the sonos, which i think is better if you already have hifi as its easier to hide the box.

Posted 5 months ago #
CharlieMungus - Member

Jambox might do it?

Posted 5 months ago #
mefster - Member

No experience with Squeezebox but definitely recommend Sonos: not cheap but incredibly easy to set up, iPhone/iPad app works seamlessly (I don't have a Sonos controller) and Napster links perfectly- great VFM at £5/month

Posted 5 months ago #
cynic-al - Member

My squeezebox was incredibly easy to set up also.

I don't see any need to spend more on sonos, tho I didn't dem one against the other.

Posted 5 months ago #
sadexpunk - Member

was hoping to have my mind made up, but still just as confused looks like good experiences with both.

so..... if i decide to go the cheapest route (squeezebox), then id like to double check a few points.
if 4 of us in the house all have different music on our laptops, the squeezebox will play anyones music from their laptop when they ask it to? and later, a compatible NAS would hold all the music combined anyway?
all our cds can be ripped to flac easily on the laptop first. (by windows media player) does sonos support flac, or a different file extension thats just as easy to rip to?)

the sonos uses the wifi, then uses its own 'mesh' network which is better i believe. anyone had any problems at all with squeezebox just using the normal wifi signal? and would there be any problems in streaming if say both lads were killing baddies on their xbox lives at the same time?

charliemungus, was that jambox suggestion for a laptop speaker?

thanks a lot

Posted 5 months ago #
josemctavish - Member

Can only really speak on behalf of the squeezebox here - as long as the laptop has Squeezebox Centre/Logitech Media Server installed then the Squeezebox can play its music. However, you will need to select the library that you want to get the music from and it will stay connected to that until it loses connection (If the server is shut down) and asks if you want to connect to another library. If no libraries are online then it can still connect to squeezebox.com and get Internet Radio, Last.fm etc through there.

I've had no problems with the wifi whilst having several devices connected to the router (3 Squeezeboxes, 3/4 phones and 2/3 PCs) but probably haven't used it as intensively as you describe - might be more dependent on your router.

Posted 5 months ago #
dobo - Member

i've not used sonos or squeezebox but i almost got a squeezebox, they both seem pretty good to me but at some point you will say to yourself i wish it could do this or that and then your stuck

if your going to use a sonos or squeezebox with a nas then save your dosh and build your own system based around a nas, especially if you have an android phone as you can access and control it all from there.

fwiw i just checked the ubuntu apt repository and it has squeezebox server and squeezeplay packages but i dont use them.

Posted 5 months ago #
sadexpunk - Member

oh mr dobo, youve done it again

dont know what youre on about but sounds promising. any chance of an explanation in laymans terms?
(basically what takes place of the squeezebox/sonos box and how?)

Posted 5 months ago #
sadexpunk - Member

btw, just did a google on ubuntu apt repository squeezebox

are you talking ubuntu solely because thats what you use, or would windows work that way too?

Posted 5 months ago #
CharlieMungus - Member

Well the jambox was for a bluetooth speaker, run from my ipad or my phone,o laptop ifi wanted. I know it's not waht is on your spec. But it does a lot very well. And the sou d quality is very good, stunning for the size of the package

Posted 5 months ago #
dobo - Member

sadexpunk, squeezebox server will run from windows just fine and give you dlna functionality sharing your music so your dlna enabled devices to play them, like my phone and blue ray player.

basically i use my tv, amp and blu ray player in the front room to access stuff like radio, photo, video, music all from the blu ray player remote.

if i'm in a different room i plug my htc android phone into cheap powered speakers (or you could use an expensive amp) to access all the shared media on my NAS.

clearly this doesnt have the full ability of having synced sound in all your rooms like a sonos can do, but i dont really need that and this is massively cheaper.

if you are buying a sonos for just one room i dont see the point.

edit: i missed one important point, the phone connects through wifi, not using its own slow data.

sonos seems preety slick but the price...

Posted 5 months ago #
Luther - Member

Squeezebox (which I have) is good. It works well out of the box. It does provide more scope for "fiddling" so can perhaps seem a but more techie.

I get the impression that the Sonos (which I don't have) is probably a bit slicker, and a bit more plug & play. It does cost more. If I had cash to splash I might opt for the Sonos (albeit not having investigated the respective merits of both in detail).

To get the most of either system I'd guess that you'd want to have a dedicated machine running 24/7 that holds your music. Having to boot up a laptop every time you want to listen to something will get tiresome. You don't necessarily need a NAS as any old PC will do (and having a PC may "feel" easier as at least you will be able to attach a monitor to see what's going on...)

You'll probably need to experiment if you want to access either system remotely and do things like set up a VPN connection etc. It is possible - and not too difficult - with Squeezebox, and I'd guess you follow a similar process for the Sonos.

Have a think about what's involved in setting up a decent well-tagged music library. At the end of the day the most important thing is that you have a decent library that you can move from one system to the next as easily as possible (e.g. when a Squeezebox/Sonos successor arrives). You won't want to re-rip everything! I keep as much of my library as possible in FLAC as being non-proprietary I am assuming it will be easiest to transcode if necessary. That said MP3 has stood the test of time - in terms of breadth of support - although being lossy any transcoding will mean that some of the music detail is lost.

At this point it's worth mentioning iTunes. You will probably either be happy with how iTunes manages your music - and so use it control your music library - or refuse to let it anywhere near your music. As a non-Apple person I don't have to deal with it, which suits me as I don't like its clunky approach to tagging. That also means I don't have to get into DRM questions (which is a relief).

Also consider whether you might want a separate copy of your music library in smaller file sizes for use on a portable device (e.g. iPhone). That may lead you down the path of running batch processes to keep a parallel lossy library maintained.

And don't forget to back up your master library. Definitely factor that into your plans as having to recreate your library from scratch would not be good for your sanity.

Posted 5 months ago #
sadexpunk - Member

dobo, dont know what dlna is, and if you were to explain i prob wouldnt understand, but it sounds like basically youre saying my equipment would be fine?
im fine with using my phone as a remote if thats what id have to do. and im also fine with getting a nas if thats gonna be easier to store all my music. are you saying you plug your phone strraight into amp and speakers, and use it as a remote? dont entirely understand it.

luther, yep, id rip everything to flac on a nas or laptop (mebbes both for when im working away with laptop), dont think id really bother with mp3s for my phone. and id back stuff up elsewhere too.
dont really understand tagging, so not sure about a well-tagged library. would ripping tag the files adequately?
i also despise itunes and apple

i imagine myself to end up with a laptop/nas full of music. an amp and speakers to play it with, streamed over the wifi. and basically i need the middle man sorting out.
that may be squeezebox, sonos, or if you chaps are suggesting an easier cheaper way, id like to understand what i need to do please. im sort of thinking youre saying all i need is my android phone to use as a remote, which id be well happy with.

more details needed please

Posted 5 months ago #
Pook - Member

to add to this... I don't get what squeezebox and sonos are. Do I need speakers, and an amp in addition? And what about a NAS?

Posted 5 months ago #
sadexpunk - Member

depends really mate, on what youve got already. i got decent amp and speakers, so need a basic middle man. if youre starting from scratch, theres a sonos box with built in amp, theres seperate units that come with amp and speakers, you can get different units for different rooms etc. and im thinking squeezebox would have roughly the same sort of versatility.
what they 'do' is....... take digital music files (flac/mp3 etc) from a place of storage in your house (laptop/nas/pc for instance) and send em to your amp/speakers over the wifi. so theyre streamed rather than playing a hard copy of a cd for instance.
ive only just found about these myself, so still learning, but i just like the thought of being able to access all my music from one place rather than playing separate cds. i just need to fine tune what i need.

this makes interesting reading in explaining all the different options.

cheers

Posted 5 months ago #
sadexpunk - Member

just a bit of a bump, to see if someone can answer my question above. for just one room, do i need a sonos/squeezebox, or can i stream my music from laptop/nas to my amp/speakers using server (squeezebox server?) software and my android phone?

cheers

Posted 5 months ago #
cynic-al - Member

Music from laptop...you don't need a squeezebox etc but you will need either the laptop or another device like airport express to get an analogue signal-no idea re. NAS.

Posted 5 months ago #
sadexpunk - Member

its this quote from dobo that intrigues me...

if your going to use a sonos or squeezebox with a nas then save your dosh and build your own system based around a nas, especially if you have an android phone as you can access and control it all from there.

fwiw i just checked the ubuntu apt repository and it has squeezebox server and squeezeplay packages but i dont use them.

i dont really understand what he means, and how i can do it.

cheers

Posted 5 months ago #
leffeboy - Member

If you are happy to use your lappy to play the music and your amp to do the amplification then an airport express is a nice solution and sounds very good as well. You need to use iTunes on your lappie to play music to take advantage of the airport express.

Squeezebox is nice if you want a standalone player that doesn't require a PC.

I have both but prefer the squeezebox for radio and the airport express for music.

I think your quote about building your own solution involved using an old PC to do the music playing duties. I wouldn't bother unless you are short of cash or really enjoy doing that sort of thing.

Posted 5 months ago #
sadexpunk - Member

why would it have to be an old PC, and not the laptop that the music was stored on?

cheers

Posted 5 months ago #
cranberry - Member

I think that the reference to an "old pc" is more to do with the fact that you can build up a machine as a NAS and put it somewhere out of the way. If you use a laptop then you always have to switch the lappy on to listen to music.

This thread has inspired me to sort out music provision in my kitchen: I already have a QNAP NAS, so have put the Squeezebox software on that ( which was very easy to do ) and have ordered a Squeezebox Touch and some Acoustic Energy speakers.

Posted 5 months ago #