Sonos Speakers

[sonofdaxjones]

Bluetooth Speakers:  Boombox quality in every link

[Phil Titola]

chromecast audios are not the new sonos and not even in the same ballpark as sonos but keep telling yourself that good grief

Streaming from apps I use, check.
Group speakers, check.
Portable, check.
Hook to dumb speaker, a/v already in my place, check

What am I missing out on for the price difference?

[pissclams]

well, for beginners- sonos is all of those things, chromecast is none of them without purchasing additional components 
how you can think that chromecast audio is anything like a sonos system is really strange

is every streaming solution the new sonos?  apple tv, new sonos?  fires tv stick, etc..no, they're not.

[Phil Titola]

well, for beginners- sonos is all of those things, chromecast is none of them without purchasing additional components 
how you can think that chromecast audio is anything like a sonos system is really strange

is every streaming solution the new sonos?  apple tv, new sonos?  fires tv stick, etc..no, they're not.

That's actually a benefit of Chromecast over Sonos.  I have speakers in my bathrooms, living room A/V, bluetooth portable....before they were all separate.  Now I can stream to each speaker with a separate source....or I can group them together in any combo I want. 

I get the handiness of the Sonos system too...I just don't see it worth the price difference.  What am I missing?

These reviews seem to be comparing Chromecast Audio w/ Sonos favorably 
http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/29/chromecast-audio-hands-on/
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/04/sonos-on-the-cheap-how-chromecast-audio-breathes-new-life-into-old-speakers/
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/google-chromecast-audio-adds-multi-room-support/
http://techcrunch.com/2015/12/10/google-fires-at-sonos-adds-multi-room-support-to-chromecast-audio/
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-chromecast-audio-review-update-sonos-2016-2

[pissclams]

i'm not going to defend the cost of sonos, because everyone knows it's expensive.... but for someone who is looking for an incredibly simple to implement, out of the box surround solution that offers high quality audio, it can't be beat.  if you don't want to pay for sonos that's fine, but sonos is more than the streaming solution that chromecast is.

and i can do the same thing with my sonos system that you're touting as an advantage that chromecast has over sonos.

[steve dave]

the chromecast seems fine if you have a bunch of already set up and powered speakers at home. i guess you could compare it to the original sonos whose function was that (attaching it to existing powered speakers). I don't have that sonos thing. I have all sonos speakers with all that built in them.

[steve dave]

http://gizmodo.com/the-best-multiroom-wireless-speaker-system-to-fill-your-1780793892

[Phil Titola]

How dare Gizmodo compare these two unrelated products!

[The Big Train]

'clams died on that speaker hill and gizmodo just immortalized it

[michigancat]

I played with my brother's chromecast setup this weekend and loved it. IMO the downside us you need powered speakers as sd mentioned but once get over that I think it's great. Granted I was just using my phone but it was super easy and much faster than sonos.

[pissclams]

IMO the downside is you need powered speakers

that's why it's nothing like sonos

[michigancat]

IMO the downside is you need powered speakers

that's why it's nothing like sonos

chromecast plus powered speakers is a lot like sonos and worthy of comparison

[pissclams]

IMO the downside is you need powered speakers

that's why it's nothing like sonos

chromecast plus powered speakers is a lot like sonos and worthy of comparison

chromecast plus powered speakers isn't chromecast, just like sonos plus a brand new mercedes benz cl65 isn't sonos.

[michigancat]

IMO the downside is you need powered speakers

that's why it's nothing like sonos

chromecast plus powered speakers is a lot like sonos and worthy of comparison

chromecast plus powered speakers isn't chromecast, just like sonos plus a brand new mercedes benz cl65 isn't sonos.

IMO the downside is you need powered speakers

that's why it's nothing like sonos

chromecast plus powered speakers is a lot like sonos and worthy of comparison

chromecast plus powered speakers isn't chromecast, just like sonos plus a brand new mercedes benz cl65 isn't sonos.

sorry for confusing you

[Phil Titola]

Not this again.

If you don't have speakers already in place (which I thought the world had this but whatevs) I can see sonos as a superior way to go... But if you have speakers, go chromecast and get the same experience.... Then you can buy that Mercedes!

[The1BigWillie]

Glad this popped up again.  We have 3 Play 1s, a play 3, and a play 5 disbursed around our main floor and upstairs.  We are planning on finishing the basement in the next 6 to 12 months and I'm trying to decide on home theater/surround options. 

Would the Soundbar/Sub and a pair of play 1s in the rear be a good setup?  I'm assuming that's going to run about $1,500 ish...  Worth it?  I have all the necessary outlets in the right places.  I think it would be easier than wiring up a 5.1 and trying to figure out a decent 5.1 system. 

[pissclams]

the playbar/sub combo is increds, i can't say how uber elite it would be with the p1's boned in but i'm sure it would be better than chromecast.
amazon currently has the two p1s, playbar, sub at $1,795

[Phil Titola]

the playbar/sub combo is increds, i can't say how uber elite it would be with the p1's boned in but i'm sure it would be better than chromecast.
amazon currently has the two p1s, playbar, sub at $1,795

[Skipper44]

Glad this popped up again.  We have 3 Play 1s, a play 3, and a play 5 disbursed around our main floor and upstairs.  We are planning on finishing the basement in the next 6 to 12 months and I'm trying to decide on home theater/surround options. 

Would the Soundbar/Sub and a pair of play 1s in the rear be a good setup?  I'm assuming that's going to run about $1,500 ish...  Worth it?  I have all the necessary outlets in the right places.  I think it would be easier than wiring up a 5.1 and trying to figure out a decent 5.1 system.

While I can see the appeal of Sonos in typical living situations I can't imagine $1,500 in traditional gear won't out perform Sonos in a dedicated space like a home theatre.  The new Dolby Atmos standard with "object" based sound has the potential to be very cool, especially for gaming.

[steve dave]

imo it's essentially pc v. mac, android v. iphone, etc. if you have a mac book and iphone I'm pretty confident you'll want a sonos setup. if you like to build your own pc and have an android phone then the home theater setup deal is probably for you.

[Skipper44]

that is accurate, just keeping up with the latest & greatest surround sound formats gets ridiculous.  My experience is most non enthusiast folks do in wall speakers that the contractor rolls into the price of the basement finish, does Sonos have a product to work with in wall speakers?

[pissclams]

Glad this popped up again.  We have 3 Play 1s, a play 3, and a play 5 disbursed around our main floor and upstairs.  We are planning on finishing the basement in the next 6 to 12 months and I'm trying to decide on home theater/surround options. 

Would the Soundbar/Sub and a pair of play 1s in the rear be a good setup?  I'm assuming that's going to run about $1,500 ish...  Worth it?  I have all the necessary outlets in the right places.  I think it would be easier than wiring up a 5.1 and trying to figure out a decent 5.1 system.

While I can see the appeal of Sonos in typical living situations I can't imagine $1,500 in traditional gear won't out perform Sonos in a dedicated space like a home theatre.  The new Dolby Atmos standard with "object" based sound has the potential to be very cool, especially for gaming.

what is "traditional gear" ?

[steve dave]

that is accurate, just keeping up with the latest & greatest surround sound formats gets ridiculous.  My experience is most non enthusiast folks do in wall speakers that the contractor rolls into the price of the basement finish, does Sonos have a product to work with in wall speakers?

Yes, they have the original sonos that is basically the chrome cast thing as well as the AMP that is that but powers the speakers.

[Skipper44]

just a Yamaha/Pioneer/Onkyo etc avr and individual speakers and subwoofers, not the crazy pre pro & amp setup of the true stereo nerd

[Tobias]

big traditional gear + appletv fan