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Multi Room Speakers - Sonos and Alternatives

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Multi Room Speakers - Sonos and Alternatives

    I'm getting ready to deck-out a 3 story house with a sound system.

    Since its 2017, there will be no more wires and there will be streaming.

    I know Sonos is the leader in this space but I wanted to double check and see if there were other similar products available here in Hong Kong that would also work in similar ways. I've seen a number of reviews on the interwebs but not sure if any/all of these are even available locally.

    Looking for pointers and recommendations of locally available solutions : any experiences you'd like to share ?


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    What are you trying to achieve?

    Wireless from receiver to Speakers in the room or speakers all over the house controlled from one single digital hub type thingy?

    How many of those rooms will have their on TVs and then their own digital boxes in the room - xbox, amazon fire etc?

    Or do you just want speakers in the room and people can stream from their phones to the speaker?

    Had looked at this ages ago when I switched my setup around.

    https://www.whathifi.com/denon/heos/review

    (Did not go through with this. Living room has a Yamaha YSP sound projector thingy)

    HowardCoombs likes this.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Aug 2015
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    I was looking for the same thing and got scared by the 1 and 2 star reviews of Sonos.
    Seems they have some major issues that they should not have for that price.
    Not enough formats that the app recognizes and no other meanings of connecting wireless.
    For example you can not use the free spotify service, only the premier one works.
    I bought now a cheap LG soundbar for the living room and a couple of those small Bluetooth speakers for the other rooms where I want to have sound.
    Cost me a fraction and serves the purpose.


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
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    8,280

    Google home is pretty cool, and now there is the google home max with a better quality speaker and the mini for smaller rooms. Maybe its not a dedicated sound system, but I just say "Hey google, play some jazz music" and it goes and grabs something off spotify for me. Can also link up multiple rooms for playing through the home but I only have 1 at the moment. I also picked up a $120 yeelight from the Mi store the other day for the hallway and now I can say "Hey google turn on the hallway" and tell it any colour i want.

    shri likes this.

  5. #5

    Check out Beo Olufsen. All latest speakers are either wireless or connected to a centrally controller that are wirelessly connected to all devices. They are not cheap but they are quality stuff


  6. #6

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    I would go for Sonos.

    The software is really good and a pleasure to use. I’ve tried different streamers in the past but the software was terrible and lacked features like gapless playback. Sonos supports most streaming services. It has room correction software too.

    You can easily pair two Sonos speakers to create a stereo system for your main listening room.

    Almost all reviews I have read of Sonos in hifi magazines have been very positive.

    The only format it doesn’t do is high def music. I can’t tell the difference between high def and CD and I don’t think most people can, especially if listening to a Sonos system. I can’t think of any websites where you can download or stream high def music in HK, without having to use a VPN. Most music I like isn’t available on high def too.

    I think Sonos is brilliant especially when used with Spotify Connect.

    Naim stuff is also very good but more expensive.


  7. #7

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    I had an interest in this so spent a little bit of time studying the sector. It is moving very fast but much of the recent heft for multi-room technology being given by Amazon and to a lesser extent Google. The same top 5 OEM manufacturers (3 Taiwanese, 1 HK, 1 Chinese) lead the hardware and sound development based of the guidance of the various brands for the image they want to portray.

    This multi-room technology looked as though it could be disruptive by my guess is 90% of the value add will remain with the same companies from parts manufacture through to retailers.

    The same companies will make the stuff and the same companies will sell the stuff but a few new brands will appear and a few old brands will disappear.

    Last edited by East_coast; 08-07-2018 at 02:55 PM.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by aslan:
    I would go for Sonos.

    The software is really good and a pleasure to use.
    It really is all down to the ease of software.

    I find saying

    Alexa play Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me!
    Alexa play everywhere

    pretty easy and intuitive