Sonos or Squeezebox Touch?

breal74

I have been reading up on the internet for the last two days, have scoured the forum and have been to two different audio shops to check them out first hand and still can not make a decision on which system to go with. Of couse the shop selling the Squeezebox said it was the better than the Sonos and the shop selling the Sonos said it was better.

The things about the Sonos I like is that it seems to play well with iTunes and has an easy to set up, use and expand system. Haven't heard much in the way of draw backs, but the cost.

The things I like about the Squeezebox Touch are the touch screen so you don't always have to have a remote, it is $100 cheaper than the Sonos on Amazon and the ability to tweek to your hearts content. Some draw backs I have read are that it can be a pain to set up and it is susceptible to software updates messing up the system.

Am I just over thinking all of this? Oh, I will be running either one through a Simaudio Moon 100d. Thanks for your input.

pearsall001

If your keeping it simple & don't need to expand your system then either one would be do a great job. The moment you decide to expand your system then the Sonos is the way to go. Nothing on the current market competes with Sonos in that arena. Also the ease of set up & use is their strong suit also. It simply "works" no hiccups, dropout, etc. It costs a few more bucks but you get what you pay for.

tonyb

I'll second the Sonos for ease of use and setup, but both SB/Sonos will get you there. Sonos has a controller app for your phone if you don't want to shell out for touch screen controller. I have both plus a cullen modded unit and the touch screen controller is the life of the party when guest can just pick anything they want. I also spend the 10 bucks a month for Rhapsody which I can't say enough good things about their service either. Plenty of SB owners, happy ones to boot, on this forum. Also we have alot of threads dealing with setup of squeezeboxes that you may want to look at.

rooftop59

I don't have a touch, but my squeezebox classic was fairly easy to setup and I haven't really had any problems with it. I love it; it has revolutionized the way I listen to music. As for multi-room expansion, I have no idea. I just use the multi room outputs on my receiver and feed a sonance sonamp that can amplify up to three sets of speakers, for me one on the patio and one in the great room. So I guess I don't really see the need for any more? I use the app on my android phone, or the ipad or my wife's iPhone; all work great, and the ipad obviously eliminates the need for a touch screen. I am pretty sure you will be happy with either. Good luck!

CCNJ

I have a Sonos player and give it my vote for ease of use and setup. I downloaded the Sonos app and use my iPad as my controller. Pretty cool.

wolfman1138

I have the Sonos and have been really happy with it. We control it with the computer, the iPad or our Android phones. I like the fact that I can set up playlists using the computer ahead of time and then access them quickly with the other interfaces. There are some minor quirks, but it has been great.

I also ike the Sonos because later I can get a second one and set them for stereo mode. I don't know if the squeezebox will do this. I have an old house and I don't really want to cut holes in the walls for audio. Sonos, with the wireless bridge, makes that super easy.

The biggest disadvantage for the Sonos is the price. But we got ours through Target, and with a gift card xmas deal, the bridge only cost me $10.

Good luck!

wolfman1138

One more quick thing. The Sonos software updates have been really decent. When a new update is out, you'll not only get a new app on your devices, by the components automatically doanload and setup their own firmware. This can be a blessing or curse because if you are trying to get music on "right now", if the update is there, you're gonna have to wait. Overall, we've seen only seen two updates since December, so not a big deal.

mdaudioguy

I can't say I understand the implied expandability issues with Squeezebox. I currently run 5 separate zones, each separately and easily controllable. Could be 5 different streams or all synchronized to one. Smartphone app is the way to go. Oh, and I've also configured my server to stream to my phone anywhere, via the SqueezePlayer app. So I guess my car has become an additional zone.

heiney9

mdaudioguy wrote: »

I can't say I understand the implied expandability issues with Squeezebox. I currently run 5 separate zones, each separately and easily controllable. Could be 5 different streams or all synchronized to one. Smartphone app is the way to go. Oh, and I've also configured my server to stream to my phone anywhere, via the SqueezePlayer app. So I guess my car has become an additional zone.

Exactly.

To the OP, what you are finding in this thread is people have one or the other. Both are excellent and do the same thing. People who own the Sonos praise it almost as a detriment to the Squeezebox. People who own the SQB are just as happy with their purchase. I own the SQB so I can recommend that. It's just as expandable as the Sonos and it can be run with apps for a phone or iPad, etc. My advice to you is search the 'net for reviews of people who have actually used both because they may touch on a thing or two for either one that might help you make a decision.

Personally, I don't see why spending the extra $$$ is necessary for the Sonos, but then I have never used one.

You will be happy with either choice and it will change the way you listen to your rig.

H9

coolsax

+1 to everything H9 said. also, If you are planning on playing Hi-rez files at all then SBTouch will also be the way to go as the sonos only decode 16/44.1.

tonyb

heiney9 wrote: »

You will be happy with either choice and it will change the way you listen to your rig.
H9

Bingo, exactly. Either one will get you where you want to go. I think some major differences with Sonos is they set up a seperate wireless system so as to not get meshed with other wireless gear you have going on in the home. That and their software is top notch in the buisness, and to steal a famouse quote.....it's so easy, a caveman can do it.

Like we said, both are great products, do your research to see which will fit your needs best.

Drenis

Absolutely love my Squeezebox Touch. Best and most efficient upgrade I have made to my rig. The control apps are so easy to use.

tonyb

The nice things about these units is it turns you into a kid in a candy store and anyone else around the house who picks it up too.

breal74

Thanks for all of your replys. I never thought that expandability was and issue with squeezebox from the demo the owner of the local stereo shop gave me. Oh, and mdaudioguy, that is a pretty awesome feature that you set up your smart phone as an additional zone! My head is spinning with information overload.

AsSiMiLaTeD

I have not owned both, but own the SB myself and have set up a Sonos system at my inlaws place.

- Both are equally intuitive to set up and use. They're both very easy to set up and use, to the point where that really becomes a non-issue.
- I have not played with the expandibility of my SB setup, but that's very easy to set up on the Sonos box for sure. I imagine it would be easy on the SB setup as well, but cannot say for sure. It looks like some others here have tried that and it works well.
- The Sonos system I set up is NOT capable of playing hi rez files, which is a deal breaker for me. They may have some models out now that do, but when I was shopping around they did not and that's what sent me down the SB route.
- Out of the box, the SB and Sonos both sound very good and sonically equal to each other. With the upgraded power supply the SB Touch easily outperforms the Sonos, both as a transport only and as a full source using the built in DACs.

My advice? I would budget the money for buying a Sonos system, then take that money and buy a SB Touch and an upgraded power supply. You'll end up spending basically the same amount of money and ultimately have the better sounding device.

maximillian

Looking to replace my Xbox/XBMC since I'm sure it's not doing a good job even with lossless files and Toslink. The SB Touch seems nice but it would be nice to also have:

1) TV out for controlling on a TV. I guess I could use a cheap-o Andoid 7" tablet to control it, but the TV out would be nice.
2) SMB for accessing a NAS. I think some NAS's allow to install SB server app, but I don't think my current one has it out of the box and would need to hack the device.

Any other way of getting this functionality and still maintain good sonic performance?

tonyb

Why would you want to control it on a tv ? They come with controllers. You need a computer and a router, then just plug it into your stereo and off you go.

Sonos has a wireless controller, but it isn't cheap, 375 I think, but for me it was well worth it since I don't have an android/Iphone. Go to Sonos's web page and they have a few demo videos to watch. I'm sure SB does too so check them both out. Running a NAS on either is easy as pie.

rooftop59

I will say that controlling a squeezebox classic is a PITA if you don't have a smart phone or tablet, but it seems that the Touch's interface fixes that? Knowing what I now know, I would not buy a sb classic if I didn't have a smartphone, or I would invest the extra cash for a ipod touch. I am not sure how the touch is different with the remote, as I imagine you still have to scroll through a million artists if your library is large??

heiney9

maximillian wrote: »

Looking to replace my Xbox/XBMC since I'm sure it's not doing a good job even with lossless files and Toslink. The SB Touch seems nice but it would be nice to also have:

1) TV out for controlling on a TV. I guess I could use a cheap-o Andoid 7" tablet to control it, but the TV out would be nice.
2) SMB for accessing a NAS. I think some NAS's allow to install SB server app, but I don't think my current one has it out of the box and would need to hack the device.

Any other way of getting this functionality and still maintain good sonic performance?

The units come with something called a remote control and depending on what you get, there is either a LCD display or LED readout. I admit it's hard to read from across the room. Don't overthink the whole thing, it's not that difficult. You can even run the SQB software via the internet (by logging in from your web browser) on a laptop to control it if neccessary. Not as slick as a phone/iPad app, but it gets the job done w/o too much fuss.

There are NAS systems out there that run the SQB software, but they are pricey if you do it right with a multi-bay NAS in a RAID config. I've been looking to switch to that, but the NAS with 3-4 drives is about $800.

H9

dkg999

I would save your money for the next fad. I don't think this digital music thing is going to catch on.

maximillian

heiney9 wrote: »

The units come with something called a remote control and depending on what you get, there is either a LCD display or LED readout. I admit it's hard to read from across the room. Don't overthink the whole thing, it's not that difficult. You can even run the SQB software via the internet (by logging in from your web browser) on a laptop to control it if neccessary. Not as slick as a phone/iPad app, but it gets the job done w/o too much fuss.

I sit 12' away and this thing will be about 2-3' higher than eye level. The display on the unit is not as nice as a large TV with a full UI such as XBMC. And with small displays it's harder to read long music listing all that well.

Again, I'm sure that a $100-$150 7" tablet might solve this problem. But then you have more software layers to deal with instead of just turning one device on. A laptop is not a solution IMO. I don't want to have to wait for my remote to boot.

heiney9 wrote: »

There are NAS systems out there that run the SQB software, but they are pricey if you do it right with a multi-bay NAS in a RAID config. I've been looking to switch to that, but the NAS with 3-4 drives is about $800.
H9

I've got two Buffalo Linkstations (not raid). I think you can get SB server on it once hacked. I would rather not do it since I want the system to just work as it does now. I am little technically savvy but getting tired of maintaining the hardware and software upgrades on hacked devices. But this is a much lesser issue than the display/remote issue. An upgrade to sound quality would be worth the little bit of effort to install a hacked firmware on the Linkstation. But the display is a daily usage issue.

rooftop59

maximillian wrote: »

Again, I'm sure that a $100-$150 7" tablet might solve this problem. But then you have more software layers to deal with instead of just turning one device on. A laptop is not a solution IMO. I don't want to have to wait for my remote to boot.

While I understand not wanting to deal with additional software, there is a proprietary squeezebox app that works well with all apple and android devices, like I said I use it on both. If you have an ipod touch for instance, its always on, the app takes about a minute to install initially and then after that starts almost immediately. So its not the issue you are making it out to be. And one of the biggest advantages of the squeezebox for me is that I listen to a lot of music that had gotten buried on the shelf because its so easy to access on my phone. So I think that it is well work it to get a touch controller of some sort...

heiney9

maximillian wrote: »

I sit 12' away and this thing will be about 2-3' higher than eye level. The display on the unit is not as nice as a large TV with a full UI such as XBMC. And with small displays it's harder to read long music listing all that well.

Again, I'm sure that a $100-$150 7" tablet might solve this problem. But then you have more software layers to deal with instead of just turning one device on. A laptop is not a solution IMO. I don't want to have to wait for my remote to boot.

I see, yes, 12' away would be a problem. If you have a current laptop you could log into the SQB server via a web browser and control it. That's what I was doing with my SQB II before I got the Touch. Now I use my phone or I can see the screen since I only sit about 5' away.

maximillian wrote: »

I've got two Buffalo Linkstations (not raid). I think you can get SB server on it once hacked. I would rather not do it since I want the system to just work as it does now. I am little technically savvy but getting tired of maintaining the hardware and software upgrades on hacked devices. But this is a much lesser issue than the display/remote issue. An upgrade to sound quality would be worth the little bit of effort to install a hacked firmware on the Linkstation. But the display is a daily usage issue.

Good luck, that would be nice if the hack was low maintenance. I just can't quite pull the trigger at the current cost of a NAS w/drives that will run the SQB software. Currently I use an older Dell Pentium which is loud and runs hot to run my SQB. I have a newer quieter Dell for my main computing that I don't run SQB software on.

rooftop59

dkg999 wrote: »

I would save your money for the next fad. I don't think this digital music thing is going to catch on.

Are you serious or is this a joke? While we may argue over the sound quality of streamed digital music, saying its a fad that isn't going to catch on is like saying the internet isn't going to catch on. And doesn't your jolida cdo play digital music??? you must be joking...

coolsax

I tried running it on a Qnap entry level NAS just didn't quite work out. was way to slow as the server just hit the minimum requirements to run Squeezebox server on it.. and that was on a $150 entry level NAS. you'll probalby have to spend 300+ including HDD on an NAS to run it effectively. Now I just run LMS (logitech media server) in the background of the family laptop, works just fine.

rooftop59

Maybe I am confused, but I am running an inexpensive lg n1a1 nas with my squeezebox and it works great. Are you guys talking about actually putting the software on the nas? Because my desktop computer is the server but all the music is on the networked nas...

steveinaz

I use the squeezebox duet controller to control my Touch, since I sit about 12ft away from my system. Works GREAT. And yes, 24/96 flac files are amazing.

heiney9

rooftop59 wrote: »

Maybe I am confused, but I am running an inexpensive lg n1a1 nas with my squeezebox and it works great. Are you guys talking about actually putting the software on the nas? Because my desktop computer is the server but all the music is on the networked nas...

Yes, in essence the NAS would run the SQB, it would be fully self contained and independent of your main computer. A NAS hooked to computer is a lot cheaper, but I want it to be a stand alone unit not only to entirely run the SQB but use it for archiving and backup for all my files, etc.

There are only a few NAS's that will run the SQB software natively. There used to be only one a couple years ago, QNAP.

H9

rooftop59

okay that would be cool. I can remotely back up all my files from anywhere on my network or connected to the internet, but the computer has to be on to run the sqb. It would be nice to not have to fire up the computer, but that will have to be a ways down to road for me.

Sorry for the intermission...

steveinaz

I don't sweat it, I power up the laptop like I would any component, and I get my 'squeeze on.

rooftop59

powering up anything can be a pita when you have two screaming babies :eek: