Looking at creating a multi room audio set up. Essentially just the lounge and bedroom. 

 

Has anyone done this, and can advise on the best way to stream audio via sky (radio stations), blueray player or a phone/computer? 

 

I'm guessing the remote/bedroom would just be a wireless speaker controlled by a phone app? 

I have a pair of Naim Mu So QBs. One in the office connected to the computer and the other in the back room. I only had the one in the office originally but was blown away by the sound quality. They are only small but really fill a room with deep sound, separating the instructions beautifully. 

They have Bluetooth, optical and 3.5mm jack inputs as well as WiFi and Ethernet so cover most connections. They can be synced together to spread the sound throughout the house or independently. The internet radio is built in and the  control is by the touch dial on top or through an app. 

More expensve than Sonos but the sound quality is in a different league too. 

By way of an update I've found the Samsung R series speakers. 

 

They'll integrate with the Samsung BluRay and TV I'm looking at and it seems (from asking Samsung) I can get the Sky to go through it as well, so can play the music and radio channels via the sky app. 

 

Shame there isn't a standard for this yet, as everyone has their own speakers but they only work with their own products as LG do quite a nice set up, but know too many people who've had bad experiences with their TVs. 

Yes, but rather crudely.

 

I lifted a large corner of my lounge carpet, cut a groove in the underlay and passed a speaker wire underneath and into the kitchen, underneath the skirting to a floor speaker. Works well enough for me though.

 

I like big speakers.  Cannot advise any further though, sorry.

I have a Bose box, take it to any room you want or outside. I stream music from my Mac or iPad 

On 01/05/2017 at 18:26, gadgetman said:

Looking at creating a multi room audio set up. Essentially just the lounge and bedroom. 

 

Has anyone done this, and can advise on the best way to stream audio via sky (radio stations), blueray player or a phone/computer? 

 

I'm guessing the remote/bedroom would just be a wireless speaker controlled by a phone app? 

You seem to be describing the Sonos system?

1 hour ago, 2SkodaFamily said:

You seem to be describing the Sonos system?

As TV and blueray are Samsung went with one of their speakers. 

 

Can play the TV, Blueray/cd and anything over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth around the house. 

 

Was around £100

I've gone done the Google route, I've added a chrome cast audio to my sound stage in the lounge, turning it into a WiFi speaker, £18 from Cex. 

 

I've gone for a Sony srs-zr5 in the kitchen and I'm just about to get another speaker for the bedroom, mabey the new JBL playlist or LG H5 or another Sony speaker. Either way, they can all be controlled independently for multi room setup or be setup as part of a group for whole house audio. The best bit is I'm not just tied to 1 manufacturers eco system, like sonos or bose. I can add in any speaker that has 'Google cast' built in. 

 

The selection of apps that work with Google cast is excellent aswell. 

 

Anyone on my WiFi network can walk in, hit the cast button on an app and then choose where to send the audio

Just to revisit this topic for an update, I went for a JBL Playlist to add to my small multi room setup and it is excellent, I got a refurbished unit direct from JBL and with the use of a discount code, it cost just over £100 delivered. 

 

I have a chrome cast audio contected to my sound stage via 3.5 aux in the lounge, the JBL in the kitchen and have moved the Sony srs-zr5 to the bedroom.  All wake over network as soon as I hit the cast button and are individually controlled or as groups as required. I don't think this functionality can be bettered for anything close to the price point I paid for a 3 room setup. 

Bumping this old thread to share my opinions of Sonos as 5.1 and music system.

 

Ease of use - this is where Sonos excels! Simple, efficient and fast.

 

Sound quality - Not so much! 

 

My setup is a few Play 1, Playbase and sub. 

For music listening most Sonos users agree of that two Play 1 is the "thing". The Playbase has got some bad reviews compared to the Playbase but it does come in white.

 

Play 1 - Lacking low end refinement. From the box it's setup with "loudness on". This makes it rumble and squel but soundquality is missing. Voices sound damped and muddy but it holds highs and mids together nicely. Could need some better dynamics - frequency range. Compared to Audio Pro T10 the Play 1 is really bad!

 

Playbase - Lacks midbass, doesn't hold highs, mids and bass together. Treble is really squeling and sound distorted on high volumes. I think it would need more rolloff around 18khz. Soundstage is really wide and using it for TV is a joy.

 

SUB in combination with Playbase. The sub is of really good quality and does a really good job with enough precision. But - paired with the Playbase it comes clear that the Playbase lacks any sort of midbass. It's like a hollow space between 180 and 350hz.

 

In 5.1 setup it lacks the ability to control audio delay, it only support DD 5.1 via optical. It doesn't give as wide soundstage as a "real setup" nor does it present the audio with the same precision as an a/v receiver setup. It's easy to use but it lacks in soundquality and control.

 

Comparing this to a system of Monitor Audio Bronze speakers paired with a Marantz amp it comes clear that it doesn't stand a chance other then in "ease of use". 

 

For those looking for a simple system that just works and are prepared to pay a premium price for it I recommend SONOS. For those of you looking for soundquality for either music or movies I would recommend almost anything else.

I will keep my system until my girls grown up and are able to use an A/V receiver and everything that connects to it...

As a multi room setup using Android it's really easy and nice to group, ingroup, pause and play almost anything in any room. 

 

I have a NAS with PLEX on it and a Naim Muso (the bigger one - not the QB) the Naim Muso is a pretty good piece of kit - in my opinion the best one box system I've heard and it can stream most services - bluetooth, DNLA, internet radio, tidal spotify etc . You can use the Naim remote control app on a phone to browse PLEX. I can also browse my PLEX from anywhere via the web and you can stream video/music from it and get it to resume from where it left off even switching between devices.   

 

I'm lucky enough to have a proper old-school HiFi that makes the Naim sound a bit inferior which I've modernised it by adding a decent DAC and a diddy little PC (Dell 3040) for music and video.