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Sonos Questions

I've been using a Roku Soundbridge for several years but have never been able to get it to successfully play lossless files without constantly rebuffering.I have spent endless hours on the Roku forum site and unsucessfully confering with their alleged support staff and have finally had enough.

The Sonos looks like a good alternative, but I have a few concerns. Other related threads indicate some sonic issues due to jitter problems. I currently use a Proceed DAC with an optical connection to the Soundbridge, and that change from the stock Soundbridge was a big improvement. The Sqeezebox looks like an alternative, but the Sonos interface seems much better (ie something the rest of the family might actually use).

So what's the consensus on sound, assuming that a decent DAC is used?

Second, I have about 2000 CD's so I want to have a commecial ripping service store them for me. Since my computer system is Apple based, I thought ALAC is the way to go. I've also seen threads here that the Buffalo NAS devices can be problematic for Apple users. I need to choose an appropriate NAS device to get this project up and running.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and Happy New Year!
bbopman
johnmcelfresh
97 posts
 
I would jump on the modified PS for my ZP80 in my critical listening room. I have found the ZP80 to my Meridian processor to be an excellent alternative to spinning discs, and I listen to a lot more music.
rdc2000
27 posts
 
I got a sonos in October and it has had a bigger impact on my system than any single upgrade I've ever done. And I didn't even get the remote! (I live in a NYC loft so didn't need it.)

I just wanted a way to listen to music the way I do on my ipod but in full home stereo quality sound. I already had a home network so all I "had" to buy was the ZP80 and an NAS drive. (A Maxtor shared 320g storage drive was enough for now. A second USB drive can be plugged in to back it up.) I chose to attach the ZP80 to the router via ethernet to keep 100% of the streaming hardwired. I then control playlists wirelessly from my laptop. No stress on the computer. No worrying about ram, fan noise, buffering, sound cards, network interference- none of that.

Re-ripped the whole collection to itunes apple lossless and was on the way. Of course, that opened up the upgrade can of worms. Out of the box, the sonos rca's were fine, but not quite up to the same standard as my Cal Icon cd player.

So, a good dac and ic's are a must if you want to get the best out of the system. A Bel Canto Dac 1 was the right price for me. Once that was in the system, neither I nor anyone else who listened could hear the difference between the cdp and the sonos.

Since then the amp and preamp have been replaced too. Not because there was anything wrong, but because I was now listening so much it became a disease. What started as a $350 idea to make my itunes wireless on the cheap is now $2,500+ and counting. I'll also probably be on line for that power supply...

Oh- to answer your other questions. I would go Apple Lossless format. I almost got a Buffalo NAS but got scared off when I read somewhere that they are painfully slow. Sonos recommends Maxtor (among others) so I went with that...
witchdoc
3 posts
 
I also would recommend adding a decent DAC to the Sonos, it made a big improvement. I'm using a Parasound 2000 ultra which I borrowed from a friend to try. I am curious to know if it will be worth it to invest in a higher quality one like one from April Music the Stello DA220 MKII for $1700.

Any thoughts?
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
It's silly to try to improve the Sonos without addressing the real deficiency, and that is the jitter. Either upgrade the internal clock and S/PDIF output circuit or put it through a reclocker.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
rdc2000
27 posts
 
It's not silly to run a Sonos through a dac.

Everything has a price.
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