Sonos turns your house into an ipod

I have to say that I think Sonos is providing an entry point to mid-fi and potentially hi-fi for many people who otherwise wouldn't have had a reason. Of course, this an anecdote, one man's experience, but I think it's telling.

So, I was tired, really tired, no let's say really really really really tired of physical CDs. I'm an adult now (kid, house, cars, etc.), but still had my old Denon 35 watt receiver I got as a high-school graduation gift, a second-hand Sony bare bones CD player, and a pair of Boston Acoustics HD8s. Nothing special. Really pretty awful, but there it is. And every time I wandered into a serious audio store, I'd get excited about the sound (remember where I'm coming from: I'd get excited about a Rotel integrated driving B&W 603's). But then I'd think back to that pile of CD's, and how I could never find anything, and how after a few weeks my (otherwise quite nicely decorated) living room would have stacks of CDs, and CDs not in cases getting scratched up, and my wife yelling at me, etc. You can give a guy grown-up responsibilities, but you can't make him behave.... ;)

So skip forward. I bought a Sonos ZP100 bundle and an Infrant ReadyNAS NV that I set up in a closet. Burned ~400 CDs to FLAC using EAC. Set up one of the ZP100s in my kitchen - instant fun listening to all my old jazz while making dinner. Set up another ZP100. Lo and behold, the digital amp in that sucker sounded better than my old Denon/Sony combo. 15 years worth of DAC progress - even if the volume attenuation happens in the digital domain - trumped my old crappy set-up.

Skip forward a few weeks. Music is actually fun again. We're listening to music all the time. I'm ordering CDs online like no-one's business (are you listening to this, record companies???).

And what do I do? I decide that the sound quality could be better. So I go out and buy myself a Creek 5350SE integrated on A'gon. And, boy, was I right. The sound quality with the ZP100's analog outs driving the Creek is through the roof, even driving my old Boston HD8's. Now I have upgrade-itis. Going to buy myself a decent pair of speakers... Monitor RS6's maybe? NHTs? and a DAC... Scott Nixon? Lavry? Benchmark? Dunno. Hell, I may go out and buy myself a record player and a phone pre-amp and start collecting records!

Anyway, that's a long long post. But here's the point: audio better listen up and start embracing these audio "jukeboxes". For most people, they transform the listening experience markedly. And IMHO Sonos is doing a better job of casting a broad net with it's user experience (though priced today to capture early adopters' hard-earned $$$). And if you can't get that through your skull, Audio industry, you're gonna be in trouble. These new systems are an amazing entry point - they enable those of us who still find music to be a bit of a hassle to do what we're supposed to - to LISTEN. I'm listening right now (no, not in the audiophile sense of in a special-purpose room in a built-to-order recliner with a set of custom-built speakers driven by $50K of fine electronics) to Michel LeGrand Jazz. And it sounds GOOD. Better than I remember. Next up... Dave Brubeck at Carnegie Hall? Husker Du? Mos Def? I dunno. But boy it's good to be back in the saddle...

J

Thanks - glad to hear that others are having the same experience as consumers. What I think is important to this forum (and responding to the "why aren't there more audiophile discussions of systems like Sonos, Squeezebox, etc.) is that some of us are (i) getting onto the audiophile food chain by buying mid-fi equipment we otherwise would not have, and (ii) moving up the food chain and catching upgradeitis that we would never have caught had we not gotten to step i. And this has implications for the industry, and subsequently for us as consumers.

I'd humbly suggest that so-called 'serious' audio companies have never ever ever considered convenience as an important attribute. They have assumed that people would pay mega-bucks (or even kilo-bucks) based only on audio quality. Given the volume of discussion about tweaks, the preference for fewer controls on high-quality components, and the amount of system swapping A'goners do, I'd say we as a breed have historically been *against* convenience (the same way people who buy a Rolex typically get fewer features than those who buy a $20 Timex).

So here's my point - there is an emerging segment of those who are willing to buy more, better, and hence more expensive audio equipment - so long as it is as convenient as a Sonos. And my hypothesis is that that segment will grow. I'll even draw a parallel to the "gourmet stove" phenomenon - Viking ranges in home kitchens would have been unthinkable 25 years ago when they were smokier, dirtier, and harder to clean.

Everyone better pay attention - Sonos, 'serious audio' companies, retailers... At the same time as audio companies get serious about easing integration with products like Sonos (in order to draw in more consumers), companies like Sonos better take into consideration the audiophiles (as Slim Devices has by launching the Transporter which can handle 24-bit recordings etc) by creating products that can handle all the new emerging formats like SACD, DVD-audio, etc. There, I've made my point. I'll be quiet now (for a little while).

J

Good point... interestingly, most of the time spent in audio publications on the Sonos and Slim Devices competitors is related to the cool factor. I really would like to see a serious evaluation of the audio quality along the lines you suggest:

1) Very high caliber CD transport
2) Sonos ZP80
3) Squeezebox 3

all fed into a few very high class DACs. Then we could lay much of this "is the ZP80 a good transport" issue to rest, and focus on the cool factor without someone thinking that we're sacrificing quality for ease! This is the next generation of high end audio. Someone needs to write a manifesto...

And the next step is for the Sonos and Squeezebox to start accepting 24/96 flac streams (even if passed to DAC rather than decoded on board) so that we can actually go hi-rez without investing in more hardware to play new formats! But that's another story (and yes, I know Transporter can do it, but I do not want to add a Slim Devices device to my already very nice Sonos system).

J

PS Don't suppose anyone will ever build a truly high end LP machine that has the ease of the Sonos interface, will they? ;-)

Hmm... Cytocycle - I did a solid search on AudioCircle, and I can't seem to find a consensus on Sonos vs. Squeezebox audio quality in digital outs that you describe. Can you post a link? Thanks, J

No worries - I have trouble finding threads after a while too! If you do come across some, please post them. I really am serious about wanting to see serious "john atkinson"-type reviews of the audio quality of these as transports.

As a side note, it's actually funny, I had an almost visceral reaction to your saying that the SB had better sound through digital out than the Sonos (e.g., how dare you accuse my component of being inferior!). But that's exactly the opposite of my point - I own *both* - a single SB3 (in my main system) and several Sonos ZonePlayers. And to be frank, even if the sound quality of the SB is marginally better, I won't listen to it that much. The convenience of the Sonos has become a standard for me - the imperative now (IMHO) is for other companies to play catch up on the convenience front. I *want* the absolute best sound quality, but I *need* the convenience of the Sonos interface. And if someone comes along with a better interface (and similar sound quality) I'll switch.

Not trying to put down the SB - I think it's great, but it's interesting - it's a first generation UI, and Sonos is a second generation UI. It's going to take decades before we have real home automation UI design settled, but to me these feel like the first steps toward moving beyond "remote control lamp modules"... and I want to make sure that 'real' audio companies have a hand in standards setting so that we're not stuck with "Sound by Sony" in 20 years when we finally all have a central home server controlling everything (heat, blinds, audio, alarm, lights, etc).

Others out there agree?

Even more upside...

I have been buying more and more music. Have been discovering new stuff - roots blues, delta blues, 1940's jazz, old-time appalachian music. Not having to deal with physical piles of CDs has just made listening to music that much more enjoyable. And, my spend on music has skyrocketed. Amazing.

J