School me on SONOS and other home streaming systems

I've never had this problem but nine times out of ten if something goes wrong it's either a wifi interference issue or the streaming service itself going down.

"Hey Google, shuffle Cool Songs playlist"

"Ok, playing the Cool Songs playlist on Spotify"

*plays the playlist in order*

"Hey Google, shuffle"

"Sorry, that mode isn't available"

rassenfrassenrassen

these assistants have been around for a couple of years now, with the world’s best AI researchers doing them, and they really don’t feel like they’ve improved at all. They’re still incapable of the most basic shit. much less something like responding to a question like “what kind of music is this” or “how do i get to the bus from here”

just asked siri where the closest bus stop was and it got it

part of the problem is word choice, especially if it’s something built into an app and not something it’s cloud searching. like, does “kind of music” mean genre, and does it know that?

you can often get to things on the third or fourth try but it’s not good enough and hasn’t noticeably improved in this respect on any device i use.

“siri, read me my next meeting”

“here’s your next meeting” (displays the meeting on the screen)

Sonos states on their website that "sustainability is non-negotiable," and that they design products to minimize impact, but I work at an e-waste recycler and have demonstrable proof this is false.

Sonos's "recycle mode" intentionally bricks good devices so they can't be reused. pic.twitter.com/VJDNhYOxRy

— ralph waldo cybersyn (@atomicthumbs) December 27, 2019

well, that's crap.

and it gets better :

https://blog.sonos.com/en-gb/end-of-software-updates-for-legacy-products/

they really are pissing off a lot of their customer base with this.

i suspect i will be ok(ish), as i use my Connect mostly to push my NAS based digital archive into my amp, but if i had flipped over 100% to streaming only, then this really would be a poke in the eye.

That End of updates for legacy equipment is aggravating me

I'd be fine with it as long as the application still supports older hardware in a diminished capacity and as long as there aren't security holes they're not patching

the big issue that has yet to be properly addressed is for people with a set up of mixed legacy and modern, and from the vocal fallout, seems to be most people who have subscribed to the sonos ecosystem for last few years.
if you have any legacy kit in your set up, then none of the devices, modern or otherwise, will get software updates.
advised solution : remove legacy devices, upgrade legacy devices, or leave as is and end up with possible reduced functionality at some unknown time in the future (esp. if you use 100% streaming).
it really is quite a shitty choice for many folks.

as for the 30% discount.
i bought my Connect at the beginning of 2015 (the 6 year guarantee from the seller has lasted longer than its supported life) for £280.
a replacement Port with no added functionality, in fact there is less as they have removed one of the output options, costs £399, which with 30% off would be .. £280.

imo the main problem is they view their tech that allows synched streaming to a number of wireless devices as the crown jewels of their product line

the nice thing to do would be to unlock whatever DRM or lockout functionality exists in legacy products with a final update and then open source the firmware

re open source : that has been requested quite a few times, but i think we know the outcome.

fwiw I have the Sonos Amp (driving my classic stereo speakers), two of the small satellite speakers, and one of the Ikea bookshelf ones and I have absolutely no interest in any of the speakers with voice assistant support

anyone else have the Amp or any other product that has line in? I hooked my turntable up after it's been sitting idle and something was seriously off with the audio, but I suspect my stylus might need replacement

Connect has a line in.

I guess my question is whether anyone's running a turntable in, and does it sound fucked up?

I've logged into MySonos and my Connect is shown as 'Modern Product' with a tick next to it, so I assume that means it's still supported?

Buy a used Squeezebox; they still have a very active developer community - Logitech screwed them by buying the tech and then ceasing to manufacture it, but at least the firmware and server/player software were open-sourced.

(xpost - most Squeezebox models don't have a line in, except the Transporter which is going for around $500+ in the used market)

mh : ahh sorry, no, not done that.
just tried it out now, and sounded perfectly fine.

xp : yup, you clearly bought a post 2015 model.

Chromecast Audio was probably the greatest audio device based on value for money ever created. if you live in a small house or apartment and just have one set of speakers, it basically gave you Sonos for $30

tbh I just use Airplay to the speakers half the time and could easily just dump Sonos and either wire my satellite speakers or go back to stereo

Chromecast Audio was probably the greatest audio device based on value for money ever created. if you live in a small house or apartment and just have one set of speakers, it basically gave you Sonos for $30

hence why the fact its discontinued is a very weird situation.

a lot of suggestions for people who use Connect + Streaming services seems to be pointing to the Bluesound Node solution.
which even has a Windows based app as most of the other solutions only have IOS/Android apps.

the older Apple wifi devices still work really well with the older Airplay standard, if you have Apple junk. I have one around that I use for that purpose occasionally. single audio jack on the back, pretty good DAC

xpost Google gives up on so many useful things, really weird company

Used Chromecast Audios are selling on eBay now for twice their original retail price.

mh: If it doesn't have one built in, are you running your turntable through a phono preamp first?

good call re pre-amp.
i have one connected to my turntable and just swapped the turntable output from amp to the Connect, hence all worked ok.

given the chaos this is clearly causing, i have one simple very self preservation question.
in order to use Sonos, you now have to connect your device to an account that Sonos then get data/access from.
i care not for streaming/stats or anything, does anyone know if its possible to use a Sonos device without having to use your Sonos account ?
it never used to require you to login to Sonos in order to connect to your device - this need kicked in a couple of years ago, and at the time i was concerned, as i bought Connect purely to allow me to push my digital archive into my amp.

(xpost - most Squeezebox models don't have a line in, except the Transporter which is going for around $500+ in the used market)

Not true. My Squeezebox "Radio"s have 3.5mm line-in. And I Google'd about the Boom and it does too. Maybe you meant optical? I dunno about any fancier in's on any of the hardware.

I'd been using Logitech Media Server around 10 years with none of the dedicated hardware (using Raspberry Pi's, laptops, phones, whatever--hooked up to any set of speakers or headphones). Just recently got 2 Squeezebox Radio's on eBay for $50 apiece, they're alright. I joke that it's too much shagging around to really recommend... but compared to all of the more recent "smart speaker" nonsense, it's a great system that can't be shut down on you.

Logitech tried to go the service-dependent route with stuff like the "UE Radio"... which can now be turned into a Squeezebox Radio with a software update (so whichever you can find used is fine).

For what it's worth, there's a project going on to make LMS follow Alexa/Echo commands.

All I really want is a WiFi enabled hard drive for MP3s with a decent DAC and audio out. No one seems to make such a thing.

I am most definitely using a preamp

Oh, I don't have much experience with the standalone Squeezebox products with built-in speakers, since I want to use my fancy speakers... all mine are used with an integrated amp. I meant the Squeezebox 2/3/Classic/Touch/Transporter models. I love the interface on the Squeezebox Touch, it's just about perfect (and almost endlessly customizable).

Nate, I think there's things like that. Key terms to search... NAS (network attached storage) and uPNP or DLNA (protocols for basic media playing/discovery on networks)

though yeah the music playing thing will probably have to be separate

my NAS drive, as most are, is DNLA compliant,
the issue is getting the mp3s (or whatever) on the NAS into the amp via a delivery system thats not just about the individual file.
i.e. playing albums as a complete whole.

*DLNA

Chromecast Audio was probably the greatest audio device based on value for money ever created. if you live in a small house or apartment and just have one set of speakers, it basically gave you Sonos for $30

so true

I have two Chromecast Audios on stereos in different rooms, used Google Home to group them, and have zero problems playing synchronized output from Spotify or Plex

after I got that going I shut down my Squeezebox Classics and LMS

I've got all my music and a bunch of movies on a NAS machine with Plex installed. I can either stream direct from my phone running Plex to Sonos, or use the Sonos app to stream direct from the Plex share.

problem re plex : another external agent involved.
also, i am not able to install the plex server s/w on my NAS drive, and nor would i if i wanted to.
i tried out the whole external plex/sonos team up thing a while back to navigate around the 65K library sonos limit as it was the suggested solution, and really battled with it.
it worked briefly (albeit with a lot of TLC), then something went hiccup, and that was it.
in the end i found a much easier internal solution to the 65K limit that means i can now quite easily disconnect from any of the external services, and just use my Connect for my internal set up only.
but i dont think thats currently possible.

fair game

I didn't realise Google had discontinued the Chromecast audio. That's madness.

When mine breaks, or when I get around to it, I'm going to get an Arcam miniBlink: https://www.arcam.co.uk/range/accessories/miniblink.htm

MP3s with a decent DAC

this is a total n00b question but is there consensus on the best way to wirelessly stream from a Mac desktop to a stereo system? and i just mean from a strictly functional point of view i.e. audio out from computer -- > to an input on the stereo.

A few months ago I picked up a squeezebox duet from the street where it was being thrown out - hooking it up to my nice old 2ch amp it's actually really great for bringing Spotify and Bandcamp into my more attentive listening space - and being able to control via Ipeng app on iphone is nifty. really impressed with it for a decade-old bit of kit

(wasn't meant as an answer to your question Tracer Hand but this is, in fact, exactly what I'm doing)

I have a Raspberry Pi lying around that I’ve always been meaning to do something with. Maybe this will be the year I buy a DAC card for it and just build the exact thing I want.

Tracer, I use a bluetooth audio receiver hooked into my amp. the brand is "esinkin" and it was about £25. it's about the size of a box of matches. It's pretty reliable. Sometimes it doesn't pick up the stream but i just switch it off and on and it's good again.

Just FYI Bluetooth is lossy, but the now-defunct Airport Express does exactly what you are asking and it’s a lossless 44/16 stream. The last gen (looks like a white Apple TV) has incredibly flat and well behaved audio characteristics (up there with audiophile CD players) and also optical out.

xp I don't think there is a consensus on the best way, or even a cheap/easy way, to stream audio from a Mac to a stereo system.

Macs can stream to AirPlay devices, but as far as I can tell Apple no longer sells any simple AirPlay gadgets with audio out ports. There are third-party products, but some of those are sketchy and others are expensive (some recent stereo receivers have AirPlay built in).

One solution would be to put a Chromecast Audio on the stereo system (CCAs still seem to be available from NewEgg and other suppliers). Some OS X applications can connect to a Chromecast directly (like Spotify) but you might need AirFoil or something similar to stream audio from other programs. I've tinkered with AirFoil on an old iMac and iirc it works well.

A Raspberry Pi can be configured as an AirPlay receiver, so that would be an even cheaper way to do it, albeit one requiring some labor-intensive set-up.