Who's listening online? And with what?

[chicks]

Roberta Gambarini & Hank Jones via Tidal HiFi on a stereo pair of Sonos Ones in the dining room. On great modern recordings like this, the fake-stereo smart speakers from the big boys, none of which can stereo pair, will simply never sound this good. We won't even discuss their inability to bond to a subwoofer, lol. Fantastic stereo imaging, they're so tiny they are almost point sources.

 

[chicks]

I'm holding off until Sonos updates so the new units can be paired with Play:1s for stereo, or until I just give in, whichever comes first.

s.

There's an iOS app called Sono Sequencr that will let you stereo pair any two Sonos speakers. Haven't tried it, but should allow pairing a 1 with a One. Worth $1.99 to find out?

Picked up an open box One st BB for $164. Their Alexa integration was a bit rough at first (Works as well as an Echo now), requiring you to sometimes shout "Alexa!", so there should be a few returns at your local BB.

 

[+48V]

Roberta Gambarini & Hank Jones via Tidal HiFi on a stereo pair of Sonos Ones in the dining room. On great modern recordings like this, the fake-stereo smart speakers from the big boys, none of which can stereo pair, will simply never sound this good. We won't even discuss their inability to bond to a subwoofer, lol. Fantastic stereo imaging, they're so tiny they are almost point sources.

Sonos kit is very nice. Good quality, feature rich room filling speakers.
Yet, giving chagrin credit where due.... thanks to the "big boy fakers", Sonos is now compelled to offer product below $500. lol
to shared/licensed tech and competition.

 

[chicks]

Fact check: Sonos began offering the Play:1 at $200 (now $150) in 2013, before Amazon disrupted the market with the Echo. The $300 Play:3 was around long before then, as well.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play:1

Some of the competition flat out stole from them, and infringed on their patents (they hold more patents in the Electronics sector than anyone except Apple). A jury this month awarded them $2 million in a trial against Denon Heos for patent and copyright infringement. Bluesound is likely in the crosshairs for doing the same.

Highly likely that Amazon and Google are infringing, as well, but how does a $1B company go after those behemoths, especially when their content is needed for your business model?

 

[satkinsn]

There's an iOS app called Sono Sequencr that will let you stereo pair any two Sonos speakers. Haven't tried it, but should allow pairing a 1 with a One. Worth $1.99 to find out?

Picked up an open box One st BB for $164. Their Alexa integration was a bit rough at first (Works as well as an Echo now), requiring you to sometimes shout "Alexa!", so there should be a few returns at your local BB.

Oh, I'll have eyes open for that. Also, saw your Insignia speaker. Handsome - much nicer than BB's usual product.

What you said about the Play:1s is exactly right. After more than a year of using them, I'm still startled by how good they are.

s.

 

[satkinsn]

SomaFM's Christmas Lounge. Despite my aversion to all things holiday other than classical music this year, this sounds pretty good. Gearing up for three days of lake effect snow - 3-4 feet possible in places.

s.

edit - And this was...iPeng 9 app on iPhone 6s Plus I inherited from our daughter and am testing for a day or so before turning it over to my wife. Have Logitech Media Server running on an antique Mac Mini, and Squeezebox V.3 for playback, hooked up to the usual NAD receiver, PSB B1 speakers.

 

[satkinsn]

I have a love/hate relationship with Sirius/XM. I hate the quality of the satellite signal, hate their customer service practices - having to call in every few months just to get the heavily discounted rate they're going to give me anyway, and if I cancel, having them charge me anyway before refunding the price.

I love some of the programming though, including much of Symphony Hall. This Christmas season, they've struck the right note of awe, joy, familiar, obscure, old, new(ish), and the hosts are smart and interesting to listen to. And I'm ok with the quality of the stream, even if it's not as good as, say, Spotify.

So as Christmas Eve day winds down, holy music, on the Sonos Play:1s.

s.

 

[chicks]

Handel's Messiah on the QUADs, streaming from Classical KING FM in Seattle.

 

[satkinsn]

Dexter Gordon - "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" Pandora/Sonos

Got a year's renewal as Christmas gift.

s.

 

[chicks]

Alexa sings! Say good morning to Alexa for a cheery Christmas song and message.

 

[satkinsn]

By way of the Logitech Media Server, thru' my NAD receiver, Squeezebox V.3, PSB B1 speakers. Controlled with iPeng 9. Someday I'm gonna live where the FM reception is better and I'll do WCNY by tuner, my preference.

s.

 

[onemug]

Listening to George Winston's 'December' album from Deezer Elite thru a Sonos Connect. Only 5 more days left to make it a current event.

 

[chicks]

A bright and sunny California winter day; testing the Insignia portable WiFi speaker on the back deck. Other than showing every speck of dust, it's a pretty decent all-around portable, voice controlled speaker. Sound is acceptably good for the purpose.

 

[ldatlof]

Songs picked by the Don't Stop the Music plugin after listening to a Decade of Steely Dan on the Living Room system with Grado SR60 heaqdphones.

 

[chicks]

A lovely Brazilian Pop/Jazz singer casting from Tidal to the Sonos Ones, background music while I putter in the kitchen.

 

[E.Auer]

Tidal here as well.

Some MQA content.

Eric

 

[uofmtiger]

Was strolling through Best Buy yesterday with $50 in rewards points burning a hole in my pocket. Stumbled on a pair of Insignia (house brand) Smart Speakers, powered by Google's voice platform. Both have clock display on front, so I'm instantly thinking nightstand and/or bathroom. Listening test quickly eliminated the smaller ($49) one, tinny sounding. The larger one, just $69, sounded surprisingly rich, without the boominess so typical of small, ported speakers. Plus, it had Chromecast and Bluetooth support, and a battery rated for 5 hours. Patio, back yard, wherever, even without WiFi as a (somewhat large) portable BT speaker. Handle built into back makes it very easy to carry.

So, about $21 after taxes for a decent sounding, very versatile portable voice controlled speaker? No brainer. Listening on battery power at the moment, but it will live on my nightstand, replacing a Squeezebox Radio.

View attachment 1069910 View attachment 1069911

"Somewhat large"? I guess you didn't see my "portable" that +48V posted earlier.

I am listening to the ECM Records "Artist's Choice" playlist on my work setup.

 

[chicks]

Alexa is finally getting good enough to understand the names and album names of some of my favorite fadistas, when I pronounce them phonetically. Helena Sarmento on the Sonos One stereo pair.

 

[satkinsn]

Carried over from listening in my car this morning, running errands in my little town. Soul Town is smartly programmed, with just the right mix of hits and deep cuts to keep fellow travelers like me satisfied. A reason to keep spending money on S/XM. On the Sonos Play:1s.

s.

 

[chicks]

Listening to an Amazon Music playlist, started via Alexa, on the QUADs, while monitoring and interacting with media related to the artist via the TunesMap app on AppleTV and the iPhone.

TunesMap interacts directly with Sonos, then suggests related artists, newspaper and magazine articles, reviews, videos, CDs on eBay and Amazon, related locations, etc. Any of the suggested artifacts can be saved in the iPhone app, for further exploration. Similar to Roon, without the need for a server PC, just AppleTV.

Very immersive, very addictive.