Sonos - Multiroom sound for the stress-free tested
22.12.2016
Translation: machine translated
How good does that sound to you? Your favourite songs, in every room at the same time? Very good? I've tested it and will tell you how worthwhile a Sonos system is for you.
The basic idea behind multi-room systems is simple: it's crazy when we listen to music with Spotify and other streaming services but can only hear really great sound with an offline stereo system. Especially because almost every home has a wireless router lying around somewhere, enabling wireless internet reception. Not just internet reception, but also intranet reception, which makes it possible to send data from computer to computer on the network.
If this technology is adapted, the same song can be played in several rooms at the same time. Although this is also possible in analogue, it requires a lot of ugly cables to be laid from the stereo system to the other rooms. But if we already have Wi-Fi, then we can make use of it.
One start-up that has followed this idea is Sonos. The company has caused quite a stir in the loudspeaker market. Its system was one of the first to successfully stream audio to multiple rooms simultaneously via Wi-Fi.
Since hardly anyone buys or sells CDs anymore, radio stations are increasingly relying on DAB+ and record players are only used by hipsters and purists, I tested a Sonos system, among other things.
Pushing buttons here and there
I have never set up a multiroom system myself. As I don't think it can be that difficult, I put the operating instructions to one side and start wiring. It doesn't take very long, because apart from the power cable, the Sonos speakers don't really need anything. My curiosity gets the better of me. The operating instructions are frighteningly light and look more like a leaflet than the idiotically thick tomes that I've been ignoring wherever possible all my life.
- Connect the speaker to the power supply
- Download the app
- Follow the instructions in the app
Sonos, you've got me fooled. I didn't want to read it, I wanted to look at it. But now I've read the entire operating instructions. Then let's just do as you say. I would have done the same. Definitely.
The app is the technological centrepiece of the Sonos system, so in addition to internet access, you also need an Android or iOS device with which you can network the whole thing and later control it.
First, I set up the soundbar and subwoofer. Because big cardboard boxes promise great fun.
Soundbar is simple. The word "simple" is one that can describe the whole hardware setup process. Essentially, you will encounter the following steps.
- Plug in the device
- Select Add Speaker in the app
- Press the button or buttons on the speaker
- Optional: Fine tuning of the sound
- Select room
- Done
This has all been proven to work with one hand and in less than three minutes.
But if you think you can listen to music straight away, you're wrong. First of all, updates have to be installed, because the speakers have new software components that have to undergo functional enhancements. About five minutes later, the speaker will be ready.
This process has to be repeated for each speaker individually. It doesn't require any great technological knowledge, but it does require a little patience. Because regardless of whether the subwoofer or a small speaker has to be set up, the update process has to be completed each time. In the meantime, the app is paralysed, so you can't even listen to music on the speakers that have already been installed. But it's more annoying than impossible. You don't need to be a technical genius to set it up, nor do you need to understand more than "pressing two buttons at the same time", because that's the most complex part of the setup.
So, now finally sound!
Or maybe not.
Good, then I'll just connect the app to my Spotify, it takes another minute. All in all, I recommend planning a few hours for a good, clean setup of a multi-room system, followed by a sound test and a little dance of joy. That's more than enough time, but you can be sure that you won't have to rush into anything. It will certainly take at least an hour before you can sit back and enjoy your music.
Muffled thunder and flashes of light
I heard the first sounds from the soundbar in the living room during setup, where I had to set my preferred bass level. I'm a big fan of deep, muffled and strong bass, but the subwoofer delivers a little too much for my small flat. So -1 is the right setting for me.
The first song. Of course I want to test the bass, so I choose a track that has a good and easily recognisable bass drop. As the following intro to the album "Everything Remains As It Never Was" by Swiss band Eluveitie starts with a lot of high notes and then has a heavy bass beat, I chose that one.
Holla! That's quite something. Not only is the female voice streamed via Spotify as clear as a bell in my living room, but the bass also packs a decent punch. The sound coming from the subwoofer sounds like a muffled thunder coming from afar. The tweeters are sharp and bite exactly where they should. Simply great.
After connecting my TV to the soundbar via optical cable, I watch a film that is not only visually stunning, but also loud - Mad Max: Fury Road.
Two hours later, I fully realise that Sonos, as one of the new brands on the speaker market, has hit the bull's eye with their systems when it comes to multifunctional soundbars and subwoofers. If you really want good sound in your home and the price isn't that important to you, then buy one soundbar and one subwoofer per room and you're all set. Although the soundbars are intended as TV audio output devices, they can also be operated independently of the TV and make a good trap as music speakers.
Play:1 for smaller rooms
Impressed, I set about placing one of the smaller speakers in the bedroom and one in the kitchen. Because then I can listen to music in the whole flat. Something I've never experienced before.
So: plug it in, switch on the app, press the buttons, update and that's it.
I connected the Sonos app to Spotify, because the function that allows me to stream directly from Spotify to the speakers was only added with the update in early December. Before that, I could already listen to Spotify, but only via the following route: Spotify → Sonos app → Speaker. This also applies to other streaming services. But this situation has now been resolved.
In the current version, I only have to group the rooms in the Sonos app and then the music can sound directly from the speakers via the mobile. It is also possible to play the music from the home PC in the somewhat confusing Sonos Desktop Controller from the PC or Mac throughout the home.
But now: Music on! At last!
It quickly becomes clear that the small speakers, called the Sonos Play:1, are no match for the soundbar/subwoofer combo. Based on their size, they can't and I didn't really expect them to. Nevertheless, after the overwhelming and surprising sound quality of the soundbar, the Play:1 are somewhat disappointing. The sound is still good, but if you're into sound quality, then I'd go for the next bigger version, the Play:5.
But if you just want sound in a room, then the Play:1 will do just fine. If you want to fill a boutique like H&M with dreadful noise so that the employees would rather rip their hearing out of their heads with a coat hanger after two days of mindless boom-boom-techno-R&B-happy noise, then the Play:1 is totally sufficient.
Or just as a support system.
Or just as support for a soundbar in a neighbouring room or even as part of a surround system in a room. The Play:1 are great for that. But as standalone speakers on which your system is built, the Play:1 are underwhelming. Don't get me wrong: bad sound sounds different. The Play:1 is just not as good as its big siblings.
A new attitude to life
You're now wondering why you should replace your good old stereo system with modern bells and whistles like a multi-room system. The answer is short and simple: when your favourite songs sound in good quality from every corner of your home, it warms your heart. It's just a nice feeling when your room has your sound in great quality everywhere and you don't have to have an idiotically loud stereo system thundering around anywhere.
Therefore: switch on Multiroom, put your feet up and enjoy it.
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Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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