Over the past couple of days, I have had a chance to test the Sonos ZP80 (the model with the digital outputs and minus the amplifier) alongside my trusty SB2 which I have been using for close to a year now. I thought my experience would be of interest to both SqueezeBox and Sonos users / prospective users, so I am placing it on both forums.
Right off the bat, I would like to say that both products are excellent and very well thought out. It is hard to go wrong with either of them. A] Ease of setup: If you are using a Windows PC or a Mac to store your music files, the setup process is fairly simple with both systems. For users who are unfamiliar with firewall settings and the likes, the Sonos installer actually walks you through the process, so it is a little easier. The Sonos hardware, which uses its own secure p2p mesh network, installs itself simply by following instructions to press 2 buttons on the box when asked. For the SqueezeBox, which in wireless mode uses your existing network, you have to manually enter information like SSID, WPA or WEP information, etc. If you are running Linux or some other flavour of UNIX, then setup is simpler with Slimserver (there is currently no Linux Setup software for Sonos, but there are workarounds, and also you only need the setup software once to point the Sonos system to the music so you might be able to borrow someones laptop for that). The preferred mode of use for me, however, is to have all my music stored on a standalone NAS; this is where the Sonos, with its ability to directly access SMB shares, shines. Of course, it is possible to hack your NAS to run Slimserver, like I have done with my Buffalo Linkstation. While it works wonderfully for me, I dont think my grandparents or parents could have or would have had the patience to do the same. Where the Sonos falls short for me is that it requires at least one zone player to be directly connected via Ethernet, unlike the SqueezeBoxen, that can directly utilize your existing Wi-Fi setup. This defeats the purpose of storing the relatively noisy NAS far away from the stereo. However, this will not be a problem for someone who has an Ethernet wired home, or who can afford to buy another zone player simply for this purpose perhaps Sonos should offer a zone bridge for significantly cheaper than their Zone Players. Another option is to use a wireless bridge for testing purposes I am actually using the SB2 as a wireless bridge. However this mode of use is unsupported by Sonos, and I have noticed several dropouts in audio in this mode. Overall in terms of ease of setup, I would give the Sonos the advantage. B] Audio quality: This is the area that was most important to me. While my stereo may not be considered audiophile, my Cyrus 8 integrated amp + PSX-R power supply with Dynaudio Audience 52SEs are no slouches either. In other threads I have talked about how the SB2, when paired with the Cyrus DAC-X DA converter, is barely distinguishable from my Cyrus CD8 + PSR-X power supply paired with the same DAC. What pleasantly surprised me was the quality of the Sonos machine both through the digital outputs as well as the analogue outputs. The SB2 running through the DAC-X provides clean open sound with punchy bass and wonderful stereo imaging. The ZP80 through the same DAC is very close, if not as quite good I cant really put my finger on what is different though, I think it depends on the music you are listening to, for some pieces there is a clear difference on others there isnt. I have not done sufficient testing with the analogue outputs, but my initial impressions were that the sound was a little muddier and less defined on the analogue outputs of the ZP80, but still excellent. A lot has been talked about the internal DACs on the SB2, but those on the ZP80 arent terrible either. FWIW, I am using a linear PSU with my SB2 a piece that I fortuitously found lying unused at work. Also all the music files are EAC+AccurateRip extracted FLACs. If I had to rate the audio quality of my components from good to better, it would go in this order: 1) ZP80 analogue 2) SB2 analogue 3) ZP80 with Cyrus DAC-X 4) SB2 with Cyrus DAC-X 5) Cyrus CD8 6) Cyrus CD8 + DAC-X Advantage, SqueezeBox, but only just. C] Remote control: A lot has been talked about the superiority of the Sonos handheld controller over the SqueezeBox remote. I have to confess that I actually like the SqueezeBox remote a lot. I think the keys are well laid out, and as long as I can easily see the nice VFD screen on the SB2, I dont need to have a display on the remote. This works well for me in my bedroom, but I can see the need for more information on the controller if you are in a larger space or at a greater distance from the device. In that case the Sonos controller would win hands down. I would like to point out that, as elegant as this controller is, it still lacks the high quality feel of a new iPod, and the wheel could do with some work on the sensitivity front. On the squeezebox side, the work done by Ben Klaas for the Nokia 770 skin is nothing short of stellar. I do like the touch screen on the Nokia. More importantly I do like that it can be used as an Slimserver audio client by itself paired with my Grado SR60s, it is very listenable streaming 320kbps mp3s transcoded from FLACs by Slimserver (The Nokia770 does not play FLACs natively as yet). But as much as I love the Nokia770 I still think of it more as a geek toy with lots of reliability issues with regards to network connectivity as well as low memory and low processor issues. Advantage Sonos for multi-room setups or large rooms. Advantage SqueezeBox for smaller rooms and single installations. Well enough of my rambling, for those who like bulleted point summaries, here they are. Advantages of the Sonos ZP80 over the SqueezeBox: 1) Ease of setup it just works, always. 2) Ability to work with a NAS without any hacking 3) Robust handheld controller 4) Easier multi-room usage and synchronization Advantages of the SqueezeBox over the Sonos ZP80: 1) Ability to work completely wireless no need to be tied to the computer or NAS that stores the music. 2) Quality of audio (but only just!) 3) The fluorescent display on the SB2, as well as the additional information available about each track such as format, bit-rate, path, etc. 4) Ability to use Pandora 5) Value for money 6) Flexibility and tweakability (this isnt a word is it?) the SB2 and Slimserver has provided hours of entertainment for a geek like me In conclusion, I am personally going to stick with my SB2, but I think the Sonos setup will work great for my parents. Hope this helps. Regards, Nikhil -- Nikhil ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nikhil's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=993 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=23490 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
