Sonos, Airplay, Bluetooth, Speakers???

[cmeeks]

I'm wrapping up my garage renovation and will be posting pictures of the process as soon as the new door is installed in a week or two. In the meantime, I need some suggestions from the music connoisseurs here. I intend to use the garage as a workout room and I have three priorities:

1. Wirelessly stream music from my iphone
2. Minimal wire spaghetti
3. Some bass

Anybody use sonos or airplay??? My gut says to just buy the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 and connect it to a bluetooth adapter. I'm also looking at these Edifier R1850DB speakers. They're bluetooth and have a sub out in case I decide I want to add more bass later.

 

[garagelogician]

What do you use for music services? Do you own a big music library?

I'm a big proponent of Google Play Music (yes it works on iphones too). You can upload up to 20,000 songs from your personal library (assuming no Apple DRM) for free. I have a subscription to it too for any new stuff that I don't own.

I have a Chromecast audio (iPhones are compatible, but I can't speak to how well they work) that I have plugged into an old receiver and speakers with a 3.5mm to RCA adapter. The phone controls the Chromecast audio, but the dongle is doing all the work to stream the music so it doesn't drain your phone battery like Bluetooth (or have any of the other typical bluetooth issues). Works with Google Play Music, Spotify, Pandora, Pocketcasts, etc.

 

[cmeeks]

I mostly use Spotify. I've used Google play as well and really like it.

 

[DaDeuce]

I've got Sonos in my house (not the garage yet) and here are my thoughts.

1. It offers great infrastructure to play all kinds of different music platforms (Your Itunes/MP3's, Pandora, Amazon, I HeartRadio, etc.) all through one interface
2. Depending on how you want to use them they are expensive. They have two different product lines basically: The "connect" series that's designed to utilize existing speakers or systems, and the speaker series that actually play music. We recently built my house and we knew we wanted to have a whole home setup with speakers all hidden in ceilings or walls. This lent itself well to the "connect" portion of the lineup which controls our bedroom/bathroom, Kitchen/Family room, dining room, and deck areas. I also pre-wired the garage for a pair of speakers, but I don't have the same constraint in here to have everything be integrated and hidden that we were going for in the main house. So now I am torn, do I spend a couple hundred dollars on a pair of good speakers and then add a connect Amp on top of that, or do I just buy a single Sonos 5 that I can use in different areas of the house by simply moving it around, or do I go really el cheapo and buy a bluetooth connection for my existing 15 year old bookshelf system that is in there and call it a day? Alot of the "whole home" mindset doesn't apply to the garage (at least for me) because I won't be going in and out of the garage frequently, so there is no reason to have whatever I am playing out there play in the house as well and vice versa. Once I am out in the garage working on something, i tend to stay out there until finished, whereas in the house I could be doing something in the bedroom, move to the kitchen, etc.
3. If looking at just the speaker series I can say that the larger units (the 3 and 5) offer very full/dynamic sound for such small packages.

 

[blacksporty]

You could also buy a soundbar, designed for your TV and use the bluetooth to play stuff from your phone, they typically have a wireless subwoofer, should be able to get pretty good sound from it.

 

[James E]

Sonos sounds great but the prices are crazy high and haven't come down like I expected them to.

I have a few in my house and I love that I can turn them off and on, combine them, stereo pair some of them, etc. all through my smartphone or iPad.

But the price...jeesh.

 

[mikeyr]

I have to Sonos Play:5's in my garage and love them. I am actually considering getting rid of my 5:1 system in the house and getting Sonos soundbar, sub, play1's (for the rear speakers). But we wired the house for speakers only 6 years ago when we remodeled the front part of the house and I hate throwing away all that work

I think the soundbar alone sounds pretty good, have on the garage that i used to use as music speakers before the Play:5's

 

[ItsNemo]

I just have a computer in my garage and connected a set of logitech z-2300 (2.1 200rms thx thingies) to it. Then just use spotify most of the time but can play any other content and I use the computer to view shop manuals and instructions and such.

 

[Jeep07]

I have a sonos play 1 in my garage.

 

[Playwme]

Got Sonos through the house. Playbar in lounge, pair of 3’s in the dining/sitting/kitchen area and the kids have a 1 each in their rooms. Yeah it’s pricey, but you pay for the quality. Sound is nice and rich and then connection/operation is nearly flawless. I’ve used cheaper stuff and there’s often issues with connecting, dropouts and other stuff.
Want to listen somewhere else? Just unplug it, plug it back in, it reconnects to the network and away you go.

I asked for a garage Sonos for Father’s Day. Salesperson talked the wife into the Google Home instead. It was cheaper and she figured the speech recognition would be handy when hands are greasy. It’s cool, and is kind of handy, but it was frustrating to set up properly and the sound has nothing on the Play 1 Sonos.

 

[cmeeks]

Okay, I think I'm sold on Sonos. Now the question is what combination of speakers.

1. Two Sonos One's (+ sub in the future)
2. Sonos 5 (+ second 5 in the future)

I think I'm going to buy two 1's and the 5, test them against each other, and then keep the setup that wins. I do a lot of indoor cycling, often riding for hours at a time listening to EDM and that sort of thing. I definitely like some bass, but I don't want to let that be the deciding factor over sound quality.

 

[James E]

I have two 1s in the kitchen as a stereo pair. I have a 5 in the living room and 3s everywhere else. I am no audiophile and I assume that you don't get the same kind of stereo separation from the 5 as you do from two 1s, but the 5's sound is impressive.

A 1 works fine in a small room or a room where you don't need a lot of volume. The 5 will fill the whole downstairs with sound.

I'd get a 3 before I went with two 1s again. If the choice is 2 1s or 1 5, I'd go with the 5 in a heartbeat.

It does take up a bit of shelf-space, though. 1s are easier to hide.

 

[rmb4me]

as a guy who has made his living selling Audio equipment (almost 30 years now).
Sonos and HEOS and BlueSound et al... are great problem solvers... I want music but don't have wires type of problem solver. And you can control it from your phone- slick!

However, they are not hi fidelity.
You will get the best sound from a real amplifier and speakers (built by a speaker company) connected with wire. Period.

If your situation has you needing to go wireless and you want it to sound good, and are considering a subwoofer because you want a full sound then simply use a Sonos Connect (or similiar) to an amplifier/speaker combo that you like the sound of.
This affords you the ability to choose speakers that sound good (or hopefully sound Awesome) and fit your space and maybe even for a lower price than the deluxe all in ones.

Maybe give us some idea of what you are trying to do:
How loud?
Do you have space for gear?
Where will you put the speakers? Wall mount, roof mount floor sitting?
Are built in speakers an option? In wall/in ceiling?
do you have any stereo gear in your house not being used?

NOTE: I am not selling anything here- I now work at a manufacturer and we do not sell direct to home owners so this is not a play for your money just offering decades of understanding of Audio in exchange for all the great info, reads and help I have gotten from this forum.

 

[cmeeks]

So I'm not by any means an audiophile. In fact, I'm legally deaf in one ear. I like volume and the ability to feel the bass, but I don't need to be able to shake things off the walls. However close I can get to the threshold of annoying my neighbors or my wife without hearing any complaints is about how loud I like my music. From everything I've read, the Sonos are actually very well engineered (yes, even from an audio standpoint) and what you're paying for is convenience. I'm a minimalist, so I'll pay for simplicity. The Sonos connect is kind of compelling, but I don't have an existing set of speakers to connect it to so it kind of defeats the purpose for me.

 

[ticklechicken]

You could also buy a soundbar, designed for your TV and use the bluetooth to play stuff from your phone, they typically have a wireless subwoofer, should be able to get pretty good sound from it.

This is what I have in my shop. Works great.

 

[Texsun]

Here's my set-up; the amp is auto on/off as are the subs. Sonos streams my own collection or Pandora/Spotify/Amazon accounts as well as can access just about any broadcast station out there.

I use one of these multichannel amps from outdoor speaker depot(Multi-Zone 12-Channel Bridgeable Stereo Amplifier OSD-MX1260);

The best thing about them besides good sound is they turn on/off automatically with the sound source.
I have these outdoor speakers in the corners (OSD Audio AP840)

and one of these subs (Polk Audio PSW505 12-Inch Powered Subwoofer).

And for tunes, can't say enough good things about Sonos - can play all my own music, access just about any streaming music source as well as local/remote radio stations and run it from my phone or computer.
(Sonos Connect)

 

[rmb4me]

hey cmeeks,
Bass requires volume (a bigger box) and power (more watts).
You can do it 2 ways- big ole speakers- like we had in college days or whatever size you can get and add a powered subwoofer.
If you spend some time on craigslist, kijiji, facebook selling pages you will find a ton of old stereo receivers or even old surround sound ones and speakers that can get you the output you are looking for at a bargain price.

Then add a Sonos Connect to it so you get- streaming music services, airplay from your phone and an app to control it with.

Depending on where you live- if it is a big enough city you may find a speaker repair shop (some electronic repair shops do speaker re-coning etc...) and if you let them know what your budget is they may find you a 70's gem and you buy with knowledge that it is working and in good condition.

powered subwoofers are a bit harder to find gems in the rock bottom price category as people tend to hang onto them, especially better ones.
If you find that you want to add a sub make sure to get a well built one. Low frequencies are tough to produce and even tougher to produce loudly!

You can often tell the basic build qualities simply- weight is an indicator- heavier is better ( assuming that it was built that way and not just having added lead plates ), check the speaker cone by pressing it in and letting it go to hear if there is any damage- a damaged voice coil/former will make a scraping noise that will be horrific when you decide to light em up for your friends on the weekend party, watch to see if the cone 'deflects' when you push it in- do your fingers dent/bend/distort the shape of it? If so it is not at all rigid which is a sign of cost saving- and easier to damage.

The cool thing about speakers and amps is good ones are good for a long time. Even when you change from a garage/gym to a garage/u-brew
cheers

 

[PhysicsDude]

I have an Amazon Alexa control my stereo in the garage (its hooked up to an older "boombox" type stereo).

Using the voice commands of Alexa is SUPER convenient while working in the garage. You don't have to get up, stop what you're doing, take off your gloves, etc. to change the song or adjust volume, etc. etc.

You can also play music directly through Alexa via bluetooth, although Alexa can natively control most popular music streaming services (Pandora, IHeartRadio, Spotify, etc.). Not to mention you can use Alexa to check weather, do simple math, and other stuff like that.

Alexa can either send the audio through a normal 1/8" aux audio jack or bluetooth.

Highly recommend.

 

[Colin Len]

I personally try to keep everything as Apple as possible at our house and love how everything works together.

House:
- FIOS wireless internet
- Gen4 AppleTV
- Samsung TV
- Sony Soundbar

Garage
- Wireless network is extended via Airport Express
- Gen3 AppleTV
- Cheap old Vizio TV
- ~6yr old iMac
- Cheap old Sony amplifier
- Bose 251 outdoor speakers (inside the garage)
- Cheap OSD exterior speakers under the garage eaves (outside the garage for music in the back yard) (Same brand as Texsun posted, they have some really well priced, quality stuff).

From the computer I can listen to music / watch videos on the computer or airplay to the AppleTV so that I can play music on the bigger speakers in the garage or in the back yard. Video streams to the TV.

From my phone I can airplay to the AppleTV and have videos up on the TV and/or play music out of either (or both) sets of speakers.

It's definitely a cobbled together system (in the garage) in which I bought almost nothing and instead reused old stuff I had or bought cheap stuff on craigslist. Overall, I love it. Never want to go back to a garage or back yard without wireless music.

 

[James E]

New Sonos 1 speakers have Alexa included.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I mostly use a bluetooth headset, but when I don't, I have an older Panasonic stereo with a $10 bluetooth receiver from Amazon, or my Milwaukee Bluetooth Jobsite speaker.

 

[iScream]

Do you have a TV in there? What I ended up doing in my garage is using a Roku Stick plugged into the TV for everything. It gets power from a USB port on the TV and has Spotify plus pretty much anything else you would want. No need to worry about keeping my phone charged or anything. Also has Youtube on it which is great for how to stuff while working in the garage.

Hint: Search Youtube for "fitness model workout motivation".

 

[Mark in Baltimore]

I have Yamaha's WXA-50 MusicCast amp and use it to power two Definitive Technology ProMonitor 1000s in the garage. Going to add a subwoofer when I finish organizing. Sounds terrific to me and let's me stream from Pandora or music on my iPhone. Beats the little Panasonic boombox I was using for many years.

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/wireless_streaming_amplifiers/wxa-50_u/index.html

I also have a Yamaha RXA-2050 Aventage home theater amp that has MusicCast, too, and can send music via wifi to the WXA-50 amp in the garage. Need to have a good router to make it work seamlessly.

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/av_receivers_amps/rx-a2050_black_u/index.html

I considered Sonos, but the previous owner had a total of three speaker zones for two rooms, so the Yamaha amp seemed to be a better solution. Also, as many have already stated, Sonos prices are stupid expensive.

 

[DHCrocks]

I know the sonos is the standard bearer of wireless speakers but take a look at the bose soundtouch. I have the sound touch 20 in my garage and it works great. The feature I really like is the 6 preset buttons on the top. Its so easy to use and I don't have to use my phone to play music. I set the presets to a couple of local stations on iheart/tunein and the rest to stations I created on pandora. its so convenient, I don't have to get my phone. just press the button on the speaker and away you go.

 

[Citation]

I'm kind of cheap and want good sound so I would second the idea of getting an amp and speakers or even amplified speakers + streaming source. If you like Apple get an airplay. If you like sinks go that way. I did Chromecast.

 

[zeeway]

My experience involves separate amps with good speakers, as well as several expensive soundbars. I was not happy with the bother of the separate amp/speakers or the quality of the various soundbars. Then I bought a Sonos soundbar...which sounds great. Then I added a Sonos subwoofer...even better.

But sound perception is a very individual thing. If you can hear 20,000 hz, and need to hear those highs, nothing less thn a high powered amp and expensive speakers will do. But for me, the Sonos sound quality along with the simple setup/wireless aspects will do it for me.

 

[exmaxima1]

But sound perception is a very individual thing. If you can hear 20,000 hz, and need to hear those highs, nothing less thn a high powered amp and expensive speakers will do. But for me, the Sonos sound quality along with the simple setup/wireless aspects will do it for me.

That's the Bose business plan--concentrate on the important midrange content--and it clearly has been very successful for them. I'm in the speaker industry, and we have the saying, "If it has no highs, and it has no lows, it must be Bose"...

 

[CJ7VFR]

I'm kind of cheap and want good sound so I would second the idea of getting an amp and speakers....

You can also get a fairly cheap small standalone amp that has built in Bluetooth to power a set of wired speakers in your garage. This will give you the ability to play your music from your phone, or a tablet or laptop in the garage.

I bought a small, simple amp with Bluetooth from Amazon that costs under $40 for my garage. I am cheap, and didn't want to spend a ton of money on a garage setup that would get dirty, dusty, go thru hot and cold cycles (my garage is not insulated) or that I would have to worry about if it got damaged.

I had two big, old, stereo speakers I had saved up in my attic that I was never really going to use ever again, and put them up in two corners of my garage. Then I ran speaker wire from them to the amp above my workbench, and plugged in the amp.

Presto! Music in my garage that sounds way better than the old single speaker boom box from the 1980's I was using. And, anyone who comes over can also play their music (if I like their kind of music) in the garage too.

I have a similar setup for my outdoor patio speakers. I have another Bluetooth amp installed in the basement attached to the patio speaker wires. I have this amp plugged into a switched receptacle in the basement. All my wife or I have to do is flip the wall switch to power up the amp, and connect our phones via the Bluetooth, and bam, music outside!

Jim

 

[Shark Pilot]

I'm a long time audio guy who has had some serious high end gear (tube amps & pre amps, turntables, etc.) and recently purchased a Klipsch Promedia 2.1 computer speaker set up for my kitchen which I use with a Chromecast audio wifi streamer using Spotify on my phone. I can tell you, after reading the reviews for the powered speakers/sub and having listened to it with all types of music for over 9 months that I am blown away with the sound quality. It's that good. I liked it soo much I bought another one for my son's dorm room. Everyone who hears it is very impressed. For $160-180 you can't beat it. Currently I use an old pair of Altec Lansing computer speakers hooked up to another Chromecast audio streamer in the garage and I can play music in the kitchen and the garage using spotify simultaneously. Chromecast even has time delay adjustments for playing systems in multiple adjacent rooms.

 

[z1 zonly]

I bought this for my 1700sf shop. $160 (when I bought it). Very little spaghetti (one wire to each speaker/sub), easy Bluetooth connection and brings the bumps! Great for introducing your neighbors to Lemmy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010XHCQGK/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[White Shadow]

Hint: Search Youtube for "fitness model workout motivation".

Yeah, thanks. Now I can't get any work done in the garage.