Hi guys newbie here, wonder if anyone could help out with a couple of questions I had.

Firstly, my current systems is a Beosound 4 with a pair of Lab 3s and an Airport Express running into the A.aux via minijack.   I have several ideas for improvements in this set up.

- I bought the Airport Express a couple of weeks back and am really pleased with it, after the slightly problematic set up it works seamlessly streaming music from my downstairs pc and controlling it all through my iphone.   I have just noticed that Sonos do something similar called a ZP90 which gets rave reviews, would buying one of these give any benefit or change anything over the AE? I assume it just connects to BS4 with rca leads?   Whats the Sonos app like compared with the Apple remote app in terms of functionality and features? I have other uses for AE so not too bothered about removing it if Sonos does something better.      

- I have also been reading up on DACs on this forum, If for instance I connected one between my AE or potential ZP90 would the difference in sound quality be easily noticeable and a definite improvement?   What would lower quality MP3s sound like compared with the connection I have at the moment?   Any potential downsides of adding a DAC into the mix, besides the cost and addition wires?  Is it possible to leave them on when the system is not in use and they go onto standby automatically or something as opposed to turning it on and off all the time?

- Have been looking at adding a Lab 2 to the set-up for a bit more bass, would this vastly improve my current set-up and give the speakers more punch- adding to the listening experience?

- Finally a NAS seems like a good idea so music can be stored on there and played without the pc being on, does anyone know much about these or have any recommendations?  Do they just attach to your WLAN or something?

If you were contemplating these "improvements" what order would you do them in?  Unfortunately I don't currently have the funds to add Sonos, a DAC, Lab 2 and NAS all at the same time. 

Thanks for your help

Hi SlowInFastOut,

I have a Sonos ZP 90 connected directly to a pair of BL 8000’s (via RCA). When I compared it to an Airport Express, the sound quality of the ZP 90 was much better.

The major difference between the combination of iTunes/AE and a Sonos is that the ZP90 is a computer of its own. You tell it where your music is stored (a network drive for example), and it builds a database of your songs (much like iTunes). The iPhone/iPad app works like a charm, you can search for songs, build playlists and select which songs are streamed to which Sonos box, or use the Sonos to stream web radio.

The major reasons why I have switched from AE/iTunes to Sonos (apart from the better sound quality) was the facts that:

• I do not need to keep my computer turned on all the time
• it is possible to send the same music to different ZP90 boxes (called „zones“) or different music to different boxes
• no breaks during music playback. Sonos has a WLAN of its own and seems to have a slightly different protocol for music transmission. With iTunes/AE I had the music stopped for some seconds once in a while.

My current setup is:

• a Sonos bridge near the network drive
• two ZP90s (one connected to the BLs, one to a non-B&O music system’s amp)
• a network drive

If you want to have your music stored on a standalone network drive, keep in mind that most NAS have a fan and are not really quiet. If you need a quiet box, I would suggest to add an external HDD to your router (if it has USB connectors), or to use a network drive without a fan. I am using the latter (a LACIE Network Space 2: http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?id=10451). You connect the network drive via an Ethernet cable to your router.

If you don’t need a really quiet solution and want to store not only music on the network drive, I recommend the Synology DiskStation DS211. Works without problems with Windows PCs and Macs (even if those are running Lion - some NAS vendors had problems with it).

Kind Regards,

Michael

Hi Michael,

Thanks for your reply.

My PC currently has Itunes, will the Sonos ZP90 be able to work with Itunes or will the music have to be reorganised for Sonos software?

Is it possible to still connect a DAC like the DACMagic to the Sonos zp90 at a later date?

I was looking at that Lacie drive as well as these two:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/iomega-home-media-network-hard-drive-cloud-edition-1tb-09531068-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/seagate-freeagent-goflex-home-external-hard-drive-1tb-08753803-pdt.html

How do you find your Lacie? It looks like it could be the answer to my problem, the drive would be able to stream to AE/Sonos ZP90 without the PC being on?   Imported CDs in Itunes could be saved directly to the drive I assume?

Thanks for the advice

Regards

SlowlnFastOut

Hello (from another Michael)

It is my understanding that Sonos works with anything.  It will even find music stored on a time capsule and play - something that not many other devices could do.

I use a WD MyBook Live 2TB (direct competitor to the go flex) as I have found that it is a better device to use with a multiple of equipment, for example my sony TV works with it no worries and it is based on a "twonky server" which is quite compatible.

B&O have said (through reading this site) they have a preference for iomega, but when i bought the WD I couldn't see the iomega for sale anywhere near me.  Some people prefer a NAS with multiple drive bays and backups etc, but for my music which has already been backed up a million times, the one drive solution was good for me.  I also used it to rip all of my DVD's so i can access them anywhere in the house. 

Before you purchase any additional NAS, you could connect an external hard drive to your router (if it allows it) and see if it can see it as a network drive (which is just what a nas is). 

Best of luck

Michael

SlowlnFastOut:

My PC currently has Itunes, will the Sonos ZP90 be able to work with Itunes or will the music have to be reorganised for Sonos software?

Thanks for the great advice guys.