Hi Christopher, They are convenient, but I'm no big fan of bluetooth except for listening to audio books and so on. Until recently I was really recommending the Turtle Shell 2 from Outdoor Tech, but of course not everybody wants a water-resistant speaker and by now there are also other options out there which are probably at least as good or better. I think Logitech is worth checking out, but I really haven't kept up with the latest so much because my Turtle Shell 2 will do me for some years to come I think. If you want something really good sounding and don't mind if it has to be plugged in then Sonos really is at the top of my list with the Play 1 or Play 3 depending on your budget.
Regards, Sieghard -----Original Message----- From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Christopher Chaltain Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2015 11:31 AM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: Just use Sonos, was: Stereo Receivers That Can Be Operated With An App? Agreed, I'd never go bac to a entertainment center with speakers in the corners and wires everywhere. I don't think Arnold ever said whether he was talking about a prewired house or not, and I just thought that was one scenario where a home theater receiver might fit the bill. I got my son a bluetooth speaker for his smart phone over Christmas, and I decided they were so convenient, I'm planning on getting myself one this summer. I'm planning on checking with you before I buy anything to see what the latest and greatest options are. On 03/15/2015 12:37 AM, Sieghard Weitzel wrote: > HiChristopher, > > I also don't disagree with what you say although there is a big difference > between wiring a room or house when its being built and trying to retrofit an > existing house with in-wall wiring and speakers. When I bought my house in > 1996 it was a spec home, but I bought it early on so the inside walls had > only been framed and not drywalled. I also went ahead at that point and > installed speaker wires for built-in ceiling and in-wall speakers since I had > an Onkyo receiver even back then which was capable of handling 2 independent > zones. I had the main zone hooked into speakers in my living room with rear > speakers built into the ceiling above the couch and the second zone was > hooked up to a Niles 4-port speaker switch which provided signal to my > bedroom, bathroom, office and kitchen. Of course those rooms wee not able to > play independent sources although I did have in-line volume controls in each > room so I could turn the volume all the way down if I didn't want sound in a > particular room. A nyhow, the point is that I do come from a more traditional background and while a number of receivers nowadays are capable of being hooked up to a router and handling certain online subscriptions, I highly doubt any one of them handles as many as Sonos and in as accessible a format. A solution with such a receiver also does not give you the flexibility and scalability that Sonos offers when it comes to expanding into different rooms without any fuss and the variety of Sonos gear nowadays makes the system just ever so appealing. I am now just waiting for their long-anticipated headset which I really hope is coming this year or if not this year then next year. Every time I talk to their support and mention it they tell me that they get a ton of requests for a headset and I'm quite sure it's going to become reality in the near future. Then I can enjoy all my Sonos system has to offer with perfect privacy and without disturbing my wife or anybody else. I know that I could get a really go od wireless headset and hook it into one of the RCA or optical digital outputs of one of my Sonos players, but I don't want to spend the money for a really good wireless headset knowing Sonos will most likely have one which will be fully integrated into their system in the near future. > > Also, Sonos has one other advantage which most receivers don't have and that > is the fact that you get regular software updates which improve the system > and which ensure that new music services are available. Deezer lossless, for > example, is only available via Sonos at least at this point. I had a free 1 > year Deezer subscription which came with the purchase of my Playbar and just > last week I received an offer from Deezer to upgrade to their Deezer Elite > lossless service for a ridiculous $36.50 for an entire year. Normally that > service is $20 a months and it is an awesome offer and the sound quality is > amazing. > > > Regards, > Sieghard > > -----Original Message----- > From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of > Christopher Chaltain > Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2015 10:35 AM > To: viphone@googlegroups.com > Subject: Re: Just use Sonos, was: Stereo Receivers That Can Be Operated With > An App? > > I'm not pushing home theater receivers or knocking Sonos, and I listen > carefully to everything Sieghard says, especially when it comes to audio, but > I have one tiny point of clarification. Home theater receivers do come with > the ability to tap into subscription music services and do support DLNA, so > you can access your music from a network attached storage device. The Yamaha > RX-V773 receiver I own has these features, and it's obviously not unique. > > We built our house a few years ago, and we had it wired for a 7.2 surround > sound system in the family room, so we don't have big bulky speakers or wires > anywhere. I've looked into Sonos recently, and I may still go that option in > the future for some situations, but for my living room, I don't think it > beats just dropping a network capable home theater receiver into my AV > cabinet. > > On 03/14/2015 10:57 AM, Kramlinger, Keith G., M.D. wrote: >> I agree with everything Sieghard said. >> >> I bought 4 Play3’s in December, setting them up as paired units in 2 >> rooms. With Spotify, and my iTunes Match, I haven’t had such wonderful >> and accessible music listening in decades. And their phone support is >> excellent, if you need it. Keith >> >> *From:*viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] *On >> Behalf Of *Sieghard Weitzel >> *Sent:* Saturday, March 14, 2015 7:50 AM >> *To:* viphone@googlegroups.com >> *Subject:* Just use Sonos, was: Stereo Receivers That Can Be Operated >> With An App? >> >> Hi Arnold, >> >> My recommendation is Sonos. You said “stereo receiver” in your subject >> so I assume you are looking for a receiver (amplifier with integrated >> tuner) for music playback. If you already own a set of good quality >> speakers you want to use, then get a Sonos Connect Amp. You get a very >> nice sounding amplifier with 110 Watts of Class D amplification for >> $600. It is small, fully connected with access to dozens of paid and >> free internet music services and the app is fully and fantastically >> accessible. On top of that you will have the freedom to expand your >> Sonos system later with any of their other players to bring music to >> other rooms, you can add a Sonos wireless Sub or, if you already have >> a traditional, powered Sub, you can connect it to your Connect Amp. >> >> If you want a full 5.1 surround system, it would set you back about >> $1,800 with a Sonos Playbar, Sonos Sub and two Play 1 players for the >> rear channel. >> >> In my opinionthe flexibility, connectivity and accessibility of Sonos >> beats anything else out there. Even if you consider an inexpensive >> $300 or $400 receiver paired with an inexpensive $200 or $300 set of >> bookshelf speakers, you now have spend $500 to $700. For $600 you can >> buy two Sonos Play 3 players and set them up as a stereo pair which >> will sound every bit as good as what you get with a low-end >> traditional setup. The traditional setup means a bulky receiver, >> speakers which by themselves are about the size or larger than the >> Sonos Play 3 and, of course, wires which have to go from the receiver >> to the speakers. This setup gives you access to an FM/AM tuner and you >> have not yet added any other source of music. For this you either need >> to spend more money for a CD player or connect your computer or iPhone >> to the receiver. Chances are you may find a receiver which has Airplay >> capabilities so you could play music to the receiver wirelessly via >> your iPhone or iTunes, if not you will need to connect the computer or >> iPhone with a cable. Playing music from Tune In or a subscription >> based music service similarly would require you to use your iPhone >> with Airplay or your iPhone or computer wired into the receiver. With >> Sonos access to Tune In and just about every subscription based music >> service you can think of is integrated into the fully accessible Sonos >> app. Your own music can easily be accessed by ripping all your CD’s >> (if you haven’t done so already) and give Sonos access to your music >> folder on the computer or, even better, on a network attached hard >> drive which means your computer doesn’t even have to be on. This means >> additional components like CD Players also become a thing of the past. >> >> Good luck, >> >> Sieghard >> >> *From:*viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] *On >> Behalf Of *Arnold Schmidt >> *Sent:* Friday, March 13, 2015 10:12 PM >> *To:* viphone@googlegroups.com >> *Subject:* Stereo Receivers That Can Be Operated With An App? >> >> A couple years ago, I think on Cool Blind Tech, there was a podcast >> about a Denon receiver that was quite accessible using an iPhone app. >> However, even when that podcast was released, that receiver was no >> longer available. Being that a lot of modern stereo equipment is not >> the most blind friendly, are there any currently available receivers >> that can be operated with an app? >> >> Thanks for any opinions. >> >> Arnold Schmidt >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the viphone >> list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If >> you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or >> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the >> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> The archives for this list can be searched at >> http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >> an email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >> To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com>. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the viphone >> list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If >> you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or >> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the >> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> The archives for this list can be searched at >> http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >> an email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >> To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com>. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the viphone >> list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If >> you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or >> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the >> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> The archives for this list can be searched at >> http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >> Groups "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >> an email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com>. >> To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com >> <mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com>. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > Christopher (CJ) > chaltain at Gmail > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the viphone list. > All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If you have any > questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a > member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators > directly rather than posting on the list itself. The archives for this list > can be searched at http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Christopher (CJ) chaltain at Gmail -- The following information is important for all members of the viphone list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. The archives for this list can be searched at http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- The following information is important for all members of the viphone list. All new members to the this list are moderated by default. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. The archives for this list can be searched at http://www.mail-archive.com/viphone@googlegroups.com/. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "VIPhone" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
