Android -> Wiim Ultra -> Sonos: Options?

[Jls]

Is it a Lightning iPad?

No, USB C

 

[Tom Schultz]

Just tried to connect turntable with an available cable directly with one of my Era 100 via the Sonos adapter. Sound is really good and streamed sync to all my other Sonos speakers. Control of speakers (incl. stereo pair) with the old Sonos App (16.1) works easily.

So, if I manage to establish my music library on the NAS and to implement it in the Sonos App (and thus do not need to stream music from my Android Phone), this might be the easiest (and cost-efficient) approach unless the long cable might cause problems. In that case another Era 100 might also be an option.

I think this is a very good solution.

I would still also consider installing a UPnP/DLNA server on the NAS, e.g. Minimserver. It's very easy. The benefit is the browsing experience with your personal music library. It is really a game changer compared to the Sonos app. You can use that Hi-Fi Cast app, or any other DLNA app to access Minimserver.
Sonos has completely neglected personal libraries in favor of streaming services for ages. That may make sense as streaming of course is the big thing. But there are better ways, as demonstrated by WiiM, Cambridge Audio, Eversolo and the developers of those DLNA apps.

 

[Jls]

Strange, nothing wrong here. We use our Samsung and Apple charges criss-cross and never noticed such behavior. Will start to look at

It is very c

I think this is a very good solution.

I would still also consider installing a UPnP/DLNA server on the NAS, e.g. Minimserver. It's very easy. The benefit is the browsing experience with your personal music library. It is really a game changer compared to the Sonos app. You can use that Hi-Fi Cast app, or any other DLNA app to access Minimserver.
Sonos has completely neglected personal libraries in favor of streaming services for ages. That may make sense as streaming of course is the big thing. But there are better ways, as demonstrated by WiiM, Cambridge Audio, Eversolo and the developers of those DLNA apps.

Can you be specific about Sonos and libraries. Ignoring, for the moment, the screwed up app.

I’m using a third party app, and find it adequate.

 

[Tom Schultz]

It is very c

Can you be specific about Sonos and libraries. Ignoring, for the moment, the screwed up app.

I’m using a third party app, and find it adequate.

With SONOS I think it’s difficult to separate app and library. It’s a system. When you use a third-party app, like I do as well, you don’t use the SONOS system any longer. You basically turn the SONOS components into stand-alone, DLNA- or AirPlay-capable active speakers.

Sonos developed a new search mechanism a few years ago. It was fast, versatile and did not work with local libraries. It queried the servers of the streaming services and ignored local libraries. In their old app at least they had an outdated search mechanism for local files, which is not available in the new app anymore. Like in, not at all, no search.

SONOS introduced Hi-Res support for certain streaming services, but not for local libraries. I suppose they assumed that local libraries consist of ripped CDs only.

The SONOS browsing experience hasn't been good for ages. Only streaming service users can work around browsing by using Search. Library users are stuck with scrolling through single columns of text, e.g. album titles, with thumbnail pictures attached to them. Nothing like double columns of artwork tiles with text underneath, on smartphones, or walls of tiles, on tablets, exists. SONOS even wastes the display space of a tablet, which is ridiculous.

There’s not even an alphabet column on the side of the screen anymore to let you shortcut scrolling vast libraries by selecting a letter.

Filtering options are very sparse when compared to other solutions, e.g. Minimserver. Say you’re looking for a song of Classical music, by a certain composer, performed by a particular artist. Without a search option you may begin by selecting “Song” and scroll until you’re blue in the face as you never get to select further filters.

I mean, why could streamers like WiiM, Cambridge audio, Eversolo etc. even become a thing? SONOS could have dominated the “Amp and speakers” segment as well as the “Just add speakers” market with their PORT streamer and AMP streaming amplifier, if they had shown some attention to detail.

While they sort this out I’m happy with the sophisticated filtering options provided by Minimserver in combination with DLNA apps. And the SONOS Smartspeakers sound as good as ever.

 

[Jls]

I’m using SonoPad, which works like the old Sonos app, only faster and better. Local libraries come up with album art.

If I search for a composer, I get a list of albums. I’m sure it could be better, but it’s so much better than anything else I’ve used, I’m happy.

What I like about Sonos is the ability to mix tracks from any source into playlists. I can still do that.

 

[Tom Schultz]

From what I see on the App Store SonoPad aims to replace the SONOS controller incl. Multiroom features. That's interesting. Will try that out.

The DLNA apps that I use are not aware of the SONOS system, so they can't handle Multiroom setups. When I want to play stuff across more than one room I revert to AirPlay. Weird enough, that works faster with the SONOS Players on my network than if I group the Players from inside the SONOS controller app.

 

[simbun]

The DLNA apps that I use are not aware of the SONOS system, so they can't handle Multiroom setups.

Assuming we're talking about Sonos here, as long as the groups/pairs are defined in the Sonos app you can play to them as long as you target the master using BubbleUPnP/Hi-Fi Cast e.t.c.
I've been doing this with Play:1 for years.

 

[dtc]

The DLNA apps that I use are not aware of the SONOS system, so they can't handle Multiroom setups. When I want to play stuff across more than one room I revert to AirPlay. Weird enough, that works faster with the SONOS Players on my network than if I group the Players from inside the SONOS controller app.

I play to my Sonos system from JRiver using DLNA all the time. I just play to one device and Sonos keeps all the speakers in that group in sync. You might want to try some other DLNA apps.

 

[castalla]

I play to my Sonos system from JRiver using DLNA all the time. I just play to one device and Sonos keeps all the speakers in that group in sync. You might want to try some other DLNA apps.

Works fine with LMS (LYRION).

 

[simbun]

Works fine with LMS (LYRION).

Unless you've got Play:1s (like I have) where there's a weird ~12 second delay at the beginning of playback.

 

[castalla]

Unless you've got Play:1s (like I have) where there's a weird ~12 second delay at the beginning of playback.

No delay for me (ikea symfonisk Frame)

 

[simbun]

No delay for me (ikea symfonisk Frame)

The only other speaker I've tried is the Era 100 which was fine, so it may just be a Play:1 or 1st generation incompatibility.

 

[Tom Schultz]

Assuming we're talking about Sonos here, as long as the groups/pairs are defined in the Sonos app you can play to them as long as you target the master using BubbleUPnP/Hi-Fi Cast e.t.c.
I've been doing this with Play:1 for years.

Yes, exactly, as long as a group is defined within a SONOS system it can be selected this way, the DLNA apps I've used however are not aware of SONOS groups/pairs or able to define them. At least mconnect, 8Player and JPLAY can't.
So, at least for spontaneous grouping you have to revert to the SONOS app or use AirPlay (or whatever) like I do. Using AirPlay has the advantage of working across hardware brands. Adding a WiiM streamer to a group of SONOS players works just fine.

 

[Jls]

Yes, exactly, as long as a group is defined within a SONOS system it can be selected this way, the DLNA apps I've used however are not aware of SONOS groups/pairs or able to define them. At least mconnect, 8Player and JPLAY can't.
So, at least for spontaneous grouping you have to revert to the SONOS app or use AirPlay (or whatever) like I do. Using AirPlay has the advantage of working across hardware brands. Adding a WiiM streamer to a group of SONOS players works just fine.

Oddly enough, the new Sonos app has a lot in common with those other apps.

 

[simbun]

Yes, exactly, as long as a group is defined within a SONOS system it can be selected this way, the DLNA apps I've used however are not aware of SONOS groups/pairs or able to define them. At least mconnect, 8Player and JPLAY can't.

Your message read as though it wasn't possible to play to Sonos multiroom, so my comment was just for clarification really.

Whilst BubbleUPnP doesn't identify the slave/master it does allow you to hide servers and renderers so it's easy to pick the right one. My dad has an inherited iPad so for him - who has considerably more Sonos speakers than I do - I name them '<Room> Master' in the Sonos app so it's less confusing when playing from Lumin (UPnP).

I think I read somewhere that Roon can define Sonos groups, but as far as I know that's the only third party that has given them enough money to be able to do so can.

So, at least for spontaneous grouping you have to revert to the SONOS app or use AirPlay (or whatever) like I do. Using AirPlay has the advantage of working across hardware brands. Adding a WiiM streamer to a group of SONOS players works just fine.

I'm not a fan of the phone/tablet being part of the chain, especially the audio chain, so it would only be if I wanted Sonos and WiiM to be in sync that I'd resort to AirPlay, if I had a device that could.

 

[Tom Schultz]

Your message read as though it wasn't possible to play to Sonos multiroom, so my comment was just for clarification really.

Whilst BubbleUPnP doesn't identify the slave/master it does allow you to hide servers and renderers so it's easy to pick the right one. My dad has an inherited iPad so for him - who has considerably more Sonos speakers than I do - I name them '<Room> Master' in the Sonos app so it's less confusing when playing from Lumin (UPnP).

I think I read somewhere that Roon can define Sonos groups, but as far as I know that's the only third party that has given them enough money to be able to do so can.


I'm not a fan of the phone/tablet being part of the chain, especially the audio chain, so it would only be if I wanted Sonos and WiiM to be in sync that I'd resort to AirPlay, if I had a device that could.

Usually, when I group SONOS speakers with my AVR or a streamer, using AirPlay, it's not exactly a listening session, background music more like. For that it's great. I never sit down to listen to music using Airplay, though. For audio quality it's mostly NAS with Minimserver into a streamer via DLNA.

 

[simbun]

For audio quality it's mostly NAS with Minimserver into a streamer via DLNA.

Great choice by the way