Seeking Validation: Liberating from Sonos with a Future-Proof Wiim Expansion Architecture

[dtc]

So I rediscovered Media Monkey 5 as I had already installed it years ago for cleaning up Tags on classical music sets.

I use JRiver Media Center as a DLNA server. The chief developer also does Media Monkey on the side. It is a great way to serve your PC files to the Wiim devices. You can also play from Media Center to your Wiim device through DLNA if you like a PC interface for playing your local files.

 

[Zphvrq]

I will take a look at JRIVER Media Center.. you believe the developer of that is also the developer of Media Monkey? That's a cool insight?
Thanks for your comments.
Jeff

 

[KNVPStudios]

I like two things about Sonos. I like the streaming apps and the fact that I don’t need a computer server. Sort of. Sonos requires a server or NAS for the local library. They forgot to put a USB port on the Port. A Shame, because the $80 Roku has a USB slot and good media player.

I have a SiriusXM subscription for the car, and it works for home streaming at no extra cost. I have Sonos playlists that combine stuff from Spotify, local library, and Sirius. No Roon subscription required. I organized my library with Media Monkey and fixed the metadata. It’s good enough for me. Despite the app fiasco, I have found ways to continue using my playlists.

So here’s the missing pieces: a digital input from the TV, a decent phono preamp, a remote volume control that doesn’t require fumbling with a phone. Automatic input switching would be nice.

WiiM fills most of the gaps with the Ultra.

Hi. How do you create a Sonos playlist using SiriusXM as a source? Can you give me an example please? Thanks!

 

[KNVPStudios]

With LMS you would bypass the Sonos app and play to the Sonos players as UPnP devices.

Is this how Roon integrates magically with Sonos devices? Via UPnP?

 

[holsen]

I'm a little late to this party, having finally reached "fed-up-ness" with Sonos and their lack of effort to correct the train wreck that was their new app roll out. Allow me to take you on a little journey just for context. I've got Sonos gear all over my house in combo with a host of other non Sonos gear spread from the Garage to back yard, living room up to the 3rd floor. 8 Zones in total.
In the living room, I had a Beam Gen 2 Attached to the TV for sole purpose of picking up the audio signal and wirelessly sending it over to a Port attached to a B&O Amp a couple of feet away. (and the goal was not the wireless connection, it was simply the only way I could figure out how to get TV audio into the rest of the system with the limited inputs on the Port) Of course with this set up I could also pump TV to any other or all other zones too. Then we had the app disaster which pushed me into looking for alternative solutions. I had heard of Roon but never looked into it for a a lack of need - Well I finally took a deep dive into Roon and I can honestly say that the Sonos App Train Wreck was a blessing in disguise. Roon allows me to controll all my music, upscale it, group it into Zones and do everything I could do with Sonos without having to trash all my sonos harware investments. It completely liberated me from Sonos - well kind of. The last piece of the puzzle was that Beam to Port set up in the Living Room. I can control the port and /or the beam with ROON but I can only push music to it. Run TV Audio I still needed the Sonos App to create that one zone in the evening when I watch TV. The problem was that depending which of the two systems was controlling the hardware, the other would lose control and I'd have to manually go through both apps, free the devices, then reapply the grouping in the appropriate app. It's not such a big deal but a bit inconvenient.

Enter WiiM
I'm not even sure where I first heard about WiiM or the Ultra but I did and when I discovered it was both ROON Ready and had an HDMI eArc Input I figured it would kill two birds with one stone and it did. The one Ultra has replaced both the Port and the Beam. Ive got the Ultra sitting where the port used to be with an HDMI running off the TV into it, the WiiM is plugged into an external DAC via USB and the DAC goes into the B&O. Now I can control all the devices off one app [ROON] and when I turn on the TV the eArc signal auto switches the Ultra ove to that input. No more fiddling with conflicting apps, higher resolution sound and two pieces of wireless gear and the network traffic gone.... I'm so happy. I upgrasded the whole system without any hardware investments except the WiiM - and what I sold the Beam and Port for more than paid for it. Infact I ended up buying an i7 and 32 GB RAM and built a Roon Rock Server. I'm So Happy. AND with the first piece of WiiM in the house - if I ever desire to get off the ROON System - I can start buiding out a Wiim System. I suspect what we're going to see here with WiiM is the Hyundai, Honda, and Toyota effect. All three of those began with super cheap but rather good for the money cars and evolved into industry leaders with Premium higher tiers attached. I cant wait to see what follows Ultra.

 

[holsen]

Just an update to the post above. I've been blown away by the sound in my Living Room with both HDMI and Roon through Ultra > External Dac > B&O App. But there is a but; I thought that with Roon I could integrate the WiiM with the Sonos Gear into Zones. Nope Sonos operated either on SonosNet or AirPlay and the Ultra is neither - so It's now a standalone zone.... Major Bummer. But it just occured to me, I could use the Port's Coax out to the Ultra's Optical In and take the port as a source. Anyone know of a good Coax to Optical Converter?

 

[Griff]

Depends on the definition of 'good' I suppose. HiFi branded 'Good' coaxial to optical converters can cost a bit Mutec and ifi come to mind. If you just want just does the job and 'good enough' there are loads on Amazon. Maybe go cheap and cheerful to start and see if the experience works for you.

 

[rubato]

For another possibility, you could find a used Connect and use the TosLink output on that. Connects manufactured after 2015 can run the latest software, but at this point I prefer the S1 system anyway and it can access the full range of Sonos music services, including YouTube Music.

As another member of the Sonos diaspora, I'm thinking of keeping one of my Connects around so I can still access Classical Archives.

 

[holsen]

I just remembered that I had an Inday 4 Port Coax / Toslink Switch in my "I don't use anymore box".
Port Coax Out to Inday DA4X-R/RS to Ultra Toslink In - works and sounds great. It's all tucked away out of sight and I can keep my zones, control them all off Roon and when the TV kicks in, auto switching does what it needs to do.