Sonos DIY

ntlbell

Hi guys

I was looking into http://www.absolutesonos.co.uk/sonos_set_up.php but it's way over my budget right now, do you think it would be possible to do similar DIY setup with maybe mini atx boxes or something?

Homer

Not sure about the DIY approach, but one of the beautys of sonos is that you can simply start with one zone for as little as 700 euro and then expand as and when you can afford it with more zone players and controllers.
It would be a much more stable solution and don't know how you would come close to that going down the DIY road? If you do by all means share your experiences with us, but the sonos controller is a pleasure to use and their proprietary mesh network is very stable imho

ntlbell

maybe i've missed something really obvious on this

couldn't it be done with xbox 360's?

Homer

Yes in theory it could be done like that but once you factor in the cost of multiple xbox's in the locations you want to set up as a zone and the fact you would need a screen in each location to view your files, plus you would be using the sound from the monitors speakers unless you added powered speakers VS the ease of use and flexibility of the sonos system (portability of the controller and all the information in the palm of your hand) it may not work out all that much cheaper. just my 2 cents?!
Have you used sonos yet for any length of time? That may sway it for you?

ntlbell

No I haven't used it at all, just like the idea, don't like the price

but your night, I could start off small and build on it, I just like to have everything done in one go.

Homer

PM me if you like and i'll arrange a demo kit that you could try out in your house for a week or so and you'll know whether it's the right product for you or not. As you said build it up as you go along.

mossym

cheaper than 360s would be to buy a few original xboxs and load up xbox media center. does everything sonos does, plus video!!! could put 4 of them around your house for less than 200!!

mossym

industria wrote:

PM me if you like and i'll arrange a demo kit that you could try out in your house for a week or so and you'll know whether it's the right product for you or not. As you said build it up as you go along.

ah so you're recommending something you sell yourself...hardly impartial adivce then

joebre

mossym,

Could you tell me some more about using xbox and media center. I presume you mean buying some second hand xboxes ?

joebre

mossym

aye. second hand xbox, the original, not the 360, can be made to run xbmc. it's like a version of mediacenter that runs on an xbox. It will play audio, video, dvd, internet streams. I've it running on my old xbox and it is a dream. xbox has a built in network port, which you can connect to an network, or a wireless ridge if you want to go wireless...one nice thing about this is that it can stream straight from a nas...no software required on a host pc..

more info here
http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/

wexfordman

Sonos is very DIY'able, you could install it yourself no bother, so taking installation costs out of it, it may be more affordable. Also, I would suggest only 1 handheld controller would be required for up to 6 zones/rooms, based on my experience. That on top of the fact that any laptop or pc in your house can be used as a controller, means 1 handheld would be more that enough.

Forget the xbox mod/media centre idea, its nice to play around with it, but you will get nowhere near the same functionality etc at the same cost.

If you even compare the cost of putting in a "decent" stereo system into each room of your house, then sonos looks a lot more favourable I reckon.

Wexfordman

mossym

wexfordman wrote:

Forget the xbox mod/media centre idea, its nice to play around with it, but you will get nowhere near the same functionality etc at the same cost.

not sure i'd agree there, there are two downsides to the xbox idea..
1)you need a display, well you don't if you use the correct chip that will support an lcd on the front, but that is a bit of work.
2) no controlling one room from another..

but the plus side is
1)support for more formats than sonos will ever support
2)video support, streaming and local, and again will support majority of formats
3)built in dvd player
4)no software needed on host machine...

correct me if i am wrong, but sonos requires software on the host machine..right? this means leaving a pc on whole time..or you use a nas, but the nas still needs to run the software, and only a handful of NAS will run it.


I'm not syaing the xbox idea is better than the Sonos one, or worse. I'm half tempted by sonos myself. The xbox idea offers more in some areas, less in others, it's just an alternative. I've only one xbox running it myself, but know a house where there are 3 around the house, and it works perfectly.

Homer

With regards to the NAS it doesn't need to run any aditional software so any NAS should work fine. I have used a few fifferent brands and had no problems at all.
It is the only way in my opinion to run the sonos system as with many people now using laptops instead of desktops, if you don't use a NAS and take away the laptop the whole system shuts down!
With prices dropping all the time on networked drives (250Gb for approx 160 euro) it adds very little to the cost of the system but means it runs smoothly without having the PC switched on all the time.
With regard to xbox vs sonos as a DIY install the xbox of course has more functionality but I still don't think it's a DIY install for the majority of people that I know?
Just my feelings on it!

wexfordman

I have an old xbox myself, so how do I go about putting xbox mc on it ? Does it change the operation of the xbox with regards dvd and games etc ? My daughter uses it, so will be upset with me if I make a balls of it. Dont want to use it for music etc, as I have a sonos already, but the idea of video streaming etc is nice.
Wexfordman

mossym

is it modded? if not first step is to get it modded. MOst mods have abypass which means you can turn on and off the mod chip, so it will act the same when it is off as an unmodded box, so games and dvds will still work, in fact they will work inscide xbox media center as well. after that there are detailed instructions of how to load the software all over the we b, and if i remember correctly on the site above as well. It's a case of ftping into the box and copying the software over. Follow the instructions and it is a breeze. When it is up and running you tell it where your media is stored and voila..

probably a bit more work than a sonos alright, but for a video as well alternative i recon it's worth it. Modded xboxes are available all over the place these days for dirt cheap...adverts would be a good place if you want to buy a premodded one.

oh and apologies about the misinformtaion about the nas needing software, i was mixing sonos up with the soundbridge, which does require software on the nas