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Sonos vs Musicast

new2music

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Hey all,


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Posted Saturday at 11:01 AM
Hey all,

We bought a home a few months ago that has a whole house audio system. It has 11 zones with 22 speakers. The current set up only partially works (one of the amplifiers died) but it was a B&K system with wall controls. I was told that since B&K went out of business the wall controls and system are proprietary so it's best just to replace the components.

I got a quote from a locally company and the guy is suggesting two Yamaha QS5400 (quad streamers) and a new receiver for Yamaha RXA6A. He said would total about $8,200 (plus installation).

Best Buy is suggesting Sonos. It would be 2 Sonance amplifiers.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sonanc...-amplifier-each-black/5683420.p?skuId=5683420

And the 11 Sonos ports

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sonos-port-streaming-media-player-matte-black/6371154.p?skuId=6371154


The total on these would be about $7,000 (installed).

They both said I could reduce a quadstreamer or ports if I were okay with fewer zones. So the quad steamer will do 4 zones and each port would do 1. So technically if I wanted to do 6 zones (which I'm leaning towards, the total would be closer to $5,200 (plus installation for the local guy) or about $5,000 for Best buy.

I'm certainly out of my "circle of competence" on this so I'm looking a decent system but it doesn't have to be very high end at all.

Which offers best quality? Why would one system be superior to another? Any ideas or suggestions are much appreciated.
 

amper42

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Hey all,


Posted Saturday at 11:01 AM
Hey all,

We bought a home a few months ago that has a whole house audio system. It has 11 zones with 22 speakers. The current set up only partially works (one of the amplifiers died) but it was a B&K system with wall controls. I was told that since B&K went out of business the wall controls and system are proprietary so it's best just to replace the components.

I got a quote from a locally company and the guy is suggesting two Yamaha QS5400 (quad streamers) and a new receiver for Yamaha RXA6A. He said would total about $8,200 (plus installation).

Best Buy is suggesting Sonos. It would be 2 Sonance amplifiers.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sonanc...-amplifier-each-black/5683420.p?skuId=5683420

And the 11 Sonos ports

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sonos-port-streaming-media-player-matte-black/6371154.p?skuId=6371154


The total on these would be about $7,000 (installed).

They both said I could reduce a quadstreamer or ports if I were okay with fewer zones. So the quad steamer will do 4 zones and each port would do 1. So technically if I wanted to do 6 zones (which I'm leaning towards, the total would be closer to $5,200 (plus installation for the local guy) or about $5,000 for Best buy.

I'm certainly out of my "circle of competence" on this so I'm looking a decent system but it doesn't have to be very high end at all.

Which offers best quality? Why would one system be superior to another? Any ideas or suggestions are much appreciated.

It looks like you're paying full retail with this quote. I prefer Yamaha to Sonos. If I was doing this project with Yamaha gear I would contact AcuDefTechGuy on the Audioholics.com forum for a quote. He usually offers a nice price. Then, if I couldn't do the install myself I would hire someone for what I needed help with. If the wiring is already in place the install might not be that complicated. Doing it myself as much as possible and getting a good deal on hardware could save thousands. If price didn't matter then I would go with the Yamaha quote you already have.
 
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new2music

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It looks like you're paying full retail with this quote. I prefer Yamaha to Sonos. If I was doing this project with Yamaha gear I would contact AcuDefTechGuy on the Audioholics.com forum for a quote. He usually offers a nice price. Then, if I couldn't do the install myself I would hire someone for what I needed help with. If the wiring is already in place the install might not be that complicated. Doing it myself as much as possible and getting a good deal on hardware could save thousands. If price didn't matter then I would go with the Yamaha quote you already have.

I'll check him out. Thanks for the tip!

What do you like more about Yamaha vs Sonos? I asked the local guy about why he's suggesting yamaha over sonos. He basically told me that Sonos is a good product but that Yamaha supports local dealers more. He also said that Sonos will try to bypass the local dealers and have people buy stuff directly from them.
 

Kegemusha

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Jul 16, 2020
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I have used mucic cast and I have Sonos at home. I do like both, but you dont need 11 sonos ports, these are too expensive IMHO.
You can find sonos connect as 2nd hand very cheap and will stream up to CD quality, that is the one I have and no issues.
I like more the sonos app than the music cast, but both will do the jobb.
you can buy sonos products directly from then.
 
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new2music

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So can I do a sonos port, connect or yamaha product to the working b&k amp?
 
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