# Music in my house



## Proto (12 Aug 2020)

Moved home a couple of months back, slowly adjusting things to suit how we live, and bigger projects (wall out, new kitchen carport, etc., etc.) lined up, but one thing to sort is music in the house.

I've a load of CD's, and a even some vinyl, but never play any of them, in fact no longer have a CD player or turntable, everything is streamed from our Spotify Premium account. We want music in the sitting room, kitchen and study. We have just about everything Apple make - iPhones, iPads, MacBook, and I'm typing this on an iMac - so whatever we buy needs to work with Apple stuff.

Previously we have streamed everything via an old Samsung laptop and Spotify to an old Harmon Kardon SoundStick* system. Worked well enough but needed wire connection and thought in the WiFi/BT age we might find something better.

We are also about to invest in a new TV, nothing too big, probably a 43" LG and a sound bar, probably this one:
https://www.johnlewis.com/brand/vie...6/freesat-hd/_/N-474pZ1z13wsdZ1z0oizsZ1z13ukm

So, thoughts please, what should I buy? Sonos is an obvious choice, but sort of resent their market dominance, is there anything else? Not looking for the cheapest but we are not HiFi fundis either, so not looking to spend a fortune.

*Loved the Soundstick, sounds great and the latest version is BT, so that might be an option for the sitting room. Could I drive the TV audio through it as well?
https://www.harmankardon.co.uk/wire...r-EMEA-Current&cgid=wireless-speakers#start=1


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## accountantpete (12 Aug 2020)

For the kitchen I just use a Bluetooth speaker paired with my smartphone.

The lounge has a more complicated bit of kit but is very versatile and has great sound quality:

Rpi 3 or 4 wireless to Router
Moode Audio (or Volumio etc etc) software installed onto the Rpi (it caters for Spotify premium)
HifiBerry Digi+ HAT (this fits on top of the Rpi and extracts the I2S signal
DAC (fed from HifiBerry)
Amp
Speakers

I store all my CD music (FLAC) on USB drives for the Rpi so ultimately I can play USB drives or access Internet Radio and (if I had an account) Spotify.

Moode is accessed via http so you just need an old smartphone/tablet to use as a remote (I use an ipad)


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## Proto (12 Aug 2020)

You lost me at Rpi (Raspberry pi?), tbh. sounds way beyond my capabilities, I'm afraid.


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## bikingdad90 (12 Aug 2020)

Have you got sky? You can air play to a Sky Q box and route it through the tv via gold old speakers, bass and amp.


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## bikingdad90 (12 Aug 2020)

Or better still an Apple TV?


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## accountantpete (12 Aug 2020)

Proto said:


> You lost me at Rpi (Raspberry pi?), tbh. sounds way beyond my capabilities, I'm afraid.


Yes - Raspberry Pi. The system is not something you can set up without a bit of research but you do get a great sound quality.


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## Proto (12 Aug 2020)

No, not got Sky. Not getting it either. Got Netflix and Amazon Video.

Trying to avoid HiFi separates, tbh. Really want it simple as possible.

I’m thinking short term that I could Use a BT receiver plugged into my SoundStick system and run it straight off my phone or iPad.


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## marzjennings (12 Aug 2020)

I use Denon HEOS for streaming music across the house. Sound bar under the TV, medium speaker in the front from, small speakers outsides and in the kitchen. All wifi, and I can stream music from either from spotify, amazon, pandora or music server. Even to setting up different music in each room if I wanted to. So far no problems after about 18 months of use. It all runs from my iphone and I can add more speakers easily. There's even a small HEOS amp if you want to stream to speakers you already own.


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## MntnMan62 (13 Aug 2020)

I really dislike the idea of being a slave to some music streaming service so that I have to pay in perpetuity to have music. I much prefer to have my own collection. After all, as an old fart I own lots of vinyl albums, CDs, and I use an iPod Video v5.5 which is now a dinosaur itself. I have played the drums since I was 12 and my son plays the bass. And my wife can't seem to do anything without having some sort of music going. And since my residence is long term but not permanent I don't see the point in investing in substantial sums of money installing built in whole house sound systems so I can pump music throughout the house. When I want to listen to music, I want to really listen to music. As a result, my son has a 2 channel stero system that I put together for myself years ago. But it's pretty sweet. It's a Harman Kardon stero receiver with a pair of Silverline Audio Minuets and a Polk subwoofer. Then in our living room we have a Marantz 5.1 AVR receiver with a mix of speakers. A pair of Paradigm Titan bookshelf speakers paired with a Cambridge Soundworks center speaker, a pair of Dayton Audio rear satellite speakers and a Cambridge Soundworks 15" Bass Cube. Originally the entire system was Cambridge Soundworks but the pair of front speakers and the rear satellites blew out (my sister in law is to blame). I had the Paradigms in a closet because I had blown the tweeters out. I took them to a Paradigm dealer and they replaced the tweeters for me. Those things sound awesome. That system is paired with a Samsung 52" LCD TV. Then in the basement I have another Harman Kardon 5.1 AVR receiver hooked up to an entirely Klipsch speaker system. I think the subwoofer is 12" and the front speakers are towers. I have a Rega Planar 1 turntable hooked up to it and we have a Samsung 65" LCD TV down there. That tends to function as the real "sound den". The vinyl is down there and I'll use my iPod down there as well. My drums are down there as well so it's pretty much devoted to music and the not so infrequent movie watching. We aren't much for gaming but we have that capability down there as well. In addition my wife has a Bose bluetooth portable speaker that she likes to move around the house with her. My son has a smaller one as well. I never felt the need. As I see it, I plan to continue to buy more vinyl and will download some music or buy the CDs so they can get loaded onto my iPod which spends most of it's time in my car. 

Just get yourself one nice sound system that can do everything including be a surround system for a large screen TV. If you can afford another one for the bedroom or library/mancave, more power to ya.


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## Venod (13 Aug 2020)

We have a Yamaha Music Cast amp (Yamaha MusicCast WXA-50 Streaming Amplifier) and plus a speaker in the kitchen and one in the bedroom, they do a range of different amps and speakers, it connects directly to Spotify we have it on one of the presets, internet radio can be set on the presets, I can recommend Radio Paradise,
I have all my music on a NAS drive, and it all connects through wifi, there is a Music Cast app as well, I use the Bubble PNP app to play my music but there are a lot of alternatives.

https://www.yamahamusiclondon.com/H...hM3JM1_MsiqCMwqcVyRR-JdPDt4wHpmhoCLKEQAvD_BwE


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## RoadRider400 (13 Aug 2020)

MntnMan62 said:


> I really dislike the idea of being a slave to some music streaming service so that I have to pay in perpetuity to have music. I much prefer to have my own collection. After all, as an old fart I own lots of vinyl albums, CDs


I agree with this. Nothing comes remotely close to turning on a good quality seperates stack and sitting back in a comfortable chair. Cannot see the appeal in all this streaming nonsense when it comes to music. Unless you are tight for space a sound set up should be picked on how it sounds, not how it looks.

If you want music in three rooms just buy a reasonable pair of active speakers and connect to your phone or laptop. Spending hundreds if pounds on gimmicks will not get you a better sound.


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## vickster (13 Aug 2020)

Roger Longbottom said:


> This whole thread has my "Mind In A Bind" to quote the record by The Epsilon's.
> 
> I'll just go and stick an LP on the turntable.
> 
> Just out of interest, especially as there was a lot of discussion on here about paying £4.00 a month for Strava how much a month is this Spotify thingamajig?


£10 a month


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## Venod (13 Aug 2020)

My lad pays for Spotify family, I am just a family member on his account, the content isn't tailored to the masses, its tailored to you, I have discovered to great music using Spotify, @Roger Longbottom you will find some Northern Soul on there, but not everything.


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## Venod (13 Aug 2020)

Roger Longbottom said:


> Irene Reid belting out Too Far Gone To Turn Around



Irene Reid has quite a lot of tracks on Spotify but I didn't find that one, I did find it by Bobby Blue Bland (which I think was the original release) and a few others


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## Electric_Andy (13 Aug 2020)

My partner has Sonos and considering the price I'm really not impressed. The portable speaker is only as good as bt ones a quarter of the price. If i were you, I'd install ceiling speakers in the kitchen, and wherever else you need space. If you want a bigger sound and can afford the space then some nice floor speakers or bookshelves. You could either hook them up to one amp, or to multiple amps. 2nd hand ones can be had for £50 if you don't mind an older one with no remote or Bluetooth. Attach a Bluetooth receiver to the amp and stream away. You could do all that for under 200 quid I'd have thought.


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## JtB (13 Aug 2020)

I’ve got quite a few Sonos speakers dotted around the house, integrating my TV audio, internet music streaming and legacy HiFi. I no-longer recommend Sonos though, instead I advise people to steer clear after the way in which they announced the end of support for their 1st Gen speakers earlier this year. This kit is way too expensive to go end of life so soon.


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## MntnMan62 (14 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> £10 a month



And what are you listening to this streamed music on?


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## screenman (14 Aug 2020)

Venod said:


> Irene Reid has quite a lot of tracks on Spotify but I didn't find that one, I did find it by Bobby Blue Bland (which I think was the original release) and a few others



I just asked Alexa to play music by her, I am listening to get sing now, that is on basic Amazon.


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## vickster (14 Aug 2020)

MntnMan62 said:


> And what are you listening to this streamed music on?


Nothing, I don’t have any streaming service, I was just answering the question about how much it costs 

I listen to music on my phone if out and about (iTunes of old or Amazon for downloads of past CD purchases), YouTube on my laptop when working, occasionally a CD on my Rotel separates in the lounge, CD in the car  I’m a bit of a Luddite


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## Proto (14 Aug 2020)

Done, at least for now. Small BT receiver plugged to the Soundstick. Works well, sounds good.

Next phase will be a new TV with BT output, and I’ll run that though the TaoTronics receiver into the Sounstick, effectively a sound bar.

off to browse TVs now!


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## SafetyThird (14 Aug 2020)

Many of the new LG and Samsung TV's have Apple TV built into them and appear as an airplay device. If you buy one of those you can stream music from any apple device to the tv.

Also, if you're a completely apple ecosystem, you could just get a couple of apple homepods which sound amazing and are apple's version of a Sonos. 

If you already have a hifi, you could add a second hand airport express (the square flat version not the powerbrick version and plug that into your stereo as it then makes the stereo an airplay device. On Ebay those go for about £40-50.

I used to have a couple of thousand cd's but eventually took the time to rip them all in lossless format and put them on a NAS drive on my network and use an old iPad to control playing them through any or all of the music systems in the house. Add either a Spotify or Apple Music subscription and you've got pretty much all the music you could ever want.


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## Julia9054 (14 Aug 2020)

We have Bose speakers in every room and Spotify. The speakers are linked together so we use an old iPad to stream and control which speaker or combination of speakers it is coming through. 
That's the theory anyway. In practice, I just jab randomly at it until it works by accident


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## Rock bus (14 Aug 2020)

I’ve found the google chromecasts really good. Already have few systems dotted around house so just connected a chromecast and can stream to them all and also pick which rooms to play. Got 2 for £50 but bet can get cheaper on eBay.
cant see what more a Sonos system would offer?


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## johnblack (27 Aug 2020)

We have a mix of Alexa's and Sonos through the house plus a Chromecast audio attached to my 20 year old 5.1 home cinema, that works really well.

I think IKEA now sell a range of wireless speakers that are made by Sonos but might be a bit cheaper, not heard them though.


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## icowden (27 Aug 2020)

I use Amazon Music rather than Spotify. It's a bit cheaper at £8 per month (£7.95 I think). It has a very broad range of tracks. I quite like the way it will also offer "stations" and playlists that relate to the tracks you have been listening to. Yes it can sometimes trap you in a style bubble, but sometimes the playlists and stations will get you interested in someone you had't previously listened to.

I have a SONOS which I quite like, but I more often than not just listen on the PC speakers. The rest of the family tend to use their phones. I can also use the SONOS to listen to all the tracks stored on my PC, although most are available on Amazon.


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## NorthernSky (24 Sep 2020)

i bought a NAS for backup but have now decided to use it for music.
i have a load of CDs and vinyl. i was actively buying CDs up until a month ago when i decided to RIP the whole CD collection to the NAS (i haven't had a record player for years so they will continue to gather dust )
i use an app called PLEX on the xbox or the TV downstairs and just play through the TV with soundbar etc

i've basically been dragged kicking and screaming into the digital era. i always said i'd continue to buy the CDs but things change i guess. i do hate the idea of paying a subscription and not having my own collection of MP3s so i am still buying digital albums for download. i quite enjoy administering my own collection. 🤟


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## cyberknight (24 Sep 2020)

How do you find time to listen to music? I barely have enough time in the day to work and commute ,after that by the time I get home and do stuff with kids it's bedtime the only TV I see is the news in the morning


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## johnblack (24 Sep 2020)

cyberknight said:


> How do you find time to listen to music? I barely have enough time in the day to work and commute ,after that by the time I get home and do stuff with kids it's bedtime the only TV I see is the news in the morning


It's always on in our house, as soon as I get downstairs it gets turned on, and again as soon as I get home. On all day now with WFH. My kids have their Alexas on alarm, wake up to one of their playlists. Something on all day at weekends too, I hate a silent house!


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## Oldhippy (24 Sep 2020)

I still buy actual CD's and vinyl from a record shop. I would never stream or use internet for music.


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## johnblack (24 Sep 2020)

Oldhippy said:


> I still buy actual CD's and vinyl from a record shop. I would never stream or use internet for music.


I still buy some stuff, in fact two EP's today. But technology has allowed me access to so much stuff that I'd have otherwise never been aware of, so I could never dismiss it. For a new band to get their stuff out, it's essential.


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## Oldhippy (24 Sep 2020)

Bit of a dinosaur me. I still have most of the demo tapes I was given in the 80s and 90s when working in the industry. No tape player though.


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## NorthernSky (24 Sep 2020)

i sold off most of my cassettes, no tape player for many years. always had *rap ones that chewed tapes. by the time i could afford a decent tape player CDs were becoming the norm so never got to experience playing on a good player!


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## Oldhippy (24 Sep 2020)

I always wanted a Bang & Olsen. Had a great music centre at one point before everything got tiny. If my place had no Caddy, vinyl, books in vast quantities the flat would be nearly bare!


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## johnblack (24 Sep 2020)

I had such a great set up going back 30 years, not quite sure where it all went. Mind you my main set up now is well over 20 years old, still sounds great, plus it also allows me to cast from Spotify, so I get the best of both worlds.


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## raleighnut (24 Sep 2020)

Oldhippy said:


> I still buy actual CD's and vinyl from a record shop. I would never stream or use internet for music.


Same here


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## Drago (24 Sep 2020)

I have an amplifoer and bluetooth receiver in the loft, with spealers set intonthe ceiling in the living room, kitchen and bedroom. Alexa then plays my music through that. It will male a hifi purist shudder with horror, butnit sounds pretty good and is neat and unobtrusive.

I play CDs jn the car.


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## raleighnut (24 Sep 2020)

Oldhippy said:


> I always wanted a Bang & Olsen. Had a great music centre at one point before everything got tiny. If my place had no Caddy, vinyl, books in vast quantities the flat would be nearly bare!


Bang & Olufsen are crap, they're OK as a 'music centre' (if a bit expensive) but hardly HiFi. I remember a work colleague having one he was so proud of so I duly went round for a listen
"Look" he said "wireless speakers"
I replied "What are those then" 
"Oh you have to plug em into the mains"
"Err" "Yebbut you can move em anywhere"

Call me old fashioned but the first thing I've done is carefully position my speakers in the room for the best sound and NEVER MOVE THEM
but then I do run a couple of QUAD 303's* first sold in 1967 with a QUAD 44 pre-Amp with a Thorens Turntable and B&W speakers, there's also a Yamaha tape deck, Sony minidisc and a couple of CD players hooked up, a new Denon with USB input and an old TEAC which is a bit dodgy but has a great aggressive 'Rock' sound.

* I've owned one of the 303's since 87 along with its matching 33 Pre-Amp, they're a Stereo Amp but I run mine as 2 channel Mono with a left Amp and a right Amp driving the 'Woofer' and 'Tweeter' separately.


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## the_mikey (24 Sep 2020)

Thank god I'm not an audiophile! 

I just use a bluetooth speaker and a phone, cheap, cheerful and functional.


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## Deleted member 23692 (24 Sep 2020)

I've got around 3300 albums all MP3'd and sat on a Synology DiscStation NAS which I can play via theDSAudio app my phone to headphones, in the car (Android Auto) or to Marshall Bluetooth speakers anyhwere I want as long as I have a 4G signal. At home I can also run the NAS through a Technics amp and PSB speakers.

If I'm out the house with no 4G then I have to slum it and rely on the 300 or so select albums sitting on the SD card on the phone.. or whatever usb storage I plug into it.


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