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Hello,
I have a beosound 9000 and a pair of beolab 6000 speakers. I'm looking for the best solution to stream music from the Internet (from an Ipad or an android phone) to the beolab 6000 while keeping the option to play cds from the beosoud 9000.
So far I came across 2 options : sonos and the playmaker. What would be the best solution that would allow me to stream digital music wirelessly to my beolab 6000 but also allow me to listen to cds from the beo 9000?
Thanks for your help!
Ido
I can't speak for either the sonor or playmaker, but I have the BS9000 and BL8s and I have connected an Airport Express to the AUX on the BS9000 which enables me to play cds as well as airplay music from my ipad/iphone (thru A.TAPE). Works really well, but from my understanding the Playmaker has a better DAC than Airport Express, so I might upgrade it soon
I would choose the playmaker or an apple express.
We own a SONOS system in our home, and don't get me wrong, it is a great system when it comes to a multiroom solution, but you are very limited by the SONOS app!
With the airport express you can stream ALL content from your ipad including sound from videos on youtube to your speakers.
I'm not sure if you have the same functionality with the playmaker, but I would think so, because of its airplay function :)
We own several SONOS systems - and if works great!
Very nice app (ipad OR iphone). Perfect with napster or others.
We don't buy music anymore, we just stream (8 €/month flatrate).Several 100s of CDs digitized a while ago, but not using them so often...
So, it depends on how you want to listen to music, too.
Best regardsRalf
Living Room: Beosystem 4, Beolab 7-2 (Center), Beolab 9 (Fronts), Beolab 8000 (Rears), no Subwoofer. Screen: Sony KD-85XH9096Dining Room: Beosound Essence MK II with Beolab 4000 on stands, fed by Amazon Echo Show 8Home Cinema: Beosystem 4, Beolab 7-4 (Center), Beolab 1 (Fronts), Beolab 4000 (Rears). Projector: Sony VPL-HW55Home Office: Beosystem 3, Beolab 7-4, Beolab 5000, Screen: Sony KD-55XH9005 on Beovision 7-40 stand, ML to Beosound 9000 MK3 and Beosound 5/Beomaster 5 (1 TB SSD version)Bedroom: Sony KD-65XH9077, Beosound Essence MK II with Beolab 6002 and Beolab 11 (all white, wall-mounted)
In storage: Beolab 5000/Beomaster 5000 (1960s).
kallasr: We don't buy music anymore, we just stream (8 €/month flatrate).
We don't buy music anymore, we just stream (8 €/month flatrate).
Yep, that's going to be the future. We won't actually own our digital content, we'll rent it. This could be software (Office 2013 etc), our music (Spotify etc) or our movies (Netflix, Apple TV etc).
We're half way there with iTunes Match, which takes your content and enables you to stream it back from Apple's servers. This means you do not need to store your tracks on your iPhone or iPad, as long as you have access to a wifi/4G network.
As for Playmaker v Sonos. I'd go for the Playmaker if I didn't already have a system in place. Sadly I have a collection of Airport Express devices and they are used to extend my existing wireless network, which is essential in this old building with solid walls. So, for me, the ability to extend my network outweighs the (for me, relatively small) improvement to my audio experience moving to a Playmaker.
I have the sonos wired into my 9000 and find it great with the sonos remote to listen to foreign radio stations.
MARKFS: We own a SONOS system in our home, and don't get me wrong, it is a great system when it comes to a multiroom solution, but you are very limited by the SONOS app!
Very limited? Really? I guess it’s just the way you want to see it. The music on my iPad is just a very small part of my whole music-library which I can access easily with my Sonos system.
MARKFS: With the airport express you can stream ALL content from your ipad including sound from videos on youtube to your speakers.
Ok, fair enough, but for me these are features, I am not interested at all.
For Sonos vs. Playmaker, both will do the job. But I find Airplay limited because you can't run iTunes on a NAS. There has to be a PC/MAC running. With Sonos you don't have that problem. And the Sonos app including Spotify, is so rich and mature it’s hard to beat.
No, don't get me wrong, I/we love the SONOS interface and App!:)
It is easy to set up and use.
But yes, I think that there is some limitations when you can only use the app that they provide.
That is the cool thing about airplay, that you can stream all your content from the program and from the interface that you like, and not only the sonos program.
But in the end, yes, it all comes down to what you need :)
Hi Ido,
The Playmaker is an excellent streaming receiver but does not have a line output so cannot be plugged into your BeoSound 9000. You could use the Aux out on the 9000 into the line input on the Playmaker though and then hook your 6000s to the Playmaker as well which gives you the functionality you seek.
As has been mentioned though, streaming with AirPlay from your iTunes library requires your computer to be on whereas using Sonos for streaming gives you the flexibility of using a NAS drive for your library.
regards
Roo
Certainly the Playmaker has a Line-output - you can use the PL to connect to the Line-in of a BS9000.
Works very well indeed - I am listening to FLAC-files i.e Music from my NAS right now (in a linkroom).
See: http://archivedforum2.beoworld.org/forums/p/3125/28406.aspx#28406
10.20.2012 4:25 AM - Elephant posted a Googletranslated version of my experiences with the Playmaker in a DK-forum.
Greetings Millemissen
There is a tv - and there is a BV
This thing sounds way better than the playmaker:
http://almando.com/index.php/multiplay/almando-multiplay-stereo.html
Regards
Tom
That is a PL-switch with a built-in DAC (with an optical/digital Line-in)
How can you say that it sounds "way better" than the Playmaker.
Have you made a one-to-one comparison?
Double post - sorry.
Yes,
i did exactly that!
I bought the playmaker and was really disappointed by its soundquality. Afterwards i looked for alternatives, that can handle powerlinks and found the almando. And for me it sounds WAY better with my BL9s. They use a pretty good DAC.
And the Playmaker has such a poor built quality, that i did not want to display it to the public!
Best regards
I am very pleased with the functionallty of my Playmaker - and with the soundquality.
When it is attached to an audiomaster you can hide it away - if you don't like the looks of it. All controls are made via Beo4/audiomaster and the AirPly/DLNA-apps.
And I do not need a PL-switch in my setup.
If I would only want the APE/AirPlay, I would buy a good external DAC (for less money than the Almando costs).
I did it that way before the Playmaker was released.
If you are happy with the Almando, it is the right setup for you
Rookie,
Do you think it would be possible for this Almando device to hang off a masterlink network as a normal masterlink device, or is that what the Beolink Active/Passive units are for?
All I want to do is get an Ipod be a stand-alone music source ( like a CD player etc ) on a B&O masterlink network. I want to have an ipod in one room, but run masterlinked active speakers off the music from the ipod in other rooms. What I dont want to do is have 3 devices and 10 button presses between the ipod and the masterlink network.
Beosound 8 exists, but its not masterlink capable.
I could buy a BeoSound 3200 and use aux....
I'm wondering if instead of having to jump through hoops, could cant B&O just release a dedicated ipod box that plugs into a Masterlink network and call it BeoPod ( or something similar )? or maybe release a masterlink module for the BeoSound 8?
I hope B&O are listening.
Thoughts welcome.
DoubleU:For Sonos vs. Playmaker, both will do the job. But I find Airplay limited because you can't run iTunes on a NAS. There has to be a PC/MAC running. With Sonos you don't have that problem
An important point DoubleU, This was why I got a sonos (despite having an extra remote). The house I use the sonos in only has a mac if the wife has her lap top with her. Flying Ryanair limits choice but no other carriers go where I want. Having a mac pro in Dublin would not encourage me to buy an imac just to facilitate Playmaker.
How can an answer that states that: "The Playmaker does not have a line output so cannot be plugged into your BeoSound 900." be a verified answer, when it is not true.
It is even recommended from B&O to connect the Playmaker to an audiomaster (as an example the BS9000). The cable that is used for the connection is sold by any B&O-shop.
I could show some pictures - but it seems to be most complicated to upload photos on the Beoworld-forum.
Have a look here instead - 3. Oct 18.32 - http://www.hifi4all.dk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46053&PN=1&TPN=235
This is the perfect answer to the original question asked by ido.
If someone prefers a Sonos to the Playmaker is another question - and can very well be discussed. But in my opinion the Playmaker gives the most options in a B&O-setup.
Hi Rookie,
No way, the Almando is a PL-switch (with the option of connecting a optical/digital device) - and a "iPad/ML-device" will never be made by B&O.
You could buy any old ML-compatible audiomaster - or even a BM3500/4500/6500/7000 and a MCL/ML-converter - plug your iPod-dock into the A-Tape/A-Aux, and run your ML-linkrooms from there. The Audiomaster could even be hidden away, if you want to.
But do you really want a dock? Nowadays you use a wireless connection (AirPlay) to connect to a "box".
This box is called Playmaker And can be connected to ML (see my other post)
Hi Roo,
Thanks for your reply. Do you know if there will be degradation in sound quality when the speakers are connected to the playmaker and the music flows from the 9000 thru the playmaker compared to my current setup (9000 connected to 6000 directly)?
Thanks for this info!
Hi Millemissen
Your comments have given me a few ideas, thanks.
I could use a wireless device, but I will probably wrap it almost completely in aluminium foil to limit the transmit field spread as I am not keen on constant RF radiation in my home. I think Sonos uses 2.4 Ghz which is roughly the same as a microwave oven 2.45 Ghz ....hmm...
I could place an ipod close to it to use the heavily shielded RF link .
Cheers