Adding a tuner to your sonos system

Sonos meets a need for those wanting a multi-room music streaming system. It also enables linking to “traditional” hifi systems. If you only want a traditional system, rather than a streaming system, you’re quite at liberty not to buy Sonos kit. But to easily add multi-room capability to a traditional system, it can be done, as you acknowledge. 

Any Sonos , not used as a surround, that has a line-in can be used to add a tuner of your choice, simply plug it in and select it as your music source.

Sonos does resell some turntables but not any other external devices. If you think they should resell a tuner you might contact support and suggest one.

In my teens I was an AM/FM/Shortwave junky. With a movable FM antenna I had access to three major and several minor metropolitan areas. In my current location AM/FM has become uninteresting and shortwave content has become much easier to deal with by way of the Internet. (Regretfully, some esoteric content is still available only through shortwave and my, now ancient, receiver has been recycled.)

I don’t think that there would be enough potential sales for SONOS to justify the cost of developing a Tuner. For a capable DIY person it could be a one or two evening project to develop a phone/pad remote for a tuner that could play into a SONOS Line-In. Maybe you could convince a 3rd party SONOS controller developer to add remote control for a 3rd party Tuner or Receiver.

For a repertoire of a few regular stations, SONOS Favorites is convenient.

I apologize guys, the tuner I have is a Sangean HD 20.

Why is your system not able to change stations quickly? On my system it would be more cumbersome to have to reach for a separate remote instead of reaching for my phone or ask Google to change the stations.

I do think you are in a minority with your question - a minority Sonos already caters for with the Amp, Port or Era with adapter as you found out.

I have a tuner remote with 10 presets for the stations Iike. When I work out a station may have a song or two and then cut to a commercial or news break, that's when I switch to a different station at the push of a button. I also will use the tuner knob at times. Look people don't necessarily like to be forced into a certain behavior. We see that as people want vinyl records again. They have also been back on the CD kick and now I've heard there are groups looking for the old cassettes again.

There's nothing wrong with streaming music, but if I could have only one item, it would be the old fashion stereo system with a CD player and a phonograph! That's just me, I grew up in the 70's and I like that music along with those older technologies.

There is a new generation (and many old timers) who don’t want to mess with clumsy remotes or knobs and just want to talk to their electronics. Each generation feels that the others just don’t “get it” because the most convenient approach is so obvious to them.

So you long for days of a CD player and phonograph. The CD player I get. However, if you were using a phonograph (see picture below) did you have disc’s of this type as well? 😂

Phonograph Record

• Shellac Disc (1897 - late 1950s)
• Aluminum Disc (Late 1920s - 1940s)
• Lacquer Disc (Late 1920s - 1970s)

Oh...BTW...in my day we didn’t have CD palyers. Instead we had Reel to Reel tape decks and portable Vinyl record players with 45 rpm record adaptors (see pictures below):  😊

Cassettes are really horrid for music reproduction. First is their noise level, even with Dolby, then wow and flutter, frequency response, degradation from multiple plays.

Vinyl is marginally better, if on a properly set up turntable but wear is still a consideration. Used vinyl is all too often worn to the point it is almost unlistenable.

Still if nostalgic desire overrides your desire for high quality sound both can be fun hobbies.

My preferred source is ripped to a NAS CD,  second is CD quality streaming. I just want to pick something and listen to decent quality sound. My audio as a hobby days are behind me.

I have some 33rpm record albums from my father's collection ie: Glenn Miller and some big bands that I love! Also something to think about...today your purchases can be tracked, your TV viewing, your cell phone where abouts and now what music you listen to via: you guessed it, Streaming. I like to think I can enjoy my freedom without the Beast System knowing everything!