Sonos V Bluesound?

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Why should I get Sonos over Bluesound? Never heard of them before now whilst searching the web.

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K

Kumar

- Bluesound Node 2: For me a clear win over the Sonos Connect as I believe the latter is no longer bit perfect.

If you were to not know this about the Connect, what then?! Aren't your ears when in an objective state of not knowing this little fact the best judge of things?

Y

Yiannis74

I have actually been unhappy with the Sonos Connect SQ for a number of years without knowing why.

I had an older version which sounded better to my ears. I had no idea why. This is of course subjective, bias prone and totally non-scientific. I just had a bugging feeling for the past few years. When I configured a mini pc with a Roon bridge and a USB to SPDIF interface I compared it against the Sonos Connect and felt that I preferred the former. Again, subjective and biased test.

I embrace psychoacoustics but I respect the alternative 🙂

Y

YoBucko

Lyricist I

As an owner of both Sonos (Connect, Connect AMP) & Bluesound (Node 2, Powernode 2, Flex, Pulse Mini) I can offer my opinion:

Sound Quality:
Bluesound >> Sonos... and this is not about HiRes (noting the participants in this thread and not wanting to engage that done-over debate). The amp in the Powernode is better, the DACs in the Node are better... with the Connect I was preferring Coax out to Peachtree Nova's ESS Sabre DAC. With the Node 2, the DAC is an upgrade on the Peachtree. I hate to say it, but you do get what you pay for in the hardware department.

Speakers: Can't comment on Sonos as I never had one. Many people love the Pulse Mini but I wouldn't say it is the be all and end all... it's good, it has heft. I find it boomy. I am generally not a fan of stand alone powered speakers. The Flex is a great product. The presets are great for stepping into the shower and putting on NPR with a press of a button rather than going back to my phone.

Voice Activation: Obviously a hands down win for Sonos. What a convenience it would be to have that in my house... if you don't believe in HiRes then this would actually cast the deciding vote for me... if you do and you insist on HiRes in more than one zone Bluesound may still be your bet. You can rig up Alexa control of Bluesound using Harmony Hub... but it is very limited.

Apps: Sonos is a much better app. The setup is also WAY more straightforward. Bluesound is a pain.

Roon: Integrates far better on Bluesound... in sync with my main PC hooked up to a speaker set... gives ultimate flexibility in Bluesound, but not Sonos (since Sonos only plays with Sonos even in Roon). With Bluesound you could repurpose old iPhones or Android phones to be "endpoints" with connected speakers to add additional zones... and control it all in sync from Roon. Given I use Roon most of the time, and it integrates better with Bluesound hardware, this overrides the inferior BluOS app... since I don't use either app.

Network: Sonos was more reliable for me... but then I wasn't slinging HiRes/MQA files around.

Future Proofing: Bluesound has been adding services all the time... but Sonos obviously has more heft with more users, so it is a better bet if you are worried about where the streaming industry goes, or what next device/service you'll want to integrate with (case in point: Alexa).

Overall, it depends which category you fall in:

1) If your "streamer" will be in your critical listening system, you love Roon, and you value hardware that will yield great sound quality... go Bluesound
2) If you want proven performance, ease of use, and greatest flexibility in terms of the latest/greatest services and most important is consistent performance across the home... go with Sonos.

I would note that the addition of IOS and Android device as endpoints in Roon puts both Sonos and Bluesound at some risk of obsolescence if Roon can get its act together with additional streaming services.

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Yiannis74

Broadly similar experience to YoBucko overall with one or two exceptions:

Interestingly I actually find that Roon works better with Sonos especially for reliable multiroom playback which stays in perfect sync. I agree however that the Bluesound Node 2 sounds better than the Connect (I have both).

I find that Roon + Bluesound integration is problematic when attempting to use a few Bluesound units in multiroom playback (they go out of sync). This is well documented in both the Bluesound forum as well as the Roon Community forum. Apparently (hypothesis) this is due to Bluesound not keeping up to date with Roon updates. As you also mention there is no problem when streaming to a single unit.

I know that the latest Sonos app is not that popular with users but if you want to feel better you should check out the Bluesound App... oh dear what a mess.

I am finding that some Sonos speakers sound great to me but others I find harsh and forward to the point of discomfort. The latest Sonos One and the Gen 1 Play 5 are my favourites with a sound that to my ears is quite well balanced. The Play 1 and Playbase are both quite sharp sounding and I need to reduce the treble on both significantly. Trueplay does not work on either the Play 1 / One as it always results into bass popping (well documented in the forum). The Play 5 Gen 2 is actually the worst and sounds to me both boomy and very grating despite reducing the treble all the way down to 0 (after true play tuning to contain the boomy bass ). Bluesound speakers are less dynamic than the respective sonos but a lot smoother sounding. However they also suffer from boomy bass which can be partially addressed with EQ.

Despite the above issues, I am happy using the connect, One and gen 1 Play5 which all work reliably with Sonos and Roon.
I keep my Bluesound Node 2 for critical listening as YoBucko mentions.

C

Chopstix

Lyricist III

let me give some background...i'm often at my (home) desk/table...so bought the focal alpha 50 with my chord mojo, Roon and Tidal ...loved this combo..but sold them due to size...then decided on sonos play 1 (single) and was very impressed for what it offers given it's size...but like many I wanted more so upgraded to the sonos play 3...fab little speaker...
but again wanted more so decided to go with the bluesound pulse mini (i'm also using roon and tidal, with a sonictransporter and microrendu)....

but when i finally plugged in the bluesound pulse mini, man was i SO disappointed in the SQ...i was expecting the opposite, in it's higher price tag and footprint...but the sonos play 3 stomped on it (i've not got a trouble ticket in with bluesound to just play it safe, but i've read of others having this issue, too)...so yesterday and this morning plugged back in the sonos play 3...then decided after a few hrs to try once more the bluesound....uck!...inferior sq...so i have no clue if i have a dud or this is just the sq of the bluesound pulse mini.

i find the sonos play 3 has more detail, balance and yet good bottom end (of course it's not to compete with a 5-6.5'' driver i realize that)...but for being at my desk, drinking my morning java and having some enjoyable music playing it's a winner in my books...such that i'm considering adding another one for l/r...

but question: will sonos support 5 ghz as many wifi systems are all moving that way.

K

Kumar

1) If your "streamer" will be in your critical listening system, you love Roon, and you value hardware that will yield great sound quality... go Bluesound
2) If you want proven performance, ease of use, and greatest flexibility in terms of the latest/greatest services and most important is consistent performance across the home... go with Sonos.

The logical reading of both above would suggest that the benefit from 2 is missing in 1. In my book, based on that, Sonos wins because I want my music play to be reliable and I want the equipment to stay out of the way of the music listening experience as far as possible. I don't value audio hardware for anything more than the experience it provides.

As to sound quality, I have compared all Sonos speakers except the 3 with my earlier in use high end audio kit, and found Sonos to be a very adequate replacement. I can't say more than that because preference for how speakers sound can still be a very personal preference and therefore subjective. But I have also found that as long as the speaker is not outright bad/coloured/fatiguing in sound delivered by it, but just different, in less than a couple of weeks of listening to it the brain moves beyond the subjective difference and focuses on the music. But in no amount of time will it get used to music stuttering and stopping to the point that this stops being a distraction.

K

Kumar

The other thing is that if Bluesound offers - as I think it does - a way to use third party speakers and/or amps in the way Sonos does, any sound differences that exist between Bluesound speaker units and Sonos play units disappear . Leaving Sonos with only the advantages of more stable play and ease of use.

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Yiannis74

A very recent good review / comparison between the two systems:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/bluesound-raises-the-bar-for-wi-fi-hi-fi-but-can-it-beat-sonos/

I use both systems at home: a sonos (Connect, One, 5 Gen2) and a bluesound system (Node 2, Flex) and I agree with most of the points in the review above. Especially the WiFi stability / reliability which is far superior with Sonos.

Most reviews fail to test this aspect of a system. The WiFi stability and reliability is paramount for happy user experience.

SQ is good with both and as the review highlights.... subjective. The 'flavour' of sound is different between the two systems. Sonos speakers sound more dynamic and fun. I prefer them overall.

Where Bluesound is (for now) superior in my opinion: The Node 2 vs Sonos connect..The bluesound streamer sounds better than the sonos connect to my ears. What is more, the bluesound is is more versatile. You can connect the optical digital from your tv and it will essentially become an av receiver. Also, the tone controls work even when the analogue output is set to fixed. This is very useful. The sonos connect disables tone controls when output is set to fixed.

If the rumours are true though, a new sonos connect may be in the cards so lets see 🙂. As things stand I use the sonos system more than the bluesound when I need the multiroom fun. Serious listening is for the Node 2 (for now).

Well done Sonos.

Cheers