Switching from Squeezebox to Sonos

  • 30 December 2021
  • 50 replies
  • 1090 views
H
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Hi

I’m considering switching away from a Squeezebox infrastructure to Sonos.  I’ve found some answers contained within this site and FAQ style help pages.

But one question remains…

Can I turn off an alarm from the speaker itself?

 

I don’t mind setting up alarms from the app but we don’t keep phones in the bedrooms and therefore would like the ability to switch off and/or snooze and alarm from physical buttons on a speaker.

In addition, is it then possible to switch to random play of my Windows music library?

Lastly, I don’t use voice services in the house, so that’s not a solution for me I’m afraid.

 

50 replies

jgatie

There is a pause/play button on all speakers.  Hit that and the alarm will stop.  You cannot snooze with the speaker buttons, for that you need the app.  

By “is it then possible to switch to random play of my Windows music library” do you mean without using the app?  Depends.  If you used a playlist containing your Windows music library as your alarm, then hitting play will resume that playlist.  If not, you need to use the app.

H
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Many thanks.  I’ll now start to see which speakers I want for which rooms.

H
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Damn…. meant to ask another question…

Can each of us (x3 people), have the app on our phones and control what gets played out to what speaker as individuals (own passwords and playlists), or does each instance of the app have to sign-in and control the system from a single sign-in?

Ken_Griffiths

Yes a Sonos alarm can be stopped by pressing the speakers play/pause button as long as the touch controls have not been switched off in the App. Also see this link:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/452
 

With regards to the other question, after stopping an Alarm the speaker queue playlist then takes precedence and you can begin playing the tracks pre-loaded to the queue. Note some users set their devices to sometimes update automatically during the night and if that happens the speaker will reboot and may wipe its queue so it’s best to schedule the auto-update for the firmware during the day instead.

Hope that assists.

jgatie

Damn…. meant to ask another question…

Can each of us (x3 people), have the app on our phones and control what gets played out to what speaker as individuals (own passwords and playlists), or does each instance of the app have to sign-in and control the system from a single sign-in?

 

You can have multiple accounts for each streaming service, and select the account as the default on your personal device.

Use multiple accounts for the same music service

 However, the local library is communal, as is each queue on each device, that is everyone can add to the queue on any device.

Ken_Griffiths

The Sonos App is just a ‘remote’ - you can have it on up-to 32 devices on the same network Household.

Each mobile controller device sees the same system (which is stored on each of the players), but each individual can install their own music provider service account etc. See this link too:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3624

Edit: Ah jgatie beat me to it (x2)👍

H
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Many thanks all.  Having talked this through with the other half, there’s another very good question…

Do any of the speakers display the time and or track info being played?

We have squeezebox classics in the bedrooms and these have a rudimentary display.

jgatie

No.  None have a display.  That’s one thing Squeezebox did that Sonos doesn’t. 

H
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Thought not :-(

 

Might need a cheap separate bedside clock. 

C
Userlevel 6
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Your decision, but why switch to an inflexible proprietary system with limited features?

The contemporary version of the squeezebox system can play to squeezebox devices, chromecast, airplay, upnp (including Sonos), Amazon Echos, and Bluetooth speakers and headphones. Control via a slick phone/tablet app and via any browser.

Sonos plays to Sonos and has a clunky app. 

K

What is the business end of your system? What speakers, and how are they driven, given a source?

And of course, what are your music sources?

jgatie

Your decision, but why switch to an inflexible proprietary system with limited features?

The contemporary version of the squeezebox system can play to squeezebox devices, chromecast, airplay, upnp (including Sonos), Amazon Echos, and Bluetooth speakers and headphones. Control via a slick phone/tablet app and via any browser.

Sonos plays to Sonos and has a clunky app. 

 

Still pimping that AMC Gremlin, I see.  :laughing:

C
Userlevel 6
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So, why not give some reasons why Sonos is so good? 

Both features the OP asked about don't exist on the Sonos system... 

jgatie

So, why not give some reasons why Sonos is so good? 

Both features the OP asked about don't exist on the Sonos system... 

 

Because one is still a viable product sold by an existing company that is traded on the NYSE, and the other is . . . 

Uh, not.

C
Userlevel 6
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Do you have shares, then? 

H
Badge

Your decision, but why switch to an inflexible proprietary system with limited features?

The contemporary version of the squeezebox system can play to squeezebox devices, chromecast, airplay, upnp (including Sonos), Amazon Echos, and Bluetooth speakers and headphones. Control via a slick phone/tablet app and via any browser.

Sonos plays to Sonos and has a clunky app. 

Simply because Squeezebox devices are no longer manufactured and the solutions since are from hobbyists.  But the other reason, is that I don’t use any of the services you have listed.  The only uses are that of a bedside alarm that I can fade in the volume for from my own music library held on a central server in flaac/mp3 formats and random play of same library.  I can also reduce mains cables from my Duets and their powered Audio Engine 2+ speakers.

H
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What is the business end of your system? What speakers, and how are they driven, given a source?

And of course, what are your music sources?

flaac/mp3 library held on my Windows server, played out to 3 x SB Classics in bedrooms (used as alarm clocks in the main); plus 2 x Duets (Kitchen and Conservatory) connected to two pairs of Audio Engine 2+ speakers, mains powered. The Classics are connected to small VTIN Punker and small Muzili bluetooth speakers via phono connectors.

My current Sonos thoughts are the Sonos Beam Gen2 sound bar for the conservatory (main listening room), a pair of Sonos One SL’s for the kitchen, and 3 Sonos Roam’s for the bedrooms.

I’m not an ‘audiophile’, music is generally background entertainment.

Cheers.

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

Do you have LMS installed to run your current squeezebox system?  If so, then you could run new Sonos devices on that, as well as retain the native Sonos features.

If you're not too fussed about higher end audio quality, I'd go for Google nest hubs as your alarm clocks - also compatible with LMS.

The Beam and Roams are good.  Be aware that many users have battery issues with the Roam - I keep mine permanently on mains without issues. 

H
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Do you have LMS installed to run your current squeezebox system?  If so, then you could run new Sonos devices on that, as well as retain the native Sonos features.

If you're not too fussed about higher end audio quality, I'd go for Google nest hubs as your alarm clocks - also compatible with LMS.

The Beam and Roams are good.  Be aware that many users have battery issues with the Roam - I keep mine permanently on mains without issues. 

Yes LMS is running on the server and I also use the ‘squeezer’ android app from my phone.  My phone is generally used to set the alarms for the bedrooms.

Roams would be powered in the main from a 13amp usb plug, probably rated at around 10w ish (I need to check the power requirements for the Roams), but whatever they need would come via a 13amp socket. 

I’ll take another look at the Google offering.  I recall doing this a year or so back when I needed to replace a defunct duet with a second hand replacement and a number of the power supply units have failed over the years.  These I’ve replaced with equally rated PSU’s.  The trouble with these is that the phono style power connector is a tiny fraction smaller than those on the OEM product and this manifests itself in lost power when the receiver is moved and I have to ‘twiddle’ them a bit to restore power.  But I can’t recall why I rejected the Google products, so another look is warranted.

 

Cheers

[edit]… Can you only control Google stuff by talking to it?  I take it that these products run on Android?  Firstly, there’s no way I’m having products that listen to you, secondly I’m not that much in favour of having household products where the OS becomes unsupported after such a short time span.  Have I misunderstood anything here?

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

Do you have LMS installed to run your current squeezebox system?  If so, then you could run new Sonos devices on that, as well as retain the native Sonos features.

If you're not too fussed about higher end audio quality, I'd go for Google nest hubs as your alarm clocks - also compatible with LMS.

The Beam and Roams are good.  Be aware that many users have battery issues with the Roam - I keep mine permanently on mains without issues. 

Yes LMS is running on the server and I also use the ‘squeezer’ android app from my phone.  My phone is generally used to set the alarms for the bedrooms.

Roams would be powered in the main from a 13amp usb plug, probably rated at around 10w ish (I need to check the power requirements for the Roams), but whatever they need would come via a 13amp socket. 

I’ll take another look at the Google offering.  I recall doing this a year or so back when I needed to replace a defunct duet with a second hand replacement and a number of the power supply units have failed over the years.  These I’ve replaced with equally rated PSU’s.  The trouble with these is that the phono style power connector is a tiny fraction smaller than those on the OEM product and this manifests itself in lost power when the receiver is moved and I have to ‘twiddle’ them a bit to restore power.  But I can’t recall why I rejected the Google products, so another look is warranted.

 

Cheers

[edit]… Can you only control Google stuff by talking to it?  I take it that these products run on Android?  Firstly, there’s no way I’m having products that listen to you, secondly I’m not that much in favour of having household products where the OS becomes unsupported after such a short time span.  Have I misunderstood anything here?

Well, that's the Google nest hubs in the bin, then! 

Roams would be good for bedrooms.  

Sonos app is either android or IOS.  There's a Windows program which is so-so (but you have to use the phone apps to setup Sonos devices).

I guess you have LMS on a Windows machine.  Which version is it?   If you keep LMS then you could access the Roams as airplay receivers using Squeezer and keep your existing alarm settings.

Essentially, all you should need to do to access the Roams as airplay receivers is to install one plugin on LMS.   THE Roams will appear as squeezebox players controllable via Squeezer.  They retain their Sonos features also which are controllable using the Sonos S2 app. 

H
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Annoying, can’t edit my post above for the second time.  So this page has thrown away all that I’d entered!  That aside…

So the Nest Hub is also touchscreen, handy! And you can turn off the mic. :-)

And whilst on a rapidly aging OS it’s no worse than my Lenovo Tab3’s that run a Kodi slideshow (again from pictures on the same server as my music library).  I think the Tab3’s are Android 8!

So I could run the ‘Squeezer’ Android app on the Nest Hub for my music and Kodi for a slideshow on the same device?.  Nice if so. [edit] Ah no the Squeezer app is not a player for the device it’s installed on, only a remote for other Players.  So is there something that makes the Nest Hub ‘look’ like a Squeezebox Player?

Can I also control the Sonos Beam from the Android ‘Squeezer’ app as if the Beam were a ‘Player’ as far as LMS is concerned??

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

See above for details about squeezer and Roams. 

The nest hub uses chromecast so using it as a Squeezebox player will only show the display screen and sound.  You'd still have to control it via squeezer.  The touch screen features only work when it's used as a Google device.

 

Here's a screenshot of a Nest Hub playing a track from Tidal (via LMS) :  I don't have a local music library setup at the moment. 

 

 

And a screenshot of the same playing on a Roam:

 

 

 

And same playing via Sonos S2 app

 

 

H
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So the Nest Hub is just displaying now playing and outputting the audio, but control of it still has to come via the Squeezer App on my phone?  I know nothing of Chromecast so my guess is that this service makes the Nest Hub look like a Player to the Squeezer app?

Soooo, how would I cancel an Alarm, if the Nest Hub is just a dumb ‘Player’?

 

Signing off now for a while, so Happy New Year to everyone!

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

So the Nest Hub is just displaying now playing and outputting the audio, but control of it still has to come via the Squeezer App on my phone?  I know nothing of Chromecast so my guess is that this service makes the Nest Hub look like a Player to the Squeezer app?

That's it.    Thinking it over, maybe the Roams are a better choice.  The sound is good given their small size and they're less intrusive than the Nest.  With Roams you'd have the best of 2 worlds (sonos plus LMS).   These smart speakers are good but can easily do their own thing which causes frustration.  I use a cheap Google mini speaker as an alarm and not much else.

I should check out the squeezer app - I used it a few times years ago.

 

Roam as seen via Squeezer:

 

 

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

Soooo, how would I cancel an Alarm, if the Nest Hub is just a dumb ‘Player’?

 

Guess you'd have to use Squeezer... I've never messed with alarms in LMS. Sorry. 

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