Switching from Squeezebox to Sonos

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?

Still pimping that AMC Gremlin, I see.  

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.

Do you have shares, then? 

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.

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.

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.