Switching from Squeezebox to Sonos

  • 30 December 2021
  • 50 replies
  • 1104 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.

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

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.

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)👍

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

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. 

C
Userlevel 6
Badge +14

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
Badge +14

Do you have shares, then? 

ratty

Or use a system which is light years ahead of Sonos already... 

I don’t know about ‘light years ahead’ nor the ‘AMC Gremlin’ [sic] bit, but if you enjoy using a hybrid system then go right ahead.

I dabbled with SBs and SqueezeCenter alongside -- and as cheap alternatives to -- my first Sonos units 12+ years ago. They were sufficiently infuriatingly unreliable that I was delighted to see the back of them when I duly replaced them with additional ZP80s.

H
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Happy New Year all, hope all is good in your respective lands…

So this article has effectively kicked Google products for my needs into touch?  Pity, they looked a cheaper solution to my needs.

https://www.thurrott.com/google/261035/with-defeat-to-sonos-google-to-remove-smart-speaker-functionality

So I’m back to the Sonos Beam Gen 2 for the conservatory and Roams for everywhere else and a cheap alarm clock as the Roams don’t have a display of the time and alarm settings?

chicks

My cat serves as my alarm clock, but I do use a first gen Lenovo Smart Clock on my nightstand.  As it supports ChromeCast, can be played to from LMS (using the ChromeCast plugin) via the Material Skin (or any other LMS client), the Google Home app, any streaming app that supports ChromeCast (pretty much all of them), or via voice command.  Touchscreen, voice control, display.  $50.  Does the job.

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-smart-clock-2-heather-grey/6485800.p?skuId=6485800

 

 

 

H
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Wish the $ Price translated at the standard rate to £ 😢

Still not too bad a price in the UK compared to Sonos.

So this too can look like a player to LMS and I can set LMS alarms that fade in a random track from music on my server?

 

Do I get to see both current time and the alarm time like the SB classic?

 

Assume I turn off alarm using the touchscreen of the Lenovo?

chicks

I don’t use alarms, but it looks like you can use it with Routines in the Google Home app for much more than just alarms, and the simpler LMS alarms also appear to be available for it.

 

 

chicks

BTW, if you want full SB functionality, it’s pretty simple to build with piCorePlayer and a touchscreen.  Lots of examples in the DIY section of the slimdevices forum, including my own.

https://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?114625-piTouch

 

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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Wow, that looks cool!

I'll need to re-read this tomorrow, bottle of red down already. 🤪

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?

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. 

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:

H
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Doesn't get any clearer does it???

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/01/08/us_itc_google_sonos/

 

Can't help but feel that the technology since Squeezebox's day has got smarter,  but functionality has been cast aside. 😢

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
Badge

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.

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