Players
Contents
It goes a bit far to mention all the players here. But we take the players we know and have experience with. We can now say that all major players have a system in their range. That must be, because those who are not yet participating in the streaming audio / multiroom audio market, can forget it (our opinion).
Sonos
Who doesn’t know them… Sonos: the player in this field. Sonos actually created the multiroom audio. The Sonos system can be used both wirelessly and wired. Please note that if SonosNET wireless is active, it will not be deactivated. The wifi connection is then always active, because SonosNET is a mesh system. So even if you plug in a cable in a certain zone, wifi remains active in that zone. That sounds ideal, but it isn’t, because network loops can potentially arise. And that causes voltage-tree problems (STP). Our advice: just use Sonos wirelessly. With or without the help of the Sonos boost.
The Sonos app is seen as the benchmark. Now that’s taste, of course. But the fact is, they’ve got the app in good order. The service support is also very complete. We do not know of any brand that does support almost all services. Sonos does.
Finally, the products. Sonos has a complete offer. From a zone with amplifier to drive a few separate speakers (the AMP) to a few soundbar-like solutions and separate streaming speakers (play-series). Recently Sonos also offers custom-installed flush-mounting speakers. And, of course, there’s the partnership with IKEA.
Bluesound
Bluesound is a well known brand among hi-fi lovers. The first version of Bluesound was very recognizable because of its strange cube shape. Nice, but it wasn’t appreciated everywhere. By now the whole thing has been designed in a more conservative – but stylish – way. Bluesound is part of Lenbrook, which is known from Lyngdorf. Linked to that is NAD and DALI… and yes, they also use Bluesound. Look at the NAD models like the M12, M10… and the future CI models that include streaming. And, of course, DALI Calisto…
Bluesound is more hi-fi oriented. Sound is an important part of Bluesound. The Node 2i delivers a remarkably good display for its money. The PowerNode 2i (with amplifier) the same. The Pulse series works without DSP technology to deliver the purest experience possible. Handsome. Of course Bluesound plays high-res audio, MQA and are ROON compatible.
The App of Bluesound itself is, in our opinion, simply on the level of Sonos. Everything is clearly arranged, which makes navigating easy. The service support is not as complete as at Sonos, but certainly complete enough for a pleasant experience.
HEOS
HEOS is a multiroom streaming system from Denon’s stable (and in a way Marantz, as that is also part of the group). In addition to being a separate product, HEOS has now also become an ingredient for the group. That’s an excellent development and in line with the strategy Yamaha also applies with MusicCast. There we also see it in amplifiers and receivers.
HEOS is qualitatively comparable to Sonos. However, we do believe that Sonos has his app better in order and the styling is… that’s debatable. Sonos is a little tighter, we think. However, the advantage of HEOS is connectivity and the support of high-res audio. Though we understand from Sonos that the next generation will support high-res audio.
Yamaha
Yamaha can’t stay behind when it comes to streaming. They have a very broad system under the name MusicCast. This ecosystem is far too large to mention as it goes – literally – from pianos to wall clocks. Of course Yamaha MusicCast has incorporated in its soundbars, separate speakers, receivers and amplifiers. In short: it is very easy to make a multiroom setup with products from Yamaha.
The App is really different. Graphically the whole is clear and taut. Each room can be supported with a picture, which is a very funny detail. MusicCast works on the basis of UPnP technology, which is simple on the one hand, but also a risk because the experience can change. After all, the UPnP server on the NAS or PC is responsible for how the library is organized. Yamaha also supports all relevant services.
KEF (wireless series)
We know KEF mainly from the speakers. But make no mistake: the LS50 Wireless and LSX are serious streaming solutions that also support multiroom. KEF’s wireless series is not nearly as extensive as Formation or the DALI / Bluesound line; they will be if they expand further. Because you bet that’s gonna happen.
Bowers & Wilkins Formation
We haven’t really tested Formation yet. But we can get an impression. This system has some unique features. For example, a complete, tri-band wifi set-up, making the back-bone for the mesh wifi system separate from the data supply for music. That’s smart, because it improves stability. The network can also be simply wired if someone wants to. Formation also allows it to run wirelessly multichannel. Fine, too. We don’t always see that.
Bowers is not yet up to standard in terms of app and supported services. That’s another piece of software that more manufacturers are biting themselves to pieces. The hardware is good, but yeah… that software. That’s also why we haven’t made a review yet. We’d rather wait until the software is up to standard.
Teufel – Raumfeld
Formerly Raumfeld, now renamed Teufel. At least: the streaming products. Teufel bought Raumfeld a while back. But to keep everything clear to the customer, it’s all Teufel now. The system works on the basis of UPnP, has a number of active speakers with built-in streamer and separate speakers. Teufel has a neat app. But the number of streaming services is somewhat limited. On the website this is somewhat confusing, because they include bluetooth as streaming. For now it is Spotify Connect, Tidal, Soundcloud and Napster. Keep that in mind.
NAIM
Like its competitor Linn, NAIM was very quickly on the market with a network player. And a multiroom system. All network players – from the ND555 to the Mu-so – are mutliroom compatible. This makes NAIM a very interesting choice for those who are looking for a (very) high level multiroom solution.
NAIM has both individual network players, all-in-one solutions, individual speakers and even a kind of sound bar: the Mu-so (now in generation 2).
Linn
Linn‘s a little weird when it comes to review samples… :-). But that doesn’t alter the fact that we do know something about their ecosystem. After all, one of the first external writers for Alpha – Jan Karssen – has a Linn player. We talk to them on shows. Linn was one of the first – perhaps the first – manufacturers that the CD player has waved goodbye to go full streaming. And that has resulted in a huge lead in the field of software. The Linn app and Linn software for PC is just very good. At the same time, the new hardware also seems to be a big step. We still have to test that.
So we can say that Linn’s got his software business in order. Hardware too. Though it’s very unclear what’s working together now… A dealer can help you with that. To be honest, we’ve lost the thread. Enter for an article perhaps. But let’s just say that Linn has both sources and active streaming speakers and that hybrid models are also possible. The nice thing is that the DSM models can also be used as a ‘hub’. So you can connect sources to it. Very well made up.
ROON
ROON is a bit crazy to take along because it is purely a software solution (just like J River, JPlay, etc). ROON is more of a – hyper advanced – library manager and streaming server. It’s not so much a player. So ROON is software you can use to control your ROON-compatible players. You can read why here. The app is great to use. And how ROON composes a library is – in the opinion of your editor – unparalleled. In short: a must-have for every lover.
What we really like about ROON is the brand independence. You have one app, one library for multiple devices. And the nice thing is: all those devices can also be put in party mode. How cool is that!
Other players
Now there’s Lumin, Aurender, Auralic, dCS… et cetera. As we said, there are many more brands offering multiroom. We didn’t take LG and Harman either. Simply because we have not yet built up any real experience with the ecosystem. That’s not to say that we haven’t been able to watch or listen to players on their own. We have that in the case of MOON (MiND), Auralic (G2), Lumin (D2) and Aurender (A10). We also had the dCS bridge in our hands.
Completing
Multiroom Audio means that you can control multiple rooms from a single control point – a tablet, smartphone, PC, touch-screen controller. You can play different music per room, or have all rooms play the same in party mode. Very nice. A condition is that you stay within one ecosystem. Although ROON does put an end to this: all ROON-compatible players can then be connected to each other. Very nice.
The system that suits you completely depends on it:
- Budget
- House
- Taste of music
- …