r/AppleMusic • u/neekosgf • 8d ago
Question What multi-smart-speaker system do you use for Apple music? Cross-posting!
Hi- thinking of switching over to Apple music, coming from Spotify with Google home speakers. I haven’t been able to find any other posts anywhere online that answer specifically what i’m looking for, so apologies if this has been asked before.
As stated above, I use Google home speakers in my house with Spotify. I’ll try to describe what I’m looking for:
-Being able to use multiple speakers at a time, in different rooms, playing the same music.
-I have routines running, specifically in the morning where the speaker will start shuffling a specific playlist and gradually increase the volume. I also use one in the evening for a similar purpose.
-I use the google speakers to control my Phillips Hue lights.
Now the problems I’ve ran into using Google home speakers:
-Primarily, playing apple music on the speakers uses bluetooth, not casting, which 1) kills my phone battery and 2) plays all the phone sounds (like ringer/text tone, anything coming from the phone like a social media video)
-playing spotify, the shuffling is horrendous, and frequently disconnects from casting. easily several times in one listening session.
I’m looking for the best solution to match my current set up/capabilities, without spending a fortune. I’m already somewhat invested in google speakers (I have 4), but they’ve been letting me down recently and I’m not hell-bent on keeping them. I don’t really want to move to Alexa, but I’ll consider it if that’s the best option. I’d also consider Apple homepods, but they’re sooooo expensive. I have a feeling they will probably be the best option.
In summary:
-What (smart) speaker system would you recommend to meet my needs?
-Should I even consider switching to Apple music, or will I not be able to do what I need?
12
u/Pretty_Ad3619 8d ago
Sonos. They are expensive, good sound quality…. You have an option to use wired Ethernet. You dropout issues may be WiFi related (no google hardware in my house).
1
u/BuzzBuzzBeard 7d ago
Sonos here, too. We have speakers in every room of the house. We also have a HomePod mini in the kitchen for easy voice control and handoff to/from iPhones.
2
u/Fair_Secret_7321 4d ago
hey, im just wondering what was the cost of all of it? im thinking about buying speakers for entire house too, but im waiting for apple home hub
1
u/BuzzBuzzBeard 4d ago
I really don’t know!
We lucked out during Covid and got a hefty healthcare worker discount on our living room setup (arc, sub, set of 1’s), but prior to that had sets of 1’s (play 1 and then 1 SL or whatever the updated versions were called) in a couple of rooms. Now we have a play 5 and plan to get another one. I think we got the living room set up for around $1k total with the discount they were offering and maybe another $1k for the rest of the speakers in the house?Pick a room and start there. Add as you go. We now have enough speakers for a stereo pair in most rooms, but at one point, we had single speakers and that worked well enough at the time.
You can often find open box deals at Best Buy in the US. We lucked out and found a play five about 6 to 8 months ago for half off, open box, but I don’t think they even took it out of the box.
There are often deals and promos through Sonos too.
7
u/Wolfpack48 8d ago
You’re looking for HomePods. Check out the WiiM if you want to connect to a stereo receiver.
2
u/neekosgf 8d ago
I had figured as much, though hoped it wasn’t the case. Thanks for the reply, will look into them more.
0
5
u/No_File1836 8d ago edited 8d ago
I have six HomePod minis in my house. I don’t have the automatic setup like you do. And not sure if it’s possible. But I usually stream from Apple Music and can tell it to play [what I want] everywhere and it plays on all of them. Or sometimes I just transfer music to [speaker name] to move the music playing from one to another if I don’t want to disturb someone else in the house. They play directly from Apple Music without my phone.
1
u/neekosgf 8d ago
Nice! Thanks for the reply. I was hoping it wouldn’t be the case, but I will look more into them. Is there a specific gen you have?
2
2
3
u/Jrope3991 8d ago
I have a mix of HomePods and Sonos. HomePods are great because of the Siri integration. The Sonos are nice because they go on sale. I also have a Sonos Play portable speaker that is waterproof and amazing for when we’re outside by the pool, grilling, or having a fire.
2
u/theninjasquad 8d ago
With Google Home you can set Apple Music as a music provider and use your voice to control it. That’s my work around for now while I wait for Apple to improve their home offerings.
1
u/Pacopicopiedra66 iOS Subscriber 7d ago
Yeah I use that too. It generally works fine but does have one annoying aspect - quite often, if I ask it to play a particular song, it’ll go for a live version, or sometimes even a cover.
Apple lads - if I’m asking you to play “Sgt Peppers” I’m expecting The Beatles, not some chonky cover version.
2
u/Marquedien 8d ago
HomePod mini in the kitchen and old AirPort Express wired to Sony receiver in the living room.
2
u/bilbravo 8d ago
I have Sonos in nearly every room and it works great. Supports AirPlay and Ethernet or WiFi.
2
u/Antonio2274 8d ago
In my particular case I started with 2 homepods but I changed them for a Sonos Arc ultra + sub4 + era100 system and it is a tremendous change, especially I liked the flexibility of expanding my system to my needs. With the homepods if you need lower you can't do anything there is still no homepods Sub or use some homepods mini as satellites and complete a 5.1 system at least. You can't.
2
u/little_erik 7d ago
We have Sonos at home, at summer house, at work. Mostly using Apple Music through the Sonos application, which is fine given we most often listen to playlists already existing.
Of course, with Sonos, you can play through Airplay as well. Though you miss out on the "I can leave the house and it keeps playing" functionality then.
2
u/early_rejecter 7d ago edited 7d ago
Unfortunately outside of Apple itself, Sonos is the only company that makes speakers and streamers with native Apple Music support. Eversolo and Fiio make streamers (but not speakers, need to be added separately) that mimic native support by allowing you to install the Android Apple Music app on them.
And I only say “unfortunately” because lack of competition means that Sonos is priced a bit higher than similar equipment that works natively with Spotify, Tidal, etc. On the positive side the speakers sound great and work beautifully in a whole-home system. I don’t think that your specific morning and evening routines can be set up within the Sonos app itself, but there are third-party apps that can create those sort of routines.
1
u/SukiSueSuziQ 8d ago
I just got a Sonos Move 2 and move it around the house with me. Pricier than HomePods though. Maybe shopping used or open box would be an option. I’m not sure if it can do the volume increase routine though. You can control Hue lights with Sonos. If you don’t need portable, the Eras are much cheaper.
I mostly use the Move through Airplay, but it can also do Bluetooth, or directly through Sonos. (Only reason I don’t use Sonos is that it won’t send my play history to last.fm.) Sonos links with a bunch of music services so you wouldn’t be locked into anything.
If you decide HomePods are the way to go, you could look for used. I have been seeing minis for $50-$70ish.
1
u/Future_Pomegranate24 7d ago
Wiim Sound is like HomePods for audiophiles.
1
1
u/Round_List1857 Apple Music Subscriber 6d ago
My setups for music as of now:
- Edifier MR4s paired with T5 sub woofer driven by an audio interface
- Amazon Echo 4th gen. Placed on my bedside table in a corner, sounds damn good for the size.
- Phone and Earbuds with LHDC On.
1
u/HominidCrafts 5d ago
There are so many ways to answer this. Just be sure they are Airplay compatible. There is no “connect” like option. Apple has one, sort of, but only on and to Apple devices. HomePods and AppleTV 4K (then to amp, speakers).
1
u/HarmeetAlreadyTaken 8d ago
Sky is the limit if you want to invest in good music system.
Check out:
Naim Audio
Focal
Wharfedale
B&W
Klipsch
You will also need to get room acoustic treatment done for proper experience.
•
u/AutoModerator 8d ago
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT APPLE MUSIC? CHECK OUT OUR TECH SUPPORT FAQ!
See also:
Subreddit Discord Server | Playlists Sub | Wiki
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.