How to Play Music - Sonos and or CD Player?

TheRightOne

Terrysdelight said:

TheRightOne said:

avoidtheupsidedownbottles said:

OP stated they just wanted to listen to a few CDs, already has voice command track access via Alexa but doesn't want to have to look up track names each time.  
CDs could already play through DVD and soundbar which OP was apparently happy with in the past.  Or a single further Sonos purchase would allow the DVD to play through the Sonos network.
Spending hours and hours ripping everything (how many CDs exactly?) and moving files around from pillar to post for this apparently limited requirement sounds nutty to me.  

Sounds nutty to spend £400 on a SONOS Connect so that you can listen to a few CDs via the SONOS network. 

So advice was given on how to move forward in the 21st century. That is to digitize one's collection of music and video. This is for good reason. CD don't last forever.

According to the US National Archives, CDs and DVDs have very similar lifespans. Generally, unrecorded (blank) CDs and DVDs have a shelf-life of five to ten years. The experiential life expectancy of recorded CDs and DVDs is between two and five years, though based on manufacturer claims, ten to twenty five years, or even longer, isn’t unprecedented. In any case, using very conservative numbers will reduce the risk of losing data.

I do have to move forward with Technology.  Just loads happened in the last few years and I haven't had the time to think about anything.   To be honest, I am probably fine to play the odd CD through a DVD player on the sound bar etc.  I am one of those people who likes to 'see' my collection of music, rather than search for what I might want to listen too.  A pleasurable memory could be triggered, and straight away, I know exactly where to look for that special album/CD.  Again, a quick sideways glance at a collection of CD's, can give me that buzz of 'aw, I haven't listened to that music for ages' - I can then at least pick it up and bang it on.  Alternatively, I have the exact Artist Info/Album name to hand and I can ask Alexa to play it assuming our internet hasn't gone down again.  Villages in the middle of nowhere aren't always the best for internet.  

Thank you for all your help, it's appreciated.

Indeed, you can still see your collection, even when digitised. Artwork and info will be on display.

Example https://www.plex.tv/your-media/music/ There are many alternatives.

It's worth mentioning that the two aren't mutually exclusive. You can do both. 

I still have my CDs and Vinyl. But I also have lossless copies. I also still have a complete High Fidelity sound reproduction system. So If I want optimal quality, I can pop on a CD or SACD.
Right now I am on holiday, 6,000 miles away from home, but can still access my collection.in high quality.

But, it's a labour of love. So it's something you do if you wish to preserve your collection. Then you don't mind spending the time to do it.

Norman_Castle

Terrysdelight said:

Norman_Castle said:

Terrysdelight said:

I've just spoken with my son - I think I know what to do now.  Basically convert all my music to sound files within something like Itunes and then play the music through the internet.
Kind of defeats the object of being able to bang on a CD,

I've got hundreds of cds plus minidisc and vinyl and couldn't be rsed to convert it all. I also like having a music collection. All you need is something to play the cds on which most dvd players will do and a connection to the sonos. Exactly what inputs are on the sonos? Exactly how is it connected to the tv?

A quick google suggests the soundbar has an optical (toslink) input. If thats being used by the tv a dvd or cd player with optical output could be connected with the tv through one of these  https://www.amazon.co.uk/LiNKFOR-Switcher-Supports-Dolby-AC3-Compatible/dp/B07MFJKMRB/ref=pd_lpo_23_t_2/260-4144930-3777023?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07MFJKMRB&pd_rd_r=279c677c-82af-49d3-b71d-5b663333b3d9&pd_rd_w=Q6E07&pd_rd_wg=T79Ca&pf_rd_p=7b8e3b03-1439-4489-abd4-4a138cf4eca6&pf_rd_r=2JXPQHW0SX3E5M229AXV&psc=1&refRID=2JXPQHW0SX3E5M229AXV

  I would have thought at the very least I would have to buy a half decent CD player and then somehow or another get it connected to the Sonos. 

Depending on the outputs on the dvd player you might be able to connect it with the leads you already have. I would try it first to see if you are happy with how it sounds. You will get better sound with a cd player but whether its noticeable through your sonos or worthwhile for your potentially limited use is up to you.

Is your dvd player currently connected? If it is try putting a music cd in it.

Mickey666

TheRightOne said:

I still have my CDs and Vinyl. But I also have lossless copies. I also still have a complete High Fidelity sound reproduction system. So If I want optimal quality, I can pop on a CD or SACD.
Right now I am on holiday, 6,000 miles away from home, but can still access my collection.in high quality.

But, it's a labour of love. So it's something you do if you wish to preserve your collection. Then you don't mind spending the time to do it.

Yes, it's a labour of love alright.  It took me ages but it wasn't really so onerous just doing 10 or so each evening.  Plus, now that my vinyl is all digitised I listen to it far more than I ever did.  I'd also argue that there's very little audible difference between playing the original CD or the digital .wav file extracted from it.  Yes the DAC will be different but 99.9% of us don't have 'golden ears' that the hifi purists claim  to have whereby they can hear the difference between a CD player resting on rubber cones or not (other example abound)

Some years after digitising everything and never again playing any of the original vinyl or CDs I started to sell them on ebay and was amazed at some fo the prices I received.  £45 for Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, for example!  What's better than selling something while still being able to listen to it?  Money saving for old rope I'd say

TheRightOne

Mickey666 said:

TheRightOne said:

I still have my CDs and Vinyl. But I also have lossless copies. I also still have a complete High Fidelity sound reproduction system. So If I want optimal quality, I can pop on a CD or SACD.
Right now I am on holiday, 6,000 miles away from home, but can still access my collection.in high quality.

But, it's a labour of love. So it's something you do if you wish to preserve your collection. Then you don't mind spending the time to do it.

Yes, it's a labour of love alright.  It took me ages but it wasn't really so onerous just doing 10 or so each evening.  Plus, now that my vinyl is all digitised I listen to it far more than I ever did.  I'd also argue that there's very little audible difference between playing the original CD or the digital .wav file extracted from it.  Yes the DAC will be different but 99.9% of us don't have 'golden ears' that the hifi purists claim  to have whereby they can hear the difference between a CD player resting on rubber cones or not (other example abound)

Some years after digitising everything and never again playing any of the original vinyl or CDs I started to sell them on ebay and was amazed at some fo the prices I received.  £45 for Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, for example!  What's better than selling something while still being able to listen to it?  Money saving for old rope I'd say

It's true. Used to be quite inconvenient during cuddling sessions to have to get up and change the record.
CDs better but still quite limiting. Now I can have more control over the music, without having to move from the horizontal.

Being a musician, I like a good quality of sound.

neilmcl

Terrysdelight said:

TheRightOne said:

avoidtheupsidedownbottles said:

OP stated they just wanted to listen to a few CDs, already has voice command track access via Alexa but doesn't want to have to look up track names each time.  
CDs could already play through DVD and soundbar which OP was apparently happy with in the past.  Or a single further Sonos purchase would allow the DVD to play through the Sonos network.
Spending hours and hours ripping everything (how many CDs exactly?) and moving files around from pillar to post for this apparently limited requirement sounds nutty to me.  

Sounds nutty to spend £400 on a SONOS Connect so that you can listen to a few CDs via the SONOS network. 

So advice was given on how to move forward in the 21st century. That is to digitize one's collection of music and video. This is for good reason. CD don't last forever.

According to the US National Archives, CDs and DVDs have very similar lifespans. Generally, unrecorded (blank) CDs and DVDs have a shelf-life of five to ten years. The experiential life expectancy of recorded CDs and DVDs is between two and five years, though based on manufacturer claims, ten to twenty five years, or even longer, isn’t unprecedented. In any case, using very conservative numbers will reduce the risk of losing data.

I do have to move forward with Technology.  Just loads happened in the last few years and I haven't had the time to think about anything.   To be honest, I am probably fine to play the odd CD through a DVD player on the sound bar etc.  I am one of those people who likes to 'see' my collection of music, rather than search for what I might want to listen too.  A pleasurable memory could be triggered, and straight away, I know exactly where to look for that special album/CD.  Again, a quick sideways glance at a collection of CD's, can give me that buzz of 'aw, I haven't listened to that music for ages' - I can then at least pick it up and bang it on.  Alternatively, I have the exact Artist Info/Album name to hand and I can ask Alexa to play it assuming our internet hasn't gone down again.  Villages in the middle of nowhere aren't always the best for internet.  

Thank you for all your help, it's appreciated.

Whilst it's true you can't use Alexa without an internet connection you still don't need to have the internet up and running to be able to stream your music from one of your devices over wifi, and you could have all your music data, artist/album etc to hand via the various music player apps, again without the need for the internet to be up.

Neil49

neilmcl said:

Neil49 said:

Your son is on the right track but once you have converted the cd's contents into files (ideally flac format which is a higher quality or mp3 if you don't really care) you need to store them somewhere that will connect to your Sonos.

If you convert the music and keep the files on your pc then you will have to keep the pc switched on when playing the music on Sonos. Alternatively, if your router has a USB port in the rear, copy the files onto a USB stick and plug this into your router (which is what I do). Your music will then be permanently available to your Sonos via WiFi once you have set up your router to recognise the stick. Details to do this can be found on the Sonos website.

It's worth the effort! 

Or not to mention the other obvious on which is to copy the music files over onto your phone and play via bluetooth to your speakers.

Unfortunately, Sonos doesn't support Bluetooth. This omission is a long standing gripe with users. 

basill

If the OP is looking for an excuse to buy a Sonos Beam, CDs inserted in the DVD player play on the TV, using the soundbar and from there anywhere on the Sonos network.