Sony NASZ200DIR or similar

[ClarkyX]

Hi, I am looking for a wall mounted audio device for the kitchen to replace a cheap and nasty wall mounted CD radio.

I really like the look of the Sony and want to be able to stream mp3 from our NAS (Thecus N2100M YES box) with iTunes server, DLNA module and uPnP.

Most wireless media players that I see don't have CD and the reason I want that is because there are some children's CD that my wife uses (child minding) that I don't want to put on iTunes.

The Sony is now discontinued, but some places are still selling it online, but I want to know if it is any good at wireless music streaming and if there is anything else that fits the bill of being a CD Radio streamer that is wall mountable.

Any help welcome

 

[andyrich29]

Have you tried Bose?

Wireless Systems - SoundLink Wireless Systems | Bose

Not sure if it works with NAS's though.

 

[ClarkyX]

I contacted Bose and their system only works with a USB dongle that uses a PC or mac audio driver to deliver audio files to the system so no good. However, I found another site with the Sony at £300 so took a punt to see if it would work, but it doesn't.

It can see all the tracks but says they are all not playable. It can't be due to the DRM protection or the codec because I have 128, 192 and 256kbps mp3 and m4a files some purchased and some ripped and some iTunes plus.

So really I think as far as wireless audio goes, just forget it and use the iPod dock, which the Sony has so it's OK. Because even if it had recognised some tracks as playable it wouldn't play all my tracks as it won't play DRM ones.

Even if I got a Sony home server NAS to get over any potential compatibility issues and the inability to install the provided Vaio software on my mac, even that still wouldn't play DRM content.

Sonos gets the best reviews for wireless audio but uses proprietary wireless method. Squeeze box devices are mostly receivers to plug into an existing stereo except for their radio which still doesn't have CD.

So the Sony fits the bill in that I can play all my iPod content through the dock, it has CD and FM and DAB and because it has wifi will also play internet radio from shoutcast or live365, not that I've found anything interesting on their, AND is wall mountable and still have decent heavy speakers and construction and is really minimalist so will go very nicely in the new designer kitchen when it's done in April.

Oh and it has external FM and DAB antenna connections so when I put an FM/DAB antenna in the roof and run it down all the 75Ohm Coax TV cables and change the face plates to FM/TV plates there will be no messy wires sticking out across the wall.

So in a nutshell, I'm keeping the Sony but forgetting about my iTunes server on my NAS which is now just simply a redundant RAID backup.

 

[srollings]

ClarkyX

I have a Sony NAZ200 and i find it excellent, pity the remote is not a true touch screen. Gives a great sound. If you can get I recommend it.

 

[ClarkyX]

Following my post on 31 Dec, I was spurred on to see if I could connect the Sony to my iTunes library remotely, not to the raw content on the NAS but to iTunes on my mac using mac compatible software, by Max Mockett's review on Amazon.

Sony NASZ200DIR Wireless Multimedia HiFi System with: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

I tried the free trial of playback and that listed albums and artists from my iTunes library, but they were all greyed out and selecting them showed error track cannot be played.

I then tried another software, Servio mentioned in the page

How to choose a DLNA Media Server for Windows, Mac OS X or Linux | Robert Green's DIY

Seemed to be good for Sony (PS3 anyway) but that was even worse and while the server appeared on the Sony NAS-Z200DIR, it didn't even show any tracks.

So I gave up on the wireless and am just going to use the iPod dock when I want to play our music collection on the Sony. It is very rare when my wife wants to listen to her music and I'm out of the house with our only iPod anyway. Push come to shove, I would just buy her an iPod to use with it, as I've put all the CD in the loft now (apart from the few nursery rhyme CD that I don't want on iTunes thanks).

If anyone else reading this thread at any time wants to research the mac software option to serve all iTunes content to the Sony then post the results here, I'm watching the thread.

Stephen.