I have personally used the Airport Express and Sonos system. I now use Sonos exclusively, and have ripped all my music to Apple Lossless - I no longer play discs. The Airport Express sounded good, but not as good as my Meridian 596 transport.
In my primary system, a Sonos ZP80 is now connected via coaxial digital to my Meridian 568.2. It sounds at least as good as the 596, if not better. For convenience, I also have other Sonos ZP80s and ZP100s around the house, but they are all used for background music, and any of the systems in question would be fine for such an application.
In my opinion, the Sonos controller is the primary advantage of their system - it's so much easier to navigate than a 2 line display when sorting through my collection of over 15,000 songs. The color screen and entire interface are easy to use, and have the added advantage of displaying all my album artwork as well. It also has the advantage of being wifi, so you don't have to be line-of-sight to use it. I can control the music all over the house from any location, I can even control the music in my back yard while lying in my hammock - makes for a great summer afternoon.
I haven't tried the Squeezebox, though many swear by its audio fidelity (I have no reason to doubt that it's great). The interface just doesn't do it for me, though, as you have to interact with a very limited display and use IR.
I love Sonos' ability to control any or all zones from any of my controllers (or my PC). That, and its outstanding sound quality, are what did it for me.
My 2 cents.
John
In my primary system, a Sonos ZP80 is now connected via coaxial digital to my Meridian 568.2. It sounds at least as good as the 596, if not better. For convenience, I also have other Sonos ZP80s and ZP100s around the house, but they are all used for background music, and any of the systems in question would be fine for such an application.
In my opinion, the Sonos controller is the primary advantage of their system - it's so much easier to navigate than a 2 line display when sorting through my collection of over 15,000 songs. The color screen and entire interface are easy to use, and have the added advantage of displaying all my album artwork as well. It also has the advantage of being wifi, so you don't have to be line-of-sight to use it. I can control the music all over the house from any location, I can even control the music in my back yard while lying in my hammock - makes for a great summer afternoon.
I haven't tried the Squeezebox, though many swear by its audio fidelity (I have no reason to doubt that it's great). The interface just doesn't do it for me, though, as you have to interact with a very limited display and use IR.
I love Sonos' ability to control any or all zones from any of my controllers (or my PC). That, and its outstanding sound quality, are what did it for me.
My 2 cents.
John