If you're using Alexa you're using Amazon. I'm not sure if any Alexa enabled device can be stopped from every sending voice to Amazon.

Is there any way of playing music from the external hard drive through the Alexa speakers without Amazon or Google involved / listening in?

Alexa is Amazon listening in.

Not on Alexa, but on Sonos, though you can get a Sonos that incorporates Alexa (but I'd just as soon not have Google people listening in).

_Chris_ wrote: ↑Thu Dec 19, 2019 4:07 am Thanks all for the help, it's appreciated. I do have Alexa Echo plus speakers, I can play music from the external hard drive through them, by saying 'Alexa play music from my media' which it then does (randomly from the hard drive and not the same track on all speakers at the same time!), but it doesn't play from just one selected playlist on all speakers at the same time, which is what I want. Are you saying you've found a way to do that?

Thanks all for the help, it's appreciated. I do have Alexa Echo plus speakers, I can play music from the external hard drive through them, by saying 'Alexa play music from my media' which it then does (randomly from the hard drive and not the same track on all speakers at the same time!), but it doesn't play from just one selected playlist on all speakers at the same time, which is what I want. Are you saying you've found a way to do that?

I have not had any difficulty playing MM4 to multiple Sonos speakers. The biggest issue is that you do not have good remote control through MM4 (MonkeyMote has been inconsistent for me). The Sonos app on iDevices and Android does have remote capabilities, but the Sonos library does have a finite (though large) capacity (I exceeded it). Unfortunately, the MM4 interface that allows one to select several Sonos units in sync is poor and awkward to use; the one in MM5 works fine. Sonos speakers are on a "limited time deal" at Amazon and Sonos (and maybe elsewhere); I think the deal ends on Dec 29. I also found that once I had the Sonos speakers set up via the Sonos software (actually pretty easy), MM4 seemed to find them with no special settings work by me.

dtsig wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 2:41 pm I would start by googling DLNA SPEAKERS

One of the links was this https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... E1bTnJwjvm

That link is for multiroom speakers ... remember google is your friend

Thanks for that, will look into your suggestion. Yep, been using Mrs Google for about 20 years, but it's good to get knowledgeable help, right here.

Be wary though as that only lists DLNA (as UPnP) for the Naim speakers. Although the article's title mentions DLNA it doesn't get mentioned again (except as UPnP for Naim).

Sonos would be wonderful (albeit a bit pricey), but suffers from proprietary design. DLNA may be or may not be possible, but based on posts seems to not work smoothly.

I would start by googling DLNA SPEAKERS

One of the links was this https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... E1bTnJwjvm

That link is for multiroom speakers ... remember google is your friend

Most major manufacturers have a solution like this, like Heos with Denon.

I'd search for anything that can do DLNA (supported in MMA, MMW and MM5), Chromecast (Chromecast is supported in MMA and MM5 not MediaMonkey 4) and then has a speaker linking technology. DLNA is a universal standard, whereas Chromecast is one from Google implemented by many (but you never know when Google will drop one of there technologies). There is also AirPlay 2 by Apple, but MediaMonkey doesn't support it (however you can add support from Windows with TuneBlade or Airfoil).

Read reviews from users on the manufacturers linking technology to see if it's any good. With DLNA and Chromecast timing can be an issue (but is supported in MM5). I personally have not gotten Sony's to work reliably (with DLNA streaming and a mix of Powerline/wifi connected devices).

Thanks for that, it's appreciated. Where do I start to find this please?
"If you want to stream to multiple simultaneously I'd look at a single manufacturer solution that can link multiple speakers."

DLNA capable speakers can be used from MediaMonkey: https://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index. ... ervers/4.0

If you want to stream to multiple simultaneously I'd look at a single manufacturer solution that can link multiple speakers.

Hi all,

I have about 10,000 tracks on an external hard drive (with MM4 for Windows (portable)), all ripped from CD's over many years and I would like to somehow play certain playlists to speakers dotted around the house, would probably be 4 speakers in total. Not a lot of money in the kitty at the moment, but quality of sound is paramount. I'm not sure what info you need, so please post back for any more details. All I have is the hard drive and a laptop on Windows 7 on a wireless network. Any ideas / help very much appreciated.

Thanks.
Chris.