House Music
dan tynan on Dec 11 2008 at 4:32 pm | Filed under: Gadgets, Music, Reviews, US Airways Magazine
The Sonos System will be music to your ears
The Sonos Multi-Room Music System lets you enjoy digital music at home wherever you roam. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection, a home network router, and about 15 minutes of your time.
It’s rare to find electronic devices as simple to set up as the Sonos Bundle 150, which includes two ZonePlayers and an LCD remote control. Simply connect the ZonePlayer 90 to your network router and your home theater’s stereo receiver. Then wire a pair of speakers to the self-amplified ZonePlayer 120 in any other room in the house. Install the Sonos software on your PC or Mac and tell it where to find your digital music, then use the paperback-sized remote – or your Apple iPhone — to select tunes to play in each zone. Got more rooms? You can create more zones by adding ZonePlayers.
Besides your own music, Sonos will stream Sirius Satellite Radio, Napster, Rhapsody, Pandora, Last.fm, and more than 15,000 Internet radio stations. In fact, virtually the only songs the Sonos can’t play are copy-protected tracks purchased from Apple’s iTunes store. (Steve Jobs, are you listening?)
Honestly, I like this thing so much it’s almost embarrassing. It’s one of my top 5 gadgets of the last five years and maybe longer. There’s no more elegant or easier way to spread music throughout your home.
- Sonos Bundle 150 (Controller, ZP90, ZP150) $999
- Sonos Loudspeakers (pair) $179
- Additional ZonePlayers ($349 to $499)
An edited version of this post originally appeared in the December issue of US Airways Magazine.
