Sonos ZonePlayer S5, ZoneBridge 100 and Controller 200

Stephen Withers
Monday, 04 July 2011 15:40

Entertainment

I've had the opportunity to try a Sonos audio system in my home for a few weeks, and I must say that I'm impressed by how smoothly it works.

There are several items in the Sonos range and they can be put together in various ways, but the basic idea is to make music available in one or more rooms via a wireless or Ethernet network.



The loaner system comprised two ZonePlayer S5 units (think of them as Wi-Fi speakers), a ZoneBridge 100 (the 'base station'), and a Controller 200 (a handheld wireless device that provides the user interface). The ZoneBridge was plugged into my Ethernet switch to create a wireless network that ZonePlayers can connect to. If there's a convenient Ethernet connection in one of the places you intend to put a ZonePlayer, you don't need the ZoneBridge. The ZoneBridge and ZonePlayer units have pass-through Ethernet ports which gives a bit more choice of location.

The Controller isn't mandatory either - you can drive the system from free software that runs on a Mac or PC, or on an iOS or Android device. Since the Controller costs $549, you could buy two iPod touches and still have some change. That said, the touchscreen Controller does work nicely, and comes with a charging dock.

A nifty feature of a multi-ZonePlayer system is that it delivers synchronised music to multiple rooms (handy for parties or if you're moving between rooms doing housework) or you can play different tracks through each set of speakers.

My ears are closer to the tin end of the spectrum than gold, so I'm not the best qualified to comment on the audio quality. But I can say I'd be happy to have it in my home.

Where does the music come from? Find out on page 2.