Note: Sonos has an installation CD that you can load up on your desktop or laptop to setup the system, but since this is an iPhone blog, I skipped this step and decided to with a full on iPhone-only setup. The speaker is able to use Wi-Fi independently or itself or a Boost via Ethernet to run SonosNet, a peer-to-peer mesh network which allows the user to play media on some, one or all speakers connected to the network. [8] It also can establish a stereo pair with another Play:5 to create a separate left and right audio channel [11] and can pair additionally with a Playbar or SUB to create a home theater system. So if I want a wireless multi-room speaker system in my home, I must turn to Sonos?" Not so fast. There are other options to consider, some of which offer a different flavour of sound or a different set of features to challenge Sonos's dominance. Sonos - your stuff is awesome and your end-of-life hardware strategy is very much on a par with industry standards. Keep up the great work.

Sonos OS and Controller App | Sonos S2: The Sonos OS and Controller App | Sonos

There are myriad streaming options should you value sound quality over the flexibility Sonos offers. You can stream music from your NAS device and other digital libraries using the Cambridge Audio MXN10, for instance, to get fantastic audio performance. And the more streamers (and speakers) you buy, the more rooms of music you can have. Tip: How to activate Stereo Pair Mode". Sonos Blog. Sonos. 18 August 2011. Archived from the original on 23 October 2015 . Retrieved 4 November 2016.

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Carnoy, David (28 October 2016). "Sonos Play:5 (2015) review". CNET . Retrieved 4 November 2016– via CBS Interactive. Again, as Chad said, it would be nice if the iPhone itself could also be set up as a portable "zone", carrying the same synched content with you around the house, and playing along with the same queue, but if that was an option, we couldn't find it. Maybe version 2.0? Conclusion The outgoing Sonos One and Sonos One SL wireless speakers (both will be phased out eventually as Era 100 comes to market), in turn had replaced the now-discontinued Play:1. The only difference between the latter two is that the One SL doesn't have voice control, so is slightly cheaper. There's also the premium Sonos Five smart speaker, which replaces the Play:5, and the company's first fully portable wireless speaker with Bluetooth, the 2019 Sonos Move. This was recently succeeded by the new Sonos Move 2.

Play:5 - Wikipedia Play:5 - Wikipedia

The Sonos Controller app even supports queuing, so you can create a on-the-go playlist for your streaming music/sound content. The following older products are not compatible with the S2 software platform and will not receive future firmware updates:

There’s no doubt that the ZonePlayer S5 will convincingly fill a room – I found that I could happily listen to the music in the next room without pushing the volume past halfway. There’s a surprising amount of bass, but it doesn’t make the sound muddy as a result, and thankfully doesn’t distort when the volume is pushed high. The bass is never overpowering either, no doubt thanks to the quartet of high and mid-range drivers, leaving you with a good degree of clarity. It’s also worth remembering that the ZonePlayer S5 will seem just as attractive to existing Sonos users who have been looking for an all-in-one solution for rooms where sound quality isn’t quite so important. As for the sound quality, it's quite good, comparatively speaking. The Play:5 boasts a total of five drivers: behind the non-removeable grille, a single woofer is flanked by two midrange drivers and a pair of tweeters, each of which are powered by a dedicated digital amplifier. The only problem is that similar to all compact iPod speakers, the drivers are spaced so closely together that you don't get a whole lot in the way of stereo separation (these types of speakers tend to sound best when you're sitting about 4 feet away from them).

Sonos Connect review: Sonos Connect - CNET

In terms of ergonomics, much as I like the Duet’s remote control and menu design, if you plan to do a multi-room system the Sonos controller and the Sonos system’s ability to share sources between ZonePlayers makes it a far more elegant solution. The Sonos system is also easier to set up and much simpler to expand. Finally, each Sonos ZonePlayer can support an independent NAS hard drive, so you can access multiple libraries of digital music. You can’t do with the Logitech Duet.

A major part of Sonos's appeal and meteoric rise in popularity lies in its hugely simple set-up process.

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Wireless Range and Amplifier Design Innovations Deliver State of the Art Multi-Room Music Experience There’s no way to create a 5.1 system, though, as there’s no output for a centre channel. Sonos says that isn't an issue as it creates a phantom centre channel through careful, precise processing.Carnoy, David (20 November 2009). "Sonos ZonePlayer S5 review". CNET . Retrieved 4 November 2016– via CBS Interactive.