Sonos Digital Music System

It's not often we see a piece of kit that makes our jaws drop, but the Sonos Digital Music System did exactly that.

It's far more expensive than any other streaming device we've seen, but then it's aimed at a difference audience. Whereas the Negear MP101 or Pinnacle Showcenter will send music on your PC to a single set of speakers, the Sonos serves as a wireless music system for your entire home.

Best of all, it's remarkably easy to set up. Simply connect a Zoneplayer (the receiver) to your router and hook it up to some speakers; each Zoneplayer houses a 50w per channel amp. Point the server software at your music collection and you're away.

Up to 32 wireless Zoneplayers can be connected at once, each controlled by a single, and very stylish, wireless remote with a 3.5in colour display. The remote is used to navigate tracks, adjust volume levels in each zone and specify what tracks should be playing where. The same track can be played in each zone without echoing.

Just about every audio format is supported, but not WMA files with DRM. It will, however, connect to internet radio stations. Most important of all, sound quality is exceptional.

Impressively, music can even be encoded on the fly from Zoneplayer's line-in port. Plug in an audio source to one Zoneplayer and it will broadcast to the rest in real time.

One annoyance is that a single Zoneplayer must always be connected to your router via an Ethernet cable (not wirelessly).

At £899 inc VAT for the introduction package (two Zoneplayers and the remote) it's incredibly expensive. Then again, it's always going to cost a lot to share MP3s throughout your house in this way, and the Sonos does a terrific job.

See also:

Freecom Mediaplayer-3

Play your media everywhere you go  18 Aug 2005

Creative Wireless Music

A handy remote control helps this media streamer stand out  24 Dec 2004

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