SONOS IN GENERAL
I've been using Sonos since 2009, and it's been FLAWLESS, an ABSOLUTE JOY. I've got instant, automatically-updated access to all of my iTunes TRACKS, ARTISTS, PLAYLISTS AND ALBUMS. Sonos also has an excellent implementation of PANDORA, RHAPSODY, other music services, and INTERNET RADIO. It's such a pleasure to hear them throughout the house and patio, controlled by my iPhone, and with full broadband quality sound.
The FLEXIBILITY and EASE OF USE are equally impressive. Each zone can play any independent track or other music choice, or be instantly grouped (synchronized) with any number of other zones. Even when zones are synchronized, it's so easy and natural to
- control the volume of any individual zone within the group;
- control the volume of the entire group while maintaining your relative levels,
- choose and navigate music for the group just as you would for a single zone.
I've had multi-zone home systems, costing ten times as much, that couldn't do these things.
The ability to SIMULTANEOUSLY PLAY DIFFERENT TRACKS IN DIFFERENT ROOMS from a single iTunes library, located on a single computer, is an impressive technological feat that can not be achieved only with standard AirPlay speakers. (You can also play music from multiple libraries from one or more computers or from networked attached storage, (NAS)). Any or all of those zones can be beautifully controlled by a single iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android, PC, Mac or by any number of such controllers.
[ UPDATE : A note about PROTECTED ITUNES TRACKS on sonos: iTunes tracks bought after 2008 are not protected, and WILL work on sonos and other devices. If you have a lot of earlier, protected, iTunes tracks, they can ALL be converted for a one time total fee of $25: Just subscribe to iTunes Match ($25/yr) and apple will upgrade your tracks to unprotected. Apple allows you to keep your upgraded tacks if you later cancel iTunes Match, but the $25 will not be refunded. IMO, that $25 is a nice price for converting a large library to "play anywhere", and independently, you might decide to keep iTunes Match as I have. ]
I also have an Apple AIRPORT EXPRESS linked to a sonos line-in, so that my friends can stream any ITUNES OR APP music to my sonos system using Apple AIRPLAY from their iPhone. That works well, but sometimes a streaming iPhone will loose its WiFi connection as you move about the house. (Of course, iPhone/Airplay WiFi streaming glitches are not sonos related problems. This is more of an illustration of how a Phone/WiFi streaming system is likely to work.) Nonetheless, it's great to have Airplay available for friends. Some of this can now be accomplished without an Airport Express, since newer versions of the iPhone/iPad/iPod SONOS APP can stream the iDevice's ITUNES tracks (but not other app music) directly to your sonos system over wifi.
My Sonos system has been absolutely flawless, with a CONSISTENT, INTUITIVE INTERFACE, and my iPhone, with its Sonos controller app, is always right there in my pocket, ready to go.
Setup for all of the Sonos zones has been a snap, and the system has been a total joy from day one.
SONOS Play:5
Sounds every bit as good as, or better than my Bose Sound Dock. Looks great. Sets up in seconds, and moves easily between rooms when needed. It can really be cranked up in VOLUME WITHOUT DISTORTION. Perfect.
One requirement to be aware of is that you'll either need to buy a $50 ZoneBridge OR connect this Play:5, OR any other ZonePlayer (ie, a Play:3, Play:5, Sonos-Connect, or Sonos-Connect:Amp) anywhere in your home, directly to your router or LAN with the included ethernet cable. Only one sonos device needs to be hardwired to the router or LAN.
ADVANTAGES in BUYING A SINGLE PLAY:5 (or Play:3) rather than a Bose SoundDock or other docking speaker, if you already have an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Android:
1) CONTROL FROM YOUR SEAT: It's an absolute pleasure to have complete control over what you're listening to, right where you are, keeping the iPod or iphone in your hand or pocket. You don't have to stand up to choose any specific track, playlist, artist, radio station, internet music service, or to see what's playing. And because your iphone is only the controller (you're streaming from your desktop computer hard disk or from the internet, rather than from your iPhone, -- unless you choose to, as noted above) you're not using up valuable iphone battery life or suffering mediocre sound quality, as you might be otherwise. Further, your iPhone is still with you for answering phone calls or using other iphone apps, with no disruption to the music system.
2) INTERNET RADIO: Sonos probably has the worlds best remote control user interface for internet radio. Listen to Pandora, Rhapsody, Sirius, last.fm, Spotify, ALL of your local radio stations (local radio is quick to find, given it's independent menu item. A very nice touch.), or about 100 thousand other internet radio stations, organized by location (country, state, city), or searchable by genre, sub-genre, station name, station number, or radio SHOW name.
3) UPGRADABILITY: Add another zone (or multiple additional zones) at any time in the future and you're set with a multizone system. Also, the system will continue to be just as valuable if you change your phone from an iPhone to an Android or vice versa, which would not be the case with a phone docking speaker or an airplay system.
I should point out that there are some benefits in going with a single Docking Speaker instead:
1) Cost Savings:
2) Some pluses in using a docking speaker away from home. Sonos includes a line in cable that can be used with your smartphone and the play 5 away from home, but the sonos smartphone app won't function as a remote in that case (a typical docking speaker remote WOULD work), and you'd have to take that cable with you.
Final Verdict: I really do love my Play:5 and my entire Sonos system.
