I have been a big fan of Sonos for a couple years now. In looking for the easiest way to get my music from my computer to my stereo, Sonos provided an elegant, cost effective solution. The set up is super simple, and the sound quality is good, and the features are outstanding. The only thing that made me hesitant in referring it to some people, was the price. But now Sonos is lowering their prices a bit with their new product, the Sonos Play:3.
Originally Sonos sold a product that just allowed you to hook up to your own stereo. They then put out a couple nice powered bookshelf speakers, which I’m sure sounded good, but still didn’t really feel like an elegant solution. But then Sonos put out the Sonos 5, which was a portable all-in-one speaker solution. You simply installed the Sonos Zone Bridge, which cost $99, and then place your Sonos 5 where you want music, and viola, you got tunes.
This was a great solution for my mother, who I set up with an iPad, a Napster account and a Sonos Bridge and Sonos 5 speaker. She then had a simple way of getting any music should would want on to a speaker.
The Sonos 5 originally cost $400, and the Bridge was another $100. So the base system would start out at least $500, if you had an iPhone or iPod Touch to play music from. But now with the Sonos Play:3, you have a less expensive alternative. The Play:3 is $300, and the Bridge has been reduced to $50. So if you were outfitting three rooms for sound, you previously would have had to pay $1,300. But with the new system options and pricing, you can do a three room system for $950. I think that starts to put it within the range of an average consumer.
I haven’t heard the sound quality of the Play:3 yet, but early review seem promising. So if you’re looking for a solution to get your personal music, Spotify, Rhapsody, Napster, MOG, Pandora, XM and thousands of other music channels, through out the house, you might want to check out the Sonos Play:3.
