Sonos

Audio
November 24, 2014
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Featured
Holiday Buying Guide Wireless Speakers

The holidays are almost here: These are the best wireless speakers you can buy

By on November 24, 2014 at 4:05 PM.

The holidays are almost here: These are the best wireless speakers you can buy

In-home speaker systems have made a huge comeback over the past couple of years. Wireless has made all the difference, of course, because it makes listening to music at home easy and convenient. Gone are the days when streaming music throughout your house required thousands of dollars worth of equipment and professional installation. Now, you just need to purchase a few wireless speakers.

Since the category has become so popular though, the number of options on the market has ballooned. Weeding through them all and finding the right speaker can be very difficult, so we’ve done or best to identify the five top options that will appeal to the widest range of users.  More →

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Featured
January 13, 2014
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SmartThings Home Automation

The Boy Genius Report: Why Home Automation is Being Disrupted

By on January 13, 2014 at 10:45 AM.

The Boy Genius Report: Why Home Automation is Being Disrupted

The entire home automation industry is about to be upended by startups. Companies that are starting out small have a clear and concise vision: one in which your home and the many things in it can all communicate and work seamlessly with each other.

I have been looking for the perfect way to automate a room, a whole floor, and an entire house for the past ten years and have consistently been disappointed. Disappointed with the integration, the cost, the flexibility, and the ease of use. More →

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Audio
October 14, 2013
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Sonos PLAY:1 Hands-on

Sonos PLAY:1 becomes a less expensive Trojan Horse for just $199

By on October 14, 2013 at 9:00 AM.

Sonos PLAY:1 becomes a less expensive Trojan Horse for just $199

The barrier to entry in the world of Sonos has normally been reasonably high. The company’s products sell in the $400 plus range, with the Sonos PLAYBAR retailing for $699. On Monday, however, Sonos is introducing the PLAY:1, a portable speaker that’s smaller and more compact than the PLAY:5 and PLAY:3, and less expensive as well. It sells for $199 and while it features just one speaker (instead of three and five for the other PLAY units, respectively), it really packs a punch. More →

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Audio
March 4, 2013
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Sonos PLAYBAR Review

The Boy Genius Report: Sonos’ PLAYBAR takes over the living room

By on March 4, 2013 at 9:00 AM.

The Boy Genius Report: Sonos’ PLAYBAR takes over the living room

I’ve been using Sonos’ brand new PLAYBAR for over a week, but it was apparent that the product is a hit even after just a few hours of use. The Sonos PLAYBAR is a sound bar, a high quality bar-shaped speaker enclosure that can be mounted below your television on the wall, or placed on your entertainment console to combine three front speakers into one. What makes the Sonos PLAYBAR so amazing is that it finally tackles a space that was so confusing, so commercialized, and so devoid of any innovation whatsoever. More →

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Audio
February 12, 2013
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Sonos PLAYBAR Release Date

Sonos steps into the home theater space with the PLAYBAR

By on February 12, 2013 at 9:01 AM.

Sonos steps into the home theater space with the PLAYBAR

Sonos has long been the best modular audio system you could put into your home for unlimited music in every room, but now the company is changing the game. With the introduction of the Sonos PLAYBAR, a sound bar for your television and home theater set up, you’re now able to use Sonos’ existing speakers and subwoofer along with the PLAYBAR to provide wireless, high-definition audio for your movie and TV-watching experience. More →

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Entertainment
August 9, 2011
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Sonos PLAY:3 hands-on

By on August 9, 2011 at 3:36 PM.

Sonos PLAY:3 hands-on

Sonos released a new sibling in their audio lineup recently, and it’s called the PLAY:3. You can think of it as a smaller PLAY:5 (what used to be called the S5), and it is definitely up to par with the level of quality that Sonos is known for. There isn’t an actual subwoofer, rather a tweeter and a couple mid-range speakers, though the unit does offer decent bass and low-end performance. You can also create a stereo pair with two PLAY:3 units if you’d like, using one for a left channel and one for the right channel to fill your entire room with audio. The fact you can add all kinds of music services like Spotify, Pandora, Napster, Rhapsody, Rdio, Last.fm, iheartradio and many more, including your local iTunes library, is straight up mind blowing — all your music in true Sonos fashion is at your fingertips, and it just works. At $299, the PLAY:3 makes jumping into a Sonos setup relatively inexpensive, and a setup consisting of a few PLAY:3 units and PLAY:5 units can really create the perfect music listening experience in your home.

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Apps & Software
April 19, 2011
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Sonos now supports Apple AirPlay with system update, Android app goes live

By on April 19, 2011 at 9:00 AM.

Sonos now supports Apple AirPlay with system update, Android app goes live

It’s no secret that we absolutely love Sonos’ music systems, and it’s also no secret that we have a boatload of Apple and Android devices laying around. Just now, Sonos has announced that not only is the company’s Android controller app finally available, but a new system update for its devices will be bringing Apple AirPlay support. Additionally, fans of Sonos will be happy to hear that even though you might be streaming audio from your iOS device to your Sonos system, Sonos still supports party mode — bumping tunes throughout every Sonos zone. The Sonos Android controller is available now from Android Market and the Sonos 3.4 system update is available as well. Press release after the break! More →

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Apps & Software
February 10, 2011
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Sonos Controller for Android coming soon [video]

By on February 10, 2011 at 10:31 AM.

Sonos Controller for Android coming soon [video]

It’s finally coming, folks. Sonos told us that an Android client was by far the most requested item (and even noted how passionate Android users were about it). Sonos said that the client has been baking for a long time, and one of the reasons for the long lead time was to make sure they could support as many Android devices as possible — since there are varying screen sizes, form factors, etc. There are some nifty features with the Android version of the Sonos Controller, too, like music controls directly mapped to your the Android menu keys on your device, and even the ability to control the volume of the Sonos system via the volume rocker on your handset, and even use voice search to find that specific song you’re looking for. Sonos is bringing the Android client to demo at MWC next month, and the public release is set for the end of March. Video demo after the break! More →

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Audio
September 29, 2010
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Sonos Controller app for Apple iPad now available

By on September 29, 2010 at 2:45 PM.

Sonos Controller app for Apple iPad now available

We checked out Sonos’ Controller app for the iPad a little while ago before it was in final form, but last night, dear music lovers, the highly-thought out remote went live in Apple’s App Store. Pricing is set to free in typical Sonos fashion. Well, what do we think about the app? It is an incredibly rich remote experience that in some ways even performs better than the regular desktop application. The larger screen of the iPad means more information, more control, and makes using the music player and service incredibly easy and rewarding. Video of the app after the break! More →

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General
September 23, 2010
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Sonos introduces Wireless Dock for multiroom wireless iPod enjoyment

By on September 23, 2010 at 8:50 AM.

Sonos introduces Wireless Dock for multiroom wireless iPod enjoyment

You know we love us some Sonos gear around these parts, and Sonos’ latest announcement definitely caught our attention. Today at CEDIA, Sonos introduced the Sonos Wireless Dock. Its purpose? To let you inject all of your tunes from your iPod or iPhone seamlessly into your existing Sonos wireless network. This means regardless of however many zones you have set up, all of your music will be instantly, and of course wirelessly accessible. While there’s a good chance you’d have most of the music you’d want to play from your iPod already on your computer, and your computer already hooked up to the Sonos network, the product makes sense if you’re a notebook type of guy (something not always connected), or if you have a bunch of guests that come over. Just plug in their iPod and you’re rockin’ out. It launches “by the end of October” for $119. More →

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Audio
June 22, 2010
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Sonos Controller gets iPad upgrade

By on June 22, 2010 at 12:58 PM.

Sonos Controller gets iPad upgrade

sonos_ipad_horiz

The good folks at Sonos just stopped by our office to give us a preview of their brand new Controller application for the Apple iPad, and boy is it sexy. If you’re a Sonos fan (you know we are) and you have an iPad, this will be a no-brainer when it’s released within the next two months in the App Store for free. For starters, just by taking advantage of the extra screen real estate, the software guys at Sonos have masterfully developed a three column view that just looks incredibly slick and functions even better. We’re talking a completely new spin on the Sonos remote control experience, and we can easily see these things taking over living rooms, kitchen tables, and practically anywhere else music is listened to. More →

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Featured
February 17, 2010
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Sonos Multi-room Music System Review: S5, ZoneBridge, Controller 200

By on February 17, 2010 at 1:59 PM.

Sonos Multi-room Music System Review: S5, ZoneBridge, Controller 200

Sonos-Review-2

It’s pretty incomprehensible that until about two weeks ago, I had never used a piece of Sonos equipment. Heard about it, and read about it? Sure, but never used it. What MP3s did for personal audio enjoyment 5 years ago, Sonos does for your home, office, or wherever you want today, ingeniously creating a seamless and practically unlimited expandable system. Sonos is literally one of the coolest things I’ve seen in years; not because they reinvented the wheel (even though they kind of did in some places), but because it works. More →

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