Music from the home network - so easy

Music from the home network - so easy


Stereos were yesterday, network music players today. With a wireless active speaker-level price for the Sonos wants to make its streaming technology, potential customers now more palatable. Whether something so small can also sound good?
Sonos is the view out of Play: 3, a price-cutter: 299 €, the new network music player costs in the online shop of the manufacturer, it is exactly 100 € cheaper than the previous Sonos starter model, the Play: 5 Like the larger model, the Play: 3 does not own memory and no CD drive, but plays music that he finds for example on the hard drives of networked computers. So just right for someone like me who nachweint the CD does not tear.
Conventional music systems can satisfy this predilection for little networked music sources, wireless music player does. They bring to music over the wireless home network, browse the networked computer after playable material and bring the program to the sound of internet radio stations. With just these players allows Sonos has developed in recent years, a good reputation. Among other things, because they are team players, can be extended to almost any large multi-room systems by hinkauft new Sonos player.
Have been three: And that's probably also the intention for the development of the Play One wants to retain existing customers who want to expand their existing system favorable to another win new customers by lowering the entry price.
A bit of accessories please
Where the player is only half the battle alone. Although the installation is done with a few simple steps, the players involved, even without knowledge of networking into the home network, a network cable, but then you need to connect the player to your DSL router. Exactly this cable can be replaced when you buy the Sonos Bridge, a 49 € expensive wireless router, which is a "SonosNet" spans and to all the other Sonos devices with wireless data connections. With conventional wireless router itself does not understand the Sonos.
The second recommended accessory is a Network Attached Storage (NAS) to which it outsources its music files. Music is such a memory on the network and the PC is filled with music, you can turn off his computer to save energy and still play by: listen to the entire music collection 3.
Control via App
A clear shortcoming is that the play: 3 included no remote control. The obvious reason is that Sonos can only be controlled device via a graphical user interface. A simple remote control, how to use them for the TV goes, this is not enough. The offered by Sonos Sonos remote control does have a large color display, with a price of 349 € but quite expensive.
An alternative is the free control software that is available for Windows and Mac OS X. For one must, however, will still be running a computer, what would be listening to music on the sofa rather annoying. The solution of choice are therefore also the free apps, the Sonos for Android phones, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch offers, and have about the same functionality as the expensive Sonos remote.
Sounds twice better
The system is prepared so the honeymoon is skepticism that from such a small box like the Play: 3 may no ordinary sound, after a few minutes. I do not know what tricks the developers have come up, but the mite produces a soundscape that is considerably larger than himself, even in comparison with the larger and more expensive play: five beats to the playlist: 3 well. To mid volume levels the sound is balanced and round. Even parties should seek to sound for as long as you do not celebrate in a gym. Only the bass come even more into the background, the higher you turn up the volume.
Sonos advertises that the Play: 3 contains a sensor that detects whether the box was placed vertically or horizontally, and adjusts the sound accordingly. In the test when moving the box to hear, however, no significant difference. But maybe that's just been the target.
A measure whose effect is, however, can immediately and very clearly heard, is the installation of a second Play: 3 If the first one together with the use in a space that can combine the two speakers to a stereo pair that still sounds much better times than the individual boxes. 3 is not only a boom box, but an entire stereo system: stereo pair as two play replace. At a price of 650 € (including bridge) not a bad offer.