[August 26, 2011] Wireless music system makes for easy listening Tweet Aug 26, 2011 (The Dallas Morning News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- When I was growing up, one of my friends had an intercom system in his house. I thought this was cool on several levels. First, his mom could call him for dinner without yelling. Also, the system could play music in every room of the house. I never forgot that system. The technology wasn't state of the art, but it did the job. So I've constantly been on the lookout for a new and cool way of playing music in my house. When I got the email to review the new Sonos Play:3 wireless music system, it brought a rush of memories from my youth. These days, your computer or even an iPhone has replaced that big wall-mounted base station that the old intercom system used. And small wireless speakers bring the music to any spot in your home within reach of an electrical outlet. Sonos products are well regarded. However, I wouldn't exactly call them inexpensive. The Play:3 ($299, www.sonos.com) is a small wireless box that contains three speakers and three dedicated digital amplifiers. It connects to your home network, either through an Ethernet connection or a Sonos Wireless Bridge ($49). You can place as many Play:3 boxes around the house as you like. The setup could hardly be simpler. Connect the bridge to your router and press a button on top to get it started. Then plug in a Play:3 anywhere within wireless range and press a button to pair the speaker with the bridge. Stream stations, too The system is controlled with Sonos software for the Mac or Windows PC and can stream music from any computer or network-attached storage drive. The Sonos software doesn't need iTunes or any other software to run. You point it to the folder where your music is stored, and it just works. The Sonos software is also great for streaming more than 100,000 Internet radio stations. Type in your ZIP code and a complete list of local stations appears ready to play. I was able to find every station in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that streams online. It was also interesting to sample from other cities and countries. I'm a fan of Cajun music, and being able to stream KRVS, a public radio station from Lafayette, La., was a real treat. The Sonos Desktop Controller can also stream music services such as Pandora and Spotify. Here's a cool feature. Once you start streaming a service, the stream comes directly from the Internet, not through your computer. So you can close your laptop and the music continues. Also, the Sonos system can be controlled from your iPhone, iPad or Android phone with free Sonos apps. Different music can be played on each Play:3, or group them together into zones and have them all play the same thing. You can even group two Play:3 boxes together to make a stereo pair. Now, $600 is an awful lot to pay for a pair of stereo speakers. However, cost isn't a deterrent for everyone. Versatile speakers The Play:3 speakers sound great. They can be placed vertically or horizontally, and moving them around is as easy as finding a new place to plug them into the wall. It's a simple way to get music out to your backyard, but they're not waterproof, so don't put them in a splash zone. The Play:3 is Sonos' cheapest home speaker so far, but at $300 each, it's still on the expensive side. My kitchen and bedroom already have good small sound systems that I'd love to join to a Sonos system. Sonos has another product, the Connect, a small box that lets you use your own powered speakers or home stereo to play music. However, the Connect costs $349. If Sonos would drop the price of the Connect to say, $99, I'd be in for at least two. I guess a man can dream. SONOS PLAY:3: Pros: Easy, fast setup. All the music sources you could want. Very expandable system. Nice sound. Cons: The price is hard to swallow. Bottom line: If you've got the cash, Sonos has a great system for you. ___ (c)2011 The Dallas Morning News Visit The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]