Demystifying Sonos
So, you want to be able to listen to music in your home, but you don’t want to carry around a Bluetooth speaker with your phone, turn on that old clock radio, or deal with volume control knobs and stereo equipment from 1980s. If you think there has to be a better way, you’re right. It’s Sonos.
Sonos is a wireless music delivery system that streams music services from the Internet (like Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody, Radio by TuneIn, and many others) and music from your personal library through standalone powered speakers, in-ceiling or bookshelf speakers, or a home theater system. All Sonos equipment is easily controllable by a free app on a phone, tablet, or computer. Sonos equipment comes in three basic categories-
Self-powered Speakers
Sonos offers three speakers that only need to be plugged into a power outlet and connected to a Wi-Fi network before they can begin streaming beautiful music. The Sonos Play:1, Play:3, and Play:5 are powered speakers that are typically placed on a tabletop, desk, or kitchen counter and provide instant access to your favorite music. The Play:1 and Play:3 are perfect in small to mid-sized rooms, while the Play:5 has enough power to fill larger rooms with music. Any Play series speaker can be used individually or as a stereo pair for enhanced sound quality.
Home Theater
TV sound isn’t what it used to be. Speakers on new LED TVs are small and are not-front firing. We hear complaints on a daily basis about the poor quality of TV sound, and how difficult it is to understand dialogue on a TV show or movie.
Sonos offers an incredible solution to this common problem, the Sonos Playbar. Alone, the Sonos Playbar provides greatly enhanced sound quality for TV shows and movies, and also streams music. Pair the Sonos Playbar with a Sonos Sub for deep, room-filling bass. Surround sound is easy to achieve by adding a pair of Play:1 or Play:3 speakers in the back of your living room or bedroom. The rear speakers only need to be plugged into power outlets, which makes a surround sound system possible in almost any house.
Components
If you have a stereo or surround sound setup that you want to stream music through, a Sonos Connect hooks into any stereo or surround sound receiver and allows you to stream music through your existing speakers.
The Sonos Connect Amp is our favorite Sonos component because of its versatility and amazing ease of use. Do you have a room where you want to listen to music, but don’t have anywhere to set a Play:3 or bookshelf speakers? Mount speakers in-ceiling or in-wall, and wire them into a Sonos Connect Amp, and you’re in business. Outside speakers can be plugged into Sonos Connect Amps to fill your yard or patio with sound. The source and volume of every Sonos Connect Amp can be controlled independently, or if there are multiple Sonos Connect Amps in a house, they can be controlled as group during a party.
If you love music, but hate the hassle of finding a CD and playing it in an old system, or are tired of a song cutting out during the best part because your phone’s connection to a Bluetooth speaker dropped out, it’s time to stream with Sonos. Once you experience how easy it is to fill a room with music, your house will never be quiet again.
