Sonos ZonePlayer S5 all-in-one speaker system now available
By Donald Melanson 
posted Nov 3rd 2009 2:25PM
posted Nov 3rd 2009 2:25PM
We managed to get a early hands-on look at Sonos' new S5 all-in-one speaker system last month, and if that got you intrigued you'll no doubt be pleased to know that the rig is now available in the US for the slightly premium price of $399. That will get you all the usual wireless connectivity you'd expect from a Sonos ZonePlayer (minus the need to purchase additional speakers), plus support for the Sonos Controller iPhone app (but no actual iPhone / iPod dock), and of course some "room-filling" sound, which we found did actually live up to its promise. Still confused about the whole thing? Head on past the break for a video.
people have to move this around the house as they cant afford a 2nd unit, even if they could afford one.
What are you saying? It doesn't look that big. It could easily be moved from room-to-room.
Oh yea?
Basically he's saying, "People would have to move this around because no way can someone afford a second unit for another room even if they could afford the first."
nice
I laughed when she received a text message asking "drinks at 6?" you would think they would edit that out. Maybe she's an alcoholic, which in that case I would slip her a Mickie, gigidy gigidy-goo
um, that was intended.
Yeah it was definitely intended, but the way they edited the clip it seemed unintentional until you heard her talk about receiving a call or text a few seconds later.
she looks like a heavy drinker
I think that was intended because the audience was supposed to be adults…
Sonos for the sexy win.
This is the Component of the ecosystem iPhone advantage that iPhone has over allllll cell manufacturers. That's y iPhone is the standard.
Is this "mediocre sound quality in a cheap plastic frame for ungodly prices" fad ever going to end? I mean enough is enough? What ever happened to good old fashioned sound quality?
Please refrain from comments until you actually hear the sound from the product. Is the fad of biased BS comments without ever seeing/hearing/using the product ever going to end?!
The answer to both your question and mine...probably not. :)
Please refrain from *attempting* to be witty, until you can do so without looking like an ass. My wife and I, both participate in Amazon's Vine program and routinely are given pre-sale items to review. This happened to be one of them (along with another Sonos product coming to market this season). And as I said previously, it sounded mediocre.
Now, run along and continue trying to impress everyone with your sly and witty comments. This time, however, might I suggest knowing for certain that someone has or hasn't had experience with a product, BEFORE calling them on it? Just a suggestion.
It's certainly expensive compared to the Boom, but the feature set isn't bad for the price, especially since Sonos charges the very same price for an amp with an internet connection. How do you find the sound compares to the Boom, since that's really what this device is up against?
@flurie: I personally find the sound of the Squeezebox to be much more full and find the bass to be more punchy. But I still don't find either particularly great. Although speaker design has come a LONG way, the basic physics of a properly built/sized enclosure provide a much better listening experience. That being said, we ARE talking about tabletop device, so take it for what it's worth. If I were left to decide between this unit and the SB, I would go with the SB every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Is this "mediocre sound quality in a cheap plastic frame for ungodly prices" fad ever going to end?
_____________________
Since its not ending its not a fad dum dum.
Any device that puts more music in peoples lives is what its about.
Sorry Sonos doesn't live up to your high audiophile expectations but then again maybe its not marketed to you.
A.) Dum dum? How old are you, like 10?
B.) Nowhere in my reply did I even attempt to classify myself as an "audiophile". Much to the contrary. I just appreciate good sound and products like this are slowly pushing products that actually sound good into non-existence. Putting music into peoples lives is wonderful, but not if it comes at the cost of shitty SQ.
Now, if you think you can talk like a grown-up, I'll be more than happy to continue this discussion. If not, then join the other commenter in the "I'm trying to impress people by making ridiculous comments" section and enjoy your evening.
I am in the market for something like this - I've checked out the Squeezebox, but it doesn't seem as 'girlfriend friendly' as the Sonos solution - nothing against girlfriends in general - just mine.
Also - TomServo - you are an Ass. Not because of your electronics preferences but because of all the negativity you're spewing, You should learn the difference between being snarky and being a d*ck.
I of course, don't want to be left out of your manhate fest so do me next! Please?
http://reviews.cnet.com/audio-system-components/sonos-bundle-bu250/4505-6462_7-33730044.html
dum dum should note the mesh networking technology (Sonoset) used by Sonos is superior to the Squeezebox's simple wifi audio streaming that's prone to interference.
dum dum shouldn't knock a product he doesn't understand.
Slimdevices Boombox is as versatle and a retails for a lot less.
I highly recomment the Squeezebox system over the Sonos.
Sonos looks nice but is considerable more expensive for basically the same feature sets.
The deal breaker for me was finding out that Sonos has a limit on how many music files you can have in your collection.
The limit is somewhere around 60,000 files in the best case scenario and that is only if your music files have very limited tag information and the if the filenames are small. The Squeezebox has no limit at all.
Don't forget Sonos uses a proprietary networking technology for music distribution, Squeeze piggybacks on your computer wlan. Also you didn't factor in the computer server squeeze needs, whereas Sonos can pick its music off a standard NAS device, which are cheap and don't use much energy. Where Squeezeboxes are "dumb" clients, Sonos Zoneplayers actually have all the smarts built in, and require no external processing power. This costs more money, but provides a smoother operation. You are comparing a computer gadget with an appliance.
The independent music and volume control per zone player is nice.
My home setup uses a couple of AirPort Express to stream iTunes to the living room and dining room, and the Apple Remote App for the controls. I would love to have independent volume contol via AirTunes.
Firstly, I have it on good authority that Amazon Vine didn't have any of these units to preview. I would take the opinion of anyone who claimed they heard the S5 through this program prior to its shipping 2 days ago with an entire ocean full of salt, especially when they are hyping another vendor's player.
Not only have I actually heard the S5, but I have one. Comparing it to cheap, low-end devices like the Logitech Boom is a joke. A proper comparison should be made with things like the Bose and B&W Zeppelin devices which it easily competes or exceeds, and at a lower price. What is more it also does more, as it's part of an easy to use streaming system that can grow to a full, perfectly syncing whole-house music system.
Sonos is the only system in this price range which was designed from the ground up to provide high-quality audio whilst providing perfect sync between units. It's the only system which has consistently shown it's capable of doing real multi-room audio and has done from the day it was launched. It doesn't require user tweaking or hacks to make it work.
You can literally get this thing up and running and streaming music from your PC in 10 minutes, and that includes unpacking it. There's no server software to install. It will work with a standard music share on any PC or Mac. You can just point it at your iTunes or other music collection, give it a few minutes to index it, and you are going. You can plug your iPod or favourite music player into the line in to use it as a speaker dock or to stream your iPod around the whole house.
The sound quality is superb. Even at full volume it doesn't distort, and full volume is VERY loud. The sound quality you get from this is remarkable for the size and price, ranging from deep, tight bass to spacious and clean treble, with a balanced midrange.
So don't take the word of those with an axe to grind. Seek out one of these beauties and listen to it for yourself. There are cheaper systems, but they are cheaper for a reason. Sonos may be more expensive, but it's better value.
I will also point out that Sonos only has a track limit if you don't use it with a server. Other products which claim to have no limit do this because they require a server with proprietary software to be set up and maintained. Sonos doesn't require this for normal sized music collections.
If you are one of the small number of people who have a massive music collection, you can use this with Sonos by running a server app on a PC to give you an equivalent system with unlimited tracks. You can also subscribe to one of the music services which gives you access to millions of tracks at your fingertips.
Got mine, actually sounds good.