When we built our house we added a small wired multiroom audio system that allowed us to stream media from our central hifi system to the master bathroom as well as the guest bathroom.

We later discovered that it would also be nice to have multiple sound sources in our living areas as well when we were sitting outside. At the time – about 5 years ago – I purchased the Sonos Play 5.

Sonos play 5

We used the Sonos Play 5 mainly in our living room during as well as outside when we had guests over and some nice background music was required. For the relatively small size this speaker has a great sound quality and a surprising deep and full bass. People are always amazed at how much sound this small device generates. They always try to find the big speakers hidden somewhere and when I point out the small Sonos speakers they are always surprised.

This product has since also been updated with a new form factor but the functionality has remained more or less the same.

Sonos connect amp

I quickly realised that even though the Sonos 5 Play was a great speaker, it would sound even better if it could be used together with the already existing speakers of our home cinema system.

Luckily Sonos has this covered with the Sonos Connect Amp. Using this device I could easily connect our existing hifi system to the Sonos environment.

This product has since been upgraded significantly and now offers many additional features like airplay and HDMI support that my older unit did not offer at the time.

Sonos play 1

To get an even better coverage of our living area we added three of the smaller Sonos Play 1 units. I like the design and they integrate really well into our living area. We often use one of them outside in our lounge area where we also have a power supply.

Installation and Setup

What I love about these things is that they are so easy to set up. You just plug it in, press a button and a couple of seconds later the speaker is connected. You can then use the mobile app to change the name and settings of the speaker yourself.

We use an old iPad Mini as a central controller in the living area which works just great.

You can also use a calibration software that is included in the sonos controller app that lets you adjust “tune” all your speakers to your specific room. Honestly I have no idea if this really works – but after calibration I had the feeling the the sound quality was better.

Sonos software

The sonos mobile app allows you to easily add third party services like Spotify or Tunein which we use every day. It works great and the interface has been redesigned several times to make it really easy to use.

I also use the controller app on my iMac which also works flawlessly and integrates well with our existing iTunes library.

Using sonos speakers with other services

Much later I also integrated the Sonos speakers with my myStrom wifi button. With a press of a button and using the IFTTT service you can for example play your favourite tuneIn radio station in one or all of your rooms. Check out the review here.

Verdict

I was afraid that Sonos might go out of business after Apple announced their own speakers. But Sonos keeps innovating and adding new products regularly and I am still very happy with the Sonos products that we use every day.

If you are looking for a good and easy to set up multiroom sound solution you should check out what Sonos has to offer.

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