Sonos Play:3

It used to be that installing a networked entertainment system cost just as much as an extension on your house! Sonos has recently undergone a makeover, and the company is trying to lure customers who want the convenience of "play anywhere" music, but don't want to spend a fortune.

The Sonos Play:3 is one of the first all-in-one streaming music systems available under the magical AU$500 mark, and it's controllable from your PC or smartphone for free!

Design and features

Cast a cursory glance at the Sonos Play:3, and you'll be forgiven for thinking that this is a Bluetooth speaker in the vein of the Creative D200. Little on the unit gives things away, with only a couple of volume controls on top. But around the back, you will find an Ethernet port and something that looks like a wireless antenna port (but is actually a screw hole for the wall mount). The box does have a wireless connection, though: the company's own SonosNet 2.0, an encrypted, peer-to-peer wireless mesh network. Users have the choice of using the Play:3 as a stand (wired) or buying a Sonos Bridge (AU$79) to enable the wireless mode.

The Play:3 system is understated in a black/dark grey colour scheme, and is very well made, with a rubber trim and back that help to prevent slippage when mounted vertically or horizontally. It's a compact unit, too, yet still manages to pack in a tweeter, two mid-range drivers and a rear-mounted bass radiator. The whole system is driven by a digital amplifier, and if you're looking for more coverage, it's possible to drive a second unit in the same room and link them as a stereo pair.

The Sonos ecosystem features free software controllers for Mac, PC, iOS and Android. Hardcore Sonos fans can also buy a dedicated touchscreen controller, the Sonos Control, for AU$549.

The system features playback of MP3, iTunes Plus, WMA (including purchased Windows Media downloads), AAC (MPEG4), Ogg Vorbis, Audible (format 4), Apple Lossless and Flac (lossless) music files, as well as uncompressed WAV and AIFF files. Support is limited to sample rates of 48kHz or lower, and while that's not as much of an issue now, we can see this being a limiting factor in the future, as high bit-rate formats gain in popularity.

The system also supports several streaming services, and while most are US-centric, Australians are able to sign up to Sony's Anubis (based on Music Unlimited for Qriocity, but dedicated to Sonos). The more adventurous Sonos users will find a way to circumvent the US requirement for the other offerings, we're sure.

Performance

At this end of the market, the Sonos does everything that it says on the packet, and is easy to set up. Simply connect the box to your network, or, if you have the bridge set, your software to look for the new box, and then press and hold two buttons — and you're sorted!

The software is easy to use, and after using several different iPod-centric controllers, including Cambridge Audio's UuVol and Naim's n-Tune, we must say that the Sonos app is our favourite. It's powerful — performing all of the functions of the Sonos desktop version — but is still easy to use and by far the fastest of the apps. Unlike Cambridge Audio's app, you can also control volume for not only one unit but also all of the Sonos clients dotted around the house — individually, or as a group. Great for parties!

As the Sonos is roughly the price of most iPod docks, it's of no surprise that it performs to a similar, if not better, level. If you're looking for a larger-than-life performance, then this is certainly not the right product due to the small size of the unit — but it is able to perfectly capture the intimacy and immediacy of any performance.

The unit has an even sound balance, with a slight treble boost, and the bass radiator is able to dig around in the bottom of most songs and extract something useful. Mmmmm ... bass potatoes.

While we wouldn't trust most iPod docks at this price to run a party, we have no such reservations with the Sonos: it's able to go plenty loud without a loss of fidelity. Dance to it, you can.

The only drawback: stereo mode. While we found that it was easy to pair two speakers together, we weren't at all convinced with the results. While you could feel immersed in sound if you sat close enough to the speakers, there was no sense of a soundstag. Playing music that deliberately sweeps between the speakers confirmed a hole in the sound field at the midpoint. We are hopeful that this is a simple software fix, as a stereo image is something even a cheap mini-system can do.

While some people like to mount their speakers on stands, this is sadly not possible with the Play:3. The rubber feet are quite small, and too far apart to touch most supports. Sitting the speakers on stands caused the cabinets to move around, and we had to jump out of our seats to catch them. The Play:3 is for desktops only.

Conclusions

While the system is lacking in high-end features, the Sonos Play:3 offers so much in terms of convenience and outright fun that we're not sure anyone would dare mind. It's cheap, it's easy to set up and it simply wipes the floor with most iPod docks.