Sonos Play: 5, King multi-room audio

The California-based company that for years has focused its business in multi-room audio sector has, in recent months, launched the second version of your Sonos Play: 5.

Over time, the way we listen to music has changed for everyone, and even fairly radical. Have changed formats, media, music genres, the habits of audio listeners and, of course, they have changed the means through which we listen to music, or the speakers.

Let us put aside audiophiles, category that is a different story and which is certainly not facing the kind of products which we will talk. The attention of the consumer in the field of domestic listening it is increasingly moving towards solutions able to offer definitely a good quality but also ease of installation and undoubtedly ease of management, particularly if it is a multizone system.

From this point of view, one of the brands in vogue at the moment is definitely Sonos. The company based in Santa Barbara, California, is a relatively young in the technological landscape. Established in 2002, it has seen its success grow steadily, as to be considered now one of the most interesting profiles in this area.

Sonos HiFi is essentially a multi-room wireless system that can be assembled in a modular fashion, or by adding a piece at a time. In practice: you can start with a basic configuration, for example a box, and then gradually increase the number of units, adding amplifiers, subwoofers and speakers, like a Lego audio. All this – we repeat – without any wiring.

Sonos HiFi works exploiting the Internet home in two ways: either from a simple Wi-Fi, or in large spaces or where the Wi-Fi network is not so reliable, attacking a Sonos component to your router and activating direct communication between the speakers (that will use so a dedicated wireless network). This way, you will avoid the classic problem of synchronization latency in typical Bluetooth’s connections and AirDrop.

Of course, the system offers the best when he works to complete, or at least in the enlarged training. For example: combining an amplifier with a soundbar (Playbar) to stick to the television and a pair of satellite speakers to be placed in the corners of the house.

A configuration of this type, it is evident, increases the sound output and, at the same time, the combinations of listening: it may be decided, for example, to concentrate the entire system in the living room to make a kind of home theater, or leave the soundbar in the living room and bring two speakers to remote locations.

One of the features of Sonos HiFi resides in the ability to achieve more of a sound environment, to be played in sync or separately. Ideal if you want to see the game at full volume while your wife is in the room listening to the Fifth Symphony of Beethoven.

The sonic performances of the system are respected. Sonos HiFi offers excellent dynamic range, with a good balance between low and high frequencies. Obviously, the presence of an amplifier and a subwoofer can make a difference, but also with a simpler configuration (for example, example with two speakers and Sonos Play: 1 or a unique diffuser Sonos Play: 5) listening is of great impact.

We are not speaking of perfection, mind you. Are commercially available stereo systems most efficient (and obviously more expensive), and to want closer some functions have been neglected (DTS and tracks in high resolution, for example, are not supported, and listening to the TV is allowed – via optical cable – only through Playbar), but overall we are looking at a solution that can satisfy both the novice listener is the most advanced.

Sonos Play: 5 – Description

• Five speakers designed specially with five dedicated digital amplifiers.
• Listen to streaming your entire music library, music services more widespread and Internet radio.
• Easy to install; control from anywhere via smartphone, tablet or PC / Mac.
• Parties with one, add one or more devices over time to fill all the house of music.
• SONOS PLAY: 5, power cord, flat Ethernet cable, Quick-Start Guide Sonos with installation CD.

The speaker line called Play is undoubtedly the support ring of the current offer of the American company and has three different levels of price and quality. Sonos Play 1 is the entry level series, the midrange Sonos Play: 3 and Sonos Play: 5, of course, the solution of the higher end. The range is then completed by Sonos SUB, a subwoofer as the name suggests, and playbars, a sound bar perfect to match the TV in your home.