Sonos PLAY:3 Black - The Wireless Hi-Fi

I have just recieved my new Sonos Play:3 - Black from Amazon and as usual delivery was ahead of time. 5 stars.

It took less than 10 minutes to unpack, plug in the Play 3 to the mains and play music, absolutely excellent. I already have a Sonos Play:5 Black (Sonos Systems ZonePlayer - S5 Black) and whilst the sound from it benefits from 5 speakers the Play 3 is not far behind it with only 3 speakers. I would echo other comments about a Sonos Bridge (Sonos ZoneBridge) as it just adds so much flexibility to any set up. With a Zonebridge I can move play 3 or 5 to anywhere in the house or even outside. I have never experienced any loss of wireless signal which is something that cannot be said of Virgin Medias Superhub.

I have a Last.fm account and since joining in February 2011 have listened to over 7000 tracks free and having seen comments abouts Napster and Spotify may well take out subs to them too.

All of our family's music is stored on an Iomega Home Media Network 2TB Hard Drive which means no more needing to leave a power hungry laptop running to listen to music. To control my Sonos system I downloaded the Android app to my Samsung I9000 Galaxy S Mobile Phone and it is so simple to use.

Having 2 Sonos Players means that I can listen to the same music throughout the house at different volumes or if I prefer the same voilume on both units by linking the players together. alternatively I can listen to one player whilst another family member can listen to their choice of music on the other.

If you have not taken the plunge go for it. You will never listen to music through anything else.

Update 24/4/2012

I have added a second Play 3 to my collection of Sonos players. I have created a stereo pair of Play 3s and as usual the process was so easy. Stereo separation is excellent. Well worth the additional cost.

As always with purchases as expensive as this, I researched sound docks and music players a lot before taking the plunge into the world of Sonos... this is one purchase I will not, and have not regretted.

Initially, I was very disappointed to discover the Play:5, which was my first choice, wouldn't fit on the shelf of my TV stand - a mere 3mm too tall! With the TV stand being new, my wife was not too keen on me buying a new one to accommodate the Sonos, nor was she keen on me altering the TV stand so that it fit on the shelf. I guess I was left with no option but to go with the Play:3!

Now, reading that, you might think I'm making this out to be a bad position to be in. It's not. The Play:3 is excellent. The disadvantage being that the Play:3 has no line in. I'm not sure why Sonos decided to not include line in support for the Play:3, given this is a relatively new addition to the Sonos family, but it ruined my initial plan to use the Sonos device as a sound bar for the television too. It also limits the ability to play any external device (phone, mp3 player) directly through the speaker.

That being the only real negative I have found with this device, it took about 30 minutes to unpack it from its box, get it connected to the network and configured to play my music. Remarkable. There aren't many devices available that truly are this easy to set up.

My setup consists of a Synology NAS containing all of my music, and a premium account with Spotify. These combined with online radio make for a limitless supply of music.

Now, I'm no audiophile, and most of my music is purchased digitally these days rather than physical media, but to me, the sound from this little box is absolutely outstanding. Coupled with the control software available on my iphone, and it becomes a hugely convenient device to use. My wife was concerned this was going to be another overly complex thing for her to get to grips with, but within 30 seconds of downloading the Sonos controller app to her phone, she was creating playlists and picking songs herself!

If it wasn't for the lack of line in, which I find a very strange omission from what is essentially an expensive digital speaker, the Sonos Play:3 would have received 5 stars. That being said, I would highly recommend Sonos, and I'm extremely happy with my purchase.

First, let me say that SONOS is hands-down the best, most flexible and affordable multi-room music system out there. Don't hesitate to invest in the SONOS system as its easy to set up, operate and manage, and the materials and build quality are right up there with Apple and Bose.

The only decision I think you'll need to make is whether you want the Play:3 or Play:5. We have a number of both in our system, and the sound from the Play:5s are noticeably better -- fuller, richer and rounder. By comparison the Play:3 sounds good, performing well with music and radio, but is less rich than the Play:5s. While the Play:3 looks smaller than the Play:5, its deeper design means that in my experience the Play:3 takes up the same space as the Play:5... and in some cases more space, because the less-deep Play:5s often fit better onto ledges and bookshelves.

In summary, if this is your first audio output for your SONOS system, go for the Play:5. If you're adding a player to your existing system for a smaller room (kitchen, bathroom), low-occupancy area (hallway) or where absolute sound quality matters less (you listen only to the radio in your bedroom in the mornings) then go for the Play:3.