So I got the chance to take a Sonos  multiroom music system home with me last week. I decided to run the full gamut and tried the ZP90, ZP120, and even the new S5. Control was handled by a single CR200 and my trusty iPhone. I got tired of hearing how good it was and I totally expected it to suck, but I didn’t want to bash it without firsthand knowledge.

So I brought the system home and unpacked the “Bundle 250” and got started. The first thing I did, and I recommend you do the same, was plug in the charging base and get the C200 charging. Once turned off, it won’t turn on unless it is plugged into a powered charging base. Don’t worry, it’s only powered down for shipping, once you turn it on at home, you’ll never really turn it all the way off again.

Next, the ZP90 went in the Family room where the primary system was already located. It was simple enough as my cable modem and router are already there. So I just connected power from the Panamax M5300-PM, the (included) ethernet cable went to my Airport Extreme, and an analog audio patch cable completed the connections as analog was the only available input at the time.

I should mention that though the Sonos system works both wired or wireless, you must have at least one piece plugged in to a hard-wired Internet connection. For me this was the ZP-90 I mentioned above. But you may not have a wired network connection at any of your Zone Player locations. For this, Sonos developed the Zone Bridge. It’s a little $99 box that lets you have your one hardwired connection without spending $349 or more for a Zone player you won’t use.

Next was the ZP120 in the bedroom. I just plugged it into the Panamax M4-EX and hooked up my trusty B&W CM1 speakers and that was it.

Finally came the S5. I set it on the Kitchen counter and plugged it into the wall. That’s it. Wow, this was just getting easier and easier as I went. Surely something was going to blow up soon.

Instead, once the pieces were all connected, setup was pretty painless. I popped the CD into my computer and followed the directions, registered the system, and bam, everything was done.

I topped it off by adding the C200 and my iPhone as system controllers and I was ready to play. One note about the controllers – iPhone or otherwise – they will only work when connected to your network. You can’t use the iPhone from the office to freak out your spouse at home by turning on creepy Halloween music. It’s a bummer, I know.

Anyway, using the system was a breeze. Finally I had my last.fm, Rhapsody, Sirius, and Napster accounts all in one place at one time. Not to mention the seemingly endless free Internet radio stations. You want traditional Irish music from Ireland? No problem. You want to listen to the news in London for a few days before your next trip there? Just a few clicks on the super-slick C200 controller. It looks like an iPhone clone gone wrong, but it really works like a champ. It’s lightning fast and very easy to use. Oh yeah, it makes for a pretty good alarm in the morning too.

Notice I didn’t say alarm “clock“. While the clock on the C200 is certainly accurate, and it never failed to turn on and wake me up, it really doesn’t get dim enough to be good at night, and there is no setting to make it stay on for more than a few hours when in the cradle, so you’ll still need a clock if you like to know what time it is on occasion. Plus, if your spouse doesn’t have an iPhone, they will always be stealing the C200 to listen to all this new music right at their fingertips. So if you do use it for an alarm, make sure you can find the C200 or your iPhone to turn it off in the morning. Otherwise you have to stumble across the bedroom to hit the “Mute” button on the unit.

As for the Zone Players, the Z90 sounded great, and so did the Z120. That little amp outperforms its size and its price quite well. As for the S5, it really likes to see a better quality source than most Internet radio stations can provide. But if you feed it some 192k or better music from your computer or NAS drive it will wake right up and sing quite beautifully. It plays pretty loud, too. Drag it out on the back porch at a party and I doubt you will be disappointed. It doesn’t run on batteries, but once you hear it, you’ll understand. I’ve never heard anything battery powered that sounded this good.

Speaking of better sources, if you’re going to use your Sonos system a lot, and prefer the better quality afforded by using your existing music, invest in a small NAS drive. It will use a lot less energy than your computer will and may even pay for itself in about a year. A small NAS will draw 25-30 watts of energy and your computer draws 200-300 watts or more. You can save your music on the NAS and tell iTunes to use that as your Library or run the sync software that comes with most NAS drives and then you’ll also have a backup, which is never a bad idea. This way your computer only needs to be on when you’re actually using it. You know, for important stuff, like paying bills online, or Internet porn, or paying your Internet porn bills online.

So I was really impressed with the Sonos system. And not just because I expected it to suck and it didn’t. It is a legitimately good system that is well thought-out and works and sounds great. I was actually quite disappointed to have to pack it back up and give it back. My fiancée loved it too, so I’m hoping we can get one of our own to keep soon.

Ask Jason About Sonos