By Rachel Cericola, Dec 6, 2005
I got an email from the PR guy at Sonos the other day. He was actually boasting how some of the product's non-users are trying to create their own Sonos Digital Music System.
While I know that this is just another PR ploy -- an angle to get me interested in an existing product -- it actually worked.
I have been a fan of this system from the first moment that I saw it. It is cool looking, easy to use, and works really well. What I wasn't so fond of was the price. OK -- I can be cheap, so I am willing to overlook that. No good electronics are cheap. Sorry, but it's true 99 percent of the time. But one thing I couldn't look past: That you need to go to an installer to put in one of the easiest-looking products I have ever come across. I have been waiting for the day to see this thing on the shelves of Best Buy (or wherever).
It was a little confusing that the company was showing how people were creating their own version of the Sonos system. Put us out of our misery and put the thing out into retail already. I'm sure there will be thousands of people that will want to show you how well they can set it up.
I work for a smart home technology company here in Phuket, thailand - We have installed probably 100 Sonos boxes, without a hitch. Its a great system, the Internet Radio probably being the most impressive feature. We don't connect them up to PC's or Macs, and instead use NAS hard drives, we've had people streaming 8 songs from the hard drive at once in different locations in the house without a problem.
Ben Hobbs
http://www.h3-digital.com
Have to agree with you about the price and installer angle, Rachel. I'm demoing this product right now and it's awesome -- but setting it up doesn't require anything more than simple computer knowledge. And the price is... pricey. I'd buy one if I could afford it.