Sonos first made the announcement of its digital music system back in mid-2004. Although the company’s plan was to bring the actual product to market in September, the final refinements of the music system took some time, and Sonos cleverly waited until the Consumer Electronics Show 2005 in order to display the final version of what can very well set a new trend in digital music systems everywhere. CoolTechZone had the privilege to glance over the initial specifications and concept of the player right when the player started to create a buzz in the consumer electronics industry. At that point, we were heartily impressed with the system and what Sonos had in mind. It’s exciting to say that Sonos paid close attention from the overall presentation of the product right to its performance and ease of use.

After previewing the system last year, we finally have a retail version of the product in our labs for thorough testing. This particular digital music system packs in the ability to connect wirelessly and lets you play the choice of music you desire throughout the house via a central Controller and Zoneplayers. In fact, you can listen to 32 different songs simultaneously while controlling all of them with a single controller; and all of this can be accomplished hassle-free with a unique setup.

Though the functionality and the concept are impressive, Sonos has also adopted the iPod-like appearance of its digital music system to give it a more delicate appeal. Companies working to compete against the iPod, whether directly or indirectly, are nothing new, especially since Apple has predominantly set the standard for the next generation of consumer electronics. Therefore, it’s almost natural to expect products resembling the iPod in today’s times. While the specifications are impressive in theory and the appearance is expectedly stylish, the final recommendation boils down to overall value and performance. Does Sonos have what it takes to set the tradition of excellence with upcoming digital music systems? Read on and find out…

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