Tuesday, October 13, 2009

New Sonos Wireless iphone System

Sonos has a new product that we’re introducing today that we believe will compete directly in the all-in-one audio market (think iPod dock section of a Future Shop).



The Sonos ZonePlayer S5, a wireless music system controlled by an iPhone, is designed to bring an entire world of music (from the Internet and from your computer) to any room of your home.  The S5 takes advantage of the multi-functionality of the iPhone (and turns it into a remote control) and provides an unmatched music experience that now starts at $479 a room. 

Here’s a quick video walkthrough of the new S5 in action including an introduction video: http://www.sonos.com/S5demo.  The full press release regarding the new Sonos S5 appears below.

This is the best time in history to love music.  The marriage of devices such as the iPhone and the Sonos ZonePlayer S5 connect consumers to an entire world of music and give them an easy way to control it all from the palm of their hand, in any and every room of their home.

The S5 features include:
       Control and play a world of music, including your iTunes library and all of the popular online streaming service such as Napster.  Plus, more than 25,000+ Internet radio stations and podcasts.
       Great room-filling sound
       Full wireless control of your music experience with your iPhone, iPod touch (as well as your PC, Mac or dedicated Sonos Controller 200)
       Best-in-class wireless technology for multi-room music
       Simple setup & expansion – easy to add rooms

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please let me know.  We’d love to see you in the coming week to show you this product in person.  If you’d like to take a look at this product to see why we believe it represents the future of the iPod dock section at a Best Buy, please let me know.




SONOS ANNOUNCES THE SONOS ZONEPLAYER S5:  THE ALL-IN-ONE WIRELESS MUSIC SYSTEM CONTROLLED WITH AN IPHONE

·         Wirelessly play music in any or every room of the house for $479 per room
·         Enjoy room-filling, high-performance sound with all digital architecture
·         Access your iTunes® library, plus thousands of radio stations and millions of songs from the Internet
·         Control your music experience with free Sonos Controller for iPhone™ app or any other Sonos Controller

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – October 13, 2009 – Sonos®, Inc., the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home, today introduced the Sonos ZonePlayer S5, an all-in-one wireless music system that can be controlled with an iPhone, iPod® touch or any Sonos Controller.  The S5 delivers crystal-clear, room-filling sound that rivals much larger, more complicated audio equipment.  Plus, the S5 provides instant access to unlimited music with control from the palm of your hand.  Now music lovers can find and play any song from an iTunes library, plus, a world of music and radio on the Internet, in any room of the house. The S5 will be available for $479 in late October. To see the S5 in action, please visit: www.sonos.com/S5demo.

“Our customers tell us they listen to twice as much music after bringing Sonos into their homes,” said John MacFarlane, CEO of Sonos.  “The new S5 is our latest effort to simplify the Sonos experience so more people can enjoy more music than ever before.”

The S5 features a 5-driver speaker system that packs a big sound – filling an entire room with music.  Sonos uniquely designed the S5 with an all-digital sound architecture for precise sound reproduction.  The S5 includes two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a built-in single subwoofer – each individually powered by a dedicated digital amplifier and optimized to deliver room-filling sound with smooth tonal balance and deep bass.  All filter settings, bass and treble controls, active equalization, and time-alignment are done in the digital domain through state-of-the-art DSP circuitry, so there’s absolutely no loss of audio quality or energy.

With the Internet-connected S5, you can listen to way more music than you can with a dock that only plays the songs that fit on your iPod. The S5 gives you instant access to a world of music, including 25,000 Internet radio stations, shows and podcasts —all free of charge and pre-loaded on Sonos. Sonos works seamlessly with the most popular music services to provide computer-free access to millions of songs and stations from Napster.  The S5 also gives you instant access to any iTunes library stored on any computer or Network Attached storage, such as an Apple Time Capsule.  The S5’s analog audio input lets you connect to an external audio source (such as an iPod, CD player, TV, DVD, VCR, or radio) and play music or audio on all ZonePlayers in the system.

When it comes to controlling your S5, you simply reach into your pocket for your iPhone or iPod touch. With the free Sonos Controller for iPhone app (available on the iTunes App Store), you can search for songs and stations, choose the music and control the volume in as many rooms as you like. And because the iPhone is controlling the music, and not the source of it, when a text comes in or you need to make a phone call, the music doesn’t stop.  That also means you can keep your iPhone in your pocket, not stuck in a dock. The S5 also includes free Sonos Controller software for your Mac or PC. Or you can let everyone in the house share the control with the dedicated Sonos Controller 200 (sold separately).

As with all Sonos ZonePlayers, the S5 is simple to set up, easy to expand and 100% compatible with all other Sonos products. Just plug in the S5 wherever you want music. One ZonePlayer or Sonos ZoneBridge™ (sold separately) must be connected to your router and all the rest will work wirelessly. When you’re ready to play more music in more rooms, simply add S5s or other ZonePlayers without adding wires. Now you can play the same song in every room with perfect synchronicity or mix it up by playing different songs in different rooms.

The S5 will be available for purchase beginning in late October.  To learn more or to locate an authorized Sonos dealer, please visit www.sonos.com or call 877.80.SONOS.