This Streamer is a Screamer
by Gary Woods

If you're really into Digital Music and want it all over your house I found a system that sounds great. The Sonos Digital Music System consists of two kinds of units: ZonePlayers and a Controller. The ZonePlayers are squat boxes with a built-in 50-watt amplifier and a lot of audio and networking connections. Just put a ZonePlayer anywhere in your house where you want music and you're jamming to the tunes. Because it has a built-in amp, there's no need for more equipment; you just hook up a pair of speakers and plug it in.

With a minimal amount of configuration, each player networks with every other player, while also hooking into your home network. Desktop software lets the Sonos system access music on your PC or anywhere on your network and streams it to any ZonePlayer in your house.

The really cool part of this system is the Controller which features a full-color 3.5 inch LCD screen that's easy to read in all lightning. It even displays album art if it's included in your music files.

The Sonos plays AAC, MP3, WAV and WMA files, and it includes support for the Rhapsody subscription service. The Rhapsody support is particularly impressive: Any tracks you add to you Rhapsody library show up instantly as you browse on the Controller.

The only downside is it isn't cheap. It's $1,200 for two ZonePlayers and a Controller. But how much does cool cost????

If you have any suggestions or questions for me please drop me a note at garyandlaury@santabarbaraproperties.com or see my column on the Internet at http://www.santabarbaraproperties.com or call me at (805) 729-0910