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While not flawless, the Sonos music system is the best network music player we've tried. The starter system includes two ZonePlayer boxes, which stream music from your networked Mac, and one Wi-Fi controller. While we would call parts of the system innovative (such as its fantastic controller), and everything worked as expected, we missed a few "value" features, such as more Mac software and more outputs. However, the Sonos system isn't necessarily about value; it's about getting what you pay for.
The ZonePlayers are sized like two stacked encyclopedia volumes, but weigh even more (ten .lbs each). The heft is justified, though; each one includes wireless networking capabilities, a four-port Ethernet switch, stereo RCA-inputs and -outputs, and a built-in amplifier. The system is designed to connect directly to a set of speakers, bypassing any extra home theater equipment, although you could use the RCA outputs to interface with a receiver. After installing basic software on a Mac and plugging into a wired Ethernet network, we quickly activated the first ZonePlayer in the living room.
The second ZonePlayer was up and running momentarily, but it needed no Ethernet; the wired ZonePlayer automatically configured a private, wireless network for the two to communicate, so the second player could go anywhere. (This network is automated and hidden; it can't be accessed for other uses.) Using the Wi-Fi remote, we assigned the unit as the bedroom player.
The controller remote is one of the best we've tried. Because it uses the system's Wi-Fi network, it requires no line-of-sight range, like an infrared remote. Its bright, legible LCD even displays CD artwork tags from iTunes. The controller's buttons and interface allow quick access to songs; like an iPod, you trace a finger around the wheel to scroll up and down lists, and push a button in the center to activate a selection. This interface worked very well, letting us browse music libraries across the networked computers, queue songs and start iTunes playlists. A few presses sent music to a specific room, synced songs to multiple rooms or sent different tunes to different rooms. The remote is clearly the centerpiece; it even has a motion-sensor to wake it when lifted and a sensor to activate its backlight in dark rooms.
The Sonos system plays AAC, MP3, WAV and WMA formats. (Protected AAC files from the iTunes Music Store aren't supported; Apple has not allowed Sonos to add support for them.) Songs sounded great; the built-in decoder and amplifier created expert highs and lows. Internet radio stations, which are available from a long, preset list, also sounded excellent; we loved discovering new favorites by reading song names on the remote. However, at press time, the management software for adding uncommon radio streams is PC-only; Sonos promises a Mac version soon.
The Sonos system also packs an unexpected feature--RCA audio input. This let us hook up a sound source--our favorite was a TV--to one ZonePlayer, and instantly stream it to another. We happily listened to TV news and sports from the living room over our bedroom ZonePlayer.
We found a few minor issues with the system and wished it had a few more features. While scrolling through lists worked reasonably well, we wished the software accelerated the movements more. Long song and album names were truncated with ellipses. iTunes playlists were dumped into the queue; we couldn't first navigate through a list to find a specific track. Plus, at this price, couldn't the ZonePlayer include optical-ins and outs, as well as a headphone jack? Still, the Sonos interface and ability to manage music in different rooms make up for these shortcomings. This system may carry a burly price, but its features establish a new standard for home music streaming.
-ZACK STERN
Sonos Digital Music System Bundle: 
Sonos | www.sonos.com | 800-680-2345 | $1,200
Pros: Multi-room streaming, AAC support, intuitive remote, audio inputs,
Cons: Scroll wheel not fast enough, ellipses on long names, Mac support not complete.
Requires: OS 10.2 or later, 500MHz processor, 128MB RAM, Ethernet network
macHOME recommends: Broadband Internet for radio streaming, large music library
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