The Sonos Zoneplayer S5 is the multi-room audio juggler’s first foray into an all-in-one base station, with speakers built in to cut the price of set-up. But at £349, cheap is still a relative term here. Can Sonos handle sound like it does streaming? Read on and find out in our full Sonos Zoneplayer S5 review.
The Sonos Zoneplayer S5 is completely in keeping with the company’s polished, minimalist look. It’s gorgeous: the smooth, clean white shell and metal grille blend perfectly, the number of ports on the back are kept down to just two ethernet slots, power, line-in and headphones, and there’s even a handle to pick it up and carry it with ease.
Setup is staggeringly easy. If it’s your first bit of Sonos kit, plug in the ethernet and install the software. If you’ve got a Sonos network set up already, just hold down the Mute and Volume keys and wait a minute. And that’s really it.
Once you’re away, it works like any other Sonos Zoneplayer, and the audio is admirable for something so small. Bass is deep and clear, and you can adjust the equaliser to suit your mood as always. You’ll want to keep the Sonos Zoneplayer S5 to places where space is tight though, as there’s no getting around the fact that the sound’s coming from one source, and can’t quite compare to two well spaced speakers of your own.
In fact, somewhere like the bedroom is where the Sonos Zoneplayer S5 excels most. Put it on the other side of the room, use the remote as a bedside clock and wake up to your favourite radio station or playlist in the morning, before transferring the songs to the kitchen before you pad downstairs.
Read our Sonos CR200 review now
That’s if you’ve got more than one Sonos zone already, mind. With a free Sonos iPhone and iPod touch app available though, the Sonos Zoneplayer S5 is aimed just as much at newcomers, and while it’s an excellent way to get started, there are some restrictions you should be aware of.
If the Sonos Zoneplayer S5 is your first Sonos zone, you’ll need a spare ethernet port to plug in the back. Not got one free where you want to place it? You’ll have to buy a Zonebridge then (£79). Not got an iPhone? You’ll have to buy an iPod touch then (£149), the excellent but pricey CR200 remote (£279), or make do with the free PC/Mac software. And don’t think you can use an iPhone as your alarm clock in quite the same way – the Sonos iPhone app doesn’t offer the same night stand function as the remote.
Still, we’re not going to knock Sonos for giving us more choice with the Sonos Zoneplayer S5, great sound in the right confines, and an offering which will make getting started a whole lot cheaper for some people. It just helps if you have the right phone – can we have an Android app now please Sonos?
