The Sonos iPhone app and iPad app are getting a bumper update today. At long last, the high end audio streaming gurus have added multitasking support, but that’s not all – you can now stream music to your Sonos systems via AirPlay, and perhaps more usefully, in-app audio as well. There is however, one teeny tiny thing you ought to know.
It’s been a busy day for AirPlay fans – as well as two new Pioneer receivers boasting support, the VSX-921 and VSX-1021, Sonos has dished out an update too.
We tested out the new Sonos iPad app (the update should be live on the App Store at 2pm) and the debuting AirPlay support, and it’s proved every bit as flawless as the other AirPlay gear we’ve tried so far. It just works – simply choose Sonos from the drop down menu that appears and you’re away.
But, we hear you ask, what’s the point of AirPlay support when Sonos already streams your iTunes library wirelessly? The selling point is that it streams in-app audio for supported apps (Spin magazine for instance) to the various ZonePlayers in your home, where AirPlay only typically allows you to send the same source to one other iOS device on your network.
Sounds handy right? Now, that problem. You see, Apple’s seamless AirPlay streaming set up actually requires specific hardware in order to work. So, for Sonos to add AirPlay support to every single ZonePlayer it’s already sold, rather than just new ones going forward, it had to make one concession: you need to plug one into an AirPort Express, via Ethernet cable and 3.5mm audio.
Audiophiles might be up in arms about the connection, but it’s worth pointing out that you’re not going to get great quality digital audio from a streamed iPhone app anyway. More of an issue is that you’ll have to fork out another £83 for an AirPort Express to turn on this feature. Still, we can see there was no other way to go about it while providing backwards compatibility so we mustn’t grumble too much.
The firmware update for Sonos systems enabling AirPlay support should also be rolling out now. If you’re a user, let us know how you get on.
