Amended, 5/24/2010, to clarify the number of music channels offered by iheartradio
As I’ve written before, Sonos makes a compelling audio product. With Sonos players in different locations in your home, you can easily stream your PC-based music throughout every room. Using a single remote to control the entire system, you can send the same music to each room, or different music to each.
But the Sonos experience doesn’t come cheap. A basic two-room setup costs more than $1,000. So to make it more affordable, Sonos introduced its ZonePlayer S5 model last year, bringing the cost down to $400 for a one-room setup, which is controlled with a free iPhone app instead of a dedicated physical remote.
This week, Sonos has come out with an updated version of the operating system. Version 3.2 adds a few nice features to its products, including support for Clear Channel’s Internet music service, iHeartradio, which offers 750 music channels and stations free. In addition, songs can now be set to cross fade when playing, with the end of one song fading out as the new track fades up.
Also, users of the company’s less expensive S5 product can now place two units in a room to create physically separated left and right channels of music. Before the software upgrade, one unit put out both channels, much as a typical iPod dock.
Sonos is also upgrading its iPhone control app for the S5, and is waiting for Apple to approve it.