Want to learn about the latest Sonos features? Check out Melanie's latest review of the Sonos digital music system.

Paid music downloading services have really taken off. Back in 2000, when I first learned about online music, it was difficult to imagine that our personal computers would one day become essential components of our home audio systems. But for many people, that's just what has happened. For instance, I rarely listen to CDs at home anymore; I burn them to my iMac®, then navigate and play my music with iTunes®.

But what happens when I want to listen to my music in a room with no computer? After all, I don't want to run wires all over my house, connecting my computer to speakers in every room. And having just one music source means I have to share. Heaven help us if my husband craves a musical pummeling by Slipknot at the same time I want to mope to a Radiohead tune.

Fortunately, the clever folks at Sonos™ anticipated this problem. Their Sonos Digital Music System provides an easy way to play PC music in more than one room, without running wire from room to room or spending lots of time on installation. It even lets you hear a different track in up to 32 different rooms, depending on how many zones you set up. The Sonos Introductory Bundle consists of three sleek, décor-friendly pieces: a handheld Controller and two ZonePlayers.

But how — and how well — do these items work together? I borrowed a Sonos Introductory Bundle and installed it in my house to find out for myself. First, let's take a look at each component and what it does.

At less than a foot wide, and under five inches high, the ZonePlayer is remarkably compact.

The ZonePlayer 100

With an amplifier, a wireless transmitter/receiver, and decoding circuitry housed in its smart white-and-gray chassis, the ZonePlayer 100 does most of the work of the Sonos system. You connect one of these pieces to the Ethernet port on your computer (or your separate networked hard drive), as well as to a pair of speakers. It plays the music stored on your computer, and also sends that music wirelessly to the otherZonePlayer(s) in the system — all while powering speakers (which, incidentally are not included with the system). If you have one, you can also send that music to a ZonePlayer 80, which lacks an amplifier but can be used with an existing audio system.

The handy Controller's large LCD is a plus.

The Controller

If the ZonePlayer is the system's muscles, the Controller is its brain. Matching the gray-and-white design of the ZonePlayers, this remote lets you operate every ZonePlayer in your system. That means that using this one component, you can play or pause music in different rooms, create playlists, or choose an Internet radio station to listen to.

Setting up the system

If you've never even considered installing a multi-room audio system because you don't want to deal with complicated setup scenarios or running wire from room to room, the Sonos system was meant for you. I found setup to be simple; Sonos even included a handy one-page quick-reference guide, sparing me the onerous task of opening the manual.

First, I unpacked the Controller and plugged it in so the battery could charge. The next step was to unpack the first ZonePlayer and connect my speakers to it. (Again, speakers are not included with the Sonos system, so you'll need to find or buy a pair to go with each ZonePlayer.) Because the ZonePlayer had spring-loaded binding posts, and because this was a temporary setup in order to review the system, I simply connected my speakers using bare wire. For permanent setups, I recommend pin connectors, which provide a more secure connection.

The ZonePlayer came with its own Ethernet cable, which I used to connect it to my iMac's Ethernet port. Then I installed the software on the included CD. For my computer, the Sonos software recommended that I download updated software from Sonos' website, then guided me through the process. But because I didn't have a broadband connection (yes, I live in the sticks, where only dialup is available), the ZonePlayer wasn't able to update its software to work with the software I had just downloaded. Suffice it to say that broadband connections are recommended for use with the Sonos system — aside from ensuring that you have the latest version of the software, you'll be able to stream Internet radio stations. (Those of us still on dialup dream of the day when we can do cool stuff like that!)

The Sonos software offers a very friendly, easy-to-use interface.

Once I got everything communicating, the Sonos software did a fantastic job of guiding me through the quick and easy setup process. It even let me make the necessary changes to my system settings from within the setup wizard — no need to open separate windows and do the navigating myself. Nice.

Adding the second ZonePlayer to the system was painless. You can add players using either the Sonos software on your computer, or the Controller. I chose to use the Controller. It told me to press some buttons on the new ZonePlayer and name it, and voila! I had a wireless multi-room audio system.

Calling tech support

Let me back up and say that, in trying to get my computer and ZonePlayer on speaking terms, I found it necessary to call Sonos' technical support line. The support reps were very friendly and helpful — never condescending — as they walked me through the process.

You probably won't need to call Sonos (especially if you have broadband), but in the unlikely event that you do, you'll be in good hands. Tell them Melanie sent you.