Free your music collection

Like the times, music keeps a-changin’. These days, it’s more often enjoyed on the go from your iDevice, rather than by dusting off a CD or (gasp) record. That’s part of why Apple’s AirPlay feature, which lets you beam tunes from iDevices to compatible speakers, gets us so excited…but there’s actually a better option, if you can afford it. Sonos’ line of wireless music players can send your tunes on tour all over the house, and they offer more power and flexibility.

The Play:3 is the most affordable entry point into Sonos’ wireless audio utopia. While $300 might seem a bit steep, especially considering that a $99 Airport Express can give practically any speaker AirPlay capability—what you’re paying for is quality. The Play:3 sounds better than most other speakers this size, and setting up a Sonos network is so simple that you’ll be playing music in less time than it took to get everything out of the box. Sonos devices talk to each other over their own mesh network, so your streaming music won’t tax your existing Wi-Fi. At least one Sonos unit will need to be hard-wired to your network—if there’s no Ethernet handy where you want to place your Play:3, a $49 Sonos Bridge connected to your router will let your other Sonos gear go cable-free.

We used multiple Play:3 units for an extended test period without problems; in contrast, the AirPlay devices on our network occasionally require rebooting or other fiddling to keep them connected. Unlike AirPlay, which can only handle a single stream, Sonos can send multiple streams to multiple devices.

As the little brother to the Play:5 (formerly known as the S5) the Play:3’s sound is less dynamic. There’s not much stereo separation, but then again, what do you expect from a unit that’s only 5.2x10.6x6.3 inches? For its size, the sound is impressive, and it’s perfect for bathrooms, bedrooms, or kitchens where the compact size will be an asset. Playing at full volume, the sound was clean and free of distortion. Ganging two Play:3s into a stereo pair gives a big boost in audio quality, and you can create pairs on-the-fly using the companion iOS app. With an iPhone or iPad as the controller, you can play tracks from your iTunes library, NAS drives, or streaming services like Rdio, Spotify, Rhapsody, Pandora, and more.

The bottom line. At 300 bucks, the Play:3 is the most affordable path into Sonos’ multi-room systems. If AirPlay isn’t quite enough, Sonos’ pricey entry-level wireless speaker might be music to your ears.