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Writer's pictureTom Curnin

What Is Sonos

Updated: Oct 25, 2023


Everything You Want To Know About Sonos

A Complete Illustrated guide to Sonos
What Is Sonos? Here is everything you need to know!

Start here for everything Home Audio or Sonos


Sonos Multi-Room Audio THE WIRELESS HIFI SYSTEM In this article, we are going to:

● Talk about what Sonos is

● Discuss how Sonos is controlled

● Explore how Sonos provides internet access to endless music

● Outline Internet music service providers

● Show what makes up a Sonos system

● Layout 15 questions to ask yourself about digital music


Overview Sonos is a multi-room audio system that lets you listen to different music in different rooms simultaneously. Sonos lets you listen to three main types of music:

● Your digital content (think about all the music you have in iTunes)

● Sirius Satellite radio

● Internet Radio, both individual stations from around the world and music services


Control Control is easy through:

● Desktop program

● iPad, iPhone or iTouch and Android

The various components of Sonos “sit” on your local area network (LAN). One component is physical connected to your LAN and the rest “talk” amongst themselves on the wireless network. Sonos Controller apps let you control your Sonos Wireless HiFi System for free right from your Android, iPhone or iPad. Search for songs, browse music and control the volume from anywhere. Play different songs in every room or play the same song everywhere in perfect sync. Download free apps anytime.


Instant Access Sonos Music Library
What is the Sonos App?

Instant Access to Endless Music Liberate the music on your computer and enjoy it in every room Sonos can play music stored on up to 16 PCs, Macs or NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices on your home network, supporting the most popular audio formats, including MP3s and iTunes®. Sonos also has a iPod dock available. Sonos plays these popular music formats:

● MP3 (compressed)

● WMA (compressed)

● AAC (MPEG4)

● iTunes

● Ogg Vorbis

● Audible (format 4)

● Apple Lossless

● Flac (lossless)

● WAV (uncompressed)

● AIFF (uncompressed)


Enjoy computer-free music playback Get instant access to millions of songs and thousands of radio stations — without ripping, downloading or turning on a computer. Sonos connects directly to these services over the Internet and then streams the music to the rooms of your choice.

Pre-loaded Internet radio stations — free of charge Sonos includes more than 100,000 radio stations, shows and podcasts – all for free. And you can tune in without turning on your computer. Browse for stations or type in specific call letters or a radio host you love.

Get endless music from the most popular online music services Sonos works seamlessly with Deezer, iheartradio, Last.fm, Napster®, Pandora®, Rhapsody®, SIRIUS® Internet Radio, Spotify®, Wolfgang’s Vault®, and downloads from any service offering DRM-free tracks. (Service availability varies by region.)



Play Internet Radio On Sonos
Does Sonos Play Internet Radio

Internet Radio

Favorites - Have a station or show you want to listen to again and again? Simply Add to Favorites so it’s easy to find and play what you love. Got a favorite station that’s not on our list? You can add it to Sonos in seconds using your Mac or PC. Any station that streams using the MP3 or WMA format is yours to enjoy. Once you’ve added stations, you’ll find them all in Favorites


Searching - Find your favorite radio station, show or host in seconds. Just type in the call letters or a name and hit Search. Play Now or Add to Favorites so it’s easy to find the next time you’re in the mood.


Local RadioThink globally. Listen locally. Just tell us where you live and we’ll give you all the local radio stations streaming on the Internet. Wake up to local news and traffic or tune in to the game on your local sports station


Music - If it’s on the Internet radio dial, you can play it on Sonos. Browse by genre or check out the featured stations. The options are virtually endless. Looking for a radio show that sparks your curiosity? You can listen to what’s playing now or hear a podcast of a recent show you missed. You can even keep track of shows that will be playing soon and know exactly how long you’ll have to wait (by the number of days, hours and minutes). Add the show to Favorites so you can tune in when it’s ready.


Talk - Books and business, health and home, politics and religion. There’s clearly a lot to talk about…and listen to. And you’ll find it all — stations, shows and podcasts — in Talk on your Sonos Radio guide. Listen to podcasts of book and film reviews. Tune in to interesting interviews and conversations. Add any station or show to Favorites so you can keep on listening day after day.


Sports - If you’re a sports fan, you can listen to sports morning, noon and night in the kitchen, living room and bedroom. Check out radio stations and shows featuring local and international coverage.


Location - From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, we’ve got almost every location covered. Now you can tune in to radio from around the world. Hear breaking news in London, the big game in Brazil, or top hits from Japan. Better yet, listen to them all, all over the house.


Connect: Amp - Sonos Connect: Amp is the Sonos player for your speakers that streams all the music on earth wirelessly in any room. Attach Connect: Amp to your bookshelf, floor-standing, outdoor, or inceiling speakers and tune in to 55W of amplifying power. No receiver needed. Control with free apps for your Android®, iPhone® or iPad®. Amplifier: Class-D. Rated output 110W RMS (2x55W continuous average power into 8 ohms, THD+N <0.02% ) with both channels driven, 22Hz-20KHz. Dimensions (H x W x D) 3.50 x 7.3 x 8.2 in. WEIGHT 5.1 lb


Sonos Can Play in Many Different Rooms
Can Sonos Play In Different Rooms

What Makes Up a Sonos System

A Sonos System can be comprised of the following components

● Connect: Amp

● Connect

● Sub

● Play 1, Play 3 and Play 5

● Boost

● iDock Connect - Sonos Connect turns your stereo into a music streaming Sonos system. Just hook up CONNECT to your stereo, home theater or powered speakers and stream all the music on earth wirelessly in any room using the equipment you already own. Control with free apps for your Android™, iPhone® or iPad®. The Connect does not have an amplifier section it relies on the receiver or amp that it is hooked to. Dimensions (H x W x D) 2.91 x 5.35 x 5.51 inch. Weight: 1.5 lbs.

Sub - The Sonos Sub takes your whole Sonos system one seismic step closer to the spine-curling jawdropping, full body experience music was meant to be. The Sonos Sub will fill an entire room with thick layers of bottomless sound that let you hear and feel every chord, kick, splash and roll. It can be placed horizontally or vertically. It comes in high-gloss black lacquer finish. The Sub work with the Connect: Amp, Play 5 and Play 3. Dimensions: (H x D x W) 15.8 x 6.2 x 15in. Play 1, 3 & 5 - Typically used where locations where in the wall or in the ceiling speakers are not cost effective. Sonos Play: 1 is design for desktop or small rooms. 6.4H x 4.7W x 4.7D Sonos Play: 3 is the small, sexy, tuck in a corner Sonos player. 5.2H x 10.6W x 6.3D Sonos Play: 5 is the original, bigger room, bigger sound, all-in-one Sonos player. 8H x 14.3W x 6D Bridge - Sonos BRIDGE is the instant setup solution for your Sonos wireless network. Connect the Bridge to your router and all Sonos players can go anywhere and work wirelessly.



Look at all these Music Services Available on Sonos
What Music Services Are Available on Sonos

Music Services Sonos offers over 40 different music services. Some of the ones our customers like are: AMAZON CLOUD PLAYER Store your music in the cloud. Stream it everywhere on Sonos. With Amazon Cloud Player, you'll have a super safe backup of your entire music library so you can stream it wirelessly all over your home. Apple Music When you’re an Apple Music member, all the music you already have lives right alongside just about every song ever recorded. Plus, experts help you find the right music—hand-selecting songs, artists, and albums based on what you already listen to and like. iHeartRadio iHeartRadio keeps you tuned in to over 750 Clearchannel radio stations. Hear live, local content and browse by genre, city, personality, format, and featured station. Listen to exclusives like CBGB radio and AT40 with Ryan Seacrest or get top talk stations like Dr. Laura, the White House Brief, and Rush Radio. Free service. PANDORA Pandora lets you create personalized radio stations based on your favorite songs or artists. Discover new music and rediscover old favorites, then rate songs and Pandora will learn your preferences and update your station on the fly. Free service and ad-free subscription service available. RHAPSODY Rhapsody’s massive music library is on demand. Browse by genre, check out the charts, create playlists, and play over 100 ad-free music channels. Get recommendations and keep up on everything with artist’s bios, photos, projects album reviews and more. Premium service. Free 30- day trial included. SPOTIFY Spotify is in the house. With instant access to a library of over 13 million songs, you can search for your favorite artists, albums and tracks to play on demand or star for future listening. Browse and play collaborative and subscribed-to playlists. Enjoy high-quality streams and superior sound. Premium service. WOLFGANG’S VAULT Wolfgang’s Vault lets you listen like you were there, with performances from the world’s largest collection of live concerts. Premium service. Free 30-day trial included.

You can read more about Sonos Here:


For additional resources, please visit our page on Sonos with articles like this on everything you need to know. Additionally, you can check out our photo gallery on the same page to explore our previous work.


Bravo AV is proud to be an HTA (Home Technology Association) Certified Installation Firm and professional A/V experts. Tom Curnin, the owner of Bravo AV, is a CEDIA Professional Designer, a certified THX Level 1 home theater professional and a member of the Home Acoustic Alliance trained to Level II. You can contact Tom directly at (908) 953-0555 or through email at Tom@BravoAV.com.

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