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The Sonos system totally rocks, but if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch with Sonos' (free) software this controller is completely superflous and overpriced to boot. At least their old analog controller had a nice satisfying jog/shuttle wheel like the 1st gen iPods that set it apart. You'll be scratching your head wondering why you can't make calls or download apps on this 'updated' version.

vfx2k4 said:

Have you tried the new controller?

I agree that the Sonos is probably the best set-up out there, but as a bachelor (and a poor one at that....dammit), I've been happy with my Airport Express, AppleTV, and 1st gen iPhone all controlled with Airfoil or Remote.
The AppleTV handles the living room, my old iPhone (I also have a 3GS...no wonder I'm poor) is docked to my Wave Radio in the bedroom, the office is serviced by my iMac, and the Express is a roamer for anywhere else with a boombox.
It doesn't do zone music, which I personally don't need, and my only remote control when using Airfoil is my 3GS using Jaadu VNC, but for most of the time when streaming iTunes and using Remote, it's a great poor man's Sonos, especially since I didn't buy any of this for the sole purpose of streaming.
It's like getting that free towel, 'only in boxes of Breeze'....

Thanks for the review. It was nice to see how it all worked. However, I've got a house full of expensive gadgets and at $1000, this is too rich for my blood.
I bought a couple of used AE units on eBay and paid the $25 for the Rogue Amoeba software. I've also got an Apple TV. In addition, Airfoil also includes Airfoil speakers which can turn any computer into a streaming device and that includes your iPhone/Touch.
I even paid Pandora $36 for higher quality, commercial-free streaming.
I have to say the Sonos unit is very attractive and at $500 I might have jumped. $1000 buys a new Macbook.

Just to dip in my oar on the AirPort Express being the poor-man's Sonos.

I completely understand that $1,000 is a lot of money for a music system and the Sonos is absolutely not for everyone, but an AirPort Express setup even with AirFoil and an iPod touch or iPhone really isn't in the same league.

In this single setup you've got your iTunes library, Pandora, Last.fm, terrestrial and internet radio, line-in, and, optionally, Rhapsody, Napster, and Sirius. The fact that Sonos treats Rhapsody and Napster as if they were local sources (meaning that you can put this content into the same playlists as your iTunes music and it just plays) is incredibly powerful. Controlling everything from a single application or hardware controller is just as powerful.

I have the gear to put together an AE setup as some have described and it's horribly clunky in comparison and, in the end, can't do everything Sonos does.

OK, then let me clarify two things
1) Mine is a poor man's music streamer
2) I'm not really a bachelor (I forgot that I had been married 20 years, but that was so last century...)

TowerTone said:

Fair enough. :)

I'm mostly reacting to the expected "Why would you do this when an AirPort Express does the same thing for 1/4 the price!?" argument. (Which I understand that no one has offered here. Just being preemptive for when that moment arrives.)

Sorry, Chris. I hadn't considered that your wife might read this.... ;-)

Well one thing it can do is leave a lot of money left over for hookers and beer.

Why would you do this when an AirPort Express does the same thing for 1/4 the price!?
There, now you can rest easy, since your answer isn't floating out there all by itself.

If you wanna play you gotta pay! This “why would you do this when AirPort Express does the same thing for 1/4 the price!?” argument is not comparing Apples to Apples. Sure AirPort Express does SOME of the same things that Sonos does and does it MOST of the time for 1/4 the price. You get what you pay for. Full disclosure: I’m a member of the Church of Apple. I love their stuff. However, I do not work for Apple nor do I work for Sonos. I have been working in the consumer electronics industry for the last 15 years. I've been tinkering with streaming audio via the Apple AirPort Express for years now. Since Apple offered the AirTunes feature. Since I’m into audio and Apple it seemed like the perfect solution for my 70’s home. I recently purchased the Sonos Bundle 250 that Chris covers in his MacWorld Video #121. There’s one major feature that none have touched on yet when comparing Sonos to streaming audio over Apple’s AirPort Express (Apple calls this feature AirTunes). The Sonos just works... all of the time, from what I can tell. Sure AirTunes works well too... most of the time. But then when you really need AirTunes to shine (dinner party) it decides that it’s going to stutter and the music cuts out every few minutes. Or if it’s really cranky (it’s rare but it does happen) AirTunes wont play at all. Airtunes will work fine for days and then, for no apparent reason, it hiccups for hours on end. I have friends that have complained of the same thing with their AirTunes set ups. I’ve been at parties where Airtunes is not playing nice. I suspect that anyone who has used AirTunes for any significant amount of time can relate to this. AirTunes is nowhere near as robust as Sonos. It’s not a set up issue as I have been told about this from other users and I have tried it all on my AirTunes system adding more AirPort Expresses, turned on WDS mode etc. AirTunes is a hobbyists toy compared to Sonos. If Apple TV is a “hobby” for Apple as Apple claims, then AirTunes is a part time hobby for Apple. And it shows. Sure AirTunes is a damn cool toy and for people who like to tinker, troubleshoot and if you don’t require it to work all the time it a great deal. But for the average non geek / hobbyist consumer who just wants sound that works all the time. Sound that works without having a computer running iTunes turned on. Sound that combines all music sources seamlessly. Sound that you let’s play different sources at the same in different rooms. Sound that let’s you scale the system to very large homes over long distances. If this is what you’re looking for then Sonos is it. Want a hobby? Like to tinker? Live in a small home without any wi fi interference? AirTunes is for you. But Sonos is too expensive you say? Compared to what? Running wire in your existing home and calling the sheet rockers and painters to patch the holes? Building a new home that is prewired for everything? If there is a better system than Sonos that does everything that Sonos does reliably for less money, that mere mortals can use day in day out, I’d love to hear about it.