Sonos ZonePlayer S5 Goes On Sale Today [Update With Video]

Sonos' latest ZonePlayer, the all-in-one S5, has gone on sale in the US today.  Packing a wireless receiver and an amplified 5-driver speaker array into a single, bedroom and kitchen friendly unit, the S5 automatically integrates into an existing Sonos setup, or alternatively could be used by those not wanting the extraneous mess and hassle of separate speakers demanded by the company's previous ZonePlayers.

The Sonos ZonePlayer S5 is available in the US now, priced at $399.  The new wireless music system will also be available in Europe, priced at €399.  As for Sonos Controller for iPhone 3.1 – which will add the same Twitter functionality as the company have introduced onto the CR200 Remote Control – that's currently going through Apple approval before plopping into the App Store as a free download.

Press Release:

SONOS ZONEPLAYER S5 NOW SHIPPING IN US: ALL-IN-ONE WIRELESS MUSIC SYSTEM CONTROLLED WITH AN IPHONE NOW AVAILABLE

· Wirelessly play music from iTunes® and the Internet in any room for $399 per room

· Enjoy room-filling, high-performance sound with all digital architecture

· Control your music experience with free Sonos Controller for iPhone™ app or any other Sonos Controller

· New Sonos Software 3.1 with Twitter functionality now available for all global Sonos customers

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – November 3, 2009 – Sonos®, Inc., the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home, today announced that the Sonos ZonePlayer™ S5, the all-in-one wireless music system you can control with an iPhone, iPod® touch or any Sonos Controller, is now available for purchase in the United States. The S5 will be available globally later this month. In addition, Sonos released Sonos Software v3.1, a one-button free software update for all global Sonos customers that includes Twitter functionality. The S5 has a suggested retail price of $399 and can be purchased at Sonos US retailers or www.sonos.com. To view an introduction video about the S5, please visit: www.sonos.com/S5demo.

"This is the best time in history to love music," said John MacFarlane, CEO, Sonos, Inc. "The marriage of devices such as the iPhone and the Sonos ZonePlayer S5 connects consumers to an entire world of music and gives them an easy way to control it all from the palm of their hand, in any and every room of their home."

Key features of the S5 include:

Ø Room-filling sound: 5 integrated speakers and 5 dedicated digital amplifiers provide crystal-clear, great-sounding audio that fills any room with music.

Ø Unlimited music from iTunes and the Internet: Play way more than what fits on your iPod, including all your iTunes, free Internet radio and millions of songs and stations from the Internet.

Ø Control with an iPhone or iPod touch: Download the free Sonos Controller for iPhone app and search for songs, choose the music and control the volume in any room from anywhere.

Ø Wireless expandability: Add more S5s wirelessly and fill your whole house with music. Then, play the same song in every room or different songs in different rooms.

Technical specifications of the S5 include:

Ø Amplifiers – Five Class-D digital amplifiers

Ø Speakers – Five driver speaker system includes two tweeters, two 3" mid-range drivers, and one 3.5" woofer

Ø Volume/Mute control – Quick-access controls on the top of every S5

Ø 2-port Ethernet switch – Ideal for connection to your router or bridging Internet connectivity. 2-port switch (0/100Mbps, auto MDI/MDIX) allows Ethernet devices to connect through SonosNet.

Ø Headphone connection – Built-in, auto-detecting connection

Ø Analog audio inputs – Auto-detecting connection for iPod, CD player, TV, and more to your S5 enables music or audio playback on all ZonePlayers in your home.

Ø Audio formats – Support for compressed MP3, iTunes Plus, WMA (including purchased Windows Media downloads), AAC (MPEG4), Ogg Vorbis, Audible (format 4), Apple Lossless, FLAC (lossless) music files, as well as uncompressed WAV and AIFF files. Native support for 44.1kHz sample rates. Additional support for 48kHz, 32kHz, 24kHz, 22kHz, 16kHz, 11kHz, and 8kHz sample rates.

Ø Music services support – Last.fm, Napster®, Pandora®, Rhapsody® 3.0+, SIRIUS® Internet Radio, and downloads from any service offering DRM-free tracks, including iTunes, AmazonMP3

Ø Internet radio support – Pre-loaded 25,000 stations; streaming MP3, WMA support

Ø Operating systems (for stored files) – Windows® XP SP2 and higher; Mac OS X v10.4 and higher; NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices supporting CIFS

Ø Wireless connectivity – SonosNet 2.0, a secure AES encrypted, peer-to-peer wireless mesh network

Ø Power supply – AC 120/240V, 50-60Hz, auto-switchable

Ø Dimensions/Weight – 8.50 x 14.40 x 4.80 in (217 x 365 x 123 mm)/ 9.15 lb (4.15 kg)

Sonos Software v3.1 software integrates Twitter into the Sonos Controller interface enabling customers globally to send the name and artist of the track playing on Sonos to their friends and followers. Sonos makes it easy to send tweets about what you're listening to by auto-populating a variety of messages with the name of the song and artist. The Twitter functionality is available on the Sonos Controller for iPhone*, the Sonos Controller 200 and the Sonos Controller for Mac or PC. Other features of Sonos Software v3.1 include:

Ø Full support for the S5 allowing it to work seamlessly with all previous generations of Sonos products

Ø Graphical Music Menu featuring icons and logos makes finding music easier and more fun. Available on the Sonos Controller for iPhone and Sonos Controller 200

Ø Unicode metadata for music libraries in the following character sets: Cyrillic, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese are now displayed on the Sonos Controller 200

To learn more, locate an authorized US Sonos dealer or make a purchase, please visit www.sonos.com/S5Demo or call 877.80.SONOS.

*Sonos Controller for iPhone 3.1 is currently awaiting approval from Apple.