Sonos Technology Powers Wireless Speakers

The Sonos wireless audio distribution system has become wildly popular, even among professional home systems integrators who haven't figured out how to capitalize on it.

Now a London-based integration company has found a unique application for the Sonos solution: wireless speakers.

The integration company is Digital Plumbers, a spinoff of the high-end custom installation company SMC, founded by our friend Steve Moore. Moore teamed with speaker manufacturer PMC (of Flying Mole and Bryston fame), to create Free Speakers, a line of floor-standing speakers that requires no wires except for power.

Inside each speaker is a ZP80 wireless hub from Sonos, and a new digital amplifier created specifically for the Free Speakers. "Following all the listening tests we did over the last few months, we've created a completely new digital amplifier that will ship in these speakers," says Moore.

"It sounds fantastic and seems not to have the hard edge of the other digital amps I've heard, with a higher power output and fuller, more spacious sound than other digital amps we've used."

Wireless audio may get a bad rap, but my money's on Moore, who spent 10 years selling high-end audio equipment (Krell, Linn, Naim, Wilson Audio) before starting a custom installation company. "I'm a bit of an old-school high-end analog ######," he says. "These are the first [digital] speakers I've heard that really sound good to me."

The Sonos solution will be offered by Digital Plumbers as a 1-2-3 service, Moore explains. First, customers load 200 CDs into a special envelope sent by Digital Plumbers, and collected through a service that insures the discs.

Second, Digital Plumbers rips the CDs and loads them in a lossless format to a network-attached storage (NAS) device. The company also supplies a DVD with the discs saved in an MP3 format (192 kbps) for iPod and other media players.

Finally, Digital Plumbers ships the speakers, the NAS, and a Sonos touchscreen controller, all configured and ready to go.

"You could set them up yourself or we will come and do it for you," Moore says, adding that Digital Plumbers can install the broadband and wireless network if necessary.

"We're getting very good range (over 20 meters) between speakers," Moore says. He explains that Sonos employs mesh networking technology, meaning every wireless device added to the network strengthens and extends the signal.

"This means we can install a fantastic sounding multiroom audio system in a few hours, with no wiring," Moore says.

And, of course, homeowners and renters can take it with them when they move.

The Sonos devices stream music from the NAS, but there's also one additional input per speaker, accessible from any room in the house. The input could be used for virtually any audio source such as an iPod, TV, or DVD player.

The sleek speakers are available in white oak and satin-finish white and black, with magnetic grilles to match. There are "no visible connections. None. Not even on the back," Moore says. This is because all of the connections are recessed in the base.

The complete Sonos solution, including two speakers, one NAS and a Sonos touchscreen controller, will retail for about £3,500 ($6800). Kind of makes you wonder why they call them Free Speakers.

Other wireless versions, including products based on 802.11 and Apple's Airport Express, will also be offered by Digital Plumbers.

Free Speakers will be marketed through authorized custom installers (including Digital Plumbers), some PMC dealers and online via freespeakers.co.uk.