Sonos Offers Sirius

On August 15, Sonos announced the release of Sonos System Software v2.3, which adds Sirius Internet Radio connectivity to the company's line of digital music systems. Sirius subscribers who own Sonos systems can add that system to their coverage for an additional $2.99/month. Sonos system owners who do not already subscribe to Sirius can purchase Sirius Internet Radio subscriptions for $12.95/month.

At a Sirius Satellite Radio press event on August 15, I had a chance to play with a Sirius-connected Sonos system and was impressed by how well-integrated it was. The Sonos CR100 Controller is a huge part of the package—the handheld controller/display allowed me to identify new music instantly and made scrolling through Sirius' channels quick and logical. (Read John Atkinson's pre-Sirius Sonos voyage of discovery.)

Just by playing with the system, I attracted a bit of a crowd. The people at the event were journalists working the gizmo beat—folks who, unlike the majority of consumers, were already acquainted with satellite radio and gadgets. Even those savvy folks seemed amazed at the Sonos system's capabilities. As I played with the controller, team Sonos and I were peppered with basic questions about music servers, digital compression, and whole-house audio. It seems that even technology journalists are unaware that music does not have to be chopped up to be stored and shared—reporter after reporter was startled to discover lossless compression.

It was an interesting experience. Sonos attended the Sirius meet-and-greet because it sees the addition of Sirius Internet Radio as a big plus in its push to bring music to every room of the house—and it is big news to be first—but the real story was how excited jaded technology reporters were by the Sonos system once they held that controller in their hands and considered the possibilities.

The same was true for me—I had visited JA during his Sonos audition and thought the system was pretty cool, but holding the CR100 in my hand and putting the system through its paces was exhilarating. You may not think you're interested in the Sonos system on a practical or intellectual level, but once you get your hands on the CR100, you'll start making plans to take one (or many more) home with you.

In that sense, I suspect Sonos' success will lie less in getting the word out than in getting hands on.

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